iPhone X - first impressions

I’ve had the iPhone X for about 4 days now. Here are some early initial observations. Overall more positive than I was fearing but I am afraid unlike the rest of the internet, I don't really see "the future" staring at me in this phone yet. I would say it largely feels the same as previous phones - which though is a massive credit to Apple because this phone is, in its own small ways, is the most different from previous iPhones.

The portrait mode on the iPhone X offers some passable bokeh options

The portrait mode on the iPhone X offers some passable bokeh options

Handling

  • The phone feels huge and heavy in the hand - much much bigger than the 7 even though it is only marginally bigger
  • Handling is awkward - my hand barely reaches anything at - the bottom or the top making one-handed use quite difficult. It is decidedly an odd-shaped thing.
  • The notch is stupid but you don’t seem to notice it as much as I thought I would

Screen

  • It looks good and probably a bit better than the 7 but my tired old eyes really don’t notice much improvement. 

Face ID

  • Happy to report that it has worked as expected so far. I don’t really miss the Touch ID
  • It feels just slightly slower inside apps but feels just the same and even better when used to unlock the phone

Battery Life

  • So far so good - too early to tell - all new phones perform well. The real test is after 6-8 months of heavy usage
  • Wireless charging is useful though quite slow to be the only way to charge so not getting rid of the umpteen lightening charging cables I have

Camera

  • The 56mm lens (‘portrait’) is useful and the software blurring is a good option and works quite well even though it is nowhere near as natural as a regular lens. 
  • Some of the studio lighting options (Stage light for example) are downright dirty, rushed hacks that should never be used. 

Worth $1,400?

  • With taxes and AppleCare you end up paying about $1,400 for this phone - which is about $2 a day. While $1,400 sounds a lot - the phone is  definitely worth 2 dollars a day.