First impressions with the Apple iPhone X: four features that stand out

Cellphones

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Apple iPhone X. PHOTO: Grace Chng

Apple shares hit an all-time high of US$166.72 following reports of high demand for the iPhone X which will reach consumers’ hands this Friday.

This is the one people have been waiting for. Potentially, it is the product that will push Apple into being the world’s first US$1 trillion company.

Consumers queuing up to buy the iPhone X (pronounced “ten” and not as in X-ray) are expected everywhere including at Apple Orchard Road store in Singapore this Friday.

It was only 10 years ago that I saw queues snake around Singtel’s headquarters at Comcentre when it held the launch for the first iPhone. The same, I believe, will happen this Friday when the telco launches the sale of the iPhone X here.

So what can consumers can expect when they unbox the iPhone X on Friday? I got hold of a unit in advance of the launch. Here are four features you should not miss:

Brilliant screen: Users will be bedazzled by the brilliant 5.8-inch high-resolution screen that covers just about the entire surface of the device.

Almost the entire face is made up of screen. There’s almost no bezel which emphasizes the brilliant screen. Its compact size makes it smaller and lighter than the iPhone 8 Plus.

No more home button: Apple has done away with the home button. Instead, you use gestures to navigate the phone by swiping your finger up/down or left/right on the screen. It is not difficult to learn. These are three useful gestures:

– To get to the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom edge of the display. Or press the side button on the right.

– To open the control centre, swipe down from the top right hand corner

– To take a screen shot, press the Side and Volume Up buttons together

Animojis: Most fun feature. There are 12 animated animojis including a piece of poop, a chicken and a panda. Instead of typing a text message in iMessage, the animoji picks up your facial expressions and records your voice.

Your message is sent as an audio or video message. I’m sure the fun element of animojis will soon run out of steam. However, this seemingly simple app uses the most advanced technologies – advanced cameras recognise the facial expressions and the powerful chips onboard drive the graphics.

Facial recognition: Much talked about new feature. It is used to unlock or wake up the phone when you bring the phone to your face. Face ID is impressive. It takes about five seconds to set up. Point the camera and sensors – located on the front of the phone – at your face and make two circles with your head, left and right.

These movements capture the characteristics of your face. Now the phone “recognises” you. Simply bring the phone up to your face to unlock it. The phone continues to “learn” about you as you grow your hair longer, when you no longer wear the eyeglasses after a Lasik operation, or when you don a hat to keep the sun out.

If the Face ID doesn’t work, you can still access your information by using the numerical password.

Conclusion

The iPhone X feels very nice in the hand and slips nicely into my jeans pocket. The screen is so brilliant that videos are a joy to watch. It is like having a theatre in your pocket. For these reasons, I’m relegating my iPhone 8 Plus to a backup role.

CORRECTION at 01/11/2017 8:55am: The iPhone X has a 5.8-inch screen instead of a 5.5-inch screen, as stated in an earlier version of the story. We are sorry for the error. 

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GALLERY