Since Apple unveiled the all-new iPhone X at the launch event last week the focus has been as much on the price of the deice as it has been of the new features, design and the new technology onboard.
At $1,579 (64GB) and $1,829 (256GB) – the iPhone X will not only be Apple’s most expensive phones but the most expensive phone on the market.
We’ve been asked countless times since posting our hands-on report about the iPhone X from our readers: Is it worth the money?
And when asked about which iPhone is better – the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X – our answer has been: iPhone X without a doubt – if you can afford it.
The nearest device to the iPhone X price point is Samsung’s Galaxy Note8 which will be available from Friday for $1,499.
READ TECH GUIDE’S HANDS-ON LOOK AT THE iPHONE X
Note8 has a bigger Super AMOLED screen (6.3-inch v 5.8-inch), wireless charging, an S Pen so you can write on the screen as well as expandable memory.
Even Samsung’s Galaxy S8+ – priced at $1,349 – has a 6.2-inch display that takes up almost the entire front panel, wireless charging and expandable memory.
ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AFTER THE APPLE iPHONE X LAUNCH
The smaller Samsung Galaxy S8 – which has the same size 5.8-inch screen as the iPhone X – is $380 cheaper than the 64GB iPhone X and $630 cheaper than the 256GB iPhone X.
LG’s upcoming V30 – available in early November with a powerful processor, a 6-inch OLED screen that dominates the front of the phone and a pound for pound match performance-wise with the iPhone X – will be priced at $1,199.
Apple is calling the iPhone X the future of smartphones. But it is worth the money?
The simple answer is yes. That’s because people will be willing to pay over and above to own an Apple product.
They are willing to pay more for an Apple device that is typically beautifully designed, easy to use, provides a great user experience and is running software designed to go with the hardware and vice-versa.
The iPhone X can tick all those boxes. In the short time we spent with the device, we could see the remarkable build quality, sleek design, the attention to detail, the smooth operating system and those countless other little touches that will surprise and delight and endear the product even closer to the customer.
That’s why people will be willing to shell out top dollar for the iPhone X and why we think the lines on November 3 when the iPhone X goes on sale will be longer than the lines for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus which goes on sale on Friday.
The iPhone 8 will set customers back $1,079 (64GB) and $$1,329 (256GB) with the iPhone 8 Plus weighing in at $1,229 (64GB) and $1,479 (256GB). These prices are also more expensive than most of the other smartphones we mentioned earlier with the exception of Samsung’s Galaxy Note8.
To ease the hit on the wallet customers will be more likely to buy the iPhone X on a plan and pay off the phone for two or three years.
Android super users and fan boys (and girls!) have been quick to point out the features of the iPhone X are nothing new.
The all-screen front panel was introduced by Samsung and LG, wireless charging has been a feature of Samsung and Nokia phones for years and facial identification was rolled out with Samsung’s Galaxy Note8.
Now here’s how an Apple fan boy (or girl!) would respond to this.
The iPhone X screen takes up more of the front of the screen than any other device. Ironically Apple didn’t reveal a percentage value of screen to front panel ratio which we suspect would be higher than other similarly designed phones.
With the wireless charging, no arguing the fact that Apple was late to the party but the good news is Apple decided to adopt the same Qi charging standard as other companies rather than go out on its own like they did with the Lightning port.
As a result, we see wireless charging really taking off and becoming more common in places like cafes, restaurants, airports, shopping centres and cars.
Face ID on the iPhone X is where Apple pulls ahead of the pack. The technology is remarkable and more advanced than anything else on the market.
Samsung’s facial recognition on the Galaxy S8 was able to be tricked with a photograph.
Luckily there were more secure ways to lock the device including fingerprint and iris scanning.
Apple’s Face ID was exhaustively tested before the launch so the user would only be able to unlock it just by looking at it.
Yes some of the iPhone X’s features are not new but it’s the way Apple has put them all together and depths of its new technology that will have a lot of customers thinking it’s the first time they’ve seen it.
That’s the Apple effect and that’s why come November 3 when the iPhone X goes on sale there will be plenty of people with their wallets wide open ready to buy.
