Apple Inc today unveiled its much-anticipated iPhone X, a glass and stainless steel device with an edge-to-edge display that Chief Executive Tim Cook has called “the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone”.
Apple also introduced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which resemble the iPhone 7 line but have a glass back for wireless charging.
The company said it was working on a new device, called the Airpad, that would charge all newer Apple products.
The new phones all feature Apple’s first proprietary graphics processor, which provides greater speed, improved cameras and some features for augmented reality apps.
The cheapest of the iPhone 8 models have 64 gigabytes of memory, up from 32 gigabytes in previous models, and will sell for $699 and $799.
The iPhone X prize is prized at $999 for a 64GB version, $1,149 (about half a million naira) for a 256GB version, and it is expected to ship Nov. 3.
The iPhone X has wireless charging, an infrared camera and hardware for facial recognition, which replaces the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone. The home button is also gone, and users instead tap the device to wake it up.
The screen on the iPhone X is about the size of the current iPhone 7 plus, though the phone is smaller. It features richer colors thanks to a new technology called OLED.
Apple says the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have battery life comparable to their predecessors, while the iPhone X lasts up to two hours longer than the iPhone 7.
Both the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 models support fast charging via a USB-C power adapter. Apple says this will charge up to 50% of the battery in 30 minutes.
In an embarrassing moment for Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi though, the face ID unlocking did not work on his first attempt during the on-stage presentation.
