Whether you love them or hate them, Apple is a brand that knows how to market its products and the iPhone X is yet another example of that.
And despite bringing edge-to-edge displays, facial recognition technology and wireless charging to the table years after Android competitors, the iPhone X still managed to generate a massive buzz about these “new” features. (That’s Apple’s brand power for you folks…)
So as a geek who uses the Apple ecosystem every day and loves it, why didn’t I rush to Apple’s website to splash £1000+ of my hard-earned money on the iPhone X?
I’ve outlined the specific reasons the iPhone X doesn’t excite me below — let me know which ones you agree (or disagree) with, in the comments section.
Animojis?
Animojis. Seriously? The fact that Animojis got as much air-time as they did during Apple’s event tells a story in itself. I can’t deny that it’s a fun use of Apple’s new facial recognition technology — and it’ll undoubtedly be a hit with most users, if only temporarily — but it isn’t a determining factor as to whether I buy the iPhone X. Truthfully, it feels like more of a gimmick.
Display isn’t really edge-to-edge
The iPhone X’s OLED display is supposed to be a significant improvement over past years, and I’m glad they’ve finally done so.
I’m mainly happy that they’ve attempted to go edge-to-edge because truthfully, those chunky top/bottom bezels were getting really old.
But I say attempted because, in reality, it still isn’t truly as edge-to-edge as the Samsung S8. There’s an obvious bezel surrounding the screen, and while I can live with that, I can’t understand the decision to leave that eye-sore of a notch at the top. Why on earth would you leave a part of the bezel popping into the display?
If there’s a reasonable justification for this, I beg you please, tell me what it is in the comments below because I don’t understand it.
Still no waterproofing
Apple’s iPhone X is water resistant. That’s great…
OK you know what, it’s not great. It’s 2017 Apple. How the hell can you not make your £1000+ flagship smartphone — your cash cow and iconic product — waterproof by now?
If you’re asking me to spend this much on a smartphone (even taking into account your usual inflated/premium prices), it needs to have some serious bells & whistles, and waterproofing is an expected one by now.
Where has TouchID gone?
In fear of sounding like an old-timer, crying about the removal of the headphone jack like people did for the iPhone 7: why the hell did Apple take away TouchID?
I understand that they’re trying to move into the future — I’m all for that — but TouchID wasn’t problematic, flawed or hindering any sort of progress. To this day on my iPhone 6s Plus; it opens my phone quickly, allows me to make payments and log into apps quickly and easily. It’s one of the iPhone’s best features.
Now having to raise an iPhone X towards my face every time I want to unlock it, pay for something or log into an app isn’t ideal or user-friendly. It is a nuisance, annoying, and even if I did buy the iPhone X — chances are I’d revert to passcodes to unlock my device more often than not because raising my phone everytime is impractical.
Pricing
I couldn’t finish this roundup of reasons I’m not buying the iPhone X without mentioning the price. Starting at £1000 for the lower tier model, I can’t help but feel this takes Apple’s premium pricing strategy to a new level.
Yes, it’s their flagship. Yes, it has better technology than the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. But this sort of price just makes the phone more inaccessible than ever and the iPhone was already a premium device!
iPhone X rant over…
This is what my frustration boils down to in a nutshell: I’ve always been an advocate of Apple because while they are always late to introduce new technology, they ultimately do it well. The iPhone and iPad aren’t popular for no reason and iOS is the best mobile operating system (in my opinion) because of how simple it is to use.
My problem with the iPhone X is that it lacks enough to excite me. This is meant to be their anniversary edition and instead of running to the nearest Apple store to buy one, I’m left deliberating about whether it’s even worth my money.
I’ve never had to question the value of an Apple product before; it’s always been a no-brainer.
I’d love to get your thoughts in the comments below. How do you feel about the iPhone X, and do you agree with anything I’ve written?
(Please keep things polite & civilised. No fanboy attacks!)
