As 2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone, we were always bound to see something radical at this week’s iPhone launch. And Apple certainly hasn’t let us down, as three new phones have been unveiled – the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X – alongside the Apple Watch Series 3 and the Apple TV 4K.
As with all Apple launches, the rumour mill was rife with talk of what we could expect from Apple’s latest smartphones. The hearsay proved largely to ring true, as the tech giant revealed a long-awaited design update for the iPhone X, which boasts an all-new edge-to-edge 5.8 inch OLED display.
This brings the X more in line with its top competitor’s flagship devices, as both Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 feature a similar bezel-free ‘Infinity Display’. Of course, the iPhone’s updated edge-to-edge display means that it’s missing the home button we’ve seen since the device first debuted a decade ago, so users will control the phone by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
The absence of the home button also means that the iPhone X offers no Touch ID security system, but Apple appears to have learned from Samsung’s oversight with the S8 and Note 8, and rather than relocate the fingerprint scanner to another part of the phone has decided to do away with the TouchID and replace this with FaceID, a facial recognition security system.
The colours the latest iPhones are available in have been given an update, too: the 8 and 8 Plus will come in space grey, silver and a new gold finish, while the iPhone X will be available in space grey and silver, with the popular rose gold shade seen on the iPhone 6, 7 and SE withdrawn.
Accident-prone Apple purists will be relieved to see that all three new iPhones boast a glass front and back, which should make them the most durable iPhones to date. The reinforced glass will protect users from unnecessary damage in their day to day lives and will potentially help save customers on costly tech repairs.
The glass back also allows for wireless charging capabilities, which are again available across the three new handsets – news of which had been widely anticipated by the tech industry. Apple also revealed that they would next year offer a new charging mat that will allow for simultaneous wireless charging for an iPhone, Apple and Watch and pair of AirPod headphones.
You might be wondering how much all these new features might set you back. Prices for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus start at £699 and £799 respectively, although you’ll need to cough up considerably more for the iPhone X, which is set to cost £999 for the 64GB model and £1,149 for the 256GB model.
All in all, this week’s announcement marks a truly exciting new generation of smartphones that will keep iPhone purists happy and proves that Apple aren’t afraid to innovate in an increasingly busy space. And if they can work hard to ensure that orders aren’t delayed by manufacturing issues as rumours previously suggested, they should see sales skyrocket when the handsets hit the shelves next week.
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