iPhone X features: What we’ve learnt, five months in

The iPhone X is more than another stellar flagship, but one designed to make a statement. And what a statement it is - from removing the Home button to the gesture-driven user experience, one has the feeling that the Cupertino company’s work on the iPhone X will be analysed and talked about for years to come.  But before we can get there, here are four big things you need to know to get the best out of your new cutting-edge mobile from Apple.

1. Power management is the best yet - but even better when you go dark

With the OLED display, the iPhone X marks Apple’s shift towards more conscientious battery-saving features for their mobiles. Each pixel on the massive 5.8 inch Super Retina HD Display is individually backlit, the lights switching off when the screen displays black. This means when one uses the true black wallpaper on the iPhone X, less power is consumed to keep the display going.

It’s one of the many neat iPhone X features but here’s more good news, especially if you’re not for lugging around external batteries: aside from the usual Low Power Mode setting, the Smart Invert function that comes with iOS 11 flips white colours to black (under Settings >> General >> Accessibility >> Display Accommodations >> Invert Colours), and the grayscale colour filter in Display Accommodations can render your display to monochrome shades (which consume less power), saving you even more battery life. Try it!

2. Don’t hate The Notch - but if you do, Apple understands

It’s a testament to the product quality that the biggest debates on iPhone X features so far have leaned towards the tiny spot at the top of the bezel (where the 7-megapixel front  camera lies.) If you’re OCD-enough, The Notch (the internet’s term of endearment for it) may seem like a bane, an odd scar in an otherwise flawless design. But whatever you call it, ‘accidental’ shouldn’t be one of them.

By having the sophisticated TrueDepth technology for the secure Face ID installed in the front camera (with the neat side effect for x-tra crisp selfie shots), Apple has decided that the security of the phone (and their users) should come first. That should give you assurance, whichever side of The Notch you fall on. Moreover, Apple has greenlighted the ‘Notch Remover’ app  which adapts the phone display to ‘hide’ The Notch, so give that a shot (if The Notch really does bug you.)

3. Gestures are (really going to be) everything

Remember what we said at the beginning about Apple making a statement? Having a gesture-driven, ‘Home-less’ interface isn’t just change for change’s sake: once you get over the small learning curve, you’ll realise these simple actions will intuitively help you do what you need to do better, whether you’re swiping down from the upper-right corner to Settings, going right to switch between tabs, or double-tapping the power button to pay a bill.

For the smaller hands, worry not: Reachability, one of the iPhone X features on iOS 11.1, will help you navigate your way around that large screen. Simply swipe down the grey bar at the bottom of the screen when you want to have your display within easy reach (you can find Reachability under Settings >> General >> Accessibility >> Interaction).

4. Becoming a portrait pro has never been easier

Of the iPhone X features mentioned, the one people are arguably most excited about is the camera set up. With two 12-megapixel rear cameras and a 7-megapixel front camera, the good folks at Apple have not only made high-end phone camera hardware available for amateurs (like us), they’ve also simplified the experience of taking expert photos. For instance, you can take the coolest portfolio selfies now with the phone’s array of portrait lighting modes (by scrolling the cube icon tucked at the bottom of the viewfinder). It’s a feature that rewards you more as you play around with it, so try it under various lighting conditions and backgrounds for best effect.

With so many iPhone X features, Apple’s big ten is a magnificent piece of mobile machinery every kind of user will be proud to own. If you’ve yet to enjoy one, we hope this has been a good case for you to get started. And if you’re already a happy owner, you’re all ready for the next step: do check out our recommended mobile accessories to unlock your iPhone X’s maximum potential!

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