Apple announced three new iPhones, a new 4K Apple TV and Apple Watch at yesterday’s iPhone event. The event also marked the opening of the newly built Steve Jobs theater, and the 10
th anniversary of the iPhone. Apple’s new iPhone trio includes the iterative iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus, the ground-breaking iPhone X (ten) to mark the iPhone’s 10
th anniversary.
All three models come with a new front and back glass design, the new A11 Bionic chip, which according to Apple, is the most powerful chip ever made for a smartphone, water and dust resistance, wireless charging (finally!) and better camera technology with the 8 Plus and the X rocking dual camera setups. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus come with 4.7″ and 5.5″ displays respectively, while the iPhone X although being smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus packs a 5.8” display.
The iPhone X was the star of the announcements and Apple totally outdid themselves in crafting it. It’s the most upgrade we’ve seen on an iPhone in years. The X has a super retina OLED edge-to-edge display which covers almost all of the front panel of the phone. This means there’s no more home button, bye bye touch ID. The phone has been designed to wake up when you tap on the screen or with the power button.
The only part of the front not covered by the screen holds the world’s most advanced facial recognition system on a smartphone – Face ID. The tech allows you unlock your phone just by looking at it. It can also be used for making payments on supported platforms. Face ID uses a combination of sensors and Apple’s new true depth front-facing camera system to scan your face, registering all of your facial features and contours. Addressing security concerns, Apple assured everyone that Face ID is even more secure than Touch ID with 1 : 1,000,000 chances of failing (unless you have an evil twin). All bio metric info is securely stored on the iPhone, and the system cannot be fooled by pictures or even a facial mask. Face ID also works in the night thanks to the flood illuminator, and it recognizes your face despite what you’re wearing (glasses, hat, new hair, make -up).
iOS 11 on the iPhone X is now more gesture based. Most of the stuff you did with the home button are now handled by swipe gestures (similar to the Blackberry OS). The phone also gains fast charge support (50% charge in 30 minutes).
The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus go on pre-order on September 15 and on sale on September 22. The phones come in two storage options – 64GB and 256GB. The 64GB iPhone 8 starts at $699, the 64GB iPhone 8 Plus at $799. Meanwhile, for the iPhone X, the 64GB model will cost $999 and there’s a 256GB option as well, and pre-order will start October 27, and availability on November 3.
