Apple Unveils Its 2017 Flagship iPhone

iPhone

iPhone

In time for the Christmas holiday season, Apple revealed it 2017 flagship product on Sept. 12, 2017. The iPhone X was named for the 10th anniversary of the company’s phone release and available in November.

This clears up months of rumors about the name of the upcoming phone. Many believed the iPhone 8 was the name of the flagship product. The unveiling included the iPhone 8 Plus. Its release does verify the fact that the home button is gone instead Apple has employed Face ID.

CNET Magazine offered a brief list of the iPhone X (pronounced 10) highlights:

  • The screen is 5.8 inches with an Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) display. “The OLED is a flat light emitting technology, made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors,” according to its manufacturer’s website;
  • A Super Retina display with a 2,436X1, 135-pixel resolution using 458pPPI density;
  • There are two rear cameras sporting 21-megapixels with optical image stabilizers on each;
    • Taking portraits will be more effective with the camera’s lighting feature for this purpose;
  • The home button has been removed. Using Face ID, the consumer will hold the look into the camera then swipe to unlock the phone;
    • Face ID uses the front-facing and Infrared cameras;
  • An A11 Bionic processor that includes Apple’s exclusively designed GPU;
  • Both front and back are glass;
  • Users no longer speak aloud to launch Siri. There is a side-button to open Apple’s assistant;
  • The same button is tapped twice to use Apple Pay;
  • Available colors are black and gray. The iPhone X does not come in gold.

Consumers need not be concerned the iPhone’s Face ID feature will not consistently recognize them. Another problem that might worry users is if the facial recognition can be fooled with a photograph. Apple alleviates these by explaining that they have designed “masks to train the phones to distinguish you from your photo…and your evil twin,” according to CNET.

Users can now create a “living breed of emojis” using Face ID. These are called animojis, which morphs the words emoji and animal. Apple says the feature will lend animals expressions to the consumer’s face in their messages. There is a unicorn, fox, panda, cat, rabbit, monkey, pig, dog, and rooster. If those were not enough there are non-animal expressions from a robot, alien, and even poo. Animojis are exclusive to the iPhone X.

Preordering for the flagship phone begins on Oct. 27, with shipping to start on Nov. 3. The high-ticket iPhone X sells for $999.00. Whereas, the 8 and 8 Plus presale orders begin on Sept. 15 and consumers will have their phones beginning on the 22nd. The prices are a bit more palpable, they start at $699 and $799 respectively.

All three of the new phones are dust and water resistant and support wireless charging. Consumers can choose either 64 or 256GB, and all phones include the A11 bionic chip. They also have the same upgraded slow-motion video support, which is 1080 pixels with 120 and 240FPS (frames per second).

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus still have the home button and Touch ID. They are smaller than the flagship phone,  are available in black, gray, and gold.

No matter which model a person chooses they can expect the quality that comes with 10 years of design and customer support.

By Cathy Milne

Sources:

CNET Magazine: iPhone X arrives with high price, no home button
SlashGear: iPhone 8 A11 Bionic detailed: most powerful smartphone chip ever
The Washington Post: Apple unveils new products including the $1,000 iPhone X

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of geralt’s Pixabay Page – Creative Commons License

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