It's a big year for Apple. This is the year Apple finally introduces some major technological upgrades from augmented-reality and improved cameras to OLED screens in its iPhone lineup. And in doing so, they've released three new models alongside each other, the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. Most importantly for us, however, is that the new iPhones not only feature the best cameras yet, but also more broadly represent the biggest leap in image technology in a single year thanks both to new hardware and software.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus most closely replace the 7 and 7 Plus, while the iPhone X represents a new elite category for the iPhone with a massive 5.8" OLED display. The new iPhones feature a six-core A11 Bionic processor with four lower-clock-speed high-efficiency cores and two faster cores that contribute to more efficient and balanced processing for different types of tasks.
The nearly bezel-less OLED display on the iPhone X looks amazing with the lack of a home button or Touch ID as we welcome in the era of truly secure facial recognition through Apple's new Face ID facial recognition system. Face ID is even more secure than Touch ID and is 20 times less likely to be tricked by a stranger's attempt to unlock your phone. If you're looking for something more fun, Apple has you covered with Animojis (emojis that animate based on your facial response in real time) in the iPhone X.
These features are all nice, but we won't get too hung up on under-the-hood specifications because Apple's tight integration of hardware and software make the numbers on paper a moot point relative to comparing with other phones. Apple always builds the hardware it needs in order to support the software features it wants to support. Whatever the numbers are, Apple will have made sure they work for today's tech.
Instead, we can take the increased RAM and more powerful processing setup as a queue that Apple is, once again, gearing up for more. And this year, that "more" is all about augmented reality, or AR, and the power to take more professional photos seamlessly. While virtual reality has grabbed headlines above its augmented cousin thanks to its ability to transport you to another world, it's augmented reality that has particularly interesting potential as a tool for integrating the digital world into our real world. Trying out a new couch in the living room within an interior design application is just the beginning.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
Let's get a little more specific about each model, because there is some larger differentiation this year. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models still feature a home button and Touch ID and do not feature Face ID. However, they also shed the metal back in favor of a glass one that allows for Qi wireless charging.
Meanwhile, Apple is staying with a 12MP camera on the back of the iPhone 8 and dual 12MP cameras on the 8 Plus, but is upgrading the camera by increasing sensor size, power-efficiency, dynamic range, and more. As we know, larger sensors allow for larger pixels, which allow for more light and, in turn, better image quality.
Apple also introduced a TrueDepth Lighting feature that makes use of portrait mode to separate the subject from the background, identify facial features, and edit the photo seamlessly as though a professional photographer lit the subject in a number of different styles.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus also include hardware-enabled noise reduction and improved image processing, including a new system that breaks the each frame of video into two million individual tiles and analyzes them every second to optimize the image based on content to create sharper and more vibrant videos in 4K at up to 60 fps or in 1080p now up to 240 fps.
Meanwhile, new gyroscopes and accelerometers offer improved AR performance.
iPhone X
The iPhone X features a similar form to the iPhone 8 alongside some notable changes. A surgical-grade, polished stainless steel frame and glass back in a pearlescent Space Grey or Silver set this model apart with the embedded OLED display while maintaining the same Qi wireless charging standard and water and dust resistance. Apple made it a special point to note that OLED technologically has historically featured a number of improvements over more traditional LED display types but at the cost of color accuracy and saturation. This display, dubbed the Super Retina Display, however, solves those problems by supporting HDR 10 and Dolby Vision, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and great color accuracy with the same TrueTone display. It also features the highest pixel density at 458 PPI with 2,436 x 1,125 pixels spanning its 5.8" display.
With an edge-to-edge and top-to-bottom display, the iPhone X features no home button. Now, you tap the screen anywhere to wake, or you can still raise to wake. Swipe up from the bottom of any app to go back home. And speak to the phone for Hey, Siri, or press the larger side button in to activate Siri. Unlocking is done naturally with Face ID, which detects when you are looking at the phone.
The iPhone X features the same 12MP sensors as the iPhone 8 Plus, but arranges them at a 90-degree offset comparatively. Also, an f/2.4 instead of f/2.8 aperture telephoto lens sits on the back of the X while optical image stabilization on both rear cameras on the iPhone X as well as a quad-LED true-tone flash for more even flash lighting help create even better photos.
iPhone X TrueDepth Camera, which uses a combination of front-facing cameras and sensors for Face ID, supports selfies taken with TrueDepth Lighting and Portrait Mode through the front-facing cameras.
In spite of these hardware and software improvements, the iPhone X provides two hours longer battery life than the iPhone 7.
iOS 11
On the software side, the new iPhones will ship with iOS 11, which, amongst many other improvements, makes the landmark shift from using the nearly quarter-century-old JPEG format to a newer format called HEIF (creatively standing for High Efficiency Image File Format — I'm just happy we don't have two F's). The HEIF is a format that supports GIF-style animations, transparency, and more, all while enabling saving space with better compression. A similar quality image to a JPEG is expected to take roughly half of the storage space. And don't worry, whenever you send an image or export it for another application, Apple seamlessly converts it to a JPEG for sharing, but maintains the original as the main file. We can only hope everyone will eventually support the new file type. If history is any lesson, it's only a matter of time.
Wrapping Up
Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 3 with available in-watch LTE, Apple TV 4K with HDR 10 and Dolby Vision support, and showed a sneak peek of AirPower, a larger charging matt coming next year that will make it easy to wirelessly charge multiple devices at once. Notably absent from these announcements was any discussion around 3D imaging or video, which was rumored to be a large reason behind the change in orientation of the dual-camera setup on the iPhone X. However, Apple has not historically chased after 3D experiences, as it has chosen to concentrate on its AR Kit for which this camera shift could easily be just as beneficial.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be available in 64GB and 256GB options starting at $699. The iPhone 8 Plus will start at $799, while both 256GB models will come at a $149 premium. The iPhone X will cost $999 or $1,149 for 64GB and 256GB options, respectively.
All of the products announced today except the iPhone X will be available for pre-order Friday, Sept. 15 and will ship Sept. 22. The iPhone X will be available for pre-order October 27 and will ship November 3.
The new iPhone lineup keeps nearly all of the devices you could still buy yesterday, but at reduced prices and reduced maximum storage options for some, including the following: iPhone 7 starting at $549, iPhone 6S starting at $449, and iPhone SE starting at $349. There are now 16 separate models of the iPhone available to buy new from Apple, not counting color or carrier options. Including color variations, there are now nearly 50 models of iPhone to choose from. Regardless of your budget, Apple obviously wants you to know there's an iPhone available for you with its broadest iPhone lineup yet.
Update: It's worth noting that although the iPhone X has a larger display, the phone itself is smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus (and other Plus models before it) since it gets that extra length mostly by having a taller screen without bezels. Still, it's closer in size to the Plus models than it is to the standard iPhone 7/8 size. Correction: The iPhone X is in fact only slightly larger than the iPhone 8 (non-Plus), leading to reports that it really is an obvious choice if a premium visual experience is what you're after.
Update 2: While not covered in the announcement, the new iPhones support fast charging to 50 percent in 30 minutes. However, you won't be able to take advantage of this without already having or buying a Lightning-to-USB-C cable and one of the higher-power USB-C laptop charging adapters that Apple sells separately or includes with its latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros. It has yet to be explained exactly how this quick-charging works, but if it can't work with a good USB cable and a Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0-enabled charger, it does not at first glance seem to be the same as the QC 3.0 technology if it requires these high-power USB-C chargers. More information will follow as it is discovered.
Disappointed in no USB-C.
I don't think this will come for a long time -- if ever. The main issue is that USB-C is so horribly not-exactly-standardized. You never know what you're getting, how much power it'll support (if any), what speeds you'll get, etc. Apple doesn't want people worrying about whether or not the cable they get will charge their phone too much or too little or whether the data transfer will be fast enough. They can't control USB-C the way they can control Lightning. So I just don't see them changing this (for better or for worse).
That would be dumb! If they don't change their battery. I will leave them. They'll have to add a magnet to the back or else how am I supposed to charge it in the car on road trips. Especially storm chasing, since I use hot spot for my laptop and the battery wouldn't last unless plugged in.
Having complete wireless is absurd! I will not buy into it. Having to carry a pad around just too charge....no.
Well, it’s. It 100% wireless yet. But even when it is...you have to carry a cable around with you wherever you go now anyway. Wireless charging tech is so convenient that it can and will be (and in some places already is) installed in furniture and into cars, etc., wherever you go. IKEA already supports it in some their furniture. Eventually, people will laugh at plugging in a cable.
Unless they put magnets in your phone. Wireless charging in a car will be useless. You have to get it to stay put, any time you turn there goes your phone. Yes I'll carry a cable over a charge pad. I'm not here to worry about who's going to laugh, dumb remark.
My point wasn’t about being embarrassed about being laughed at. Ha! It was about what people will be used to. But regardless, many cars already do have wireless charging. They don’t need magnets because they just build a flat area big enough for any phone to fit in comfortably (often in the armrest or front-center console). It works quite well, especially for cars with wireless CarPlay. Same thing goes for Android phones and Android Auto.
Fair enough lol. Well I guess I have to buy a new car to use a new phone. I don't use a headphone jack besides at work and thats just for podcast. In the car it is bluetooth. So I'll see you in 10 yrs when we all have wireless charging pads in our cars. Until than not buying a fully wireless phone. It will come before the population gets new cars with Chi pads built in.
Given Apple's strategy in moving away from all corded things, you can expect them to probably ditch even the lightning connector currently in use. Once wireless charging takes off, there really won't be any need for cords whatsoever.
Honestly, I'm just interested in next year's 6-core, 32Gb Macbooks, if the recent rumors are true.
Meh. For that price point, I expect more and something really stunning (except the fact of being too expensive). Yes, those are new features for an iPhone, but not for mobile phones in general.
Actually, apparently eveybody missed Apple's main BIG announcement yesterday...
Here we go again.
Next on every photography related website:
iPhone X Camera beats DxO records.
iPhone X is a beast for photography
Time Magazine cover done with an iPhone X
iPhone X can cook eggs if you tell Siri to.
iPhone X screen will make you a professional photographer
iPhone Face ID will unlock your D850 from Mars!
Instead of animated emojis, wireless charging and faster processor how about 500% more battery life and a bit of a price drop? Would be more appreciated I think but what the hell do i know?
Seriously, anyone noticing any difference in speed performance after upgrading an iPhone???
HAHA Apple always late to the party. Too little too late.
I hate that the top part(where the camera and sensors are) block the fullscreen video and photo viewing.
Swipe up from the bottom... thanks Blackberry 10!
You forgot the best part of the announcement: the face recognition demo
Gotta love the bitter fandroid responses. lol
Apple are the masters of waiting to see what others do, copying it, painting it white and convincing people they came up with it. They throw out features (headphone jack) and convince you that you don't need it. I don't want someone telling me what I want or don't need. Phones are fast enough, screens are nice enough and unless they make the battery last a month, who cares?
I have a camera, I use my S8 merely to answer messages when I am not at my desk forever editing pics or shooting. I've taken pics with it as a joke and they all look mediocre on my desktop compared to what I get on the mark 4 so why bother? I don't have time for games unless I'm stranded at the airport. But on the S8 that has expandable storage I have all the mp3s and movies I could ever want. That's a phone getting out of the way and letting me use it how I want. And the headphone jack is nice. 1k could go towards a new lens, a glidecam, etc.
I am going to talk about iphone x. iPhone 8 has no sense. Looks ugly and old compare to the others android phones.
Now iphone x: wirless charging... Wow what a feature. It's been years we have it in others phone working well.
Face id: years ago windows phone with windows hello but also Samsung right now.
Oled screen? Really now?!?!
I like the camera with the new light portrait mode and the emoji.
Should i spend 1200€ (in Europe it has almost that price)? No i won't
As a Android user, I can only wish for the frame rate of the video camera. 60fps Full HD vs 240Fps. 30FPS 4K vs 60FPS 4K.
This is all a bunch of crap. Who cares about emojis and gifs. It calls, it connects to the net, it plays music. Nothing ground breaking. Unless this was a strategic ad placement, it seems far too gushing. "Surgical grade", wtf!
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That was the most boring Apple Event I've ever seen. I just want to charge my phone while listening to music with something that's not a slug in the performance area. For me the iPhone is a tool that helps keep me organized, in contact with the people I need to be in contact with and helps me get to where I need to be... doubtful there'll be another iPhone in my future.
I understand wanting to plug in 3.5mm headphones, but aside from that, what more would you want in a phone that these don't give you? It makes sense some people might be bored and to think the new features are useless for them...they won't be helpful for everyone. But then what's wrong with the 6S, which now got a nice price cut, that you'd like to see improved? I'm more asking out of curiosity, since most people that I talk to that "just want a simple X" seem to essentially be talking about a slightly older generation iPhone. And then I just wonder what's wrong with that, and what do the other brands have that Apple doesn't have the same or even better version these days? The audio jack and removable storage/battery is all I can think of...