If a last-minute generosity drive doesn’t get to Cupertino, it’s safe to say that iOS 16, which was recently released for (all iPhones all the way back to iPhone 8), is the last major OS update iPhone X will receive.
I believe it is easy to agree with the statement that iPhone X was and is the most important phone release since the original iPhone, so of course this is a tribute to one of the most important phones ever made, and I’ll do my best to point out what made the iPhone X as important as it was.
The catch here is that there’s a slim chance iOS 16 won’t be the last update iPhone X will get. We’ll also discuss whether iPhone X users should upgrade now or in a few months. But before that, perhaps the easiest way to understand the meaning of the iPhone X for Apple and the phone market as a whole is due to the level of interest and involvement it drew from “the normal people” (not us, tech geeks). Until then, I was just scrolling through YouTube when I saw a video by one of the great storytellers of our time, Casey Neistat. It was November 3rd and Casey was buzzing around New York (as he does), talking to people on the street (as he does), but this time there were hundreds, and they were standing in line…to sign the brand. buy new iPhoneX.
We’re talking long lines of 200-300 people (according to the video), some of whom had been waiting since 4 AM. Tents, inflatable mattresses and a whole lot of patience and enthusiasm – all for an iPhone.
But not just any iPhone. The iPhone X (at this point everyone thought the “X” was pronounced like the letter, somehow making it more epic)…
After Apple and Android changed forever, iPhone X is the most important phone since the original iPhone
It’s important to note that a good portion of people who happen to queue for a new iPhone would just flip it over on eBay. Still, the interest in the iPhone X was far greater than for any iPhone that came after it (people used to queue for older iPhones, but that’s because… different times). The YouTube videos with millions of views and even TV coverage of the iPhone X (Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and US news outlets – they were all talking about Apple’s new phone) were a clear indication of the mighty marketing machine of apple. But the iPhone X wasn’t the most important phone since the original iPhone, just because it sparked hype (looking at you, Nothing Phone).
iPhone X forever changed the way we interact with our phones, which not only had a huge impact on the future iPhones but about everything android phones that came after. In a way, iPhone X was almost as important to Android as it was to Apple.
Even in 2017, it was very rare to see a phone that fundamentally changed the way we interact with it, and the iPhone X did. Here’s a reminder of how it fared…
The Notch and Face ID forever changed the way we look at the iPhone (literally)
What’s the move?! Apple’s iPhone X unveiling is arguably the most iconic phone launch in the past decade.
The iPhone X wasn’t the very first phone with a “notch”, but it was certainly the device that made it widespread and “cool”. The appearance of the notch wasn’t exactly unavoidable, as Cupertino could have just moved Touch ID to the side of the iPhone and still have an edge-to-edge iPhone. However, Tim Cook & Co had something else in mind, requiring almost all the space at the top of the “X” – Face ID. Again, face unlock has been around on Android phones for ages, but Apple went all out and did it right. Face ID was not an afterthought of a feature you could use alongside your fingerprint reader, but an advanced 3D scanning system that was now the only true method of unlocking the iPhone.
Sure, it took Apple some time to perfect the software side, but these days Face ID works like magic (except when it doesn’t, like when I’m trying to unlock my phone in bed). Still, Face ID managed to turn even me, the biggest proponent of Touch ID, into a Face ID fan. It’s a seamless experience, and as Apple likes to say… It just works.
The iPhone X’s new gesture navigation system meant that Apple’s home button and Android’s capacitive touch buttons weren’t missed
Feels good!
Before iPhone X, navigating iPhone was done via the home button and navigating Android via capacitive/virtual buttons. Oh, old times!
But Apple has absolutely nailed the implementation of the new era of UI navigation with simple gestures that we are all going to love. Swipe up to go home, hold for multitasking, and swipe from the side to go back — it was always meant to be.
And this, of course, is the one iPhone X feature that literally all Android phones have since adopted, which is a good reason why Android fans (like myself) might want to thank Cupertino… for once!
On the other hand, if you use gesture navigation, Android phones make itmuch easier to go through the UI by allowing you wipe from both sides from your screen to go back, unlike the iPhone, which forces you to swipe from left. Some lessons to learn for both sides here. Both sides. Wink, wink.
iPhone X was the first $1,000 iPhone, opening the floodgates to a plethora of super-premium, super-expensive future iPhones and Android phones
The green.
Sure, the notch, Face ID, and brand new gesture navigation system are the most obvious game-changing features iPhone X has brought to the table. In fact, iPhone X arrived with many other firsts for Apple in particular – it was the first iPhone with an OLED display and the first iPhone to have a large screen but remain compact in size.
There is one thing that some tend to ignore when they think of the iPhone X and this is of course the towering (for 2017) price of the first super premium iPhone.
- iPhone X was the first iPhone (or just any phone) to break the $1,000 price barrier, which had an absolutely huge impact on Apple’s future iPhone releases and price segmentation, as well as Android.
- The 2017 iPhone X started the trend of $1000+ phones, and practically became the reason why Samsung thought it was OK to spend the $1,400. to launch Galaxy S20 Ultra in 2022…
iOS 16 is the last major software update for iPhone X or… right? Apple might be preparing a surprise!
The iPhone X is iconic.
So yes… iPhone X was and is the most important smartphone after the original iPhone. As you can see, it has changed both Apple and Android forever and in many ways. But what lies ahead for those who still own an iPhone X?
Well, for starters, great news! iOS 16 may not be the last update for your five-year-old iPhone. Sure, the odds aren’t huge, but if you think about it, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X launched at the same time and run on the same A11 Bionic chip, meaning their software support should also end at the same time. ?
That may be what’s going to happen, but it could also be that Apple decides to keep the much more modern-looking iPhone X up to date for an extra year! The first reason is precisely that the iPhone X has a more modern design compared to the old-fashioned-looking iPhone 8, but the other reason is that the iPhone X actually comes with 3GB of RAM, while the smaller iPhone 8 only has 2GB of RAM.
Unlike Android, in Apple’s world, 1GB of RAM can make a huge difference, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Cupertino succeeds and decides to update iPhone X to iOS 17. In the end, iPhone 6S wasn’t supposed to receive either. iOS 15, but it did, meaning it got six years of major iOS updates!
Had Apple decided to give iPhone X iOS 17, the only question mark here is: what Apple will do with the iPhone 8 Plus. Despite sharing a design with the iPhone 8, the larger model 3GB RAMjust like the iPhone X.
Samsung wants iPhone X owners to jump the fence and buy a Galaxy S22, but what if you want to “wait”?
I think now is the time to give Apple its flowers for the long software support it provides for the iPhone. The iPhone X works remarkably well for a five-year-old phone, as does my iPhone 8, which I used until a few months ago before upgrading to iPhone 13 mini. However, the truth is that the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are not the fastest phones out there. Not to mention that the battery and cameras in those phones are pretty bad by today’s standards.
So, what are the upgrade options for iPhone X owners?
Of course you can also go for one of the new ones iPhone 14 models or even the iPhone 14 Pro, but the big reason to skip them is that the The iPhone 15 series is expected to bring some significant changes: the iPhone 15 is expected to inherit the Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra could bring periscope zoom cameras
But for fans of the iPhone X’s design, you’d be lucky to find that it’s not going anywhere yet. According to multiple sources, the upcoming iPhone SE Gen 4 is expected to (finally) adopt the design of the iPhone X, or rather, the iPhone XR in particular. That’s great for those who prefer the round iPhone X design (like me)
Or you know – you can buy a Galaxy or a Pixel. If you ask Samsung, you should definitely “jump over the fence”, so… grab a ladder. Or you know – wait.