Ten years after Apple launched its first iPhone, they have revealed the iPhone X.
It has no home button, scans your face to log you in and costs $999.
The
company unveiled the anniversary edition smartphone, alongside an
iPhone 8 and its bigger sibling, the iPhone 8 Plus, at a press event at
the brand new Apple Park campus in Cupertino on Tuesday. The company
also announced a new Apple Watch with a cellular connection, an Apple TV
that streams 4K video, and gave the public its first peek at the
circular Steve Jobs Theater.
The new iPhone X kills the home
button to make space for a larger screen. It has an edge-to-edge
display, glass on the front and back, wireless charging that requires
resting the phone on a special surface, and a surgical grade stainless
steel band around the edges. It’s water and dust resistant.
The
5.8-inch OLED display isn’t just bigger, it also packs 458
pixels-per-inch. Apple (AAPL, Tech30) calls it a Super Retina Display.
It supports HDR, has a million-to-one contrast ratio and improved color
accuracy.
The
loss of the home button means no more fingerprint sensor. To unlock the
phone, you can use your face with a new technology called Face ID.
Front-facing cameras and sensors create a map of your face to determine
if you are the phone’s proper owner. The technology learns more about
your face every time you use it, and stores any face detection
information on the device. It uses small flood light to work in the
dark.
Apple said face detection is more secure than fingerprints.
It added there was a one in 50,000 chance of a random person being able
to open your phone with their fingerprint. But those chances drop to 1
in a million with face detection.
The
company also introduced a Face ID-enabled feature called Animoji, which
serves up animated emoji that mimic your facial expressions. For
example, you’ll be able to give your friends side-eye as a unicorn.
The
iPhone X will cost $999 for the 64 GB version, $1,149 for the 256 GB
version, and start shipping on Nov. 3 — more than a month later than all
the other devices announced on Tuesday.
For those not willing to
shell out a grand for a new smartphone, the iPhone 8 options are cheaper
and also pack a powerful punch. They’re faster, sturdier and better at
snapping photos than the previous iPhone.
On
the surface, the devices look similar to the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8
clocks in at 4.7 inches and iPhone 8 Plus is 5.5 inches. But inside is
an A11 “bionic chip” and an improved camera sensor.
Wireless
charging, available on both the iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices, is a big
move forward, too. The charging requires contact between a special
surface and the glass back of the iPhone. The technology is based on Qi
wireless charging, which Apple believes will be available at coffee
shops, stores and airports around the world in the near future, so
people can get juice on the go.
iPhone 8 smartphones, which come
with an aluminum band around the edges, will be available in three
colors: space gray, gold and silver. The iPhone 8 will start at $699 and
the iPhone 8 Plus is $799 for 64 GB models.
Culled from CNN