When Apple released the next generation iPhone, the X, it came with a hefty price tag that no other common consumer smartphone had ever seen. The price for the 64GB iPhone X starts at $999 and works its way up to $1149 for the 256GB model. While that made iPhone users gasp, there have been other phones that have comes close to that price: the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 at $949, and even the 128GB Google Pixel 2 XL at $949 too. Although they’re $50 short of $999, they’re pretty much the same price as the iPhone X.
The price tag of the iPhone X is undoubtedly very high. But the cost of all premium smartphones is high, including Apple’s own iPhone 8 Plus which starts at $799 for the base model. If you’re considering getting a new iPhone, I’m here to tell you the extra cost of $200 is well worth the difference in technology between the 8 Plus and X. Yes, both phones do the same thing. They both run the same software, they both use iMessage, Facetime, Apple Pay, but they both differ greatly in hardware.
The iPhone 8 Plus is a hefty phone. It uses a four-year-old design that has very large bezels for a phone in 2017. The only physical difference between the 7 Plus from 2016, and the current 8 Plus is the glass back. It can even use cases designed for the 7 Plus. It measures in at 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.50mm and weighs 202 grams. That’s large enough to make the 8 Plus a two-handed phone even though it only has a 5.5″ display with 1980 x 1080 pixel resolution. It still uses dated LCD technology, but it still looks great, and it only has a contrast ratio of 1300:1 when almost all Android flagships have switched over to OLED display technology with 2K (QHD) resolution.
The iPhone X, on the other hand, has a larger display at 5.8″, is nearly bezel-free and measures in a 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm and weighs just 174 grams. The display is an OLED 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution powerhouse with an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. That means your blacks and shades are true and the colors will pop making it better to look at than the 8 Plus. On hardware alone, the extra cost is worth the money. You get a better and bigger display, and you also get a phone that is much easier to hold and carry in small pockets. The X also looks a lot better than the 8 Plus too.
The major difference between both iPhones is Face ID. I admit I had my doubts about Face ID. I expected Apple to deliver buggy facial recognition software, but Apple engineers truly innovated with Face ID. Face ID only takes 30 seconds to set up, and it works almost every single time right out of the box. It works better than any fingerprint reader I have ever used, including those from previous iPhones, and it makes for a much more pleasant user experience. Face ID not only works to protect my iPhone, but it is also used as a security unlock for Apple Pay, the App Store, banking apps, credit card apps and Paypal. It’s so easy to use that I forget that I’m even using it as a security method. It works in full sunlight, it works at night and it even works when I wear sunglasses and hats. Face ID works so well I thought it might unlock for any face, but that wasn’t the case when I had 10 colleagues try to unlock my iPhone X with their faces.
Face ID has made fingerprint readers seem like incredibly old technology. On my Google Pixel 2 XL, the fingerprint reader works very fast – when it works. If my finger is ever damp, like after taking off gloves in the lab or washing my hands, it always fails. If I ever want to use my left hand with my Pixel 2 XL, it always asks for my four-digit passcode since I didn’t set up any other fingerprints. On my Galaxy Note 8, S8, and S8+, I opted not to use any security method because the fingerprint reader is in the worst possible position near the camera at the top of the phone, and facial recognition is painful to use. Face ID has made fingerprint readers obsolete. I can’t identify a single scenario where a fingerprint reader is better than Face ID.
In 2018, there are rumors of smartphones with fingerprint readers under the display. With Face ID, I don’t want that either. Face ID is simply the best way to unlock smartphones and if other manufacturers want to compete, they need to step up their game.
Lastly, if you should be appalled at any price tag, it should be with the iPhone 8 Plus. The design is almost identical to phones of the past which means the profit margins should be the higher when compared to the X. All Apple changed was the internal processor and put a glass back on it for wireless charging. I’d say the 8 Plus is less of a deal considering Apple said the X is the future of the iPhone, and the extra $200 should get you at least one extra year of life over the 8 Plus.
I understand $999 is a major price tag to shell out for, but you’re not really saving any money by going with the 8 Plus.
If you want an iPhone X today, your best bet is to check the inventory at Apple Stores and Best Buy stores.
Face recognition for the extra $300? With all those people laying out $300 to have their faces scanned, Apple’s going to know exactly what a sucker looks like.