iPhone X launch revolutionizes the smartphone industry
STEPHANIE SANCHEZ
sasanchez15@ole.augie.edu
On Sept. 12, Apple unveiled two new iPhone models: the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X (pronounced 10).
The launch came a year after the release of the iPhone 7 and Apple’s infamous choice to remove the headphone jack. To the disappointment of the masses, the new iPhone models will have a similar design to that of its predecessor, headphone jack travesty included.
The only noticeable difference between both phones is the glass back that enables wireless charging and gives the phone a layer of protection against water and dust. Other than that, an iOS update on the iPhone 7 will make it look and feel like the brand-new, and not as innovative, iPhone 8.
However, this year’s star is not the iPhone 8, but the iPhone X. With an edge-to-edge screen and facial recognition, the X is the most advanced and futuristic looking phone ever developed by Apple, as well as the most expensive. The X will have a starting price of $999 when it is released in early November.
Although both phones share characteristics in processors and general software, the differences between the iPhone 8 and X are abysmal in terms of hardware design.
Given the X’s edge-to-edge screen, the home button and its accompanying Touch ID feature will be replaced by the aforementioned facial recognition software. So, unless you are feeling old-school and wish to use a passcode, your thumb will not grant you access anymore.
Apart from the size of its screen, the iPhone X’s facial mapping system is the most revolutionary technological feature from the new set of iPhones.
The software will not only function as a way to unlock your phone and use Apple Pay, but also to improve self-portraits by blurring backgrounds and automatically fixing the lighting for the picture to be the best quality possible.
The iPhone X will also come with two rear cameras, both with a 12MP sensor and image stabilization that makes this phone’s camera superior to previous’ models, including the iPhone 8.
Combining the calibre of the camera with the X’s OLED display, the photographs coming from this phone promise to be of a kind never seen before.
Overall, the new iPhone models are a combination of familiar and ground-breaking technology.
While the iPhone 8 is a slight enhancement of the iPhone 7, the iPhone X promises to bring features that were deemed as science fiction not that long ago.
Facial recognition and clearer photographs seem to only be the beginning of what Apple calls a new era of smartphones.
