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iPhone X facts for kids
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iPhone X in Silver
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| Brand | Apple |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Foxconn and Pegatron (companies that built it for Apple) |
| Generation | 11th |
| Model | A1865, A1901, A1902 |
| Compatible networks | Works with many types of phone networks like 3G and LTE |
| First released | November 3, 2017 |
| Availability by country |
November 3, 2017
Andorra
Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium Bulgaria Canada China Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Greenland Guernsey Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Ireland Isle of Man Italy Japan Jersey Kuwait Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mexico Monaco Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia San Marino Saudi Arabia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia November 10, 2017
November 24, 2017
December 1, 2017
December 7, 2017
December 8, 2017
December 22, 2017
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| Discontinued | September 12, 2018 |
| Model before | iPhone 7 and 7 Plus |
| Replacement model | iPhone XS and XS Max |
| Related | iPhone 8 & 8 Plus |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Form factor | Slate |
| Size | H: 143.6 mm (5.65 in) W: 70.9 mm (2.79 in) D: 7.7 mm (0.30 in) |
| Weight | 174 g (6.1 oz) |
| Operating system | Original: iOS 11 Template:Current iOS 16 |
| System on chip | Apple A11 Bionic |
| CPU | A powerful six-core processor |
| GPU | Apple-designed 3-core graphics chip |
| Memory | 3 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 64 or 256 GB storage |
| Battery | Long-lasting lithium-ion battery |
| Screen | 5.85-inch Super Retina HD OLED screen (very clear and colorful) |
| Rear camera | Dual 12 MP cameras (wide-angle and telephoto) with optical image stabilization, 4K video, Portrait Mode |
| Front camera | 7 MP True Depth camera with Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, and Animoji |
| Sound | Stereo speakers, Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos |
| Connectivity |
All models:
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| Other | FaceTime audio- or video-calling, Qi wireless charging, USB-C to Lightning fast charging, Voice over LTE |
The iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone ten") is a special smartphone created by Apple. It was a big step forward for the iPhone series, marking its 10th anniversary. This phone became available for pre-order on September 26, 2017, and officially launched on November 3, 2017.
The iPhone X looked very different from older iPhones. It had a sleek design made of glass and stainless steel, with almost no borders around the screen. It was the first iPhone without a home button, which changed how people used their phones. Instead of a home button, users learned new gestures to move around the phone. It was also the first iPhone to use a super bright and colorful OLED screen, which Apple called the "Super Retina HD display."
Instead of Touch ID (fingerprint scanning), the iPhone X introduced Face ID. This technology uses special sensors to scan your face and unlock the phone. Face ID also allowed for fun features like Animoji, which are animated emojis that copy your facial expressions. When it first came out, the iPhone X was the most expensive iPhone ever, starting at US$999.
The iPhone X was discontinued on September 12, 2018, when newer models like the iPhone XS and iPhone XR were announced.
Contents
The Story Behind the iPhone X
The ideas and technology for the iPhone X were developed over five years, starting way back in 2012. People began hearing rumors about a completely new iPhone design around late 2016. These rumors grew stronger in July 2017 when a leak from Apple's HomePod software hinted at a phone with a screen that covered almost the entire front, no physical home button, and facial recognition. Another leak in September 2017, this time of the iOS 11 operating system, confirmed these exciting new features.
Apple officially showed off the iPhone X on September 12, 2017, at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. It was a big event for the company. The starting price of US$999 made it the most expensive iPhone at that time. The phone was released in many countries on November 3, 2017. An unlocked version became available in the United States on December 5, 2017.
In April 2018, some pictures showed an unreleased gold-colored iPhone X. While the iPhone X only came in silver and space gray, Apple had planned a gold version but faced production challenges. Later, the iPhone XS and XS Max, which came after the iPhone X, did offer a gold color option. Apple also released an updated version of the iPhone X to fix some issues with its NFC feature for users in Japan, China, and the United States.
How the iPhone X Looked
The iPhone X had a sleek and modern design. It came in two main colors:
| Color | Name |
|---|---|
| Silver | |
| Space Gray |
The sides of the phone were made from strong, surgical-grade stainless steel. Both the front and back were made of durable glass. This design also made the phone resistant to water and dust, meeting the IP67 standard. This means it could handle splashes and brief dips in water.
Inside the iPhone X: Screen and Power
The iPhone X featured a 5.85-inch OLED screen, which Apple called the "Super Retina HD display." This screen was very special because it showed colors accurately and had amazing contrast. It could display very bright whites and very deep blacks. The idea for a phone that was almost all screen came from Apple's design team.
The Super Retina display also included True Tone technology. This feature uses sensors to adjust the screen's colors and brightness to match the light around you. This makes the screen look more natural, whether you are indoors or outside. The screen also responded to touch twice as fast as older iPhones, making everything feel smoother.
Apple explained that its OLED screens, like other OLED screens, could sometimes show "burn-in" effects. This happens when an image stays on the screen for a very long time and leaves a faint ghost image. Apple said this was normal for OLED technology.
Powerful Brains: The A11 Bionic Chip
The iPhone X was powered by Apple's A11 Bionic chip. This chip was also used in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It was a very powerful processor with six cores. Two of these cores were super fast for demanding tasks, and four were efficient for everyday use. This made the iPhone X much faster than previous models. The A11 Bionic chip also had Apple's first custom-designed graphics processing unit and a special "Neural Engine." This Neural Engine helped with artificial intelligence tasks, like making Face ID work quickly and accurately.
Unlocking with Your Face: Face ID
Instead of a fingerprint scanner, the iPhone X introduced Face ID. This system uses special sensors to scan your face and unlock your phone. It works by projecting over 30,000 invisible infrared dots onto your face. An infrared camera then reads this unique pattern. This pattern is compared to the one stored securely on your phone. By default, Face ID needs your eyes to be open to work, which helps keep your phone safe from others trying to unlock it.
Capturing Moments: Cameras
The iPhone X had two cameras on the back. The main camera was 12-megapixels with a wide-angle lens. It could take clear photos, even in challenging light, and had optical image stabilization to reduce blur. This camera could record amazing 4K videos at different speeds. The second camera was a telephoto lens, which allowed for 2x optical zoom to get closer to your subject without losing quality. It also had optical image stabilization. These cameras worked together to create "Portrait Mode" photos, which make the background blurry while keeping the subject sharp. The phone also had a special "True Tone flash" to make photos look more natural in low light.
On the front, there was a 7-megapixel "True Depth" camera. This camera was used for selfies and for Face ID. It could record 1080p HD videos. A really fun feature of this front camera was Animoji. These are animated emojis that copy your facial expressions in real-time, letting you send messages as a talking panda or robot!
Other Cool Features
The iPhone X was the first iPhone to have "Tap to Wake." This meant you could simply tap the screen to wake up your phone, instead of pressing a button. It also supported Qi-standard wireless charging. This allowed you to charge your phone by simply placing it on a compatible charging pad, without needing to plug in a cable.
How You Used the iPhone X: Software and Gestures
The iPhone X came with iOS 11, Apple's operating system. Because the screen was so different, with its rounded corners and the "notch" at the top, app developers had to update their apps. Apple gave them guidelines to make sure apps looked great and worked well on the new screen.
Since there was no home button, Apple changed how users navigated the phone. Instead of pressing a button, you used gestures:
- To wake up the phone, you could tap the screen or press the side button.
- To go to the home screen, you would swipe up from the very bottom of the display.
- To see all your open apps (multitasking), you would swipe up from the bottom and pause your finger in the middle of the screen.
The iPhone X received updates for its operating system for many years. It supported iOS 12, iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, and iOS 16. However, the iPhone X did not receive the iOS 17 update, which was released on September 18, 2023. This means the iPhone X received updates for about six years after its release. While some newer devices with similar hardware received later updates, Apple often makes decisions about which devices get new software based on various factors, including the availability of newer iPhone models.
Things That Happened: iPhone X Issues
Like many new technologies, the iPhone X had a few small issues when it first came out.
Early Activation Problems
In November 2017, some early buyers had trouble activating their new iPhone X phones with certain phone companies. For example, AT&T quickly fixed the problem on their side. Other companies, like Verizon, said their customers were not affected.
Cold Weather Screen Issues
Also in November 2017, some users noticed that their iPhone X screens stopped responding to touch when the phone got very cold very quickly. Apple quickly released a software update, iOS 11.1.2, on November 16, 2017, which fixed this problem. Later, in March 2018, it was reported that some users had problems with the camera flash in cold weather, but this was also fixed with a software update.
NFC Problems in Some Regions
After the iPhone X was released in Japan and China, some customers had issues using the phone's NFC feature. This feature is used for things like public transit smart card readers. In April 2018, Apple released an updated version of the iPhone X with a much better NFC chip, which mostly solved these problems for users in those regions and America.
Display Repair Program
Apple later found that some iPhone X devices had a problem where the screen might not respond to touch. This was due to a part inside the display. Apple offered to repair these affected devices for free, as long as the phone was less than three years old.
See also
In Spanish: IPhone X para niños
- List of iPhone models
- History of iPhone
- Timeline of iPhone models