The answer to the title of this article: “I still don’t know”.

I’ve been using it only a week. So maybe I’m an Apple fanboy who is a little impatient. But also very worried. I can only imagine my Android friends now giggling at me.

Since moving my SIM card from my iPhone 7 Plus to the X, I’ve done a lot of research. What kind?  The research I’ve been doing has primarily been me Googling “What are the Pros and Cons of the iPhone X” and “Tell me why I like the iPhone X”.  That is to say, the kind of research I should have been doing before I shelled out over $1,000 on this thing.

So. I’m basically looking for reasons on the internet why I should like this gadget. Yup, I need the justification, folks.

Things I do like

1. The notches!  Ok, I do actually like the notches.  This has been on the “con” part of a lot of people’s list. But I actually think it fits in well with the design, adds a distinctive look (“Hey, you! I have an iPhone X!”), and with the time on one side, and with the wi-fi/signal strength and battery monitors on the other, it makes sense.  And I don’t even really miss the now forgone battery percentage, which I thought I would. Fine.

2. The “swipe up” instead of pressing a “home” button doesn’t really bother me. You get used to it and it becomes kind of intuitive.  

3. The camera.  Or at least, the fact that I can now take Portrait mode shots using (a) a smaller phone than the Plus and (b) when taking a selfie.  And the new Portrait lighting is also cool. As is the far better aperture for low light shots.

4. The size. It is quite a bit smaller than the Plus and not that much bigger than the 7 or 8. Which means I can indeed sit down without having to remove my smartphone from my trousers and having to decide whether to place it on the table or wedge it between my legs on my chair. Thank you Apple.

5. Wireless charging. I suspect I will like this. Eventually. But then, these are also options for the iPhones 8 and 8 Plus.

Things I don’t care about

1. Fast charging. I honestly, honestly don’t care as my iPhone is mostly plugged in at my desk for most of the day and charging is just never an issue. Plus fast-charging isn’t even default – you have to pay for a cable or an adapter to utilise it.

2. The screen. “Jaw-dropping OLED display” apparently.  Maybe I’m just getting old but yeah, the display is great… but is it really jaw dropping when compared to the iPhone SE, 7, 8 etc?  My eyes like it but my jaw stayed in place.

3. The speed. Blazingly fast, etc etc etc.  Sighs.  Perhaps I just don’t use apps which require A11 bionic chips, or the speeds I am experiencing with the iPhone 7 Plus appear to be acceptable.  Not doubt at some point Apple will take iOS to a point where upgrading is a necessity but for now, it just doesn’t seem like a big deal.  

4. Animojis. I just don’t care.

Things I don’t like (breathes deeply)

1. Face ID. I really, really miss Touch ID. I keep reading how Face ID will get better as the technology improves, but how?  Currently it only works if I’m staring at the iPhone X pretty much straight on within around 2 or so feet. It won’t work sideways.  I can’t unlock my phone unless I physically either move it towards my head or I move my head towards it, straight on – either way, I look idiotic. The Touch ID, in my view, was perfect, and the version which Apple had finalised with its recent releases was supremely fast and, as Steve Jobs would have said, it just….. works. Face ID could now be the future for iPhones and, yes, that does worry me, unless drastic improvements are made.

2. The size. OK, the screen is huge. Does it have to be this big? I like the fact it is physically smaller than the Plus.  But the screen is huge.  I have big hands. And yet I find this phone hard to use with just one.  Reaching the top to bring down the Control Center is next to impossible.  Getting to the upper left icon is, actually, impossible.  And no, using Reachability by turning it on in the “Accessibility” option is not, for me at least, an answer (swiping up a little from the bottom and then down is tragic). Since, using the iPhone X, and considering its price, my paranoia regarding dropping it is higher than ever (see below).  So, despite its larger physical size, I find the use of the Plus model easier, from a one-handed perspective.

3. The weight. Bear with me on this one. The iPhone X is lighter than the Plus. But it is a lot heavier than the normal iPhone 7 or 8. And what makes it heavier and bulkier, is the absolutely mandatory case. This thing is made of glass and stainless steel and will die or get severely damaged as soon as it is dropped. And bearing in mind the price, and the fact it is not “grippy” and cannot be used with one hand, you will drop it. And I’m going to hate seeing scratches even more on this thing than I would on any other iPhone.

4. Half-baked swipage. Some of the swiping actions on the iPhone X seem to come naturally and are well implemented, such as swiping up instead of needing the Home Button. But I miss double tapping the Home Button to show open applications (swiping up slowly halfway and stopping carefully, oh so carefully, on the iPhone X is something to get used to) and I also miss swiping to delete open applications – something I suppose Apple may likely fix in a future update. But my overall feel is that some of the swiping options could have been better thought out by Apple prior to the release of the iPhone X.

Overall?

Putting the Plus model aside, because of the size of it makes it less usable than I would prefer, I took my old iPhone 7 out (currently in reserve for my wife’s usage) and had a look at it. Lovely black matte backing to it. Great and perfectly acceptable screen. Nice and light, even with a case but even better without. Smaller and usable with one hand. A quick and very usable Home Button.

But the negatives. Well, there is really just one primary negative. The camera of the 7 (or 8) versus the iPhone X.  I use my smartphone camera a lot. And the Portrait mode in the Plus model meant that the Plus became my smartphone of choice. Some of the photos I’ve taken over the past year or so since having the 7 Plus have been great using Portrait mode, and I find it hard to envisage going back to a smartphone without it. Because of that, I cannot use the iPhone 7 and have been lugging around the 7 Plus. I have to have Portrait mode and seeing Portrait selfie mode in the X is even better.

My ideal smartphone, if Apple were to make one, would be one using the body of the 7 or 8 but putting Portrait mode into it (and keeping it as 256GB please).  And with a black matte backing, if possible, under $1,000.  

The iPhone X is the future, yeah, I know. I hate Face ID. So I will have to put up with it for now and I miss using my old Home Button. And I’ll just get use it having to always use it with two hands, in a strong enough case. I’ll admire the lovely screen and create unicorn Animojis for a while.

…And probably buy the iPhone X2 (or whatever it will be called) next year.