A weekend with iPhone X - first impressions
Apple did good and delivered my iPhone X on Friday November 3. and I’ve had an entire weekend to enjoy this technological marvel.
This is my trip report.
The good
- The screen, OMG the screen. 3X resolution, 2436x1125 display with 458 pixels per inch, the shortest distance from glass to screen I’ve ever seen and all-round the best smartphone display ever tested.
- Face ID is Touch ID as it should have been. In retrospect, Touch ID has a couple of issues. First, it does not work with gloves on. Second, if your fingers are wet, greasy, stained or without fingerprints, the sensor had a though day at work. Winter has indeed come to Norway and I could finally use my phone outside wearing a hat and touch-enabled gloves without issue! It’s fast and works in every lighting condition I’ve encountered until now. Added bonus: notifications can be opened with one tap. No more tap and then touch the home button.
- The camera is awesome! When iPhone 7 Plus was released I thought the portrait mode would be a gimmick. Not so. The effect is for real and the images are better than on iPhone 7. Even useful for selfies. I mean look at it:
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No more home button does not detract from the usability. The gestures feel natural and you get used to the almost instantly. Even the previous boss of Windows loves it. And I do too.
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Rounded corners give the phone a more natural feel. 4 reelz. My old design professor told us that no straight lines exist in nature. He’s right off course, and the only drawback is that not all apps have updated their astethics to match.
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The grip of the phone is much improved from the slippery 6, 6S and 7 because of the glass back.
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The battery is also improved and I can do something that I never could with iPhone 7: go a whole day of normal usage without charging. In fact, the mean battery remaining has been 36%! This will of course go down with time, but this is a needed improvement.
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Performance is great! The only device I own that has faster single threaded performance is my 5K iMac. My work Mac looks at the phone in envy.
- Animojis! Just kidding. But not really.
The so-so
- The price is high, 12 690 NOK for my model, about 1 555 USD. Apple is testing the upper limits of the market and even with this price, iPhone X will sell, sell, sell.
- Notification Center instantly became less useful. A gesture from the top right of the screen is less reachable than the home swipe from the bottom. Thus my apps on the first screen are being rearranged and the camera for instance is back. I only used the Notification Center for the camera before, not anymore.
- The aspect ratio is wider than many other phones and this has given me two problems. First, some websites are a little broken, what with the notch and all, and more importantly: Some of my snaps have been truncated 😳
The bad
- The horizontal keyboard is a shadow of its former iOS 10 self. The previously added keys are gone, making room for … nothing. A curious decision on Apple’s part.
Conclusion
This is without a doubt the best iPhone ever. I love it and would buy again, preferably for a lower price.