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Apple Inc has rolled out its much anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone on Tuesday, CEO Tim Cook called the iPhone X "the biggest leap forward” since the first iPhone. ("X″ is pronounced like the number 10, not the letter X.) It loses the home button, which revolutionized smartphones when it launched; offers an edge-to-edge screen; and will use facial recognition to unlock the phone.

Apple also unveiled a new iPhone 8 and a larger 8 Plus with upgrades to cameras, displays and speakers. Those phones, Apple said, will shoot pictures with better colors and less distortion, particularly in low-light settings. The display will adapt to ambient lighting, similar to a feature in some iPad Pro models. Speakers will be louder and offer deeper bass.

 

Both iPhone 8 versions will allow wireless charging, a feature already offered in many Android phones, including Samsung models. Some Android phones have also previously eliminated the home button and added edge-to-edge screens.

 

10 things you need to know about iPhone X;

 

The X is silent

For starters, the new phone is pronounced "ten," not "X," at least according to Apple executives speaking about it on stage.

 

All glass

The iPhone X will have glass on both the front and the back, creating what Apple calls an "all-glass design." In case you're worried about that glass breaking, Apple stresses that the glass is "the most durable" ever used in a smartphone.

 

Edge-to-edge display

The front of the iPhone is all screen. Literally. The display covers the full face of the device, with the exception of a small sliver at the top for the camera. The screen measures 5.8-inches diagonally.

 

No home button

The secret to getting that full bleed screen is doing away with the home button. Instead, users can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to return to the home screen or toggle between apps.

 

Face ID

Apple's other iPhones let you unlock the devices and many apps with your finger print. The iPhone X is offering something different: the ability to unlock by scanning and recognizing your face.

Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing, called it "the future of how we unlock our smartphones and protect our sensitive information."

To accomplish this, Apple is using a new camera system that relies on infrared, a dot projector and neural networks to create a mathematical model of faces. This model "adapts to you as your face changes overtime," according to Schiller.

 

Animoji

Have you been feeling a hole in your heart because you can't send an animated panda emoji with your voice and facial gestures? Us neither, but soon you'll be able to anyway with the new animoji feature on iPhone X.

Longer battery life

Apple says the iPhone X has two hours more battery life than the iPhone 7.

 

Fewer colors

The iPhone X comes in just two colors: silver and space gray. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus offer those same colors as well as gold.

RIP wires (good riddance)

The iPhone X, like the 8 and 8 Plus, will have wireless charging. It's based on Qi wireless charging, which Apple expects to be available at a wide range of public venues in the not too distant future.

 

October surprise

There is a notable delay. While the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will go on sale this month, the iPhone X won't be available for pre-order until October 27. It is expected to begin shipping by November 3.

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