Kiss your Home button goodbye: Apple announces all-screen iPhone X

Apple’s annual iPhone event saw not one new device, but three as the company showed off the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

The iPhone X – the “X” is pronounced “ten” – is Apple’s first device with a 5.8 inch edge-to-edge screen and kills off the traditional Home button in favour of a system of swipes which let you go back to the home screen or switch applications.

At the top of the front is a small cut-out which houses a new camera system capable of taking incredibly high-quality selfies, as well as one of the new devices’ signature feature: a facial recognition system which lets you unlock your phone just by looking at it.

The camera and other sensors combine to create a 3D model of your face which is securely stored on the phone, and which is used to recognise you even if you’re wearing glasses or a hat. Apple claimed the system is so reliable there’s only a one in a million chance of it mistaking you for another random person – although it also noted that this chance increases for twins.

And there’s no chance of fooling FaceID, as Apple calls the system, by using a photograph. Would-be robbers can also forget the idea of unlocking your phone by holding it close to your face while you’re asleep, as FaceID only works when you’re looking at the screen with your eyes open.

iPhone X also features a new camera system on the back, with a new version of the popular Portrait mode from the iPhone 7 Plus which now lets you adjust lighting effects to do things like darken the background of a portrait or change the shadowing across a person’s face.

But the highlight of the announcement for many was animated emoji – dubbed, inevitably, Animoji – which uses the iPhone’s face tracking system to animate an emoji so that it follows your facial expression. At least, thanks to 21st Century technology, it’s possible to create a smiling, nodding poop emoji which tracks your facial expression in real time.

Of course, all this comes at a price, and the iPhone X is Apple’s most expensive iPhone yet: a version of it with 64Gb of memory will set you back £999, while a 256Gb version is priced at £1,149. You can pre-order one on 27th October, with the first ones reaching customers on 3rd November.

For those who don’t quite need the best-ever iPhone, Apple also announced the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. These are essentially updated versions of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus from last year, with faster processors and improved screens but lacking the face recognition features of the iPhone X. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are priced at £699 and £799 with 64Gb of storage, with a 256Gb option also available.

You can order both iPhone 8 models from 15th September for delivery from 22nd September 2017.

• Apple
• iPhone X