You shouldn’t want the iPhone X in 2022

The iPhone X appeared ten years after the first iPhone and was a revolutionary phone in 2017. In 2022, however, there is only one reason to buy the iPhone X, as you can read in this review update.

Review update: iPhone X in 2022

The iPhone X is a special device. The X stands for 10 and Apple didn’t just pick that name, because in 2017 it was ten years ago that Apple surprised the world with the iPhone. A kind of anniversary edition.

Moreover, the iPhone X is a device with many milestones. It is the first iPhone with facial recognition (Face ID), it is the first iPhone with an OLED display and it is the first iPhone without a home button.

The X is also the first iPhone where the price tag passed the magical limit of 1000 euros: Apple asked 1,159 euros for it after launch. You don’t have to pay that much now: for a much cheaper price you can fish in an iPhone X. You can read in this article whether that is a wise thing to do.

iPhone X design

There is nothing to criticize about the design of the showpiece from 2017. The iPhone X is still an extremely stylish and chic phone, which is available in two colors: space gray and silver.

For years, Apple stuck with this design. The design only changed with the iPhone 12 from 2020: the iPhone became more angular. On the iPhone X, the edges bend, while the sides on the iPhone 12 and 13 are completely flat.

Also the screen is still incredibly good. The 5.8-inch display extends from edge to edge and does not have a home button with Touch ID. The OLED screen provides a beautiful color reproduction: looking at the screen is a feast for the eyes.

iPhone X camera: not so good

The camera lenses of the iPhone X are more than four years old and a lot has changed in smartphone land since then. The sensors of the camera are larger, the zoom functions better, the angle of view wider and the image processor more advanced.

You don’t have to expect much from the iPhone X camera, especially in the evenings. Photos in the dark or in poor lighting conditions are dark and grainy. There is no Night Mode (first introduced with the iPhone 11).

In good lighting conditions, the photos are fine, although the new iPhone models capture more detail. You can, however, take portrait photos where the iPhone recognizes people and blurs the background. That still looks fine.

Processor and battery

The iPhone X is powered by the A11 Bionic chip. That chip is more than four years old. You don’t notice that much in everyday use, it is only during graphic-intensive tasks such as playing games that you notice that the iPhone X is no longer the youngest.

Speed ​​isn’t even the biggest problem. The older the processor, the less time the device will receive software updates. Usually an iPhone gets this for about six years. This would mean that the iPhone X will get iOS 16 this year and iOS 17 next year, but after that, updates will be over.

With the relatively old processor, the iPhone X is therefore not so future-proof. In addition, the iPhone does not have 5G support. Another drawback is the battery life. If you’re actively working with your iPhone one day, charging once a day isn’t always enough to make it through the end of the day.

Should You Buy the iPhone X?

It’s hard to get a new iPhone X model. There are few online stores that have a copy in stock (see the iPhone X separately page for this), and if they already have one, the device is very expensive.

At the time of writing, a new copy of the iPhone X costs at least 689 euros. That is a lot of money for an iPhone that is more than four years old. Especially when you consider that the newer iPhone XS, iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 are better and cheaper.

There’s only one reason to want the iPhone X, and that’s to get a collector’s item. One for your private Apple museum. Or think of it as an investment. Buy it, don’t take it out of the box and see what it’s worth in twenty years. But buy an iPhone X to use it? Do not do it.

Conclusion iPhone X in 2022 review

The iPhone X is an iconic iPhone, and still one of the most beautiful phones Apple has made. But he is already more than four years old, and that means he is quite old for a smartphone.

The A11 Bionic chip is not the fastest, and the device will probably only be provided with software updates for another two years. The camera is also a lot less good than its successors. Moreover, the iPhone X is relatively expensive: for less money you have a better iPhone. The only reason to buy it is if you want to get the anniversary iPhone as a collector’s item.