Apple iPhone X long-term review

18 January 2018
The introduction of Face ID and the removal of the Home button has resulted in a paradigm shift in the way we interact with our iPhones. Three of us have been using the iPhone X since launch and this long-term review covers what the iPhone X is like to live with on a day to day basis and we are ready to answer what's good and what's bad about it from a different perspective.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • I8m
  • 21 Jan 2018

In other words it doesn't matter what issues it has. They like their iphones no matter what.
Amount of "high quality" apps.... Yeah. .. because only apple has those. Especially on the buggy ios 11

    • D
    • AnonD-1825
    • p7H
    • 20 Jan 2018

    Iskander, 20 Jan 2018There are no statistics in that article linked, nor in the ... more"Face-ID for example doesn't do very well in ill-lit spaces, let alone in the dark surrounding, "

    What are you talking about? Face ID works perfectly even in pitch-black, it uses infra red, you clearly mixing it with those crappy Samsung face recognition etc.

      • I
      • Iskander
      • iE7
      • 20 Jan 2018

      Anonymous, 20 Jan 2018Do you have better statistics? Or do you just attack and ca... moreThere are no statistics in that article linked, nor in the marketing mumbo jumbo Apple is spouting out. It's just that, marketing. And it clearly is working very well.

      On the ID-part. While a very wet finger may cause unlocking problems, you can add several prints so you may have that one dry finger to help out. Face-ID for example doesn't do very well in ill-lit spaces, let alone in the dark surrounding, where the FPS has no issues unlocking your phone.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • 0cL
        • 20 Jan 2018

        AnonD-694886, 20 Jan 2018From the article it says "Apple did not disclose where thes... moreDo you have better statistics? Or do you just attack and cast doubt on information others provide, just because it doesn't fit within your world view?

        Apple has presumably done its homework on facial unlock, since they are staking the future of Apple Pay on it. It's been months since the iPhone X has been out and there are no major issues with facial recognition. It works well, for the millions who use it.

        And yes, the partial fingerprint scans on which virtually all phones rely today are not all that secure.

          • D
          • AnonD-732042
          • rkH
          • 20 Jan 2018

          Owning both X versions for more than 3 months now with all possible charging devices, I couldn’t have said it better. I am an iPhone fan and user since the 3G and I do not feel uncomfortable with the X. On the contrary many things are done better now and I am sure that the future versions will polish out some insignificant glitches that always accompany all new radically changed models. Thanks for the review. Indicates a very neutral point of view and sticks with the facts.
          By the way, any idea when Apple will allow 15W wireless charging?
          Keep up the good work. We really appreciate it. Cheers.
          iManos

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • Hq5
            • 20 Jan 2018

            AnonD-9070, 20 Jan 2018I am.apple user myself (ip8+ though). Decided against iPhon... moreWhy on earth would you come in and try rob someone of their enjoyment of something ?? Lol u mad or u got way too much time on your hands..
            next gen or not as I just said imo it’s the closest thing to the perfect phone ‘ in my opinion’... more refined ? Heard of software updates? Even without I got no gripes whatsoever with the x as is
            So what your saying is next gen is always better than current flagships.. thanks for that lol

              • D
              • AnonD-9070
              • Lh$
              • 20 Jan 2018

              Anonymous, 20 Jan 2018Agree with you , no phone is perfect but IMO this is the cl... moreI am.apple user myself (ip8+ though). Decided against iPhone x as I feel it is a beta version of future iPhone and isnt worth £1k with a lot of software / UI issues. Let us wait for 2018 iPhone when it will be refined. We will then have the media (and users) going all about how under cooked iphone x. Suddenly thr perfect phone of 2018 will not be as perfect.

              I liked that GSMARENA.COM has taken an unbiased view and called out issues.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • nw}
                • 20 Jan 2018

                Anonymous, 19 Jan 2018Its slow m cumbersome and would be OK if we had an option t... moreExcept when you’ve just washed your hands, or it’s a warm day and your fingers are a little moist..
                Have to say Face ID has worked flawlessly for me, and has been far less problematic than Touch ID which made me pull my hair out on numerous occasions for the reasons stated above. Each to their own though obviously.

                  • D
                  • AnonD-694886
                  • Rxq
                  • 20 Jan 2018

                  Anonymous, 20 Jan 2018Maybe you should try this new search engine, called Google.... moreFrom the article it says "Apple did not disclose where these figures are from." Maybe you should read the whole article before clicking the summit button?

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • Hq5
                    • 20 Jan 2018

                    Mark, 19 Jan 2018Well, for the money you have to pay for x it better be good... moreAgree with you , no phone is perfect but IMO this is the closest phone I’ve owned (and I’ve owned alooott ) to the perfect phone.. apples software has always been sound but hardware which I regard as the more important is again imo flawless from head to toe n that’s something I’ve never been able to claim before.. overpriced sure but let’s not forget all the top companies flagships are hitting around the 1000 mark now, having said that I still don’t regret dropping the cash for the x not for a second

                      I think you'd better do this long term review atleast a semester after the phone starting to sell. Review the q1 phones when the q3 phones release

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 0cL
                        • 20 Jan 2018

                        AnonD-694886, 20 Jan 2018Source? Thanks.Maybe you should try this new search engine, called Google...?

                        http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/13/technology/iphone-x-face-id-security/index.html

                          • D
                          • AnonD-694886
                          • K@h
                          • 20 Jan 2018

                          Anonymous, 19 Jan 2018Facial recognition can be fooled in about 1 per 1 million, ... moreSource? Thanks.

                            • D
                            • AnonD-694886
                            • K@h
                            • 20 Jan 2018

                            Anonymous, 19 Jan 2018http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/04/11/smartphone... moreAs if people don't make artificial face to fool Face ID. And Yes, you are wrong now.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-598677
                              • tug
                              • 20 Jan 2018

                              waste of money thing, x become too expensive not because of the tech, it because of pattern license, 3rd party chip and of course American tax, as big company love to sue each other ,like apple sue Qualcomm, Qualcomm sue it back, then apple sue Samsung , then Samsung take back the amoled curve, then apple try to sue all printer company for limited life printer. people using law to against each other.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0cL
                                • 20 Jan 2018

                                AnonD-728469, 20 Jan 2018I appreciate the honest little frustrations, your previous ... moreApple's Face ID is much more sophisticated than Samsung's gimmicky attempt at it, and it works well.

                                I don't know why the reviewers were having trouble with Face ID. Yes, at times you have to pick up the phone, but this is often more of an issue with having to pick up a phone which has the fingerprint scanner on the back.

                                I think that not being able to unlock a fingerprint scanner phone with damp or wet fingers is more annoying than having to look at the phone.

                                There are always things to complain about but overall the iPhone X is amazing and the best phone on the market for my money.

                                  • j
                                  • jtrogr
                                  • sv7
                                  • 20 Jan 2018

                                  Lets wait another 3 months, then it will be long term.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-728469
                                    • N@C
                                    • 20 Jan 2018

                                    I appreciate the honest little frustrations, your previous iPhone X review made it seem like nothing was wrong with the hardware or software of the phone. Too much praise was given for the Face ID back then, now I know it is no big deal even compared to the Samsung Face ID. The amogi does seem nifty though, I expect entire CG stories and games to come out from that tech, perhaps they could even use that Kinect tech to scan entire body, not just face haha.

                                      • L
                                      • LKF
                                      • tu6
                                      • 20 Jan 2018

                                      A good long term reviews guys. You should extend this long term reviews for up to 1 year of usage with half yearly updates.

                                      It will be good to see how the beautiful glass back phones look like after extend usage especially without a protective case.

                                      Call me old fashioned but I would prefer a steel back or even plastic if my internal are still flagship class ie chips and camera.

                                      Please also give long term reviews for Samsung, Huawei

                                        Duel, 19 Jan 2018No, X is lot better, in my opinion 8 is just waste of money... moreNot really. It is a haphazard attempt to do what Palm mastered with the Pre eons ago with its gesture based system. 16:9 is just fine. I watched a video on my brother's X which wasn't optimized for the notch or the ratio and the video looked amazing in 16:9. That showed me 18:9 is utterly unnecessary. However, Apple isn't the only company I'm complaining about there. But if it were me, I'd get an 8 Plus. Better battery, FP sensor, same camera, same A11 bionic which is a monster. The 8 Plus is better value for money.