<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/apple"><span>Apple's</span></a><span> highly anticipated and long-awaited </span><a href="https://www.apple.com/iphone-x/"><span>iPhone X</span></a><span> is finally out. We got our hands on one and rigorously tested everything we could with it for over a week. Here's our review, and final thoughts, on the device. The following is the transcript of the video.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>STEVE KOVACH: </strong>I've been using the iPhone X for about a week now, </span>and the big question <span style="font-weight: 400;">on everyone's mind is </span>whether or not it's worth <span style="font-weight: 400;">a thousand bucks. </span>And I can <span style="font-weight: 400;">definitely say it is.</span></p><p>As soon as you take <span style="font-weight: 400;">this thing out the box </span>you realize Apple <span style="font-weight: 400;">nailed the form factor. </span>It's a 5.8-inch screen crammed onto a phone not much larger <span style="font-weight: 400;">than the iPhone 8. </span>So it fits well in your <span style="font-weight: 400;">hand and you get </span>plenty of screen to <span style="font-weight: 400;">view the content on.</span></p><p>And I know there have been a lot of concerns over Face ID, that new facial recognition system, but I haven't been <span style="font-weight: 400;">able to trick it. </span>It works nearly flawlessly. Face ID works just as well, if not better, than Touch ID. And it works in a <span style="font-weight: 400;">variety of conditions. </span>There are a couple things you have to get <span style="font-weight: 400;">used to though. </span>Again, using Face ID works well, but you have to get used to holding your <span style="font-weight: 400;">phone up to your face </span>so it has your <span style="font-weight: 400;">attention and unlocks. </span>That's a lot different than Touch ID when you can just unlock it while <span style="font-weight: 400;">holding it down.</span></p><p>And no home <span style="font-weight: 400;">button means </span>you have a new swiping gesture to get around, and that takes a little getting used to as well.</p><p>As for cameras, the front-facing TrueDepth Camera <span style="font-weight: 400;">not only enables Face ID, </span>it lets you do cool things <span style="font-weight: 400;">like augmented reality </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and a Portrait mode </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">on the selfie camera </span>for the first time. The rear cameras <span style="font-weight: 400;">are not much different </span>than the iPhone <span style="font-weight: 400;">8 Plus cameras </span>you can still do Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting</p><p>Now for the downsides. My biggest problem <span style="font-weight: 400;">with the iPhone X </span>is that many apps <span style="font-weight: 400;">haven't adapted properly </span>for the new screen <span style="font-weight: 400;">size and shape. </span>You see a lot of funky <span style="font-weight: 400;">UI things going on. </span>I think it's gonna take <span style="font-weight: 400;">a couple months for </span>app developers to <span style="font-weight: 400;">come up with new ways </span>to design their apps around the iPhone X screen.</p><p>There's also the <span style="font-weight: 400;">question of whether </span>or not the iPhone X <span style="font-weight: 400;">is a lot better than the 8. </span>On the inside, they're almost identical. They have the <span style="font-weight: 400;">same processor. </span>So if you go with <span style="font-weight: 400;">the iPhone 8, </span>you're gonna have <span style="font-weight: 400;">almost the same </span>performance as you would get with the iPhone X. What you're really paying for with the iPhone X is the new form <span style="font-weight: 400;">factor and Face ID.</span></p><p>If you want the best <span style="font-weight: 400;">of the best, yes … </span>the iPhone X is <span style="font-weight: 400;">worth every penny. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's something you're using all the time and most </span>people won't be paying <span style="font-weight: 400;">that $1,000 right up front. </span>All carriers offer <span style="font-weight: 400;">payment plans </span>and Apple has its own payment plan as well. If you have an iPhone 7 or earlier, this does feel like a brand new phone <span style="font-weight: 400;">and a nice upgrade. </span>Although, the iPhone 7 <span style="font-weight: 400;">is only a year old </span>so you might want <span style="font-weight: 400;">to hang onto that. </span>But, if you have an <span style="font-weight: 400;">iPhone 6 or earlier </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">you should definitely upgrade to the iPhone X.</span></p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;"><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps"></a><strong>EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT:</strong><br>The Top 4 Apps and Platforms Takes That Go Against The Grain Report by the BI Intelligence Research Team.<br><strong><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps">Get the Report Now »</a></strong></br></br></div></p>

I've been using the iPhone X for a week - and it's definitely worth the $1,000 price tag

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Apple will launch three new iPhone models in 2018, Nomura analysts predict.</strong></li><li><strong>The analysts believe Apple is preparing a 6.5-inch iPhone like the iPhone X but with a bigger OLED screen.</strong></li><li><strong>Apple will also launch a successor to the iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen, the analysts write.</strong></li><li><strong>The third, lower-cost model could feature an edge-to-edge LCD screen and TrueDepth facial recognition and could be priced between $650 and $900.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>Apple could release three new iPhone models in 2018, according to a note distributed to investors on Monday by Nomura analysts. </p><p>Several of the predictions line up with a forecast from renowned KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/2018-iphone-rumors-apple-to-launch-3-new-iphones-including-low-cost-2017-11">issued last month</a>. </p><p>Apple could release two iPhones with OLED screens, and one with an LCD screen, according to the note. The iPhone X, which was released earlier this year, was the first iPhone to use OLED technology, which can limit power drain and provide more vivid colors. </p><p>One of the new OLED iPhones will be the same size as the current iPhone X, with a 5.8-inch screen, but one is going to be a larger model with a 6.5-inch screen, according to the note. Apple currently sells "plus" models of its iPhone 8 with similar components but a larger screen size. </p><p>These devices are expected to be similar to the current iPhone X, according to the analysts. Apple's True Depth camera system used for facial recognition is expected to be similar to this year's design, they write, and Apple may introduce a new 512GB tier of storage. </p><p>"We think the focus for 2H18F new iPhones is to optimise those technologies in terms of performance and costs and adopt a broader iPhone portfolio, rather than bring in more significant technology changes into new iPhones," the analysts wrote. </p><p>"We think the specs of 6.5" OLED and 5.8" OLED new iPhones are mostly the same as those on iPhone X (5.8" OLED), except for the screen size and the support of dual physical SIM cards of the 6.5" iPhone," the analysts continued. </p><p>The Nomura analysts believe the rear camera on next year's iPhones will not gain 3D-sensing capabilities believed to be essential for augmented-reality applications. </p><p>The third device will have the same edge-to-edge design as the iPhone X, but will use a less expensive LCD screen, the analysts predicted. They believe the lower-cost iPhone will use Apple's facial-recognition camera, and will be targeted at the "mid-range" segment, between $650 and $900. This lower-cost iPhone model is said to only have a single-lens rear camera and lack Apple's Force Touch feature. Nomura predicts this phone will be assembled by Pegatron and possibly Wistron, as opposed to Hon Hai, which will handle the more expensive iPhones and which is currently the sole assembler for the iPhone X. </p><p>The analysts cite supply chain sources for their information, but they also warn:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Please note that all the potential spec changes and supply chain dynamics for 2H18F new iPhones in this report are observations from our supply chain surveys, together with our own inferences, and they are subject to change, as the new iPhone specs and suppliers will not be finalised before late-1Q or early-2Q18F."</p><p>Normura's note largely focuses on companies that supply Apple with parts for its iPhones. The analysts see several possible winners if their predictions for next year's iPhones end up being accurate, including Largan, ASE, Wistron, ZDT, Casetek, and Merry. </p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;"><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps"></a><strong>EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT:</strong><br>The Top 4 Apps and Platforms Takes That Go Against The Grain Report by the BI Intelligence Research Team.<br><strong><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps">Get the Report Now »</a></strong></br></br></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sophia-robot-citizen-thanksgiving-message-humanity-video-hanson-robotics-2017-11">Sophia, the world's first-ever robot citizen, has a message for humanity this Thanksgiving</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Wall Street analyst predicts Apple will launch a supersized iPhone X next year

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Apple CEO Tim Cook.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple updated the <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/">security and privacy information on its website</a> on Wednesday, revealing new details about how its new facial recognition technology works. </p><p>The new details come a month before Apple's most advanced iPhone, the iPhone X, goes on sale in November. The banner feature of the iPhone X is facial recognition called "Face ID" that replaces the old fingerprint senor.  </p><p>Since Face ID and its corresponding 3D camera called "TrueDepth" were announced in September, the technology has attracted a lot of attention and speculation from privacy advocates and security experts. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/al-franken-apple-letter-how-iphone-x-face-id-feature-works-2017-9">Sen. Al Franken even wrote</a> an open letter to Tim Cook with 10 questions about the technology. </p><p>The new disclosures published on Wednesday answer several remaining questions about Face ID. They include a Face ID security overview paper, <a href="https://support.apple.com/kb/HT208108">an Apple Support page</a> on the technology, and <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/">a redesigned privacy page</a> that declares that Apple management believes "privacy is a fundamental human right."</p><p>"So much of your personal information ... lives on your Apple devices," Apple wrote <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/">on the new page</a>. "Your heart rate after a run. Which news stories you read first. Where you bought your last coffee. What websites your visit. Who you call, email, or message."  </p><p>Compared to the company's secrecy on upcoming products and internal procedures, Apple likes to publicize much of how its security and encryption systems work. Apple CEO Tim Cook <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-published-a-letter-on-apple-privacy-policies-2014-9">wrote an open letter about security in 2014</a>, and publicly fought the FBI in court in 2016 over whether to help it break into an encrypted iPhone used by a terrorist.</p><p>"A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you're not the customer," said Cook in 2014. "You're the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of your privacy."</p><h2>Face to Face ID</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Apple</span></p><p class="caption">Apple said it created 3D masks to test whether Face ID could be spoofed.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple is eager to show that it has anticipated many of the concerns about Face ID technology that have come up so far, although many open questions about Face ID will remain up in the air until the product is released to the public and is tested independently.</p><p>"I still need to test it and try it out, and I never fully believe any vendor until we see how something performs in the real world, but on paper this looks secure enough for the vast majority of Apple customers," said Rich Mogull, CEO of <a href="https://securosis.com/">security firm Securosis</a>. </p><p><a href="https://securosis.com/blog/14866">Mogull wrote in a blog post</a> in September that the point of a security system like Face ID is not to create an uncrackable system. The point is to allow users to use a strong, long password, but to have the convenience of no password most of the time. </p><p>To be useful, a system like Face ID would need to eliminate so-called "false positives" - or when the iPhone lets in a user that's not the intended user. Apple says the chance of that happening at random is 1 in 1 million. </p><p>Another risk is that the camera could be fooled by a flat printed photo, like some of Samsung's devices have been in the past. Apple even says that it tested custom, high-end 3D masks against the system, which Mogull called an "obvious starting point" that researchers would test when they finally got their hands on an iPhone X. </p><p>Apple also detailed six scenarios on Wednesday in which Face ID would not unlock an iPhone and would instead ask for a passcode, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-x-face-id-fails-in-first-public-test-2017-9">as happened during Face ID's big reveal</a>: </p><ul><li>The device has just been turned on or restarted.</li><li>The device hasn't been unlocked for more than 48 hours.</li><li>The passcode hasn't been used to unlock the device in the last six and a half days and Face ID hasn't unlocked the device in the last 4 hours.</li><li>The device has received a remote lock command.</li><li>After five unsuccessful attempts to match a face.</li><li>After initiating power off/Emergency SOS by pressing and holding either volume button and the side button simultaneously for 2 seconds.</li></ul><h2>Not just facial recognition</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Apple</span></p><p class="caption">The banner feature of Apple's upcoming iPhone X is the ability to recognize the face of its owner.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple didn't just release information on Face ID on Wednesday. New details about other products were announced as well, including information about how Apple is zapping tracking cookies in its Safari browser, a new "emergency SOS" mode that locks a phone when its home button is pressed five times, and differential privacy, a kind of statistical method Apple says allows it to collect data from its users without being able to identify who the data came from. </p><p>As Apple continues to break into health and other areas, it will continue to lean on privacy and security as a way to differentiate itself from rivals like Google and Amazon.</p><p>Most of Apple's sales stem from from selling premium devices and hardware, as opposed to advertising or other data-oriented business models, and its ability to design both its hardware and software mean that it can pull off new security systems like Face ID more easily than other technology vendors. </p><p>It's clear that biometrics - a fingerprint or a face scan - is a big part of Apple's security strategy going forward, and increasingly, you'll see Apple lean on and market these advantages as a reason to pick an iPhone over competitors. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tried-22-day-revolution-beyonce-vegan-diet-weight-loss-2017-9">I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet - and I lost 15 pounds</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Apple just released new information about how facial recognition on the iPhone X works

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p><p class="caption">The iPhone X.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>I have been an Android user for 13 years.</strong></li><li><strong>In January I decided to switch to the iPhone X.</strong></li><li><strong>It was totally worth it, despite its high price tag and a few small annoyances.</strong></li></ul><p><br />I have been in the Android camp since I bought a Motorola Razr clamshell around 2004.</p><p>I stuck with Android faithfully in the 14 years that followed, shuttling through the HTC Desire, the Samsung Galaxy S3, a Moto G and, most recently, a Huawei P9.</p><p>But it's over. I switched over to the iPhone X in January, because if you're going to give up a decade-long relationship you may as well do it in $1,000 (£1,000) style.</p><p>Here's how I've found it so far:</p><h2>I bought the iPhone X through the upgrade program - which is cheaper than buying it through a carrier</h2><p>It is insane to me that people still sign up for two-year contracts with a carrier when they renew their phones. Sure, you get a shiny new phone, but then you are locked into an expensive contract that is bad value for you over the long term.</p><p>But it's also extremely expensive paying $1,000 (£1,000) upfront for a phone.</p><p>Luckily Apple offers a workaround where you can pay a monthly fee for a SIM-free iPhone X, meaning you aren't tied into a contract. Once you've paid off the $1,000 in 20 months or less, the phone is yours. And unlike with a normal mobile tariff, an operator hasn't squeezed an extra few hundred dollars out of you in the process.</p><p>I <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-iphone-x-upgrade-programme-value-2017-12">wrote about how good of a value the upgrade program is</a> in December - and acted on my own advice a month later. There's some caveats: mainly about paying your monthly fee on time and also keeping the phone in good condition. But otherwise it feels like an affordable way to buy an amazing device.</p><h2>Face ID has changed the way I shop on my phone</h2><p>Face ID is Apple's facial recognition system which, when you pick up the phone, lets you unlock it just by using your face.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Apple/YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">Apple's iPhone X uses its special "TrueDepth" camera system to scan a user's face and securely log them in.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>That's extremely cool, but not the coolest or most useful aspect of Face ID.</p><p>The iPhone X will approve purchases and sign you into services provided you authenticate with Face ID. This felt like an amazing innovation, and makes it much faster to download apps and sign into, for example, my banking app. The "wow" feeling hasn't worn off even after several months of using the phone.</p><p>I would in no way count myself as an Apple fangirl, but I never came across anything this futuristic on Android. It feels like a genuine innovation for smartphones, which are otherwise highly commoditized. It was also extremely handy while I was skiing and couldn't fumble around in the snow trying to unlock the phone with a passcode.</p><h2>Force Touch and 3D Touch are a complete puzzle</h2><p>When you first unbox the iPhone X, the phone comes with a simple manual. So simple, that it doesn't really explain how to use the phone - I had to ask another longtime iPhone owner how to take a screenshot and search for items on a webpage, because these basic functions are quite different on Android.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Steve Kovach/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The biggest puzzle was Force Touch and 3D Touch. This means that the iPhone X screen is pressure-sensitive, and the device will do different things depending on how hard or lightly you press it. For example, pressing hard on an unread email in your inbox will show you a preview of the email. Keep pressing, and it will actually open the email.</p><p>There are myriad uses for Force and 3D Touch on the iPhone X that I just can't quite be bothered to try and understand. It feels like a confusing feature that's poorly explained - and as the user, it shouldn't be on me to try and Google different uses for Force and 3D Touch. Apple's whole reputation, after all, is staked on its simplicity.</p><h2>Restoring WhatsApp and Google accounts were a total nightmare</h2><p>Whatever Apple tells you about how easy it is to switch your contacts from Android to iPhone isn't what I experienced.</p><p>Like many people, I use my phone for both work and personal purposes. Business Insider runs on Google, as do I, and so I need to manage multiple Gmail and Google Drive accounts from my phone.</p><p>Importantly, my work and personal contacts, and trying not to duplicate everything, was extremely difficult. In the end, I imported contacts from one Gmail address which holds both my work and personal contact details - but still lost some numbers in the process. It was annoying, but not insurmountable.</p><p>The biggest outrage is trying to switch from WhatsApp on Android to WhatsApp on iOS. Basically, you can't.</p><p>If you were on Android and changed up to a new Android phone, you could simply back up your old WhatsApp chats on Google Drive, then restore them to the new phone. Likewise an iPhone upgrade, if you backed up your chats on iCloud.</p><p>But you can't do this if you're switching ecosystems - so an Android user cannot use Google Drive to restore WhatsApp chats to a new iPhone, as I discovered.</p><h2>No one turns their iPhone off and this blew my mind</h2><p>When I had an Android phone, my normal routine was to set my alarm on an analogue alarm clock, then set a back-up alarm on my phone, because you can't trust anything. And then I would switch my phone off before going to sleep.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>This is, according to a straw poll of my Business Insider colleagues, totally alien behaviour.</p><p>Most of my colleagues use iPhones - and also rely on their phones as an alarm.</p><p>The iPhone X alarm does not go off if you power down the phone. This completely blew my mind after years of setting alarms on my Android and then properly plugging off.</p><p>Now I keep the iPhone X on overnight, but on silent. On principle, I don't like this. I think having screens on in your bedroom affects your sleep, and I don't like my tendency to pick up the phone first thing in the morning to look at Twitter. If the phone's off, I'm more likely to get on with my morning routine.</p><h2>All of the small annoyances are nothing compared to the huge advantage of extra security</h2><p>The main reason I switched to Android was paranoia. I've covered technology for a decade, and while iOS isn't totally devoid of security issues, there's an alarming trickle of stories about how poor Android's security is. Some of Google's security decisions may be justified, but the company is bad at explaining to users why, for example, <a href="https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locations-even-when-location-services-are-disabled/">it seems to be collecting their locations when GPS is switched off</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>For the most part, you are pretty secure if you use two-factor authentication and use strong passwords. But Face ID means you don't have to go to the trouble of remembering passwords, and Apple's tighter security makes me feel surer that my information (and sources) are not at risk.</p><p>Finally, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-x-review-2017-11">it's just a beautiful phone</a>. And until Android can fix its fragmentation and security issues, and give the same level of customer service that Apple can, I'll be sticking with this new relationship.</p><p class="tagline"><a href="http://read.bi/next-smartphone"></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/3d-printed-homes-constructed-icon-new-story-tech-charity-4000-dollars-2018-3">These 3D printed homes can be constructed for $4,000 - and they might change the approach to underdeveloped housing</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

I switched to the iPhone X after 13 years on Android - and I have no regrets

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p><p class="caption">The iPhone 8 Plus, left, and the iPhone X</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Despite fears around supply shortages, you can still get the new iPhone X in about 5-6 weeks.</strong></li><li><strong>iPhone X demand may have been tempered by the bevy of available iPhone options, especially the new iPhone 8.</strong></li><li><strong>For prospective buyers, it's difficult to value the price difference between the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, since both phones are so similar under the hood and most people have yet to try the iPhone X.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>For months, analysts studying Apple and its supply chain have been saying "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stock-price-iphone-x-impact-production-issues-kgi-securities-2017-10">good luck finding the iPhone X</a>" when it launches in November. Yet, despite demand for the phone being "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-x-first-day-preorders-sold-out-at-applecom-2017-10">off the charts</a>" according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, you can still order an iPhone X <em>right now</em> and get it before the end of 2017.</p><p>As of October 31 - four days after pre-orders kicked off - you can expect to receive most iPhone X models in about <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x">5-6 weeks</a>.</p><p>We may never know how well the iPhone X is selling is compared to other iPhone models - Apple stopped reporting pre-orders and first-weekend iPhone sales back in 2014 - but it does make one wonder: Is the presence of the new iPhone 8 affecting demand for the also-new iPhone X?</p><h2>More options than ever before </h2><p>The iPhone has been around for 10 years now, but Apple has changed a lot in the past decade.</p><p>For many years, people had two options when it came to buying an iPhone: Buy the newest model, or buy the prior-year model. This made it a pretty easy pitch to consumers: You can save $100 and get last year's iPhone, or spend $100 more to get the latest and greatest. And who doesn't want the latest and greatest? </p><p>Now, prospective iPhone customers have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-lineup-2017-9">a <em>ton</em> of options</a>. As of October 31, you can choose between:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone SE, starting at $350</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 6S, starting at $450</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 6S Plus, starting at $550</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 7, starting at $550</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 7 Plus, starting at $670</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 8, starting at $700</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- The iPhone 8 Plus, starting at $800</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>- And the iPhone X, starting at $1,000</strong></p><p>That's at least eight different iPhone models to choose from, at an array of price points - and the final three iPhones on that list can all be considered "new."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Apple</span></p><p class="caption">The iPhone SE has the power of the iPhone 6s, inside the body of an iPhone 5S.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Let me be clear: For consumers, this is a <em>very good thing</em>. More choice leads to more competition, which drives down prices, which makes everyone happy. Plus, as we've written about many times before, the biggest selling points of these phones versus others tend to boil down to software, and all of these phones run iOS 11 and share many of the same great features.</p><p>That said, the multitude of options makes it harder for Apple to entice consumers into buying the "latest and greatest phone," which it did successfully for many years.</p><p>Simply put, nobody <em>needs</em> to bite the bullet anymore. You can own an excellent iPhone this year without shelling out $1,000 for the latest model.</p><p>But the presence of the iPhone 8, specifically, seems to make the iPhone X a tougher sell.</p><h2>iPhone X = increased risk + increased cost</h2><p>I'm going to break the fourth wall for a minute. I hope you don't mind.</p><p>Over the past month, I've written two different stories offering reasons to buy one iPhone model over the other. But there is a clear discrepancy in interest between the two stories.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dave Smith/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dave Smith/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Of course, there are various contributing factors at play here - the timing of each article published, for example, and the fact the iPhone X isn't in the wild just yet. But to me, it shows that people are clearly looking for any reason to save money when it comes to their new iPhone purchase, which makes perfect sense.</p><p>My colleague Lauren Lyons Cole recently changed her mind and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-x-vs-iphone-8-plus-2017-10">decided to get the iPhone 8 instead of the iPhone X</a>. Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget <a href="https://twitter.com/hblodget/status/923621643259441153">agreed</a> with Lauren's takeaway, saying it "seems like the iPhone 8 Plus is the best option."</p><p>The iPhone 8 and iPhone X are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-8-vs-iphone-x-2017-9">extremely similar phones on paper</a>, but choosing to buy an iPhone X right now means being okay with both increased cost <em>and </em>increased risk.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The iPhone X's starting price is $200 more than the iPhone 8, so you'd really have to value what that price increase means - and that's especially hard to do if you've never tried the phone before (most people haven't), and especially true for people who don't really know what the differentiating features <em>are</em>.</p><p>Even if you're completely aware of the differences between the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, you haven't tried living with the phone yet. It's a completely new experience, from the shape of the phone itself to the way you interact with it.</p><p>You can watch all the YouTube videos you want; you are essentially taking a risk buying the iPhone X without trying it first.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hollis Johnson</span></p><p class="caption">There's no home button on the iPhone X.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 provides a very familiar, almost safe experience. If you've owned an iPhone 6, 6S, or 7, you'll feel right at home with the 8. It's the same look, shape and feel as those phones, with its "new" features - wireless charging, fast charging, and a faster processor - mostly under the hood.</p><p>The iPhone 8 provides an easy way out for people looking to get a new iPhone, but are sheepish about the iPhone X.</p><p>The iPhone 8 will almost certainly affect iPhone X sales in some way, but to be clear, the takeaway here is not "Apple is doomed." Far from it: The iPhone business is still extremely strong, and Apple still wins every time someone buys an iPhone, even if it's not the iPhone X. This may well have been Apple's strategy for 2017, given all the supply-related fears for this particularly new phone - the first iPhone with an OLED display, the first with Apple's new TrueDepth camera system, etc. But it will certainly be interesting to see how Apple changes its iPhone lineup in 2018, if it wants to push another one of these iPhone "<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-stock-price-iphone-8-super-cycle-2017-4-1001962603">super cycles</a>" where everyone upgrades to the new technology.</p><p>Having choices is certainly good for consumers, but it's unclear how other, cheaper iPhones may affect the excitement around future iPhone launches. New iPhones still set the tone for the smartphone industry at large, but people no longer need to upgrade to the "latest and greatest" anymore.</p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;"><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps"></a><strong>EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT:</strong><br>The Top 4 Apps and Platforms Takes That Go Against The Grain Report by the BI Intelligence Research Team.<br><strong><a href="http://read.bi/top-4-apps">Get the Report Now »</a></strong></br></br></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-features-iphone-x-apple-2017-9">Here are the best features of Apple's $999 iPhone X</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "truedepth system" and got 5 results

I've been using the iPhone X for a week - and it's definitely worth the $1,000 price tag

Corey Protin,Steve Kovach

Wall Street analyst predicts Apple will launch a supersized iPhone X next year

Kif Leswing

Apple just released new information about how facial recognition on the iPhone X works

Kif Leswing

I switched to the iPhone X after 13 years on Android - and I have no regrets

Shona Ghosh

Why the iPhone 8 makes the iPhone X a tougher sell

Dave Smith,Dave Smith