Once upon a time, when Apple was about to launch something, nobody would have a clue what it was. Oh, of course we’d hear little whispers about a new type of computer or a possible feature, but the rest would be a delightful surprise.
However, those days are now over. With so much anticipation and so many companies involved in the manufacturing of the devices themselves and their accessories, keeping a tight lid on what’s coming is borderline impossible.
That’s bad news for Apple, but it’s great news for us. So, with Apple officially launching the iPhone X on the 12th of September, we thought we’d take a look at what we know about the iPhone X. So, before you start hammering the internet for Apple contact details to lay your pre-order down, let’s get started.
It has an edge-to-edge screen.
Yes, Apple are finally ditching the huge bezels which have adorned every one of their smartphone efforts to date and joining the present with an edge-to-edge screen. Much like the Xiaomi Mi Mix, Galaxy S8, Essential Phone, LG V60 and others, Apple’s phone will have a screen which stretches right to the top of the device, giving the impression that you’re just holding the screen.
Doing so means that a small cut out for the camera, speaker and sensors will appear at the top. But it’s a worthwhile price to pay for such an exciting looking device.
Now, we know what you’re thinking – where is the iconic circular home button going to go? That brings us to…
It kills the home button.
Yes, that stalwart of iPhone design is dead on the iPhone X. Instead, the screen goes right to the bottom, with the extra space being used for a software alternative and more information, much like how Android handles devices without hardware home buttons.
That will enable a great deal more software flexibility, but means that legacy users might struggle to get used to the new interface paradigm. It also means that the hardware fingerprint reader which the iPhone has used for the last few generations will go away too, with leaks suggesting no rear fingerprint reader either.
It’s unclear whether the iPhone uses an under-screen fingerprint reader or not, but it does open the door to a new iPhone feature…
It has a 3D face scanner.
Yes, leaks are suggesting that the iPhone has a 3D facial scanner, which will work as authentication for getting into your phone and making payments. The hardware is also likely to be opened up to developers, who will be able to make a range of games and apps which use the feature.
It’s similar to the iris scanning technology of the newest Galaxy devices, but should have a broader purpose. Whether it’s capable of scanning in the dark, at obtuse angles and in variable lighting conditions (like that of a club), also remains to be seen.
It boasts the usual power/camera improvements.
An iPhone launch isn’t an iPhone launch without the usual improvements to the general underlying technology in the device. That’ll mean the usual improvements to processing power, camera performance and so on. Oh, and they probably won’t improve battery life – it’s the Apple way!