The covers have officially come off Apple’s latest iPhone, albeit after many key details were leaked to the media.
Apple is notoriously secretive about its upcoming devices; frequently managing to keep everything under wraps until the official unveiling. This wasn’t the case for the iPhone X, however, after developers managed to work out what was on the horizon from a firmware pre-release.
As anticipated, the device’s most headline-grabbing feature is its ‘edge-to-edge’ screen – meaning there will be no home button. This change also brings about the end of the fingerprint sensor, a mainstay of Apple devices since first being launched on the iPhone 5s in 2013. Instead, devices will unlock via facial recognition software. Most excitingly, this will even work in the dark, as the device’s so-called ‘FaceID’ will use 30,000 infra-red dots to map each user’s face. This technique, Apple claims, is more secure and tougher to circumvent than fingerprint scanning.
On the technological side, the iPhone X (referred to as ‘ten’ – as with Roman numerals) will offer faster processors than previous models, in addition to an improved camera sensor and louder speakers. The device will also support Qi wireless charging – meaning users don’t need to plug their devices into a socket but simply place them on a wireless ‘AirPower’ mat, which is set to be released next year. This mat will also support the Apple Watch and Airpods, so multiple devices can be charged not just wirelessly but simultaneously too.
As is customary, the new iPhone brings with it a new iOS – which has reached its eleventh iteration. One notable addition for iOS 11 is the ARKit, which enables developers to create augmented reality apps with greater ease. It’s thought that AR – and its capabilities with this new iPhone – will be a major selling point and something that Apple chooses to focus on when it comes to market these new devices.
All this tech will come at a price, of course, with the 64GB model retailing in the UK at £999. Those wanting 256GB of memory face an outlay of £1,149. Most interestingly, these prices have been replicated in both dollars and pounds – meaning the devices will sell for $999 and $1,149 in the US, despite the current exchange rate being nearer 75p to one US Dollar.
Though this release hasn’t come as much of a shock to those following developments carefully (at least, compared to Apple’s normal levels of high secrecy), it certainly continues the company’s trend for pushing boundaries and challenging all comers for smartphone supremacy. With Apple having been accused in recent years of being evolutionary not revolutionary, the iPhone X could well re-establish its reputation as being the one to beat.
