Apple iPhone X reviews are out: FaceID to the ‘notch’, here’s what they say

Apple iPhone X reviews are out: FaceID, Notch, Animojis and everything else that’s new.

Apple iPhone X (iPhone 10) reviews are now out, just two days before the device officially goes on sale globally. The iPhone X was up for pre-orders from October 27 with the company claiming it was seeing record demand for its most premium iPhone till date. Apple iPhone X marks a drastic design change with no home button and a bigger 5.8-inch OLED full frontal display. The iPhone X will also go on sale starting at a price of Rs 89,000 for the 64GB variant in India and Rs 1,02,000 for the 256GB version.

So what are the early Apple iPhone X (iPhone 10) reviews saying about the product? There’s no doubt the new iPhone has universal approval in terms of performance, overall design, and the camera. The iPhone X has dual 12MP+ 12MP rear cameras with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) on both the sensors. The front camera is a TrueDepth one with the option of portrait mode as well, which is not an option on the iPhone 8 Plus’ front camera.

But what is also clear is that not all reviewers have had the same amount of time with Apple’s iPhone X. While some have only used this for a little over 24 hours, others have had the device for a week or longer. In case of The Verge’s review by Nilay Patel, they had the device of less than 24 hours and the article notes they will update the review with more in-depth comparisons, etc.

The review points out that Animoji, which is a feature exclusive to iPhone X works quite well, tracking a user’s "eyes and expressions and capturing your voice in perfect sync with the animation." It also points out the Animoji can be sent as video in SMS or exported as MOV files as well. On FaceID, the review notes that this work well even in the dark, but in bright sunlight, the feature "starts to get a little inconsistent." Overall, The Verge’s review points out that FaceID works accurately, but it is "definitely inconsistent in certain lighting conditions."

Forbes’ David Phelan points out one of the issues with the OLED display, which is the colour change in some angles. The Verge review also mentions this, though the review in Forbes, says there is a "bluish tinge", which is "characteristic of OLED. The Forbes review also goes into detail on how the user experience on the iPhone changes drastically with the iPhone X as swipe gestures replace the home button.

According to the review, "the iPhone X takes elements already found elsewhere (OLED screen, facial recognition, bigger display-to-phone ratio) and implements them immaculately." On the battery front, it points out that "more would be welcome," so this still remains a problem for Apple’s premium phones. Still, the Forbes review acknowledges the iPhone X is a phone of the future.

TechCrunch‘s Matthew Panzarino also had the iPhone X for a longer period than some of the reviewers and writes that using this device takes some time getting used to, especially since the home button is now gone and the UI is all about swipes. He also mentions the colour issue on the screen at extreme viewing angles.

Also read: Apple iPhone X unboxing, first impressions: The most premium iPhone till date

The ‘notch’ on the iPhone X display is also a point of criticism, but the review notes that the device delivers "across the board." "It really is like using the future of smartphones, today," notes the TechCrunch review.

BuzzFeed’s Nicole Nguyen also had the device for a longer period and pointed out how this one is meant for those who take their video and photos seriously. She pointed out how the TrueDepth camera is very accurate and how in Animojis it even captured her swollen eye. There were minor software bugs as well, and the lack of optimised apps from Google, etc is a cause of concern still.

There’s no doubt the phone has universal approval in terms of performance, overall design, and the camera.

CNET’s Scott Stein used the device for a shorter period as well. He also pointed out the FaceID works in most cases, and he threw quite a few interesting scenarios at it, including covering his face with scarves, fake moustaches, etc. The review also points out one major issue for the iPhone X: Many apps are not optimised for the full display, meaning there is a big black border on the top and bottom, which just makes things look uglier at time.

The review also points out that even third-party apps, like Snapchat use the "TrueDepth camera for real-time 3D effects," and how "Snapchat created new face filters" which worked really well. Once again this could be a hidden potential of the Apple iPhone X’s front camera.

The Telegraph’s James Titcomb, who also used the device for around 24 hours, wrote in his review that the swiping gestures might seem more complicated, but once a customer is used to these, the home button is easily forgotten. Also the display with its OLED display is much brighter compared to any other iPhone, says the review.

Overall, the iPhone X has gotten positive reviews, which is not surprising. What stands out is that FaceID is working, even if it is not consistent in some lighting conditions, Animojis are a killer feature, even if they appear to be gimmicky. The battery life hasn’t really improved though, which still proves to be a weak point for the iPhone of the future.