John Gruber Shares His Thoughts on the iPhone X

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber has finally shared his thoughts on Apple’s 10th anniversary flagship iPhone X, calling it “a delightful conceptual modernization” of a ten-year-old platform. “One of the best ways to judge iPhone X after using it for a few weeks is to go back to any other iPhone” writes Gruber.

The veteran blogger says it’s nowhere near as different switching from an older iPhone to an iPhone X as it is switching from an iPhone to any Android device, although it is different, at a fundamental level. While focusing his review mostly on the iOS experience on iPhone X without a home button, Gruber highlights how Apple created “a better, more integrated, more organic experience” of interacting with apps by removing the physical button.

Below are a few excerpts from his extensive writeup.

“Tapping the display to wake the device, seeing a list of truncated notifications on the lock screen, and then seeing those notifications expand to preview their content once you’re recognized by Face ID — this just makes the iPhone X feel alive in a way that no other device does. You tap it to get its attention, and it recognizes that you are you.”

“Touch ID feels like a better way to unlock your device. Face ID feels like your device isn’t even locked. This was the way the iPhone was meant to be used. Thanks to Face ID, no-PIN “slide to unlock” is back. This, to me, epitomizes the iPhone X.”

“The iPhone X is not the work of an overcautious company. It’s a risk to so fundamentally change the most profitable platform in the world. But Apple is gambling on the taste of the team who lived with the iPhone X during its development.”

“Almost nothing about the iPhone X calls undue attention to its cleverness. It all just seems like the new normal, and it’s a lot of fun.”

You can read the full review at this link.