This was Apple CEO Tim Cook using the epic Steve Jobs line. Jobs would follow it up by casually whipping out the latest innovation from Apple — think the MacBook Air in an envelope, or the iPod Nano in the little top pocket of your jeans. And of course this would blow the minds of the audience, and the entire tech community, who usually had no clue about what was coming.
But on September 12, 2017, when Cook uttered these trademark words, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus had already been launched, as had the Apple Watch Series 3. And we all knew there was “one more thing” coming — the much-rumoured, hotly-anticipated 10th-anniversary special edition of the iPhone.
Cook went on to speak about how, during the last decade (2007-17), the iPhone defined the industry and how, this next product was going to define the next decade for the iPhone. Eventually, he unveiled the iPhone X, which set the path for at least the next six years.
Sporting an all-new look compared to the previous four generations, the iPhone X had one standout feature — the infamous notch — and Face ID. The notch and Face ID would become a mainstay in iPhones, even today. Half the current lineup, which will be replaced by the iPhone 15 series next Tuesday (September 12), still has the infamous notch on the display — the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, and officially available previous generation iPhones.
The infamous iPhone notch
If the increasingly prolific rumour mill is to be believed, the entire iPhone 15 lineup will now have the Dynamic Island, which was a feature found only on the 14 Pro iPhones.
This, if true — and the fact that iPhone X will not be getting iOS 17 — marks the end of an era for a device that transformed the iPhone with many firsts. It was the first iPhone with a near-all screen display — barring the notch; the first to ditch the home button and bring gesture-based navigation; the first to sport an OLED display, and among the first iPhones to support wireless charging. Above all, it was the first smartphone to breach the $1,000 price barrier.
By today’s iPhone standards, the iPhone X feels antiquated — its 5.8-inch screen is smaller than the 6.1 inch on the base model from the current generation, and the A11 Bionic chip, the most powerful smartphone chip in its heyday, can just about keep up with iOS 16. But the impact it has had on the iPhone was massive — the design till that point had begun to feel very dated and reused. Apple had been using the same design for four years, since the 6 and 6 Plus series.
By then, Samsung, with its fresh designs for its Galaxy S and the erstwhile Note lineups, had claimed the mantle of the manufacturer, making some of the most attractive-looking phones. Just like the redesigned MacBook Air re-energised Apple’s notebook portfolio in 2018, the launch of iPhone X electrified the iPhone, once again making it a coveted fashion statement, apart from being an exceptional device. It was also, perhaps, the most short-lived iPhone, announced in September 2017 but available only in November, and discontinued just nine months later when Apple released the iPhone Xs and Xs Max in September 2018..
The iPhone X sported a stainless steel frame and came in two colours — Silver, which included a glossy white glass back, and Space Grey. Gone too were the horizontal dual rear camera setups seen from the days of the iPhone 7 Plus. The X sported a vertical camera array comprising a primary 12 MP shooter and a 12 MP telephoto lens.
Coming on the heels of the 10th anniversary of the iPhone and positioned in the vanguard for iPhone development for the next decade, the iPhone X was an instant hit, easily outselling the 8 and 8 Plus, which still carried the remnants of the previous years’ design.
Since the iPhone X launched, I’ve used several, newer iPhones — 11 Pro, 12 Pro, and my current 14 Pro Max — but it remains one of my favourite iPhones ever. It felt like a breath of fresh air, the performance was excellent even two or three years after its launch, and the battery life was spectacular, at least for me. The OLED display was a delight, and the cameras took some stunners. More importantly, however, it made the iPhone fun again — fun to look at and to use. It was compact, easy to hold and use in one hand, and it was lightweight — 174 grams compared to my 14 Pro Max’s 240 grams. Oh, and went for the silver iPhone X, and that has remained my colour of choice for every subsequent iPhone.
Yes, Apple has improved the display, the cameras, and even the design, but they all carried vestiges of what was once the iPhone X. Just like the OG iPhone back in 2007, the iPhone X paved the way forward.
Apple has always had the reputation of being a trendsetter and sure enough, the market was flooded with countless Android imitators that had a notch on the screen and a vertical camera setup on the back. The notch would soon be replaced by tear-drop front-facing cameras and eventually, the hole-punch cutouts of today. However, the iPhone’s notch would go on to become iconic — there would be no mistaking an iPhone even if you had a case slapped on because of the notch.
While I have mixed feelings that the iPhone X will no longer run the latest version of iOS, it will continue to be supported by security updates for several years to come. So if you’re among the few to still rock an iPhone X, rest assured that your device will continue to be supported.
Just like the original MacBook Air with its slim wedge-shaped design and chunky aluminium bezels around the screen, the iPhone X feels outdated today. But like the former, the X was in the vanguard of a new era in its product category.
The king is (not quite dead). Long live the king!