It depends..

After having purchased both the bright orange and saddle brown it’s become evident that out of the box at least there is a difference in the leather used between colours.

The bright orange leather case is much more textured than the saddle brown, which is smooth. This makes it slippery, when holding on the sides it’s almost unusable. Even using within the 15 day return period I’ve found that the grip doesn’t increase. I know it will over a long period but I can’t wait, I’ll most probably drop it.

So I’m returning the saddle brown and sticking with my bright orange, when I use a case that is. I already have so many scratches on my iPhone X that I’m less worried about dropping it. I have Apple Care + just in case.

My advice if you want a leather case from Apple is to try before you buy in store. They don’t mind you opening them up and having a go, you will find the grip changes depending on the colour you choose.

I’ve written on and off about my experiences with the iPhone X and how it’s the one iPhone I’ve struggled to get used to. If you remember my one main draw to the iPhone X was the camera, it’s amazing. I loved having portrait available on a smaller device and made use of the zoom all of the time, I missed having it. I tried a plus again but ultimately missed the X. Long story short I’m writing this post up on an X and have some thoughts to share about how it’s affecting my photography habits.

I’d gotten used to travelling with my Canon 70D everywhere, it was in the car or at my side on most day trips. The main downsides was carrying it around, back issues mean I’m sensitive to the load I’m carrying and even though the 70D isn’t the heaviest camera Canon do it’s still DSLR sized. This got me thinking could the iPhone X replace my DSLR for my day trips?

It would considerably reduce the weight of what I carried and give me most of the shots I’d be after for these family trips and when I’m out and about walking.

Well, the good news is the iPhone X has been great at replacing my Canon. The only times I can now see me carrying it is when I go to air shows. There’s no way an iPhone can complete with it and a 400MM lens.

I’ll keep posting on how I’m getting on but these are the sort of day shots I mean that I’d take on my Canon.

Having spent some time with both my current jet black iPhone 7 and the new iPhone X I wanted to share some thoughts on the differences I’m noticing day to day.

• Size: The iPhone 7 seems almost too small to me now, amazing how nice the X size is for my hands
• In hand feel: I'd always loved the feel of my jet black model but in the hand the X is less slippery
• iOS: Using 3D Touch to app switch is more natural for me and control Center much easier to access on the iPhone 7
• Weight: iPhone X isn't heavy but the lighter iPhone 7 is nicer to pocket
• TouchID: Is quicker for me, unlocking as it comes out of my pocket
• Charging: I miss Qi charging

Just a few thoughts on going back to last years model.

As part of me trying out the iPhone X for 6 weeks I spent a lot of time testing the camera.

For me, getting the best camera available to me was the number 1 driver. I love taking photos on my iPhone and had previously enjoyed portrait mode in my brief time with the 7 Plus.

I’ve found the camera on the X to be on par with the 7 Plus.

• Low light on par with my 7 (in my testing)
• Portrait mode continues to impress me and I miss it on my 7, nowhere near my Canon 70D though
• I don't take selfies...

I ultimately chose to use my Canon more and save myself £1400 for now.

If you don’t own a DSLR and want to invest in having the best phone camera you can get (within the Apple ecosystem) then the iPhone X is going to be a good buy.

As you may know I’ve had an iPhone X for around 6 weeks and this week I decided to return it back to Apple within it’s return period. I picked one up to write some some freelance work and as a technology enthusiast also wanted to give one a try. I know I ranted about the price but I didn’t want to dismiss it out of hand, especially when it provided some extra work opportunities.I had the 256GB in space grey, picked up Apple Care + and used no case. It wasn’t cheap, £1380!Here’s why I returned it.

Price of entry is too high

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I was using a phone that was as much as my MacBook or iMac. Yes, there is a lot of technology but at a starting price of £999 I feel it’s about £100 too much.

FaceID

I’m glad to be back on TouchID with my iPhone 7. I can unlock the iPhone as I’m getting it out of my pocket, it doesn’t demand my attention. I also don’t miss swiping up from the bottom to get to the home screen. Call me paranoid but I also wasn’t comfortable being blasted in IR multiple times a day, it’s a small amount but there isn’t any good reporting on the effect of IR blasts into your eyes yet. Generally I feel that it doesn’t do any long term damage but after experiencing some dry eye I thought it couldn’t be helping.I really don’t miss FaceID or Animoji.

That bar at the bottom

Pretty much all the time there is a bar at the bottom of the screen to indicate you can swipe on it. I’m sure it’ll get fixed in iOS 12 but I find it annoying.

RSI

I experienced some shoulder pain using it over this period, maybe due to extra weight. In hand was fine, much better than a Plus for me.

In hand

It feels delicate and more slippery than the jet black 7. After using it for a while I think it’s the sides that make it slippery rather than the back. You need to be a fan of cases, I’m not.

It was only about the camera

Turns out the most enjoyable element of the iPhone X was the dual lens camera. I used zoom and portrait mode a lot and it was something I missed on my iPhone 7 having used a plus for a period of time. Aside from portrait I didn’t feel the shots were noticeably better than my iPhone 7. Low light still sucks and I could get closer if I wanted a zoom. At the end of the day I was paying £1380 for a camera update, more than I paid for my Canon 70D + lens.

Navigating iOS

I never fully took on board the new gestures. I hated closing apps, it was slower. App switching using 3D Touch on the edge of the screen feels more natural to me on my iPhone 7. I felt I was less efficient on my iPhone X. I’m sure over time I’d adjust and will have to if I want to use iOS going forward but I’m just not there yet.

What next?

I’m at a point where I might have bought my last iPhone. More than likely the entire range will adopt FaceID over the next two years and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I like my home button and TouchID. The iPhone 7 is still a great iPhone and an even better price now, especially in the used market.You might call me old fashioned but I hope Apple keeps TouchID on at least one model for a while yet.So whilst a marvel of technology that comes at a price the iPhone X just isn’t for me at this point in time. I’ll miss the camera and larger display but I feel at home on my iPhone 7. I feel efficient and comfortable, it’s where I want to be right now.

I’ve had the chance to play with the iPhone X for a couple of months and wanted to do a series on my experiences using it day to day. We had some good snow here in the UK and thought it would be a good place to start. These are all shot on the iPhone X with no editing, I’m pretty impressed.

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