iPhone X 'Plus': Sizing Up The X In 2018

The iPhone X is an amazing phone. Will it get even better with the rumored iPhone X "Plus?"

The X is such a radical departure (in a good way) from any iPhone I've ever owned that it would be hard to go back to the 7 Plus or 8/8 Plus*.

That said, the most obvious shortcoming right now is that there is only one screen size for the X.

What we think we know -- a second larger model: Among a trio of phones Apple is expected to introduce later this year, the 6.5-inch iPhone X "Plus" -- if reports are accurate -- is exactly what Apple should do.

If you've been using iPhone Plus models over the past few years (as I have), it doesn't take long to realize that the "smaller" 5.5-inch display on the 7 Plus or 8 Plus is actually bigger (wider) than the X's 5.8-inch display. This becomes clear when watching videos. (See this from MobileTechReview at the 1:45 mark and you'll see what I mean.)

The fact is, the X is really just an iPhone 8 stretched vertically (see Apple's Human Interface Guidelines). So, if the X Plus is anything like the concept from Martin Hajek it would be Apple's first truly massively-big-screen smartphone.

Bigger iPhone gets you...: Bigger-is-better is often a truism (ask a Galaxy Note user) for smartphone displays. For me, I would happily ditch my iPad Pro for a massive-screen iPhone. One of the reasons the tablet market has fizzled is that consumers are realizing that an iPad and tablets in general are largely redundant.

I understand that's not the case for everyone. For lots of the iPhone faithful, the chassis size to screen ratio on the iPhone X is as close to perfection as you can get. That's one of the things that makes the X so good. I recognize that but still look forward to a larger version. 

The iPhone X after three months and expected improvements: Face ID is not perfect and in need of a Touch ID (aka home button) backup. As I've said before (and I may be in the minority), Face ID on the iPhone X is different than facial recognition on a laptop. The latter (for me) is always instantaneous. On the HP Spectre 13, I grab the laptop, put it on my lap (or desk) and I'm in.

Smartphones are often situated at an angle and sometimes an arm's-length distance from your face. I prefer to keep my phone on the desk where it is (in many cases) and would prefer not to pick it up every time to ID my face. That seems like a trivial nitpicky thing until you have to do that many times over the course of the day.

But Apple will undoubtedly improve Face ID with time. Besides, the X is too good of a phone for that to spoil the fun of using it. Yes, the iPhone X has its share of issues like any phone but I really don't have any other major complaints about the phone, which is testimony to its greatness. 

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¹Martin Hajek, @deplaatjesmaker

*I do use an iPhone 8 on occasion but that's mostly for side-by-side testing and comparison.