Apple iPhone X in 2021 - Better than a mid-range Android - Android

When the iPhone X was released, it was one of Apple’s cream-of-the-crop type of smartphone. It was new in all aspects and offered new...

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When the iPhone X was released, it was one of Apple’s cream-of-the-crop type of smartphone. It was new in all aspects and offered new technology that some smartphone manufacturers can’t keep up with. I’ve been using the iPhone X as my daily driver for almost a week already, and my experience, so far, has been surprisingly good. You can cop a brand new iPhone X for around PHP28,000, but if you were to get it second hand — you can get it for as low as PHP15,000. So it got me thinking, is it a better choice than a current-gen mid-range Android smartphone? Continue reading to know more.

Design

The iPhone X has a pretty small form factor but with a full view display, thanks to its drivers tucked underneath the display to achieve this edge-to-edge panel. It feels premium and sturdy because of its stainless steel build. Compared to some mid-range smartphones these days, most of them are made out of polycarbonate material that can sometimes feel flimsy.

Thanks to its full-view display, the iPhone X can still provide an immersive media-consuming experience thanks to its OLED panel that provides deep contrast with vibrant colors. The display might not have those flashy 120Hz refresh rates, but this kind of OLED quality is something you cannot find in a mid-range Android phone.

The iPhone X was second to the last iPhone with Apple’s 3D touch technology. Like what I said with my iPhone 6s revisited video, I am missing this feature. Sure, the newer iOS version integrated the same feature called “Haptic Touch,” but 3D Touch feels faster since it reacts to your finger’s pressure compared to just tapping certain buttons and waiting for it to trigger.

Aside from the display, it also has stereo speakers, a front-firing one, and a down-firing one, rare to find in mid-range Android smartphones. This setup produces more balanced highs and mids with an ample amount of bass.

Performance

The iPhone X packs an A11 Bionic chipset with Apple’s three-core GPU, coupled with 3GB of RAM. Back when it was released, Apple promised desktop-grade computing capabilities, and the iPhone X’s performance was terrific blazing-fast performance. It can do everything you throw at it; Of course, it’s an Apple flagship. The A11 Bionic can still keep up and even outperform mid-range chipsets like the Snapdragon 750 5G and MediaTek Helio G90T.

Apple iPhone X
AnTuTu – 232,787
Geekbench 5 – 4,250 (Single-Core), 10,530 (Multi-Core), 14,664 (Metal)
3D Mark – 3,324 (Sling Shot Extreme)

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
Antutu – 293,432
GeekBench 5 – 653 (Single-Core), 1,839 (Multi-core), 1,231 (RenderScript)
3DMark – 2,801 (OpenGL) 2,799 (Vulkan)

Infinix Zero 8
Antutu  – 291,491
Geekbench 5 – 523 (single-core) 1,636 (multi-core)
3D Mark – 2,495 (OpenGL) 2,578 (Vulkan)

But the real advantage here is in software support. Look at the Samsung Galaxy S8 or even the S9 — these devices were iPhone X’s head-to-head contender back in the day. Aside from a quick price drop, these devices were at least two years behind the new Android versions. On the other hand, the iPhone X still got three more years of Software Updates support and runs on iOS 14 without any significant issues.

I ditched my iPhone 11 Pro Max for a week and used the iPhone X. To my surprise. It can handle everything, from lightroom editing, doing pub mats, video editing to playing graphically intensive games. This device is still a beast when it comes to performance.

The unit I got has 64GB of storage, which might be small to some other people, but it is enough for me. I can store all my basic photo and video editing tools and my other work-related apps. Cloud storage solutions like Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Google Photos are also a no-brainer nowadays, which can further help save space.

Security

The iPhone X was the first iPhone to have FaceID as a form of biometrics, and even today, FaceID is the golden standard for facial recognition. Granted, it doesn’t work very well with face masks.

However, it works just as intended when I’m at home. The scope is not as wide as my iPhone 11 Pro Max’s, but it still unlocks fairly quickly.

Battery

Powering the iPhone X is a 2,716mAh battery with support for a 15W PD fast charge. Unfortunately, this is one aspect where the iPhone X cannot compete with modern mid-range Android smartphones. Using it to do heavy tasks drains the battery quickly, and I need to charge it at least every 4 to 5 hours.

This is bad considering that this iPhone still has 91% battery health. Compare that to a modern mid-range Android with 5,000mAh batteries and 60W fast charging. This made the iPhone X a little behind the competition.

Camera

For the camera, the iPhone X has a 12MP f/1.8 main camera coupled with a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens at the back and a 7MP f/2.2 selfie camera.