iPhone X: 5 things we would change
The five major drawbacks of the iPhone X that will make you think twice about emptying your wallet.
Apple didn't hold back on features for its iPhone X a stunning OLED HDR display with barely-there bezels, an A11 Bionic processor, AR capabilities and a set of cameras that could rival a DSLR. But it also has some major drawbacks that will make even the most loyal Apple fan think twice before pulling the trigger on the tenth anniversary iPhone .
Price
We're used to paying a premium for Apple devices, but this one may be a record. Apple may have tried to soften the blow by calling it $999 (£999 and AU$1,579), but it's still a thousand-dollar phone. Tack on another $149 for the 256GB version if you plan on storing those beautiful 4K videos locally, then add the cost of a charging pad and to insure it all -- you're looking at a $1,400 price tag. Because even the Apple Care for the iPhone X is $50 more than previous models. We weren't expecting the iPhone X to be cheap, but Apple at least could've kept it in line with the Plus model pricing.
Glass back
Apple traded in the aluminum for a glass back on its three new iPhones to enable wireless charging, which means you'll have to be extra careful with your thousand-dollar investments. Those of you who prefer a nude, caseless look on your iPhone will have two breakable surfaces to worry about. Apple's "strongest glass ever" and even the iPhone X's stainless steel frame don't make it completely shatterproof.
The 'notch'
Apple says the iPhone X has an all-screen OLED display, but "all-screen" doesn't mean it's exactly bezel-free. Unlike Xiaomi's Mi Mix 2, the 10th-anniversary iPhone still has a slight bezel framing the screen with rounded edges as well as a notch flanking the earpiece and camera at the top. It's a huge leap forward in terms of screen-to-bezel ratio, but watching videos with a black bar on the side and curved corners could prove to be less than ideal. Early shots from the event demo room show a double-tap feature on the X that would shrink the video to avoid the notch, but then it wouldn't be taking advantage of the screen real estate.
No Touch ID
Apple likes to get rid of buttons and ports on its devices. Last year it killed the headphone jack, and this year it eliminated the home button. While most of us will gladly forgo a home button in favor of a bezel-less display, Apple should've at least kept the Touch ID as an alternative to the new FaceID, maybe locating it under the screen as early rumors had suggested. Unlocking the phone with your face may prove more secure, but Craig Federighi's demo fail when he first attempted to unlock his iPhone at the event demo suggests otherwise.
Release date
But the biggest bummer about the iPhone X is that you won't be able to get it until November, practically a lifetime in nerd years. And that's assuming everything goes smoothly. Last year's Airpods arrived months after the announcement and are still on backorder a year later.