iPhone X: A Screen too Pricey for $1000
Illustration By: Andrew Khanian
Are you happy without a headphone jack in your new iPhone? Well guess what, Apple is coming for your home button too. Your wallet is still in jeopardy of course, but most Apple consumers have come to terms with that fact for years now.
This year’s Apple showcase revealed two new phones, the iPhone 8 that we’d been expecting for a while, but also an anniversary edition iPhone X (It’s pronounced "iPhone 10").
The iPhone X comes out 10 years after the original iPhone changed the world, but history will not be repeating itself here. It’s definitely more ambitious than previous models, but fails to move that much farther than our current crop of smartphones.
Aside from the new edge-to-edge organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and tweaked cameras on both sides, the iPhone X isn’t all that different from the iPhone 8. Both devices even run on the same A11 Bionic chip, but the X model costs over $200 more.
With a price tag of $1000, no one should drop that kind of cash for features like "animoji," where your face can literally become a piece of crap, as well as a few other animals. There is some new technology behind the idea though. It is part of what Apple calls their TrueDepth camera hub, and will make the art of selfies that much more elaborate.
But do you really need animojis or TrueDepth cameras? Probably not. There is already a large array of filters and other editing tools available on current models, and Snapchat offers a series of face-altering filters similar to the animoji gag.
One new feature that actually does meet a need is the implementation of Qi wireless charging technology. Samsung introduced this to the market previously, but it is far from perfect.
Apple’s new AirPower system can charge up to 3 devices at a time (phone, watch, earphones), but will itself need to be plugged into a power source to work, which defeats the purpose entirely. The add-on does not launch until next year, and likely will not come cheap either.
A charging case still seems superior to this tech, until it becomes more ubiquitous in public places, something that could happen in the future.
The future is now for Apple’s screens however, as the X does away with the iconic home button in pursuit of a nearly all-screen front. Why do away with the home button for what seems like a move in line with Android phones?
The change also marks the end for Touch ID. Face ID is set to replace it, allowing users to unlock their device by simply looking at the screen. Some have raised questions about the security of this system (twin siblings anyone?), but if the execution is there then this could be just as good if not better than Touch ID.
The X as a whole strikes a similar tone -- it could be a great product but is most likely just the start of a new generation of iPhones, one that has yet to be perfected. For now, one's best bet would be to choose something less extravagant, until Apple delivers their phone of the future in a fashion that the masses can actually afford.