Apple iPhone X: We Answer all the Questions You Had About the iPhone X

 

The Apple iPhone X is certainly a big launch product for the Cupertino giant. It is doubly relevant for India because, for the first time in Apple’s history, its flagship phone has got the same release date in India as it has globally.

But this isn’t just another iPhone iteration. Being the tenth anniversary edition iPhone, the iPhone X has undergone a complete design revamp. Not just does the iPhone X look different from the iPhone 8 / 8 Plus, but it also brings with it new ways to interact with the device thanks to the absence of the home button.

While we have put out detailed first impressions of the iPhone X, there are still some nagging doubts which some of you may have. We have tried to answer as many as those in this exhaustive list, which we will be updating with more questions as and when we get them.

How much does the iPhone X cost?

The Apple iPhone X is priced at Rs 89,000 for the 64 GB storage variant and Rs 1,02,000 for the 256 GB storage variant.

Can I get it for a cheaper price?

Not in India at least, as the above price is the official price. At the most, the iPhone X may be eligible for some cash back offer with some bank card which you will need to check with your retailer. Apple does not offer a warranty for products bought from the grey market, so if you are getting a cheaper deal from anyone other than an authorised Apple reseller, proceed with caution. If you buy an unlocked version in the US though, then you can get the iPhone X for a few thousand rupees less. But as 9to5Mac pointed out, you need to be smart about where you purchase your iPhone X from. An iPhone X purchased for a lower price in Dubai will not include Face Time (the feature is banned in the UAE). Additionally, the iPhone X sold in India also comes with an international warranty.

What are its specifications?

The Apple iPhone X comes with a 5.8-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1,125 x 2,436 pixels thereby giving it a pixel density of 458 PPI. The display is almost edge-to-edge with thin bezels running along the sides. There is a visible notch on the top of the display thanks to the presence of the True Depth Camera module which houses the front-facing camera, an IR sensor and a dot projector for the Face ID to work. On the inside, the iPhone X comes with an Apple A11 Bionic chipset which has a six-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. It comes with 3 GB RAM and has two storage variants – 64 GB and 256 GB. The operating system is iOS 11 which brings up a lot of new gestures and features such as Animojis.

What is Face ID?

Face ID is an authentication technique on the iPhone X which lets it unlock the device using your Face map data. It replaces the Touch ID feature as the iPhone X does not have a home button.

How does Face ID work?

To understand how the Face ID works, you will need to understand the True Depth camera module. The True Depth camera module, which is responsible for that visible notch on the top of the iPhone X display, houses the infrared camera, a flood illuminator (which is an IR emitter), a 7 MP Retina camera and a dot projector.

Here’s how unlocking the phone via Face ID works. As an Apple user will be aware, iOS 10 includes a feature called ‘raise-to-wake’, which does exactly what the name suggests. You pick up your phone, the device wakes up, shows you the lock screen, and while it’s doing that, starts scanning for your face. With the iPhone X, you can also tap the screen to wake the device. Of course, using the power/sleep button is also an option.

The flood illuminator is basically an invisible torchlight that shines on your face, illuminating it in a light spectrum that only an IR cameras can see. The dot projector then paints your face with something like tiny lasers. These “dots”, 30,000 of which are projected on your face, are picked up by the IR camera and the data is used to create a 3D depth map of your face. All this processing happens aboard the A11 Bionic chip and never leaves the phone. The generated depth map is then compared to the original depth map of your face to authenticate. The A11 Bionic chip’s machine learning algorithms can also “learn” your face, recognising you even if you change your appearance, says Apple. Whether you grow a beard, cut your hair or wear sunglasses and a hat, the chip will learn to reliably authenticate your face.

How secure is Face ID?

As the depth map of your face data stays on the device, and the device itself is fully encrypted, Apple claims that Face ID is extremely secure. Apple will be letting third-party app developers authenticate you using Face ID, but again, the data will never leave the device.

Does Face ID work in the dark?

Yes, it does. Because of the presence of the IR camera and an IR emitter, it does not matter whether you are in a well-lit area or not. Face ID will work regardless. We have tried it in all lighting situations and it worked well for us. There are discussions online that Face ID may not work in areas where there is high IR disturbance, but we haven’t faced that issue yet.

Is Face ID the only way to unlock the iPhone X?

No, it isn’t. You can very well not activate the Face ID feature at all if you don’t want to. The other method which involves putting in a 6-digit PIN still works fine.

Can someone scan my face while I’m sleeping and will the iPhone X unlock?

No, this cannot be done, as you need to be looking at the phone with your eyes open for the Face ID to work.

Can I store multiple Face ID’s per iPhone X?

No. There can only be one Face ID per phone.

What is present in the True Depth Camera module?

The True Depth camera module, which is responsible for that visible notch on the top of the iPhone X display, houses the infrared camera, a flood illuminator (which is an IR emitter), a 7 MP Retina camera and a dot projector.

Does True Depth Camera module help with selfies?

Yes, it does. Thanks to the True Depth Camera module, you can now have Portrait and the various lighting modes for selfies as well.

How do you take a screenshot if there is no home button?

To take a screenshot, you have to short press the standby/sleep button on the right-hand edge of the iPhone X and the Volume up button on the left-hand side together. A longer press of these two buttons gives you the option to shut down the iPhone X.

How do you get to the home screen from any app?

To get to the home screen from any app, you will need to swipe up from the bottom upwards. Now do note that you need to swipe up all the way from the base of the iPhone X – there is generally a thick soft bar which gives an indication. Any swiping action above this bar will be construed as scrolling.

How does multi-tasking work on iPhone X?

Holding and swiping up gives you the multitasking menu where you can select any apps from the recent past. Holding and swiping up and then going to the left or right lets you switch between apps. And in case you want to remove an open app, then long press on any open app card till you see a red circle with a minus sign in the left corner. Tapping that will close the relevant app.

How do you access the Control Centre?

To access the Control Centre, you need to swipe down from the top right-hand edge or the

What are Animojis and how do they work?

Animojis are Apple’s exclusive animated emoji feature that is present on the iPhone X. There are list of 12 Apple emojis including puppy, kitten, robot, unicorn and so on, which can be animated using your facial expressions. Each of these emojis can be mapped to around 50 facial muscles that can be tracked using the True Depth camera module. Thanks to this, you can make the emojis talk and react like you.

To work with Animojis you need to head to Messages. When you are replying to any message, you will see the Animoji emojis in the drop down. You can start recording your Animoji featuring message and after you are done recording the message with your varied facial expressions, you can then send it to your contacts.

Can I send Animojis to my friends who don’t have an iPhone X?

Animojis are part of iMessage, so it will work without any worry with Apple devices. You can also share your Animoji messages as video files on other messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram and so on.

Are Animojis available on other Apple iPhones?

No. This feature is currently limited to iPhone X.

Will Wireless charging work if there is a case on?

Apple iPhone X does support Wireless Charging. Yes, wireless charging does work even with a case on. But there is a certain tolerance to the thickness of these cases. The bundled Apple cases are certified to allow seamless wireless charging. But if you are going for thick third-party cases, then you will need to check if the wireless charging feature will work with those cases on.

Is the iPhone X waterproof?

Yes. The Apple iPhone X is splash, water and dust resistant and comes with the standard IP67 rating. This means that it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of water for up to 30 mins. But do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone X.

Is there a headphone jack?

No. Doesn’t look like this is ever going to make a comeback on any iPhone.

We are still in the process of testing the iPhone X. So if you have any more questions regarding the iPhone X, feel free to hit us up in the comments section.