iPhone X Reviews

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A reason to have the folio case I guess.... I bought one as there was nothing else that looked as reasonable for protection. It shuts the screen off when you close it, and on when you open it. Not even Siri wakes it when it's closed.

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kingston12 said:

The part I haven't got used to yet is that FaceID only does the unlock where as Touch ID actually opened up the phone. There have been a few times where I have sat there waiting for the phone to open, but forgetting I need to swipe up!

If you swipe up, before the phone even sees you, then FaceID will open the phone for you. I now don't bother unlocking the padlock, just swipe up and the phone's opened immediately.

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toon10 said:

I had a look in the Apple store at the weekend. Firstly, it looks really nice although still not a massive departure from other iPhones. Definitely the most "premuim" phone in look and feel that I've looked at. I did like the OLED screen. I also like the size of the device with the larger screen. Not sure about the lack of home button yet, I'd get used to it but I'm OCD about double tapping and closing applications so obviously there's a new way to do this on the X I'd have to discover.

Overall, I just didn't really get the sense it was too much of a step up to my 6S to justify such a large spend. I'm also still not ready to give up the headphone jack so I'll run with my SIM only contract until my phone grinds to a halt then look at the options later.

There is some debate about closing apps actually being bad for the battery - some opinions say that you should stop background refresh and leave them open.

https://www.wired.com/2016/03/closing-apps-save-ba...

The home button feels so 'last week' once you have a phone without one. FaceID opens the phone immediately and Apple Pay (or apps that need ID) feel more seamless.

The question is - what does this phone do that a 6 or 7 (or 8) can't do? And the answer is, not a lot to be honest. I guess it's a bit like having one wrist watch over another - they all perform the same job.

My only gripe is phone call sound quality. For the first time with an iPhone, I am struggling to hear and struggling to be heard... I may take mine into Apple to see if it's an issue unique to mine.

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pincher said:

My X is still borked. Genius Bar appointment booked for tomorrow lunchtime in Covent Garden. I presume that they will have phones available that they can swap out for my broken one? I’m not going to be happy if I have to send mine back to Apple and wait for a replacement to be sent.....

There was a thread (in the last couple of days) that I now can't find, explaining how to revive a bricked phone - some special mode requiring it to be connected to iTunes and a combination of button presses.

I am sure Apple Covent Garden will give you a new phone and will have the stock to do so.

It seems, from a bit of reading, that the old phone (that someone upgrades from) needs to have the very latest iOS. Then backed up... the X, before doing anything else, needs to have the latest iOS. Only then can the X be restored from the last back up.

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The call quality on mine is awful - nobody can hear me. Not sure what the issue is, but every call is difficult unless I put it on the speaker.

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I will make an appointment for Apple to take a look....

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Alucidnation said:

One of the kids has picked up an X and when she calls, i thought it sounded much clearer.

Must be something wrong with mine.... appointment made for Monday next week.

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Bushman1 said:

NDA said:

The call quality on mine is awful - nobody can hear me. Not sure what the issue is, but every call is difficult unless I put it on the speaker.

Funnily enough I’ve not had much call time on it but I find coming from the 6s which was a much smaller phone, now I tend to cover the speaker area maybe just the way I was used to holding the old phone. Are you doing the same? Worth a trip to apple maybe, with the price of these phones if it’s not right, I wouldn’t put up with it.

I took mine into Apple today. Normal excellent service... they performed a full diagnostic on the phone, nothing wrong with it. However, they offered to swap it with a brand new one. I declined, thinking I would do some more research.

It seems there is a call quality problem if you use a folio case - where you fold the cover back so that it covers the camera lens. In the camera lens is a microphone that measures background noise during a phone call, if you cover it, it thinks your voice is background noise somehow and tries to limit your volume.

Discussion here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8153524?start...

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anxious_ant said:

I've just ordered a leather folio case which comes with a small sheet of paper detailing issue above. They advised to fold the cover as flat as possible to avoid issues. I don't make long voice calls but so far has been ok.

Interesting...

Could you post up the included paper that came with your case?

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HorneyMX5 said:

Ona separate note, I’ve found in only 2 weeks that the bottom stainless bezzle is already quite marked. This despite the fact the phone is on the case. The finish seems far less durable than the aluminium of my previous 7 and 6.

Marked as in scratched? This is the silver bezel as opposed to the black version?

Mine is silver, in a case and unmarked, I had assumed it was quite durable.

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alorotom said:

Been playing with the camera and specifically the portrait mode options and I am mightily impressed with the cameras built in functionality and depth of detail etc... plus being able to retroactively flick through the various portrait options after the image has been processed is great

Yes, it's hugely impressive. Snaps are no longer snaps....

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AB said:

A week or so in and I'm happy with the X.

I came from a 7s+ and I'm happy with the screen size relative to overall size. Seems to be a step up in terms of build quality and 'slickness' with the quicker processor.

FaceID is the only major difference I'm seeing aside from the above as I rarely use the camera. It's not failed to recognise me yet, even when waking up hungover in the dark.

What I really miss however, is the battery % showing.

FaceID feels seamless and easier/better than a thumbprint. I have changed the setting to 'requiring attention' and it doesn't seem any slower. I don't take many pictures, but when I do, I am pretty amazed at the quality of the shots.

Battery percentage is a pain - perhaps they might change this in the future? It can't beyond the wit of man to have a different graphic - the choice between a battery pic or a percentage number?

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Is it Apple ensuring that only their own mail server (icloud) offers push?

My X is the same, no push available against any of my mailboxes.

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tim0409 said:

Gmail stopped supporting push for their non paid email service a few years back; in order to get push you have to use either the gmail app, or pay (I have my domain set up with them and get push email, or at least I did until recently and now its been a bit flaky....)

I have my own domain (paid for) and it's fetch only on the iPhone.

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audi321 said:

Well I've had iphones since day dot. Never scratched a screen other than tiny superficial scratches.

1 month with my X and it has a dirty big scratch down the middle (I don't even know how I did it).

I know google'ing will always find something, but it seems these X screens are much softer than previous ones.

Damn - not good.

But a useful heads up for the rest of us. I keep mine in a Beyzacase Zero (a thin leather envelope), but do worry about dropping it as it's a slippery sucker when being used.

Folio cases didn't work for me on the X as the microphone used for noise cancelling gets covered up and then the call sounds muffled.

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Will the X become a collector's item?

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tim0409 said:

For those that have the X how are you finding it a few months in?

I thought I would like the Face ID function but for me it's a bit hit or miss especially when I'm in the car and it's in its mount, or when I am lying in bed. It's also got an annoying bug where the display doesn't auto lock like it should (not uncommon on apple support forums).

The camera is pretty good though. With hindsight, I think this has finally cured me of my Apple "fanboi" tendency of always having to have the latest and greatest.....

I like it. Battery life is great (I was sceptical about this on this thread somewhere I think), it easily lasts a working day. Face ID works very well for me - fingerprint ID was very hit and miss on my 7, faceID works 99% of the time. I don't use it in the car other than music which I start playing before setting off. Officer.

I always switch off rather than auto lock - so can't comment. It's set to a minute to auto off, but I rarely leave it to do that.

Camera great.

I prefer the slightly bigger screen size and really like not having a home button. FaceID for bank type apps is really seamless.

The only downsides are:

1 The design is slippy glass and it's moderately heavy. I do NOT want to drop it.
2 They don't seem to work well with folio cases. The microphone in the rear lenses is for ambient noise - folio cases, when folded back, seem to mess with the ambient noise filters and reduce call quality.

I had thought with my 7 that iPhones couldn't really add anything to make me buy an X. I bought one anyway. Worth the extra cash? Hmmmm - marginal yes. Will I buy the next iteration? Really not sure, the X would be hard to improve.

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Zod said:

No issue with my beard and I didn't have a beard when I set it up. It also copes fine with glasses. I don't think Touch ID was better.

I grew a beard for a week (shaved it off this morning as I look like a retired terrorist) and sometimes wear glasses. FaceID works fine with or without fungus and furniture.

I wouldn't want to go back to touch ID - I found it very unreliable particularly if my hands were at all hot.

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A lot of people are reporting how easily scratched the X is. Mine currently lives in a Beyzacase (leather sleeve) and is currently unscathed. But it certainly sounds more vulnerable to being marked than the 7.

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RDMcG said:

Where I live I Canada Staples ( office supplies)applies
a liquid protector for the screen than dries very hard. Takes fifteen minutes. No impact on performance, zero scratches.

Interesting... have you tried it?