Apple has long maintained its secrecy by preventing the flagship phones and their features from leaking, before the official launch. However, the recent flurry of leaks pertaining to the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus has left nothing to the imagination as we already know the full lineup of next-gen iPhones that will be releasing sometime later today (September 12 around 10am PST) at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.
While HomePod firmware leaked a few specs about the iPhone X, it didn't give away anything substantial. Nevertheless, the latest leak through iOS 11 GM code has revealed every minute detail of Apple's upcoming iPhone lineup including their new naming schemes and a bunch of revolutionary features.
Undoubtedly, the top-end flagship iPhone aka iPhone X will be the main attention at the upcoming iPhone event. To quench your thirst to dig deeper into the features and specs of the tenth anniversary iPhone, we bring you the roundup of top features that are expected to come with the iPhone X (courtesy of some mischievous Apple employee who leaked the iOS 11 GM code):
Hexa Core A11 Chip and 3GB RAM
The leaked iOS 11 GM code suggests that the iPhone X will feature a Hexa-core A11 chip or six processor cores capable of computing independently each with separate memory-addressing capability. While two of them are touted to be high-powered units called 'Monsoon' cores, the other two are low-powered ones known as 'Mistral' cores.
Intel's core i5 and i7 processors are expected to face stiff competition from the Apple's A11 chip, which is expected to set new benchmark records with its high power-efficiency and performance. The iPhone X is also expected to include 3GB of RAM.
True Tone Display
iPhone X will be the first Apple smartphone to introduce True Tone display feature, which has been borrowed from the iPad Pro. This feature reduces eye strain by automatically adjusting the inherent color temperature of the display based on the ambient lighting condition.
iPhone X to Dump Touch ID for Face ID
Apple has reportedly decided to ditch the Touch ID feature in favor of Face ID or facial recognition feature, owing to some technical constraints with the OLED display panels that will make their debut on the iPhone X.
Touch ID feature had its own share of limitations with the complex mechanism of registering the fingerprints, while the Face ID feature is far more advanced and simplifies the process of locking/unlocking the device with a quick face scan.
Nevertheless, the Face ID feature may not be foolproof as there have been reports of some wily perpetrators using the owner's photograph to unlock the device. We just hope that Apple's iPhone X will be able to overcome this limitation somehow.
Portrait Lighting
iPhone X will include an advanced version of the existing Portrait mode feature known as 'Portrait Lighting'. The new version will enable users to tweak or customize the background lighting effect to suit their personal taste.
Studio Light, Stage Light, Contour Light, Natural Light and Light Mono are some of the options that you can fiddle with, to get the best looking portrait image.
4K Video Recording
Apple had introduced the 4K video recording feature with the iPhone 6s launch in 2015. This feature is now being advanced to the next level with support for up to 60fps on Apple's 2017 iPhone lineup.
It must be noted that Samsung's Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 and several other last-gen smartphones could only record 4K videos at 30fps. However, this limitation will be addressed with the launch of next-gen iPhone lineup comprising iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Revamped Status Bar
Apple iPhone enthusiasts can enjoy some stunning design changes to the user interface, which is inspired by the new notch design on the iPhone X display.
Unlike the traditional status bar, the newly revamped status bar for the iPhone X will be split into two portions, one on either side of the notch. The left portion is earmarked for displaying the time and location while the right shows the battery percentage, cellular signal strength and Wi-Fi status.
The status bar will also feature interactive color coded icons powered by a slick new animation, which will change according to the nature of user interaction with the iPhone. For instance, the colors of specific app icons will change suggesting when they are active or disabled.
Pricing and Availability
Coming to the pricing details, the base model of the iPhone X will be retailing at a starting price of $999 for the base model, as per the rumours. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the iPhone X price will be set competitively in the US while the rest of the world needs to pay a bit more owing to transportation charges, customs and excise duties on foreign goods.
The iPhone X is expected to go live on sale in two storage variants (128GB and 256GB) starting September 21, which is a Thursday in China. iPhone X pre-orders will go live in the US starting September 15 while its release date is set for September 22.
