The iPhone X arrived in the mail this morning. I was looking forward to it, though I suspected once the initial thrill disappeared, I wouldn’t exactly be blown away. And that’s exactly what has happened. Don’t get me wrong; the iPhone X is a great smartphone. It’s just not that much different (hardware wise) from Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 or even the Galaxy S8.
I have to use it for a couple more days to be able to write a full review. But for now, here are my first impressions:
- This reminds me a lot like the Galaxy S8. But it runs iOS, so that makes it better.
- The size of the phone, along with the screen, is perfect. It still feels like you are using a 4.7-inch iPhone, but with a much bigger screen.
- You definitely need a body protector for this phone. It’s made of glass and feels like it can break easily.
- I’m ordering a screen protector for this as we speak.
- The screen is OLED, but doesn’t look that much different from the already perfect LED screen on older iPhones.
- The colors aren’t as saturated as they are on Samsung’s OLED screens — this may be a good thing for some people.
- The only way to get a battery percentage indicator is to swipe down from the upper-right side of the screen. Bummer!
- The notch that comes down from the top of the screen is annoying.
- The fact that both camera lenses now have optical image stabilization does make a difference in picture quality.
- The brightness levels are off the wall. Even set at 75 percent brightness, the iPhone X screen looks beautiful.
- Battery life seems okay so far, but not as good as it is on the iPhone 7 Plus.
- The iPhone X is a fingerprint magnet.
- The speakers on this thing are wonderful, and I could definitely hear bass.
- So far, the face recognition has worked 9 out of 10 times.
- I miss the home button, but I will get used to the screen-swiping gesture that has replaced it.
I still think Apple would make the perfect iPhone if they allowed Apple Pencil support. Still, the keyboard input is very easy on the iPhone X, and it feels a lot more natural than typing on any Android phone. I also wish Apple would have stereo microphones for taking videos like Samsung does on their smartphones.Based on the couple hours I’ve spent with the iPhone X, I’d say it’s worth the price if you are absolutely tied to Apple’s ecosystem. But it’s not the type of phone that’s worth camping out at an Apple Store for several nights in hopes you may get one early in the morning. If you weren’t able to get the iPhone X today, go to an Apple Store, play with it, and get the excitement out of your system.
