Apple unveils iPhone 8 and £1,000 iPhone X with all-screen display and wireless charging
Apple has unveiled the £1,000 iPhone X, the latest generation of its flagship device. The all-glass device has an edge-to-edge display and no home button. It unlocks using facial recognition software and features wireless charging.
Tim Cook also launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, two new phones that have 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens. Like the iPhone X, the devices also have an all-glass design and can be charged wirelessly.
In addition to the phones, Apple announced a third generation of its Watch and a 4K Apple TV.
iPhone X
The iPhone X celebrates the 10th anniversary of Apple’s smartphone, featuring a radical redesign and new technology.
The phone has a 5.8-inch OLED screen, which fills the entire front of the device. Apple has removed the iconic home button to make way for the display, replacing it with facial recognition software called Face ID.
Face ID is used to unlock the phone, authenticate Apple Pay and cutomise the new animoji.
The phone starts at £999 in the UK for the 64GB version, going up to £1,149 for the 256GB model. Coming in space grey and silver, it will be available to pre-order from October 27 and will ship on November 3.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
Apple also announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, an upgrade to its current offering. The new devices have an all-glass design and can charge wirelessly.
The 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices start at £699 and £799 for the 64GB versions. They come with iOS 11 software, which will be available to download from September 19, and an upgraded camera and processor.
Apple Watch 3
The third generation of Apple’s smartwatch is the first that works independently from the iPhone. A cellular version of the device is available form £399 and can make phone calls and browse the web.
Apple also unveiled a 4K version of its set-top Apple TV box at the event.
Why £1,000 isn’t too much to pay for the iPhone X
The price tag of the iPhone X has shocked many Apple followers, but James Titcomb says the cost isn’t that ludicrous. For one, he says:
Think of some other things that may cost roughly the same amount as your phone: a TV, for example, or a holiday. Compared to the TV, you probably get a lot more value out of your phone – which you use for several hours a day rather than a couple in the evening. The memories from holidays might last a lifetime, but as experiences they are fleeting.
Now, imagine how much everything inside your phone would have cost 15 years ago – or more. You have a mobile phone, a sat-nav, a digital camera, a computer, a games console, an iPod, a calendar, a fitness tracker and more. The cost of all of those things combined would be thousands of pounds, not to mention the physical toll of carrying them all around. Because of smartphones, many of them are simple app downloads, costing nothing.
