Is this device the benchmark of new technology? Sophie Ryan reports freshly after the launch at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Silicon Valley
I can already hear the keyboard strokes of Apple fanboys getting ready to abuse me on Twitter, but there is no way I am paying over NZ$2000 for the iPhone X.
The device has an edge-to-edge screen, with glass on the front and back and a surgical-grade stainless steel bandaround the sides - the company claims it's the most durable device to date.
Apple has also made the device water and dust resistant, included the highest-pixel density ever seen on an iPhone and introduced facial-recognition technology.
There is also wireless charging, an improved camera and AR applications.
Sure, this all sounds impressive and for the most part it is.
However, I don't feel like the technology is ground-breaking enough for me to justify forking out NZ$2099 for the 256GB iPhone X or even NZ$1799 for the 64GB device.
My reasoning has to do with the fact most of the technology showcased by Apple already exists on other phones.
The biggest competitor to the 5.8-inch 64GB iPhone X is the 5.8-inch 64GB Samsung S8, which also has an edge-to-edge display, facial recognition and wireless charging.
And at just $NZ1299 the Samsung S8 is NZ$500 cheaper than the NZ$1799 iPhone X. If you take into account Samsung's ability to expand the storage to 320GB using microSD, it's actually $1469 cheaper when compared to Apple's NZ$2099 256GB model.
But, surely you get much more bang for your buck with the iPhone X?
Not necessarily.
FACIAL RECOGNITION
While facial recognition is new for Apple products, the technology already exists on the S8.
To Apple's credit it did mention they had tested the technology with Hollywood special effects experts to see if it could be fooled with masks and they had no luck.
The iPhone X also promises the technology can't be fooled by pictures, which is something Samsung had to fix after the release of the S8.
While this sounds promising, users will have to wait for the product to be released to the public before it can really be tested against Apple's security claims - hopefully it does live up to it.
Apple also claims FaceID will adapt to your changing face over time if you do things like add glasses or get an eyebrow ring (so 90s of you). But again this cannot be confirmed until months of use. And with the product failing already at the flagship event, it's not looking great.
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, announces features of the new iPhone X at the Steve Jobs Theater on the new Apple campus. Photo / AP
So what happens if you don't want to use facial recognition or if it stops working as promised?
Well, with the iPhone X your only option is to use the passcode feature as the physical home button/fingerprint scanner has been removed for the larger screen.
This isn't the case with the S8, which has the fingerprint scanner located on the rear of the device. It also offers options to use an iris scanner or passcode.
From my personal experience, I find the fingerprint scanner to be the quickest and easier way to unlock my device. Suffice to say it would have been nice for Apple to offer a few more options.
WIRELESS CHARGING
Apple has also made it possible to kiss your charger cords goodbye with the iPhone X.
As expected, the company has introduced wireless charging with its latest products - something Samsung introduced on its phones two years ago.
The new model has been made to work with Qi wireless charging, with the company releasing its own wireless charging dock known as Airpower.
While a nice addition, wireless charging doesn't offer the same speeds as a physical cable and this is where Apple has dropped the ball.
Unlike the S8's USB-C charging port - the new industry standard - Apple has opted to stick with its Lightning cable. This is despite switching to USB-C on its latest laptop models.
This means unless Apple provide a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box with the iPhone X, you will need to purchase an additional NZ$39 cable to charge Apple's premium smartphone on its latest laptops.
And given it was happy enough to embrace USB-C for its laptop range, why not do the same with the iPhone X?
WATER AND DUST RESISTANCE
Having smartphones that offer water and dust resistance is nothing new, but it's a shame to see the iPhone X only has an IP67 rating.
This means the device is fully protected from dust and can also withstand being submerged in 1 metre of static water for up to 30 minutes.
Comparatively, the S8 offers an IP68 rating - making it fully protected from dust and able to handle being submerged in 1.5 metre of static water for up to 30 minutes.
While this is only a minor improvement, it's hard not be annoyed given the price difference.
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, discusses features of the new iPhone X at the Steve Jobs Theater on the new Apple campus. Photo / AP
DISPLAY
Apple's iPhone X has a 5.8-inch display that will offer 2436-by-1125 resolution, which is once again beaten by the cheaper S8's 2960 x 1440 resolution.
As a first for Apple, the iPhone X includes the an OLED panel, which creates stunning colours and true blacks as each pixel creates light itself so there is no need for backlighting.
Again, this is an impressive feature for Apple to include, but the Samsung S8 has an AMOLED panel, which many believe is a step forward in Organic Light Emitting Diode technology.
Apple slightly tops Samsung with it's high dynamic range (HDR), offering both Dolby Vision and HDR 10, but is this worth an extra NZ$1469? I think not.
CAMERA
Apple's iPhone 7 Plus introduced a new level of photography to smartphones and it's iPhone X has continued the trend.
In terms of front-facing cameras, the cheaper S8's 8MP shooter is slightly better on paper when compared the 7MP camera offered by the iPhone X.
However, in terms of the rear-facing camera Apple takes the cake.
Despite both shooting in 12MP, the iPhone X has a dual camera on the rear of the device, which offers a better depth-of-field when compared to the S8's single camera.
The new iPhone X is displayed in the showroom after the new product announcement at the Steve Jobs Theater on the new Apple campus. Photo / AP
Although, it must be noted that Samsung's Note 8 also offers a dual camera on the rear of the device.
And while the NZ$1,599 Note 8 is more closely priced to the iPhone X, you do get all the benefits of the S8 mentioned in this article.
The Note 8 also offers a stylus and the ability to get a desktop experience using Samsung's DeX, so if the camera was your decider, it would be worth taking that into account.
