Apple IPhone X Sets The Stage For Full-Screen AR

Apple IPhone X Sets The Stage For Full-Screen AR

- Sascha Segan

Maybe X isn’t quite right: This should be the iPhone Beta. The new iPhone X sets the stage for a new decade of full-screen, augmented reality living. Like the best Apple products, it dares to question old assumptions, break rules, and introduce radical new concepts. But also like some groundbreaking Apple products—the original iPod, the original iPhone, and the original iMac among them—it makes me feel a little bit like I’m a beta tester for the future, and it makes me think that app developers, especially, need to catch up before this is a completely comfortable phone to use.

You’re coming here to find out if you should buy the iPhone X. As of this writing, too many apps aren’t ready for it right now, and other features feel not quite fully baked. You need to have the early adopter mentality to enjoy the X completely. But unlike the iPhone 8, this isn’t boring. Not one bit. Get ready to be excited by an iPhone again.

A SHARP NEW LOOK

Apple tends to redesign the iPhone every few years. The original models’ stone-like appearance gave way to the iPhone 4’s glass sandwich, which became the iPhone 6’s metal sleekness. Now there’s a new look.

The iPhone X is nearly bezel-less, as advertised, with that notorious notch for the front camera assembly eating a chunk out of the screen at the top. It comes in space gray or silver. On the back, the dual cameras create a sharp, not smooth, bump that you should even out with a nice case. Apple says that the glass back is durable, but we strongly suggest getting a case for any $1,000 phone, no matter how tough it is.

The all-screen design would feel radical if we hadn’t seen the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, LG V30, and so on. Instead, it just feels current. It does make the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus look pretty bad, though, like they have quite a bit of wasted space.