iPhone X Marks the Spot: New Phones & Features in the Sept 2017 Reveal

Make way, folks. Apple’s phone of the decade has finally arrived, and the upgrades in iPhone X are promising to blow its competitors out of the water. It comes with its comrades-at-arms, too: the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Skipping the traditional S cycle means that in this September 2017 event, the Cupertino giant is rearing to retake the lead.

Early last year, Forbes announced that Samsung overtook Apple in the arms race for dominating the market. While Apple regained the top rank in the fourth quarter of last year, particularly due to the bad rap the South Korean tech company received from its exploding Galaxy Note 7, Samsung was quick to recover, displacing Apple back to second. BGR reported. However, things aren’t set in stone as market intelligence firm Trendforce noted the hype surrounding the tenth-year iPhone to be unveiled in the big September 2017 is holding back demands.

For what it’s worth, Apple does enjoy a loyal fan base and a massive following during its announcements. Surely, the iPhone X (pronounced as “iPhone Ten”) and its brothers are sure to soak up the limelight with their upgraded features in the following weeks to come.

iPhone X: New features, new design

While most of the iPhone X upgrades were already leaked, thanks to a HomePod firmware that made rounds online, the new features were still show-stoppers during the September unveiling. Now sporting an “all-glass” design with IP67 Certification to have you dunking the new device in water, the iPhone X uses an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch OLED display (dubbed Super Retina) with a 2436 x 1125 resolution in a body much smaller than any iPhone Plus predecessor. This configuration cuts the top bar into half due to the notch cutout for the front camera and sensors. There’s also TrueTone display, which adjusts the screen to the ambient light to provide better viewing experience.

This iPhone X new feature also means that it’s time to say goodbye to the much-loved home button and Touch ID. Instead, a facial recognition system called Face ID will take its place even for authenticating payments. Apple says this new tech use “flood illumination,” or a series of infrared rays that map out the user’s face’s every nook and cranny. As for many home button-dependent tasks such as Siri, these actions are now accessible through the new side power button.

Then, there’s the now-vertical dual-cam setup with a host of upgrades: both 12MP cameras, one f/1.8-aperture wide and another f/2.4 telephoto, are equipped with dual optical image stabilization for better photos and videos sans the shake–even the time lapse. Other cam and sensor perks that come as iPhone X upgrade features are Portrait Mode and a host of Portrait Lighting effects, support for 1080p slo-mo video at either 120 or 240 frames per second. The front cam, on the other hand, is a 7MP f/2.2 affair with TrueDepth for the facial sensing plus other quirks such as making animated emojis or Animojis.

Under the hood, the iPhone X features the new iOS 11 and its redesigned system, complementing the new A11 Bionic chip with a three-core first-ever homegrown GPU and 3 GB of RAM. Thanks to the glass back, the iPhone X will also support wireless charging by Qi standards.

However, the future-forward iPhone X and its slew of new feature are yet to be seen in real-world action as Apple will be opening pre-orders on October 27 starting at $999 and will ship beginning November 3. The iPhone X will come only in space gray and silver for now.

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: A refreshing cycle

Apple chose to skip with the S naming this year, possibly as a marketing strategy as its competitors are now on this same number. Either way, both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are similar to their predecessors–screen size, display, and security measures. Long live Touch ID!

Both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus share some of the iPhone X new features: a glass back for wireless charging, iOS 11, TrueTone tech, and the A11 Bionic chip. It misses out on the Portrait Mode for the front-facing camera, an OLED screen, and the TrueDepth camera system, though, as it sticks to a more traditional iPhone 7 construction. Even the dual-cam setup on the iPhone 8 Plus retains its predecessor’s look.

Still, both Apple devices are forces to be reckoned with, what with the under-the-hood boosts that should keep upgraders happy. After all, the pricey-and-mighty iPhone X might cost an arm and a leg when a similarly powerful phone costs more than $100 less. Both coming in three colors: black, silver, and a newly retooled gold, the iPhone 8 will start at $699 while its bigger brother at $799. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are available for pre-order starting September 15, and stocks will hit stores on September 22.

Once again, Apple has captured the attention of the ever-growing market with fresh upgrades and a lineup that’s treading on the fine line between innovation and familiarity. Frankly, it still works–and iPhone X and its brothers may well engulf the competition again.

About the writer. Luigie Hadap is a Filipino writer and educator who devours tech updates when he gets his hands on them and students when they get too rowdy (luckily they don’t).