iPhone X and iPhone 8

[Tsutarja]

https://www.wired.com/story/apple-iphone-x-iphone-8/

I'm not even sure what to make of the iPhone X. I get that it's named "X" for it being the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, but holy cow is this thing an innovation for Apple. I never would have thought that Apple would get rid of its iconic home button ever, either.

Then there's the iPhone 8, which is more like your standard iPhone (with a home button). Interesting that they broke their naming convention by skipping 7s on this one.

So, what do y'all think? If you're an Apple fanboy, do you plan to upgrade?

 

[Sawsbuck]

It's overpriced crap

 

[Tsutarja]

It's overpriced crap

I don't mean to tear into your thoughts, but what exactly is your definition of "crap" in this context? Do you think you could design something far more superior than what Apple has?

I agree that any Apple product is "overpriced" in comparison to what else is out there on the market, but to flat out call something "crap" without reason is uncalled for, in my opinion.

 

[Percy]

The iPhone X is insane with that price tag of $999. I like the bezel-less look though, but that front camera bar that kind of takes up space while you're watching video bothers me. The iPhone 8 is basically, for me, an incremental update to iPhone 7 with the faster specs etc. But Apple, where's my headphone jack?!
I can't afford it anyway *insert sad music*

 

[Nick]

Also, the biggest point to be made is that (as someone who hasn't seen the whole presentation, just going off from the announcements themselves) Apple has essentially overshadowed the iPhone 8 with the X. If the X was going to be The Next Big Thing, Apple should've just skipped the 8 (in addition to 9) entirely. I kind of wonder the reasoning of making the 8 to begin with. Maybe it's for people who want a newer iPhone that can't afford the X, but if it doesn't have enough differentiation from the 7 beyond your standard "prettier screen + bigger RAM + bigger storage + better processor", then I don't really see a point.

From an affordability standpoint, it makes sense to keep the 7 because now that's considered the lower end model and people who can't afford the X will likely get the 7. Opposed to just having the X, and pretty much saying "We don't want your business" to the people who can't afford that.

Seems to me that the X is the "new phone" while the 8 can be considered to some as the iPhone 7S in some regards; just a few minor tweaks under the hood to make it perform better, and a slightly redesigned hardware.

I'll probably shell out the extra $300 for the X.

 

[Arsenic]

It looks sleek that's for sure. Who doesnt love a screen without borders. As far as the phone of the future.... Ehhh..... I guess maybe the near future, until the XI comes out next year HA!

 

[pkmin3033]

Is 9 a cursed number in electronics or something now? First Microsoft, now Apple...

I'm hoping the release of the 8 will drop the price of the 6/7 so I can afford to get one on a decent contract, because it's probably about time I got a smartphone. Honestly the price of the X makes me laugh though, because there is no way in any reality it is worth THAT much. That's a whole new level of absurdity in pricing that I didn't think we were going to see for a while. I suppose there is no limit on greed.

 

[blue]

the price tag is ridiculous. ?999 which basically means Apple are charging us ?245 more than the exchange value, not worth it.

 

[Sawsbuck]

I don't mean to tear into your thoughts, but what exactly is your definition of "crap" in this context? Do you think you could design something far more superior than what Apple has?

I agree that any Apple product is "overpriced" in comparison to what else is out there on the market, but to flat out call something "crap" without reason is uncalled for, in my opinion.

Android phones are far better, they aren't as slow, they aren't as expensive, they have better features (like the option to have an SD card), and there are more to choose from
Pretty sure most people only buy iPhones because of the brand

 

[Raffy98]

I feel like Apple is doing the usual stuff: features that were available since ages in other phones (such as Wireless Charging) are now being brought into their flagship device, which for that price tag is really ridiculous... are you really expecting me to spend that much money on a smartphone?
I'll give you some perspective, for that amount of money (at least here) I could buy a small used car (like mine, it cost ?500, it's not that great but it takes you places and gets the job done) and maybe build a totally respectable PC with the rest. That's how crazy the price is.

I have to give credit to the design though, aside from that black bar at the top center which I find really annoying, the borderless screen looks good; kind of worried about that gesture which replaces the home button though... what if instead of going home you were just scrolling through a page? Would you accidentally go home every time? But that's not really a big deal since it can be worked out via software for sure.
Also... is Face ID really gonna be more efficient than Touch ID? If it behaves like it did during the Keynote, then I feel that the answer might be a resounding no.

As for the iPhone 8... nothing special. Just some hardware upgrades, I feel like that's something thrown at people who want a new iPhone but that can't afford the iPhone X.

 

[Drayton]

Did apple dump the 128GB option for their newest model, they usually have 3 storage options instead the 2 options thought new feature does comes with a stingy price tag that make people want do sell their kidney to get their hands on X

 

[Legendary Silke]

To be frank, the iPhone 8, 8+, and X all appear to be... grossly overpriced next to the Galaxy S8, let alone their actual counterparts S8+ and Note8.

Outside of the CPU/GPU performance (which is starting to become rather pointless given current hardware performance levels) and efficiency (they still do a lot with their batteries), everything about these iPhones just... well, they give you less for more money. Even the iPhone X is mostly technically inferior to the regular S8, let alone its more upscale cousins.

It feels like these phones are made for those that insist on iPhones, and not much else.

 

[Alex]

I think the iPhone X's aesthetic is beautiful. Some people are harping on the fact that the bezel could've been flattened out all along the top of the phone instead of creating an awkward gap, but I think that looks worse than what they've decided on. The elimination of the home button is really cool and I like that they've decided to do that. I've been using Android for the past 4 years and the iPhone X brings apple back into the realm of consideration when buying a smartphone.

The wireless charging was a feature I was super hyped about, but I think it kinda fell flat. there's still a wire. You have to plug in the pad somewhere, and there's a wire running to and from. So it's kinda like halfway wireless charging. I wasn't impressed with that.

The FaceID is a cool concept in theory but I'm more of a fan of TouchID or tried-and-true passcodes.

 

[tokyodrift]

I've highly considered getting the X since I'm just about done paying for the one I have until I saw the price tag. I do think I'll skip this generation and wait for the next. As much as I would like to have the X, I'd rather not break my pockets for it. I'm pretty shocked, Apple has come a long way. Apple isn't always the first to do something, but when they do something, they're adamant on being the best at it. Not entirely sure I'm completely sold on FaceID, but that's probably my bias for TouchID kicking in here. Overall the X is a beauty. The 8 seems like it's just a rehash of the 7 for the most part. I'll have to give it some more thought though.

 

[inspirASIAN]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Personally, I am not a fan of the notch on top. I still prefer the iPhone 8 sporting the tried-and-true design. To be fair to the notch, it does pack plenty of amazing tech in such little space which is worthy of much applause, but they could've at least masked it off with a black background on the software end to make it look uniform in usage. Right now the notch is such a distraction that it even blocks out portions of full-screen videos and web pages. And then there's iOS' attempts to adapt to the new curvatures of the iPhone X... I just can't... the UI right now is a hot mess in my eyes. A part of me knows they've done it for UX reasons, but I can't help but nitpick. Will I get used to this kind of iOS going forward? Time will tell.

To reiterate, the gold iPhone 8 looks so much better to me. It has got to be my favourite iPhone yet. I'm of the mind that as long as the design continues to work, then there's little point in forcing yourself to come up with a new one until you think it's the absolute right time to present something new. Plenty hyped this ten-year anniversary iPhone and Apple felt duly obliged to deliver and out came what they have now. If they had one more year they might've successfully implemented the fingerprint sensor under the display. Maybe that's why I really don't mind the same design on the iPhone 8; except for the now-glass back that purportedly feels super nice to touch and a better gold finish. It's most likely what I'll get my hands on this year then simply kick back and wait to see what they do about the next iPhone X.

As it is now, I'm not yet ready for this 'future' of the iPhone. I'll willingly stay in the world of fat bezels for perhaps just another year. Maybe by then the next phone will have both Face ID and Touch ID as options.

Overall, Apple seems to have plans to make it the notch the replacement of the iconic home button. When other people takes notice of the notch, it immediately screams iPhone. It didn't translate well to me, however, and that's fine. Many other people seem OK with it.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Just curious...if we were to compare the starting launch price for each iPhone model (5, 6, 7, 8, X) would we see an increase in price point? Reason why I ask is while the X is supposed to be an upgraded version of 8, if the price proint has been going up over the years will we start to see every launch of a new iPhone being price pointed over a grand?

 

[Palkia]

The iPhone X really looks like a first gen product (no touch id, still using a lightning connector), plus it's ridiculously overpriced and looks easy to break. Those tiny bezels won't help when the poor thing gets dropped.

I'm still not sold on the whole bezeless smartphone trend as well. There doesn't seem to be that much point in freeing up area at the front of the phone that won't be used when you watch movies. Plus it uses much more power. I'm also not a fan of them going back to the glass back + front design rather than the glass front and metal unibody. Unibody designs always looks better to me.

 

[Nick]

Unless Apple can literally blow people away with the next generation of iPhones, they're going to have a very hard time convincing people year after year to upgrade. Of course, there will always be the share of Apple users who are devoted to spending however amount of money they can because of brand loyalty, but the iPhone X is a serious litmus test to many of them, I feel.

I'm not so sure about that.

 

[Dter ic]

Nobody has said anything about the HDR display that is another feature of the iPhone X. Yeah face unlock is new and all, but it's not the only thing you get for paying $1000 on a iPhone. A review on Ars says that HDR makes pictures and video look much better (deeper blacks).

Will have to see for myself if the display makes the iPhone X worth its price.