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Apple's latest flagship smartphone has become a very entertaining device that determines the development of the American manufacturer's devices for several years to come. He abandoned the boring and outdated design of the iPhone 8 and got smaller bezels around the screen and got a much more modern look. However, that doesn't make the iPhone X perfect. You have to pay for everything, literally and figuratively.

Specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm, 174g
• Materials: glass, stainless steel
• Biometrics: facial recognition
• Protection: IP67
• Colors: silver, gray
• OS: iOS 11
• Screen: 5.8" OLED, 1125 x 2436, 459 ppi, 82.35%, max brightness 625 nits
• Cameras: rear 12MP, four LED flashes, f/1.8 aperture, 1.22µm pixel size, 2x optical zoom; second camera 12 MP, f/2.4; autofocus, optical stabilization; video 4K 60 fps. Front 7 MP, HDR.
• Processor: Apple A11 Bionic APL1W72, 3-core GPU
• Memory: 3 GB, storage 256 GB
• Battery: 2716 mAh

iPhone X design

Apple has clung to the old look of smartphones for far too long, which was introduced with the iPhone 6. With the iPhone X, that has changed, and significantly. Just look at photos of iPhone X and iPhone 8 to understand the scale of these changes. The device not only looks good, but also feels good, which is even more important.

The device has become noticeably longer compared to the iPhone 8, 7 and 6. At the same time, the body is narrower and more compact than the iPhone 8 Plus. It seems that the developers have found the right balance, offering a screen with a diagonal of 5.8 inches.

The aluminum edges have been changed to stainless steel, like on the Apple Watch. The front and back sides of the smartphone are covered with glass. In this review, the silver version of the device is considered, which collects fingerprints very quickly. This is especially true for the shiny edges of the device. The device looks great in a shop window, but after a few hours of use, its splendor fades under the pressure of dirt.

There is also concern about what will happen to the corps in a few years. Attack tests show that this is not the most durable smartphone in the world. Acquaintance with the stainless steel Apple Watch has shown that scratches are collected very willingly here. To prevent this from happening with a smartphone, it is better to keep it in a case, but then the attractiveness of the appearance is lost. Often, the iPhone X is taken to show off to others, so a case can become an unwanted problem.

The magic happens on the front of the smartphone. The iPhone 8 has wide bezels around the screen, the iPhone X doesn't. As with , Apple has stretched the screen from edge to edge, reducing the bezels significantly. A noticeable black bar remains, adding contrast to the bright screen.

The lack of thick bezels means there is nowhere to put the Home button. It has existed on iPhones since day one. As a result, there is no fingerprint scanner. finger touch ID. Instead, Apple has completely switched to face unlocking.

All components of this unlock, such as infrared camera, backlight, dot projector, are located in the cutout at the top of the screen. When the iPhone X arrived last year, many reviewers and commentators on the internet ridiculed the notch. Despite this, Android smartphone manufacturers did not show off their originality and simply copied it. It feels like repeating design elements latest models iPhone, developers of other devices hope to repeat and profit from them. Some are sure that the notch spoils the feeling of solidity of the device and interferes with the effect of immersion in the content. Others quickly get used to it and stop paying attention.

Of course, the notch is visible when the screen is on, or when you're watching a full-screen video. Apart from the video, you can ignore the cutout. Some apps, like Apple Music, use software tricks to hide it. Some programs have been updated so that their interface elements do not collide with the notch.

On either side of the notch is a battery charge indicator and time. It’s annoying that you can’t see the percentage of the charge in numbers, as well as connecting headphones without having to open the control center. Even more annoying is that the battery and signal strength indicator are not flush with the bottom of the notch, which looks sloppy.

The notch gave the iPhone X a distinctive look until everyone started copying it. The absence of the Home button has deprived the smartphone of its usual identity.

face ID

If you have used face unlock and iris scan on Samsung smartphones, then they may have disappointed you with speed or accuracy. The Face ID face unlock system is much more secure.

The system works both in the light and in the dark. She cannot be deceived by a photograph or a mask. She recognizes you even with glasses. There were reports that the twins were able to trick the system, but this does not happen every day. You have to consciously look into the camera: you can't just steal someone's smartphone, point the camera at the sleeping owner and wait for it to be unlocked.

Of course, Face ID does not work perfectly, but the scanner Fingerprint Touch ID was not perfect. For example, it might not work with wet or dirty fingers. Now there is no such problem. True, waking up in the morning and not focusing your eyes, you may remain unrecognized by your smartphone.

Since there is no fingerprint scanner, facial recognition is also used to make mobile payments.

Screen

In this smartphone, Apple uses OLED panels for the first time. Samsung, Google, other Android device manufacturers have been doing this for a long time. On Apple products, OLED screens were only in watches. The screen resolution of the iPhone X is 2436 x 1125, the highest in the history of the iPhone. There is support for the DCI-P3 color range and Dolby Vision HDR.

OLED screens offer higher contrast, deeper blacks, and brighter images, but they also come with drawbacks. LG's panels in the Pixel 2 XL have been criticized for poor viewing angles and a strange blue tint. Even the beautiful Galaxy S9 screens struggle with viewing angles.

Apple uses screens made by Samsung. There is a slight bluish tint when tilted, but significantly less than on the Pixel 2XL. Apple has made a few changes that make its screen look different from the Galaxy S9 and Note 8 screens. Colors seem more natural and saturation isn't as intense.

There is also support for True Tone technology, when the color temperature of the screen changes depending on the ambient light. As always, there is support for 3D Touch, when you can perform alternative actions with different pressures on the screen.

Whether you like the iPhone X screen or not depends on your preferences. For example, if you want to enjoy YouTube video with HDR support, it can be done. It looks impressive. So much so that you want to watch the entire 2-hour movie, although usually on 6-inch screens such a desire does not arise.

Performance

The internals of the iPhone X are the same as the iPhone 8 Plus. In terms of speed, these are the most powerful devices of 2017. They run on Apple A11 Bionic processors, help them 3 GB random access memory. Apart from some software bugs at the time of the release of iOS 11, we can say that navigation is fast and smooth.

Processor Apple A11 Bionic 6-core. Two cores are powerful, four cores are for simple tasks and low power consumption. In the Geekbench 4 multi-core benchmark, the result exceeded 10,000 points, which is almost twice as fast as the most powerful Android smartphones. In single-core testing, 4121 points were scored.

As with the iPhone 8 smartphones, this performance is often overkill. Even if you work with augmented reality devices, in the store App Store there is nothing that could load the iPhone X to the maximum. All apps and games run smoothly, but the same can be said for the iPhone 7 and even the iPhone 6S. Augmented reality works great on three-year-old devices.

Although the screen is almost frameless, there was room for a dual speaker. One is in front, the other is on the bottom edge of the case. The sound can no longer be blocked by hand when watching a video and holding the smartphone in landscape orientation, resulting in increased volume.

Not only the volume is impressive, but also the sound quality. The bass is well tuned, the detail is high. Of course, Bluetooth headphones are better for listening to music, but watching YouTube videos can also be done through speakers.

There have been reports of strange whistling sounds coming from the phone shell, but this review did not come across such a problem. Call quality is excellent, and the noise-canceling microphones do a great job.

There is a function of calling via Wi-Fi, which few can boast of modern smartphones. The signal strength is strong both on cellular networks and on Wi-Fi.

Software

The absence of the Home button brought significant changes to the operation of the iOS 11 operating system. It is no longer controlled by a single button, you will have to learn a few new gestures.

A swipe up from the bottom of the screen opens the home screen, and a swipe and hold accesses the multitasking menu. You can't just dismiss an app with a gesture, you have to press and hold the X button. A quick swipe across the bottom of the screen lets you navigate between open apps.

It will take some time to get used to, but then there should be no problems with the system. The swipe up to open the home screen feels more natural and should have been implemented long ago, although opening the multitasking menu might be a little trickier.

The other functionality of the Home button has been redirected to the oblong lock button on the edge of the smartphone. Double click launches payment system Apple Pay, five quick consecutive presses will call the emergency number. To take a screenshot, you need to press the lock button and the volume down button at the same time. A long press on this combination turns off the smartphone.

Since the introduction of the iPhone X last fall, most of the leading apps have been updated for its screen. There are some bugs and oddities in the system that are missing on the iPhone 8. You can access the flashlight and camera from the lock screen, but when a lot of notifications come in, the screen becomes quite cluttered. I would like these shortcomings to be removed in future updates.

One of the exclusive features of the iPhone X is animoji. These are animated emoticons that work on the basis of Face ID technology. The camera tracks your facial expression and follows all of its movements. You can save them as a .Mov video and send them to other iPhone X users. We can say that this is just child's play, the device costs 80,000 rubles. will buy not for this.

Otherwise, iOS 11 is the same as on other iPhone models. It seems like a lot more could have been done to take full advantage of the long screen. There is no separation between the two apps, but there is hope that iOS 12 will bring new features soon.

cameras

iPhone X has dual rear camera with 12 MP sensors, like on the iPhone 8 Plus. This is the smallest iPhone with dual cameras.

The main wide-angle camera has optical stabilization and f / 1.8 aperture. The rest of the 2017 iPhones have the same camera, but the telephoto lenses are improved here. The aperture of the second camera has grown from f/2.8 to f/2.4. These updates have made this camera much more capable of shooting in low light, something that previous Apple devices lacked.

The developers claim that they have completely redesigned the sensor, it has become larger and faster. A new image processor is used to improve the quality of textures and colors.

Photos from the main camera are really excellent. Only shots from Pixel 2 and . Colors are more saturated than previous iPhones, though not on a Samsung level. Rich hues and a wide dynamic range make the shots suitable for landscape photography, offering a great sense of depth.

The contrast between light and dark tones is amazing.

The camera does not overexpose the shots and the colors are pleasing.

When shooting at a distance, you also get the right sense of depth in the image.

We can say that the camera is impressive in any situation. In low light, it produces clear and sharp images with minimal noise.

It's great for portrait shots, especially thanks to the much-improved second camera and evolving portrait mode. A wider aperture and optical stabilization allow you to shoot portraits even in not the best lighting conditions and get excellent results.

What's less impressive is the range of lighting options that add additional effects to images. The best option is Contour Light, which brings small glimmers of light around the eyes and face. The two Stage Light options can be described as beta versions. They cut out the person in the frame and replace the background with black. The idea was great, but the results were amateurish.

You can record slow motion video at 240fps at 1080p resolution. In 4K, you can shoot at 60fps. The latter was the first feature on the iPhone 8, but now it's on the Galaxy S9 and LG G7. To work in 4K 60fps, you need to switch to the HEVC file format, which not all applications can support yet.

The front True Depth camera allows you to shoot portraits here too. The resolution is 7 megapixels. This feature received a lot of attention during the announcement of the iPhone X, but in reality the quality was disappointing. In the pictures, the wrong thing is blurred or strange hair can turn out. Perhaps future updates will fix the situation.

autonomy

During testing, it was found that the iPhone X lasts longer between charges compared to the iPhone 8 and does not reach the iPhone 8 Plus. He will not be able to work for two days, like the last one, but he works without problems for one.

At the time of the announcement, the developers claimed that the novelty would last two hours longer than the iPhone 7. This was a rather modest statement, the reality turned out to be more rosy. It's nice to see a compact Apple smartphone that can function all day without any problems, which the younger devices of the iPhone line of recent years could not boast of.

All three smartphones last year were the first to support wireless charging. On Android, you won’t surprise anyone with this for a long time, so there’s nothing to be particularly proud of. It uses the Qi charging standard, like on the Galaxy S9. This allows the use of various third party chargers. Naturally, Apple also releases its own called Air Power.

Among third-party chargers, you can buy models made by Belkin or Mophie, which differ only in colors and sizes. Wireless charging power reaches 7.5W, which is slightly lower than the capabilities of the Galaxy S9.

It is very annoying that in such an expensive smartphone, Apple did not include an adapter for fast charging in the package. The power of the adapter in the kit is only 5 watts. You can use an iPad or MacBook charger with the appropriate USB-C > Lightning cable.

Conclusion

iPhone X showed changes in the direction of development of Apple smartphones, which have long been suggested. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are great smartphones, but the outdated design and lack of innovation make them not very interesting. In terms of design, the iPhone X is much more attractive, but it's not a smartphone for everyone.

There is nothing here that cannot be done on Android, so the device is unlikely to appeal to those who already have a smartphone on the Google platform. If you're used to this system and want to get a flagship, the Galaxy S9 or Huawei P20 Pro are great choices. If you prefer only the iPhone, the iPhone X will be a very attractive option, except for the price.

The Face ID unlock system is in no way inferior to Touch ID, the screen is among the best. Glass and metal go well together, showing that Apple has not forgotten how to make elegant devices.

The price is the main disadvantage. Almost 80,000 rubles. will be a huge amount for most of the inhabitants of our country.

pros

• Lovely screen
• Improved telephoto camera
• Attractive appearance
• Impressive autonomy
• High-quality facial recognition system

Minuses

• Software needs to be optimized for cutout
• The package does not include a fast charging adapter.

So, the day has come: the iPhone X, the brightest, sensational and long-awaited flagship of the year, has arrived for testing. Many criticized Apple and Tim Cook for the decision to release the iPhone 8/8 Plus first and only then the iPhone X. There was also a lot of talk that Apple did not have time to produce the required number of “tens” on time. The latter is partly true: the shortage of iPhone X will continue at least until the end of the calendar year. However, this shortage only confirms that Apple is still "on horseback" and can still produce sensational products. About how much the iPhone X deserves this status, we will tell you in our article.

Let's take a look at the characteristics of the novelty.

Apple iPhone X Specifications

• SoC Apple A11 Bionic (6 cores, 2 of which are high-performance and operate at a frequency of 2.1 GHz, and 4 are energy efficient)
• Apple A11 Bionic GPU
• Apple M11 motion co-processor including barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
• RAM 3 GB
• Flash memory 64/256 GB
• No memory card support
• Operating system iOS 11
• Touchscreen OLED, 5.8″, 2436 × 1125 (458 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch, support for 3D Touch technologies and Taptic Engine response
• Cameras: front (7 MP, video 1080p 30 fps, 720p 240 fps) and rear with two lenses (12 MP, optical zoom 2x, video shooting 4K 60 fps)
• cellular: UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, LTE Advanced support
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
• Bluetooth 5.0 A2DPLE
• Facial recognition with TrueDepth camera
• NFC (Apple Pay only)
• Universal Lightning Connector
• Qi wireless charging support
• Lithium polymer battery 2716 mAh, non-removable
• GPS with A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo and QZSS
• Dimensions 144×71×7.7 mm
• Weight 174 g

Let's compare them with the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7 Plus to clearly demonstrate how the characteristics of current large-format Apple smartphones differ.

	Apple iPhone X	Apple iPhone 8 Plus	Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Screen	5.8″, OLED, 2436×1125, 458 ppi		5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
SoC (processor)		SoC Apple A11 Bionic (6 cores, 2+4)	Apple A10 Fusion (4 cores, 2+2)
Flash memory	64/256 GB	64/256 GB	32/128/256 GB
Connectors		Universal Lightning Connector	Universal Lightning Connector
Memory card support	No	No	No
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB
cameras		main (12 MP; video 4K 60 fps) with two lenses and front (7 MP; shooting and transmission of Full HD video)	main (12 MP; video 4K 30 fps) with two lenses and front (7 MP; shooting and transmission of Full HD video)
User identification sensors	Facial recognition with TrueDepth camera	Fingerprint's scanner	Fingerprint's scanner
Hull protection	IP67 (water and dust proof)	IP67 (water and dust proof)	IP67 (water and dust proof)
Battery capacity (mAh)	2716	2675	2900
Operating system	Apple iOS 11	Apple iOS 11	Apple iOS 10 (update to iOS 11 available)
Dimensions (mm)	144×71×7.7	158×78×7.5	158×78×7.3
Weight (g)	174	202	189
Average price (for version with minimum flash memory)	T-1732181846	T-1732171530	T-14206637
iPhone X Retail Deals (64 GB)	L-1732181846-10
iPhone X Retail Deals (256 GB)	L-1732210983-10

The main difference is, of course, the screen. Not only does the iPhone X have the largest and highest resolution, but for the first time in Apple smartphones, it is made using OLED technology. The second key innovation is the user identification system: instead of a fingerprint scanner, there is a TrueDepth face recognition camera. And lastly, despite the increase in display, this is the lightest of Apple's large smartphones. It is almost 30 grams lighter than the iPhone 8 Plus and 15 grams lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus. At the same time, Apple retained moisture protection and other characteristics.

Well, let's get acquainted with the smartphone live.

Packaging, Contents, and Folio Case

The iPhone X box is made in the traditional Apple style, but with one nuance: the image of the iPhone faces is applied with silver paint. A trifle - but it looks impressive (of course, this is not felt in the photo).

However, using a case with an iPhone X is a dubious idea, because in this way you will not feel that you have switched to new iPhone if you previously had an iPhone 7 Plus. Of course, the main innovation in terms of design is the glass back surface.

The bundle is no different from the iPhone of the previous two generations: a 5 V 1 A power supply, a Lightning cable, an adapter from Lightning to a mini-jack (3.5 mm), EarPods with a Lightning connector and a set of leaflets.

It would probably be logical to add something different - something that would be a nice bonus for the owners of a premium product. But alas. Even the new Folio case will have to be bought separately, and its cost, by the way, is rather big: 7490 rubles. However, the cover makes a really good impression.

It is made of soft genuine leather, very pleasant to the touch, with fine thread stitching. Inside, where the case meets the case, there is a microfiber padding. Folio protects your smartphone from all sides, including the screen. However, in addition to the protection and unlocking function, the closing flap also has a wallet function with two compartments: you can store cards (no more than 4-5), business cards, photos, etc.

In general, this is an amateur decision, especially because of the price, but we really liked the Folio case. Moreover, even in it, the new iPhone does not become bulky, and the frame around the screen is too wide. But this is the topic of the next section of our article.

Design

When you pick up the iPhone X, you experience a forgotten feeling that Apple smartphones have not pleased us for a long time. I want to exclaim: “Here it is, the future!” Indeed, the screen, almost evenly covering the entire frontal plane, is perceived as something unreal.

Yes, of course, Samsung's flagships also have a very spectacular screen, "climbing" even on the side edges. But below and above there are still quite large areas that are not occupied by the screen. In the iPhone, the frame has almost the same width around the entire perimeter. Bottom and top, it is several times smaller than Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and on the side - about twice as much. But due to the uniformity of its width, this is not striking.

Of course, because of this, I had to sacrifice what the iPhone seemed to be inconceivable without - the round "Home" button, which became one of the symbols of the entire line and was patented. This decision seems all the more daring, since Apple several generations ago expanded the functionality of the button with a fingerprint scanner, and then quite quickly brought this function to near perfection.

But now Apple is offering something even more innovative and, the company claims, safer: Face ID facial recognition technology. It is enough just to pick up the smartphone and look at it - and the device will carry out identification (we will talk in more detail about the operation of this function later). Haters, of course, will again remember Samsung with its iris scanner. But Apple has a big advantage: You don't have to look at the iPhone while holding it directly in front of your face.

Face ID is provided by two cameras: infrared and TrueDepth. The first determines that there is a live person in front of the camera, and the second projects 30 thousand invisible dots onto your face, after which this information is processed by the processor. It is to accommodate two additional cameras, in addition to the traditional front camera for shooting selfies and video communication, a black notch was made at the top of the screen. But it cannot be said that this notch greatly spoils the impression. Quite the contrary: the notch in the screen looks spectacular. We understand that it is very difficult to implement this technologically, and this enhances the “techno-charm” of the model.

Round smooth edges of the device are made of a special alloy of steel, developed by order of Apple. It is not only very durable (although, of course, we did not dare to check), it is also really beautiful. We tested the Silver model, and here the frame looks just like polished metal, but in the Space Gray variant it has a deep dark tint that matches the body color perfectly (we got to see it with our own eyes).

However, it cannot be said that the Silver version looks less interesting. The most important thing here is a very noble mother-of-pearl shade of the back surface. He really admires. Photos, of course, do not convey this impression, but they also show that it is not just white.

As for the location of the buttons and connectors, it is the same, with one exception: the side button, which used to be mainly responsible for turning on / off, has now become longer - apparently, this is due to the fact that after the rejection of the Home button, it has increased functions, and therefore, it is now especially important that the user can quickly find it.

Another difference from the iPhone of previous generations (including the G8) is the vertical arrangement of the module with the rear cameras. Many joke that this is necessary in order to immediately see which iPhone a person has. Seriously, the explanation is purely technical: the saturation of the components in the upper central part of the case (there are just all the cameras for Face ID) made the rest of the elements move closer to the edges. But it is obvious that this does not spoil the appearance.

The last thing I would like to say about the design, but by no means the last in importance, is the size and convenience of the device. Despite having the largest display area of ​​any Apple smartphone, the iPhone X is much smaller than the iPhone 8/7/6s/6 Plus and only slightly larger than the iPhone 8/7/6s/6. Below is an iPhone X next to an iPhone 6s.

In the hand, it lies very comfortably, although the edges and glass are slippery, and the device itself is heavy (especially for such a size). But some users may even like the latter: you immediately understand - a thing! :)

Screen

As has been repeatedly noted, main feature the new iPhone is the screen. Made using OLED technology, it has a diagonal of 5.8 ″ and a resolution of 2436 × 1125, which gives the highest dot density in the history of the line, but not a record density for competitors of 458 ppi. Before us is the largest update in the history of the iPhone, comparable only to the appearance of Retina displays in the iPhone 4. A detailed test of the new display was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is the Nexus 7, on the right is the Apple iPhone X, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen on the Apple iPhone X is a little darker (brightness in photos is 109 versus 115 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Apple iPhone X screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the screen layers (more specifically, between the outer glass and the matrix surface). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 620 cd/m², the minimum was 1.9 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and given the excellent anti-reflective properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located somewhere in the front in the upper part), which is enabled by default. IN automatic mode as the ambient light conditions change, the brightness of the screen both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness slider - the user sets the desired brightness level for the current conditions. If nothing is changed, then in complete darkness the brightness drops to 1.9 cd / m² (very dark), in an artificially lit office (about 550 lux), the screen brightness is set to 120 cd / m² (acceptable), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) rises to 620 cd / m² (to the maximum, as it should be). The result did not quite suit us, so first in the dark, and then in office conditions, we slightly moved the brightness slider to the right, and for the above three conditions we got 20, 180-270 and 620 cd / m² (ideal). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately, and it is possible to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user's requirements. At any level of brightness there is modulation with a frequency of approximately 60 or 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it, the modulation amplitude is not very large, as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, with a strong decrease in brightness, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears, its presence can already be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:

For comparison, you can familiarize yourself with those used in mobile technology.

On the fragment above, you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlap. For such matrices Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution based on green subpixels, on the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is close to the case of the screen and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. It is worth noting that artifacts characteristic of such matrices are not visible at contrasting borders, and the manufacturer indicates that a subpixel anti-aliasing algorithm is used.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight bluish tint, but the black color remains just black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting in this case not applicable. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Apple iPhone X and the second comparison participant, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K.

White field:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And a test picture:

The color balance is slightly different, the color saturation is normal. Recall that a photograph cannot serve as a reliable source of information about the quality of color reproduction and is provided only for a conditional visual illustration. In this case, apparently due to the characteristics of the radiation spectrum of the screen, the color balance and brightness of the colors in the photographs Apple screen iPhone X is somewhat different from what is visible to the eye and is determined by the spectrophotometer.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. White field:

The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (in order to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed is increased compared to previous photos), but in the case of the Apple iPhone X, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Apple iPhone X screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device at least at a slight angle.

And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Apple iPhone X smartphone at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the elements of the matrix is ​​\u200b\u200bpractically instantaneous, but there may be a step at the front of the inclusion of about 17 ms wide (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, the dependence of brightness on time looks like this when moving from black to white and vice versa:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some “twitchy” movements.

The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.22, which is almost equal to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates very little from the power dependence:

The color gamut is sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

Such spectra are typical for OLED matrices - the components are well separated, which makes it possible to achieve a wide color gamut. However, in this case, the color gamut is carefully adjusted to the sRGB borders. As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation.

This applies to images that have an sRGB profile or no profile at all. However, native to today's top-of-the-line Apple devices is the Display P3 color space, with slightly more saturated greens and reds. The Display P3 space is based on SMPTE DCI-P3 but has a D65 white point and a gamma curve of approximately 2.2. In addition, the manufacturer claims that starting with iOS 9.3, color management is supported at the system level, which makes it easier for iOS applications to correctly display images with a prescribed color profile. Indeed, by supplementing the test images (JPG and PNG files) with a Display P3 profile, we got a color gamut wider than sRGB (output in Safari):

Note that the coordinates of the primary colors almost exactly matched those prescribed for the DCI-P3 standard. We look at the spectra in the case of test images with the Display P3 profile:

It can be seen that in this case there is a slight cross-mixing of components in the red region, that is, the native color space for the Apple iPhone X screen is slightly wider than Display P3.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered acceptable for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature changes little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This Apple device has a function night shift, which makes the picture warmer at night (how much warmer the user specifies). For a description of why this correction might be useful, see the iPad Pro 9.7 article. In any case, when having fun with a tablet or smartphone at night, it’s better to reduce the screen brightness to a minimum, but still comfortable level, and only then, to calm your own paranoia, turn the screen yellow with the Night Shift setting.

There is a function true tone, which, when enabled, adjusts the color balance to the environment. For example, we activated it and placed the tablet under cool white LED lights, resulting in values ​​of 3.3 for ΔE and 6500 K for color temperature. Under a halogen incandescent lamp (warm light) - 0.3 and 5200 K, respectively, that is, the color temperature has become lower, and the balance has become closer to the emission spectrum of a completely black body. The function works as expected. Note that now the current standard is to calibrate display devices to a white point of 6500 K, but in principle, correction for the color temperature of external light can be useful if you want to achieve a better match between the image on the screen and what is seen on paper (or on any media , on which colors are formed by reflecting incident light) under current conditions.

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen also include an effective oleophobic coating, support for sRGB color gamut (with the participation of the OS) and good color balance. At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected on the screen), a noticeably smaller drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle than an LCD. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness, which appears at low brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience fatigue as a result. However, overall the screen quality is very high.

Control and use of the screen

Due to the fact that the Home button is gone, many familiar commands are now performed differently. The first few minutes it is unusual, but then you realize that it is also quite intuitive. For example, to close an app and return to the home screen, simply swipe it up from the bottom. To bring up application thumbnails, you need to swipe up from the bottom and hold your finger in the middle of the screen.

Another interesting gesture is to move your finger along the bottom edge of the screen: this way you can move from one open application to another. By the way, at the bottom, while applications are running, a long white bar glows, showing where to swipe your finger (in horizontal orientation, it is located, of course, along the long edge that turned out to be from below).

In general, all commands are simply redistributed between the remaining buttons and gestures. The most frequently used things are made as simple and intuitive as possible, and some more specific ones will have to be searched on the Internet. For example, to restart or completely turn off the smartphone, you need to press and hold the power and volume up buttons at the same time. And to take a screenshot - the same buttons must be pressed quickly.

An interesting question that arises in connection with the new screen: how do old applications use it? The answer turned out to be simple: they simply do not use the bottom and top parts of the screen, that is, you see black bars. But since these stripes turn out to be, as it were, a continuation of the faces, this does not annoy you, it just turns out the screen is a little smaller in area. However, auxiliary elements of the OS itself, such as time and battery charge, are just there, if this is not disabled in the application itself.

If the application is optimized (and these are many popular applications, including Russian ones - for example, Yandex.Maps), then it uses the entire area, and in such a way that useful information does not fall into the recess. However, physically the picture is rendered, of course, without a notch.

Face ID and the use of new cameras

As already mentioned, one of the main innovations is the emergence of new cameras: infrared and TrueDepth. Their main function is to identify the face of the Face ID user. And, I must say, it works great. Often you don’t even think about the fact that the smartphone must do some kind of operation in order to recognize you - just pick it up, take a look - and you’re done. Everything happens by itself almost instantly.

Since we used the smartphone for only one day, we cannot say how recognition will take place in difficult conditions and with daily changes in appearance (for example, for women - with and without makeup, for men - with different stubble lengths), we cannot. However, what we managed to check was unlocking in complete darkness. Indeed, it works.

There is one interesting nuance: in the settings you can turn off the need for a glance to unlock. That is, even if your eyes are closed or your gaze is directed somewhere to the side, the smartphone will recognize you. In practice, this rather interferes, since, hypothetically, random triggering is possible. And of course, this lowers security. But here it's a matter of taste.

Performance

The SoC and RAM specifications of the iPhone X are identical to those of the iPhone 8 Plus. The smartphone runs on the new Apple A11 Bionic platform. This is a 64-bit SoC that includes 6 cores, of which two are high-performance, and the other four are energy efficient. Moreover, at maximum load, all six cores can work simultaneously.

The amount of RAM, like the iPhone 8 Plus, is 3 GB. Therefore, the difference with it in the tests may be associated, first of all, with a different screen resolution.

Let's start with browser benchmarks: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and . The Safari browser was used. Especially for a more visual comparison, we conducted new performance tests on the iPhone 7 Plus, updating the smartphone OS to the current version.

We can see that the difference between the results of iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X does not exceed the margin of error. As for the iPhone 7 Plus, in comparison with it, both new products, of course, show a much better result.

Now let's see how the iPhone X performs in the comprehensive AnTuTu and Geekbench 4 benchmarks.

An AnTuTu win and a small loss in Geekbench 4 are unlikely to indicate anything, but at least we see that there is no anomalous spread in the results.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used 3DMark, GFXBenchmark Metal, and Basemark Metal Pro, which was created specifically for devices that support Metal technology.

Recall that Offscreen tests are a display of a 1080p image on the screen, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests are the output of a picture in the resolution that corresponds to the screen resolution of the device. That is, off-screen tests are indicative in terms of the abstract performance of the SoC, and the rest of the tests are indicative of the comfort of playing on a specific device.

	Apple iPhone X (Apple A11)	Apple iPhone 8 Plus (Apple A11)	Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Apple A10)
GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.3.1 (1440r)	26.2 fps	28.5 fps	24.2 fps
GFX Benchmark Manhattan 3.1	35.4 fps	45.1 fps	43.0 fps
GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.1, offscreen	39.7 fps	44.5 fps	41.0 fps
GFXBenchmark Manhattan	51.0 fps	64.7 fps	57.6 fps
GFXBenchmark 1080p Manhattan, off screen	58.9 fps	67.2 fps	58.3 fps

Judging by GFXBenchmark, the iPhone X is inferior to the iPhone 8 Plus, and if in Onscreen modes this is quite understandable (the higher the resolution, the fewer frames the SoC can output), then in Offscreen mode the results should have been identical. But no. It turns out that the novelty is slightly inferior even to the iPhone 7 Plus.

	Apple iPhone X (Apple A11)	Apple iPhone 8 Plus (Apple A11)	Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Apple A10)
3DMark (Ice Storm Unlimited mode)	64252	64382	37093
3DMark (Sling Shot mode)	3665	4155	2536
3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme mode)	2640	2394	2311
3DMark (API Overhead Mode - OpenGL ES 3.0 / Metal)	338431 / 2283611	314323 / 2210261	—

Here we see that, in general, the parity of the two new iPhones is again obtained. And, most importantly, their serious superiority over the iPhone 7 Plus.

Finally - Basemark Metal Pro.

The strangest result in our testing. Perhaps the test needs some kind of optimization for the iPhone X.

One way or another, based on the results of all performance tests, we can conclude that there is no significant performance degradation due to an increase in screen resolution, and in general this is about the same level as the iPhone 8 Plus. Well, superiority over the iPhone 7 Plus almost everywhere is undeniable. On the other hand, gaming applications should still be optimized for the iPhone X in order to get the most out of its hardware.

cameras

The main camera of the iPhone X has only two differences from the camera of the iPhone 8 Plus: firstly, stabilization has been implemented for the telephoto lens, and secondly, the aperture of the telephoto lens is now larger. We, however, were more interested in seeing what both cameras are capable of in difficult conditions, as well as comparing them in practice with the iPhone 8 Plus and samsung galaxy Note 8. This section of the article prepared Anton Solovyov.

Apparently, the dual module here is the same as in the iPhone 8 Plus - moreover, it can be found in other well-known manufacturers. However, the “plus” camera seems to work worse on purpose, preventing the module from fully opening. Here, the detailing is at a very high level, and the software processing is almost invisible. But the main achievement is that now the shooting quality of both modules is practically the same.

28 mm	56 mm

Software processing on the pictures of the "portrait" module is still striking, especially when shooting indoors. But in daylight, despite cloudy weather and rain and snow, both modules behave very worthy. Perhaps, here we can safely say that such cameras will give odds to compact cameras and even compete with more serious ones. But only in good light!

We've tried to avoid comparison with that-who-must-not-be-named, but the comparison is unavoidable, especially since the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 almost certainly has the same dual module as the new Apple smartphones. In good light, the mentioned cameras work almost perfectly, it is pointless to look for differences in their pictures. But we couldn’t avoid bumping them head-on, so we threw the subjects into one of the most difficult conditions — office space after sunset. This is where their weaknesses show up.

Below are fragments of shots with a strong increase. From left to right are the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus	Apple iPhone X	Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Wide module
Telemodule

Notice how surprisingly fickle the cameras are: the Note 8 does a better job of handling noise and soft shadows, but it does oversharpen in places, losing detail at times. The iPhone X performs better overall than the iPhone 8 Plus, but it’s not easy to compare it directly with the Note 8: in some cases it performs clearly better, and in others it clearly doesn’t. The Note 8's flash is more powerful (last photo), but without it, in completely wild conditions (when shooting a server), it smears noise a lot. iPhone X in this case turns the noise into a huge grain - and this is already a matter of taste.

However, both the "portrait" and "landscape" modules of both flagships work equally well, so here we have to admit that friendship has won.

Separately, about the iPhone X camera, we can say that it will perfectly cope with many scenarios, especially in good lighting. But it’s not worth demanding the supernatural from her, otherwise you can be disappointed.

We also offer you videos shot on the iPhone X cameras. The first two videos are 4K video shot on the main camera at a wide angle, with the main lens.

Another video - Full HD video taken with a telephoto lens.

Last but not least, selfies can now be taken in portrait mode, with bokeh and other effects.

Autonomy and heating

We have not yet had the opportunity to use the iPhone X in real life (we have yet to), so we cannot say how long it will work in everyday scenarios. But judging by game test, the result is no worse than that of the "pluses". It is clear that we are talking about the maximum load, and in other situations the alignment may be different. But these numbers are very encouraging.

	3D Game Mode (GFX Benchmark Metal, Manhattan 3.1 battery test)
Apple iPhone X	2 hours 59 minutes
Apple iPhone 8 Plus	2 hours 24 minutes
Apple iPhone 7 Plus	2 hours 13 minutes

But let's add a fly in the ointment: the novelty is heated more strongly. This is especially noticeable in games. Below is a thermal image rear surfaces obtained after three runs in a row (approximately 10 minutes of work) of the Basemark Metal 3D test:

Heating is strongly localized in the upper right part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 44 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees). The Apple iPhone 7 Plus gets less heat in this test.

conclusions

How long have we been waiting for this! Apple has finally released not just a very good product, but something more. Indeed, in the entire history of the iPhone line, this is perhaps the most striking update. Perhaps something similar in terms of the degree of innovation was the case with the iPhone 4 - if you remember, it was then that the Retina display first appeared (and competitors could not repeat it for a long time), then the iPhone first had a glass back surface. In 2017, Apple returned to glass as the main material, but made another revolution: it abandoned the Home button and placed the screen on the entire front surface.

Another thing is that this step can hardly be considered innovative, if we take the entire industry. The same Samsung Galaxy Note 8 also has no buttons on the front side and also a huge display, and, of course, you can’t forget about Xiaomi Mi Mix. However, Apple does not seek to formally be the first in something, but to present technologies and the achievements of engineers in a special way, “building” a new user experience around this. And in the iPhone X, we are just seeing this.

The new gestures are comfortable and intuitive, and the design of the pre-installed apps so gracefully takes into account the notch at the top of the front surface that we admire it rather than get annoyed. Finally, Face ID is likely to become the de facto standard for the industry, just as Apple previously made the fingerprint scanner the de facto standard.

Of course, you need to use your smartphone longer to understand how convenient it is with all this in real life (and we will definitely do it), but for now there is a feeling that everything is done on highest level. At least we didn't find any significant drawbacks that could be considered the price of innovation and that could keep us from buying.

True, there are a number of temporary problems. For example, without optimization, third-party applications cannot use the entire screen area, leaving black bars at the top and bottom (with landscape orientation, left and right). Also, as of yet, various payment apps that use Touch ID cannot use Face ID. However, we understand that this is a matter of time. Chances are, by the time you can buy an iPhone X, everyone is already optimizing their apps.

Yes, yes, ordering the iPhone X is not so easy anymore - the next deliveries will be only in December, and then if you're lucky. On the day of the start of sales - November 3 - only a few lucky ones will be able to buy a "top ten" of extremely limited lots in offline stores. And this means that golden times (for Apple and resellers :)) are returning: queues, hype and other delights of a shortage. And this despite the really high prices! But one can only be glad that Apple has released a product that people (and not individual fans, but millions) are ready to buy no matter what.

Before moving on to the design, a few words about the equipment: everything here is traditional and without surprises. iPhone X, a small folder with stickers, documentation and a clip to remove the cradle, headphones with a Lightning plug, a Lightning to mini-jack adapter and a 1-amp charger. Everything.

iPhone X is sold in two colors: silver and space gray (or, in simple terms, white and black). The Apple Onlyphones.ru hardware store provided us with the second option for review.

Camera bump causes iPhone X to twitch when resting on a surface. However, the cover solves this problem. And for some, this is not a problem at all.

From the front and back of the iPhone X "the most durable glass." A couple of touches are enough to smear it, but this did not scare me personally. It still looks very cool and feels good in the palm of your hand.

The author expresses his gratitude to the store Onlyphones.ru for the sample provided for testing. In this store you can find certified Apple equipment, including iPhone X of any modification without pre-ordering and waiting.

iPhone 2017 will be special - it became clear in the summer of 2016. At first, not even rumors crawled, but fan theories: they say that in 2017 the very first Apple smartphone turns 10 years old, and the company will try to surprise as much as possible with the next novelty, implementing in it an innovative design and the most advanced technologies, as if they had not been mastered yet neither by any other manufacturer, nor by those that the Californian company has long blamed for the absence of which in the "iPhones" (for example, OLED screens).

And so it happened. For more than a year, new generations of smartphones (both Apple products and products from other manufacturers) have only slightly improved, upgraded the user experience, but the essence has remained the same. iPhone X (pronounced by Apple as "ten", not "x") changes it dramatically: a different method of unlocking and confirming purchases, a more functional selfie camera, completely different control mechanics, big screen in a compact body, finally, for the first time in three years, a new design is ambiguous, but effectively "rebuilds" the iPhone X from dozens of "frameless" and striving to appear as such Android smartphones.

I received the iPhone X for a test on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 31, and gave myself 48 hours to prepare the review - negligible compared to the usual testing period, but enough to identify the main pros and cons. Due to the limited time (after all, I really want to publish the text before the new product appears on sale), in this review I am not ready to draw unambiguous conclusions about two things: battery life (in the early days, the smartphone battery traditionally discharges faster than usual - new programs, and just hands constantly reaching out to fiddle with the device) and the quality of the camera in comparison with the main competitors - Galaxy Note8 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro (Pixel 2 and 2 XL will be put out of brackets - in Russia they are unlikely to be officially sold and I have samples on no hands). But I’ll tell you about the things that cause the most questions - FaceID and the quality of its work, the convenience of the new control scheme using gestures and the annoying protrusion with True Depth camera sensors, which some have already dubbed the “eyebrow”. So let's go.

iPhone X review: take the new Apple in hand

I confess: I never held the first iPhone in my hands (I started writing on high-tech topics only two years after its release, in 2009), but for some reason the new iPhone X first of all wants to be compared with it. Maybe it's the brightly shiny frame - it's polished "surgical" (this is the term Apple marketers use) steel, unpainted in the white iPhone X and painted "at the molecular level" in the black version. Maybe - in a slightly increased thickness compared to previous models up to 7.7 mm (after putting on a branded case that turns the "protrusion" of the dual camera into a "recess", it increases even more).

Reminiscences of the iPhone 4 are also appropriate: after all, it was with him that the design of the "glass sandwich" type debuted, then repeatedly copied by competitors. A design quickly abandoned by Apple, and now, in 2017, triumphantly returning again. Maybe I'm just not used to it yet, maybe there have been too many imitators in recent years, but something prevents me from experiencing the feeling of delight and involvement in the "piece of future" when you take the iPhone X in your hand.

Maybe I would not like to touch the line of connection of the steel frame and the glass of the screen / back cover at all. In the iPhone X, if you look closely or run your fingernail, you can see a shock-absorbing and sealing plastic gasket, and when you hold the smartphone in your hand, your fingers and palm feel uneven - it's tiny, but you can't ignore it. Maybe the vertically oriented dual camera looks too massive on a relatively compact body. Or maybe it’s just that the frames around the screen seem, after getting rid of the “forehead” and “chin” that have become almost native in 10 years, not narrow enough. After all, it is known that when you remove "almost everything superfluous" from somewhere, what still remains will be striking with a vengeance.

Instead of a “forehead”, attention at the top of the smartphone is now attracted by the “ears” of the screen and the “eyebrow” separating them - a protrusion that houses the earpiece, light / proximity sensors and the same TrueDepth camera with an infrared illuminator, a dot projector and two (normal and infrared) sensors. The camera, which, honestly, is the main and only truly unique innovation in the iPhone X. , and how it works in practice, I will tell later in this review.

Does the protrusion interfere with iPhone screen X, is it an eyesore? More likely no than yes. In vertical orientation, applications optimized for the novelty (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat) have learned to "wrap around" it, in Safari, "Notes" or iBooks it is effectively compensated by the increased "height" of the screen. In horizontal - and most often we turn the iPhone horizontally to watch a video or photo - it is simply not visible if the aspect ratio of the picture is 16:9 or 4:3, such in practice (YouTube, popular TV shows, photos and videos from the smartphone camera) is overwhelming majority.

Problems will arise with films where the aspect ratio of the "cinema" picture is 21:9 or more. Then the owners of the iPhone X are left with two options, both bad: watch the video with black frames on all four sides, or "fit" it into the screen so that the ill-fated protrusion will "bite off" part of the picture from the edge. In this rather rare scenario, the "endless" displays of the flagships Samsung or Huawei Mate 10 Pro will do better - you will have to put up with only black bars at the top and bottom, or with "cropping" of the picture on the right and left.

find fault with appearance The iPhone X, like any other smartphone, can last quite a while. Perhaps, if fate had given Steve Jobs another six years of life, he would have forced his colleagues to create something more uncompromising. But the fact is this: the appearance of the Apple novelty is absolutely recognizable, the screen with the “eyebrow” allows you to uniquely identify the iPhone X even from a distance of several meters, you can’t confuse it even with the Essential Phone, which has a similar protrusion much narrower and contains only one front camera.

If Apple followed the path of Android manufacturers, reducing the side frames to the limit and leaving smartphones with a narrow “forehead” and “chin”, the iPhone X would lose its recognition and risk being confused with “Samsungs and other Huaweis.” And this people, who in the coming weeks are going to pay for it from $ 1,000 or more, would not forgive the creators of the novelty. It is much easier to forgive not as thin as some dreamed of, the framework.

iPhone X review: gestures instead of the Home button and other xOS 11 features

Although the iPhone X runs on the same operating system as other iPhones and iPads - iOS 11.1, it is tempting to call it xOS, because there are quite noticeable differences, both external - rounded corners of the screen, and functional. Well, do not try to find the Home button and the TouchID fingerprint scanner - they are not here. The TrueDepth front camera and the FaceID function are now responsible for unlocking, the work of which we will discuss separately. As for the "calling card" of the iPhone from the very first model - the round "Home" button - and the functional combinations with its participation, they were replaced by completely new gestures and push-button "combos". Here is a comprehensive list of magical passes that all iPhone X owners have to master:

How to Manage iPhone X

Unlock: take the smartphone in hand/slightly shake/touch the screen once/press the side lock button → swipe from the very bottom edge of the screen (if FaceID protection is installed, it manages to work during manipulations)

How to Exit an App to the Home Screen on iPhone X: swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen

How to call the "Control Center" or "Notification Center": drag your finger from the top edge of the screen to the right or left, respectively

How to Invoke Reachability on iPhone X(when the active app or home screen "goes down" half-screen for easy one-handed operation, on iPhone 6-6S-7-8 Plus, double-tapping the Home button was invoked): Swipe down from the bottom edge of the screen. Works also on the Home screen

Fast switching between recently running applications on iPhone X: swipe horizontally across the bar at the bottom of the screen, works on the Home screen as well

Call the multitasking interface with "cards" of applications on the iPhone X: swipe from the bottom edge of the screen to the middle, wait half a second for haptic feedback, release your finger

Force Quit App on iPhone X: see the previous paragraph, then touch and hold the application card until all cards have a "minus" icon in the corner, then swipe the application up or click on the "minus":

How to turn off iPhone X: Press and hold the lock button and any of the volume buttons for a few seconds until the shutdown/emergency interface appears on the screen

How to take a screenshot on iPhone X: Press and then release the lock and volume up buttons at the same time

How to invoke Siri on iPhone X: press and hold the side lock button

How to pay with Apple Pay in store with iPhone X: quickly press the side lock button twice, select desired card, wait for FaceID to work (most likely, it will have time to work in a second after double pressing the side button), bring the smartphone to the payment terminal

How to turn on camera or flashlight on iPhone X without unlocking: press firmly on the corresponding icons on the lock screen and release:

Press and quickly release the "Volume Up" button first, then the "Volume Down" button, then hold down the side lock button and hold it until the screen turns off and the Apple logo appears on it

iPhone X Gestures: Impressions

In my opinion, controlling the iPhone X with gestures is no more difficult, and in some ways more natural than previous models using the Home button and other keys. It took literally a few hours to get used to - by the end of the first day of use, I already automatically tried to exit applications with a swipe from the bottom on the iPhone 7 Plus. My favorite gesture so far is a horizontal swipe along the strip at the bottom of the screen, it has not been possible to switch between programs so easily on any smartphone, be it Apple products or other manufacturers. There is a suspicion that in the coming year, the Android smartphone market is waiting for a lot of, to varying degrees, successful attempts to imitate this feature.

What causes the most inconvenience so far is the "moving" of the call zone of the "Control Center" to the upper right "eye" of the screen. Previously, it was possible to get to the camera, timer, alarm clock, calculator and, most importantly, music controls by holding the smartphone with one hand - a swipe from below could be done without problems on the massive iPhone 7 Plus. Now you have to stretch your finger up, and this distance is not much less for the iPhone X than for the Plus, and without intercepting the case higher or without using Easy Access, it is impossible to reach there. It is also sad that in the status bar, due to the "eyebrow" of the screen, there is no more room for a numerical indicator of the remaining battery charge, even in power saving mode - "percentage" can be seen only by "pulling out" the "control center" panel from above.

In Instagram, Facebook and a number of other popular programs, problems with the "wrap around" of the screen ledge are no longer

However, these problems pale in comparison to the “perfectionist hell” that you plunge into by launching applications that are not adapted to the new screen proportions - and these are most programs, except for ultra-popular globally, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. Applications, depending on the approach used by the developers to draw the interface, either display the image in iPhone 6/7/8 proportions, leaving huge black bars above and below (for example, Sberbank), or rebuild it automatically so that it would be better not to rebuild . For example, the text input line may be exactly in the middle of the screen, or the background in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "ears" will be partially transparent. Popular apps like Telegram or VK will probably be updated promptly, but with less actively supported programs, I feel they will have to suffer no less than in the first year after the iPhone 6/6 Plus appeared.

Interface glitches in Telegram

Another reason to grumble about reducing the usability of the interface is the keyboard. In general, typing on it is more convenient than ever: the keys are larger than on the iPhone 6/7/8, but the width of the keyboard (and the smartphone case) is smaller, that is, two birds with one stone are smitten. Nevertheless, Apple's UI developers failed to spoil our holiday: the layout switch button, which is relevant for Russians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese and any other users whose native language does not use the Latin alphabet, has moved to the most difficult to achieve with "one-handed" dialing location is the lower left corner of the screen.

Lucky, therefore, only left-handers. I would like to receive in the future iOS updates a setting that allows you to swap the input language switch and the now placed on the right "microphone" to activate dictation. It is also interesting to see how third-party keyboards will be updated for iPhone X - Fleksy, Swype, SwiftKey, etc.

iPhone X review: How to set up and use FaceID

What is it all about - FaceID? The answer is: this is the first 3D face and gaze recognition system in history to be produced on such a scale and work so efficiently. And yes, this is the most important innovation of the iPhone X - unlike wireless charging or the "endless" screen, no one has ever had this before. Yes, there were attempts to integrate face and / or iris unlocking from Google and Samsung, but these systems were capricious and unsafe (for example, they were easily "deceived" by a high-quality photo). Apple managed not only to embed its own modified analogue of Microsoft Kinect into the “eyebrow” of the iPhone X, but also to make it work no worse than TouchID, at least no worse than its first version. I don’t see the point in repeating about the device providing infrared 3D scanning of the face of the front camera, here I’ll talk about the practical side of things.

iPhone X will prompt you to register FaceID when initial setup- just twist your nose twice (literally) in front of the front camera. You can skip this and do it later, but I personally don’t see the point of avoiding registering FaceID - because it works, especially for the technology debuting in a mass product for the first time, just fine. Ideally, the iPhone X is unlocked by a face scan like this: take the smartphone in your hand while the screen turns on, you already drag your finger to the bottom edge of the screen, swipe up, perhaps a fraction of a second delay during which an animation is displayed in the middle of the screen, and that's it - the smartphone is unlocked .

In practice, in the first hours of use, FaceID works about four times out of five, refusing to recognize a face at an angle, at too much or too little distance, in backlight, in glasses (if FaceID was registered without glasses), in a hat, etc. But the system, as promised by Apple, learns very quickly, "remembering" each new image that it initially refused to recognize, but received its confirmation in the form of a PIN code or password. By the end of the first day of use, the iPhone X recognized me both in large headphones on my head, and on the street with the lower half of my face covered with a scarf, and with a grimace on my face. This morning I used the iPhone X in the car for the first time, fixing it on the air duct grill - it was necessary to "teach" the 3D scanner again by entering the password, after which it unlocked even when I looked at the road, sitting behind the wheel in a normal position, without turning my head to the phone .

What the system, alas, apparently cannot be taught in principle, is to "see" you from a large angle when you are working at the table, and the smartphone is nearby. I have to bring my face closer to the TrueDepth camera or put the iPhone vertically - for the first time I regretted that I had not yet acquired a proprietary docking station. By the way, in this case, for the first time, completely contactless launch of programs becomes possible: you “wake up” Siri through “Hey Siri”, give the command to launch, for example, Twitter, the voice assistant activates FaceID, the smartphone unlocks and launches the application.

By default, FaceID requires the user to look at the smartphone at the time of unlocking - otherwise the device can be "opened" by your face while you sleep. However, if you often have to unlock your smartphone on the go, or, for example, do not want to take your eyes off the road while driving, you can disable this feature. Regardless of this, "Attention" can be activated to prevent the smartphone from automatically locking when the screen is not touched for a long time - it will come in handy, for example, when you read some text for a long time.

Apple says that the chance of unlocking a FaceID-protected smartphone with the face of another person is 1 in a million (TouchID has 1 in 50,000). True, the probability is higher if a twin or a close relative similar to you tries to do this. In addition, FaceID is less secure for children under 13, whose immature facial features are not as unique as those of adults. They are advised to use only a PIN or password. And one more limitation: only one person can be registered on one iPhone X. Using TouchID, it was possible to register a "foreign" finger, for example, to give someone close to them access to the smartphone just in case. iPhone X owners will have to share a PIN for this. Most likely, the limitation is due to the fact that with the addition of the second version of the face, the smartphone would have to perform twice as many calculations with each unlock request, comparing the "seen" with not one, but two "3D" face cards.

For two days of using FaceID, I got the most positive impressions: like any really thought-out and advanced technology, after the initial stage of additional "learning", it becomes absolutely invisible. Both in the literal sense - infrared illuminators and lasers of the invisible spectrum are used, they are not noticeable in the dark, and figuratively - you stop noticing the work of the "face" scanner, everything happens "by itself": unlocking the smartphone, authorization in the banking application, confirmation of downloading new applications in the App Store (if you wish, you can turn it off, but it's convenient!) It seems as if you have returned to the blessed times of your fearless youth, when it never occurred to you to protect your phone with a password.

iPhone X Review: True Depth Camera, Portrait Mode for Selfies, Animoji

FaceID is just one of the features that the True Depth front camera implements. Accurate measurement of the distance to objects in the frame made it possible to turn on the "portrait" mode for the selfie camera with background blurring (emulation of the bokeh effect typical of professional cameras with appropriate optics). As with the iPhone 8 Plus' rear camera, the iPhone X's camera menu includes "studio effects" that change the way the face and background are illuminated in selfies. Including you can (you just have to choose a background that is uniform and "equidistant" from the subject - otherwise oddities are possible) to stylishly "photograph" yourself against a black background, as if in a darkened studio. Here is an example:

Animoji - according to some, the dumbest, according to others - the most innovative feature of the iPhone X. How to use Animoji: in iMessage, select the "monkey" in the bottom panel with application icons, a window appears for choosing one of the 12 characters to be "animated" (and, if desired, voiced). "Animoji" try to exactly repeat your facial expressions (or anyone else who looks into the front camera at this time), scanning the movements of about 50 facial muscles. Some characters are more expressive: of course, "turd" is beyond competition. I also noticed that joyful and surprised grimaces are better for characters than sad ones - apparently, Apple, by tradition, was given a positive attitude.

Finally, in a future version of the Clips app (not yet updated in iOS 11.1), it will be possible to “embed” yourself in various 360-degree scenes, such as a city at night or an illustration stylized in the spirit of the Prisma app. And this, of course, will also be implemented using the True Depth camera.

iPhone X review: a few words about the OLED screen

In 2017, OLED screens - which do not require a separate backlight and can "turn off" completely individual pixels (and, therefore, give out real black instead of dark gray for LCDs, and are more economical) - have reached Apple smartphones. . It’s just that no other company that knows how to make OLEDs has yet to pull the volumes Apple needs (), so you have to work mutually beneficially with a sworn competitor. What is important, Apple does not just buy displays from Koreans, but (as representatives of the American company say) independently developed and set the necessary characteristics for them. Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Note8 (top) and iPhone X displays look in comparison (both have brightness at maximum, auto-brightness is turned off, the Adaptive Display and True Tone functions are enabled, respectively):

A lot, of course, depends on the settings and how the colors are displayed by the software, but it seems to me that the two flagships are equal here. In the photo with the leaves, it seems that the iPhone has a little more dynamic contrast, where the site is open, if you look closely, the white background of the Apple smartphone is barely distinguishable, but whiter. Testing is complicated by the fact that the Note8 has as many as four different color settings, I preferred to use "Adaptive Display" as it was enabled by default on my test device.

In my opinion, the 5.7-inch OLED screen of the iPhone X with (also a first for Apple smartphones!) Super Retina resolution (not quite QuadHD, 1125 x 2436 pixels) is the best thing that has happened to iPhone screens in their entire history. . Yes, like all OLED screens, the iPhone X screen slightly changes hue and loses contrast when viewed from a large angle, but compared to OLED screens in the vast majority of Android smartphones, the change is almost imperceptible: it seems that the display was designed and configured with the perfectionism characteristic of the Californian company. But I emphasize Samsung screens The Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note8 look just as good overall.

If you turn off the TrueTone function (adjustment of color reproduction to ambient lighting, there is also a iPad Pro and iPhone 8/8 Plus), the tints on the iPhone X screen may seem unnecessarily cold after iPhones with LCD screens. But with TrueTone, they get noticeably warmer when the user is indoors. Apple also seems to have applied tighter lamination on the iPhone X screen, resulting in pixels appearing even closer to the glass surface than previous models. In short, beauty.

iPhone X review: photos and videos

I want to dedicate a separate material to a detailed study of the iPhone X as a photo and video camera, compare the new product with both its predecessor and its main competitor - I would only wait for a little bit of sunshine from Moscow autumn. For now, briefly technical features main camera. It, like the cameras in the iPhone 8/8 Plus, processes data from the sensor with a new signal processor and color filter, providing more saturated colors. The dual rear camera of the iPhone X differs from the "big" "eight" in the characteristics of the telephoto lens, which complements the "wide angle". Firstly, it is faster (f / 2.4 vs. f / 2.8 on the iPhone 8 Plus). Secondly, he also received an optical stabilization system (for the iPhone 8 Plus, only the "wide-angle" is "stabilized", but for the Samsung Galaxy Note8 - both lenses). As a result, less light is needed for shooting bokeh-simulated portraits, and telephotos at night and indoors are clearer.

For the past few years, to get the best camera from Apple, you had to buy a "shovel" Plus and put up with not the most progressive ergonomics. Now the best camera fits in a much more compact body: only half a millimeter thicker and 3.5 mm wider than the iPhone 8. This, I think, is a great joy for anyone who wants to take the best pictures with optical zoom, but does not want to (or due to the small size of the palms, he simply cannot) use "shovels".

iPhone X Review: Battery, Performance

Having used the iPhone X for only two days, I will not dare to draw unambiguous conclusions about the "survivability" of its battery. Apple says on its official website about 12 hours of Internet surfing (2 hours more than the iPhone 7), 13 hours of video playback on wireless network and 60 hours of music. Since any smartphone test begins with the installation of a dozen or two applications and almost continuous use of the screen, I want to fiddle with the new product all the time, the first time I successfully emptied the iPhone X battery in just an evening. On the second day, the situation was a little better, but, let's just say, while the battery of Apple's flagship failed to impress me.

Yes, the battery really drains more slowly than the iPhone 7, I think the new iPhone X is inferior to the "big" iPhone 7/8 Plus, but it should be enough for a full day of use without fanaticism. Again, I will make a reservation - this is a purely preliminary impression, I will definitely supplement this part of the review in a week or two. Moreover, it has not yet been possible to test wireless charging- there is no "plate" at hand with support for the Qi standard. Likewise, there is no powerful charger Apple with a USB-C port (from a MacBook or MacBook Pro) and a USB-C cable to test the manufacturer's claims of fast charging with them: they promise to fill the battery by 50% in the first half hour. I checked with the memory from a regular iPad, it turned out 31% in the first half hour, another 30 in the second and another 24% in the third, and a full charge took a little over two hours.

In terms of performance, we have, by any measure, one of the fastest smartphones on the market. Here is a photo of Geekbench 4 Computing Benchmark results: (from left to right) iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy Note8. Electronic computing "parrots" in the iPhone X and its A11 Bionic processor planted in abundance, do not worry.

Who needs it?

7 years ago, I squeezed the equivalent of about $ 1,100 in rubles at the then exchange rate in my fist and went to Gorbushka for a gray iPhone 4. those days the camera and design "from the future". I never regretted the money spent in the fall of 2010, and I still sometimes turn on that iPhone 4 out of nostalgic motives, without ceasing to rejoice at its appearance, despite the continuous grid of scratches (I haven’t cracked the covers yet last year in two iPhone 6s Plus approach, did not respect).

Today, the situation on the market is different - there are many good (that is, satisfying 90 percent of the needs of 90 percent of users) smartphones. The "gray" iPhone 7 costs from 35,000 rubles, iPhone 8 - from 45,000, Galaxy S8 - from 36,000, Huawei Honor 9 - in general from 23,000. And all these are smartphones, which, given the price, are quite difficult to find fault with.

The iPhone X is not without nuances (especially if you are conservative and not ready to get used to the new), and costs from 80,000 rubles. Its design, it seems to me, can hardly be called futuristic, the "wow" bar, installed iPhone 4 remains elusive. Moreover, the last Samsung smartphones with screens "disappearing" at the edges, today they look much more like an accessory from a science fiction movie. But the iPhone X is not the case when you get just gold for extra money. back panel with a portrait of Putin and inlaid with semi-precious stones. And you get functions, although not absolutely necessary, but radically changing the user experience and preparing you for the next decade of the evolution of handheld computers: FaceID (no one has analogues yet), wireless charging (with Apple support this technology will certainly receive a new impetus for development), the "magic" capabilities of cameras provided by the "neurochip" in the A11 Bionic processor, a screen of new proportions, the absence of "margins" above and below it.

It is this new experience (and, of course, the exorbitant price) that serves as the source of the notorious "wow" in the new Apple flagship, which the happy owners of the novelty will have to hear from envious others in the coming months. Plus, it's one of the best pocket cameras available today - while the Pixel 2 and Samsung's flagships shoot just as well in most situations, they don't have the ability to actually "see" the distance to every point of the user's face when taking selfies. Finally, this (as is the case with the latest flagships of Samsung, LG, Huawei and a number of other companies) is a large screen in a compact dust- and moisture-proof (IP67 standard) case. True, measuring screens diagonally is a tricky thing, you still sometimes miss the wider and “lower” screen of the 7 Plus, and the Note8 display after the iPhone X seems just huge (but there, of course, proportionally huge usability problems). The iPhone X is indeed more comfortable than the iPhone 7/8 Plus, but not as comfortable as the iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8, whose case is almost 3 mm narrower than the tens cases.

iPhone X goes on sale in the US, Russia and 51 other countries tomorrow, November 3rd. Prices: 79,990 rubles for a model with a rather modest 64 GB drive by today's standards and 91,990 for a full-fledged 256 GB version. From my point of view, you need to take the latter - photos, videos, applications, music saved on the device and podcasts will fill up 64 gigabytes of memory much faster than you expect. If you still decide to save money, use Google Photos to upload photos and videos there from time to time and clear the memory of your smartphone from them.

Before moving on to the design, a few words about the equipment: everything here is traditional and without surprises. iPhone X, a small folder with stickers, documentation and a clip to remove the cradle, headphones with a Lightning plug, a Lightning to mini-jack adapter and a 1-amp charger. Everything.

iPhone X is sold in two colors: silver and space gray (or, in simple terms, white and black). The Apple Onlyphones.ru hardware store provided us with the second option for review.

Camera bump causes iPhone X to twitch when resting on a surface. However, the cover solves this problem. And for some, this is not a problem at all.

From the front and back of the iPhone X "the most durable glass." A couple of touches are enough to smear it, but this did not scare me personally. It still looks very cool and feels good in the palm of your hand.

The author expresses his gratitude to the store Onlyphones.ru for the sample provided for testing. In this store you can find certified Apple equipment, including iPhone X of any modification without pre-ordering and waiting.