8 first impressions after 24 hours with the iPhone X

The iPhone X
The iPhone X is the biggest overhaul of Apple's smartphone in years Credit: Getty Images

What costs £999, has no home button and scans your face? It can only be one thing: the most anticipated new iPhone in years.

The iPhone X (pronounced ten, not ecks) is the biggest overhaul of the iPhone since the first one a decade ago. Boasting an edge-to-edge screen and a new design, it also does away with the fingerprint scanner in favour of a new facial recognition system called Face ID.

The phone goes on sale on Friday, and last week's pre-orders have created a backlog that stretches into December. I've been using it for a day, so it's too early for a full review, but here are some of my first impressions.

The design takes a backseat, but that's a good thing

Let’s admit it: iPhones have started to look a bit dated. The latest iPhone 8, when viewed from the front, is almost indistinguishable from the iPhone 6, which was released three years ago. The iPhone X, though, is different. The screen runs to all four corners, letting it fit a big display into a normal sized iPhone. 

From the moment you pick it up, it's the screen that pops out at you. In fact, the pre-eminence of the screen means you actually barely notice the phone’s chassis at all; the hardware's design takes a backseat to the software on the display. Which is no bad thing.

The iPhone X's body takes a backseat to the screen
The iPhone X's body takes a backseat to the screen Credit: Apple

One annoyance about the design: the rear camera. The iPhone X has the dual-camera system of the the iPhone 7 and 8 Plus, but this time they are arranged vertically, and jut out from the body even more than on the other models. This means that if the iPhone X is placed on a surface, it literally wobbles when you press it, as it pivots on the camera lens.

iPhone X
The vertical rear cameras juts out more than on previous iPhones Credit: Apple

Face ID: it really does work

If there’s one stand-out feature of the iPhone X, it’s Face ID. The array of sensors and cameras on the front of the phone creates a 3D “map” of your face on set-up, and then checks your real face against it every time you want to unlock your phone.

And it really works. Apple’s demo flopped on stage and didn’t convince me in the demo area, but I have to say, it’s worked every time for me. Set-up is easy, and you don’t have to hold the phone right up to your face for it to unlock - if the phone’s screen is somewhat facing your way it should recognise you. And yes, it still works if you're wearing glasses.

Facial recognition changes a lot more than just unlocking your phone

While the main point of the iPhone’s facial recognition system is to unlock your phone, replacing the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, it also enables a lot of other clever things.

For example, if you have a bunch of alerts on your lock screen, previews of the messages will be hidden until the iPhone recognises your face, at which point they are revealed. If the screen is dimmed it will also brighten up, and mute your notifications if you’re looking at the screen.

The home button is no great loss

The home button has been a staple of the iPhone since the first one, but has been removed from the iPhone X to allow for more screen space. And to be honest, I can live without it.

Instead, you simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the home screen, or swipe and hold to switch between apps. You can then swipe left and right on the bottom of the screen to go between apps. It sounds complicated, but after half a day, you’ll forget the home button existed.

The screen looks glorious

The iPhone X has what’s called a “Super Retina” screen, which is Apple talk for the first iPhone display using OLED technology. This means colours pop out better, blacks are darker, and everything just looks brighter.

And there’s no denying it: it really does look fantastic. Up there with the best screens I’ve seen on a phone and a definite step up from previous iPhones, which start to look just a little drab in comparison. I definitely feel like I would be comfortable watching a full film on it, although there’s one hiccup there...

The notch is going to divide opinion

The iPhone X’s screen has an unusual shape because of the Face ID cameras at the front, which cut into the display to create what has been termed “the notch”. A small indent that the top of the screen wraps around on the left and right, it’s certainly the most… unique screen shape I’ve seen.

For most things, it’s actually been designed pretty well; indicators like battery life and signal strength just appear on either side of the notch, but when viewing videos or photos in full screen landscape mode, it looks like somebody’s taken a bite out of the video.

The notch is clearly visible when watching video
The notch is clearly visible when watching video

It might become one of those Apple quirks that people grow to love, but critics will say Steve Jobs would never have allowed it. I don’t hate it, which surprises me a little.

Apps have a few teething problems

The iPhone has had the same screen shape - 16:9, the same as a widescreen TV - since the iPhone 5. Until now. The iPhone X’s screen is taller than usual, giving it a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

While all of Apple’s apps have been updated to work with the new display, some others haven’t, and some don’t work like they should. Some have big black bars at the top and bottom because they haven't been updated for the screen, and some just act a little strangely.

Developers will presumably work on this as the iPhone X enters more widespread use, however.

Animoji are great fun - but feel like a gimmick.

This is what billions of dollars of R&D has brought us too - you can pretend to be the poo emoji. The iPhone X’s 12 “Animoji”, which include several animals, an alien and a robot, track 5,000 muscles on your own face, using the same sensors that power facial recognition.

As a demo of the power of the iPhone X’s front camera, it’s brilliant. But I can’t see myself using them once the novelty wears off. Annoyingly, they have to be made within iMessage, and I can count the number of people I regularly contact on iMessage on one hand, preferring WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. You can export them, but it’s a bit of a faff.

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