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I tuned into to a video podcast hosted by Leo Laporte (The Tech Guy) on Twit. This was episode 1422, published on 11/25/17, and was titled iPhone 8 Plus vs. iPhone X.

After 10 minutes of unrelated chatter, Laporte starts the discussion by saying that ultimately he believes that the iPhone X is the best iPhone ever made. He discusses how the differences between the two handsets are quite minimal in some regards, such as the hardware of the cameras. He spends a relatively long period of time expressing his opinion on the Face ID feature found only on the iPhone X. He believes that Face ID isn't as reliable as the traditional Touch ID found on the iPhone 8 plus; as well as other models released in the year 2013 onward. According to Apple Face ID is much more secure than Touch ID; the chances of someone other than you unlocking your iPhone X is 1 to 1 million, while the chances are 1 to 50,000 for Touch ID. Laporte points out that Apple's claim is invalid in some respects because twins and even kids who look a lot like their parents have the capability to unlock their respective relative's iPhone X. Security issues aside, he does believe that Face ID is more convenient than Touch ID; you can just simply pick up your phone, look at it and it will unlock, opposed to having to physically unlock your phone by placing your finger on the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 8 Plus. However, on the iPhone X after it is unlocked you have to swipe up on the display to actually get into the phone; which is a bit of an annoyance in Laporte's opinion. While on the iPhone 8 Plus you just simply press down on the home button and you're in.

He then moves on to discuss the physical differences between the two devices. The most significant physical difference between the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus is the edge-to-edge display found on the iPhone X; which omits the room for a home button, hence the addition of Face ID. Despite the iPhone X having a larger display, at 5.8 inches vs the 5.5 inch (diagonally) display on the iPhone 8, 7, 6s and 6 Plus, the iPhone X has a smaller available screen real estate (usable area) than the other iPhone models previously mentioned. This is because of the notch at the top of the display that houses Face ID, the front camera and other sensors and the controls at the bottom due to the new user interface. The iPhone X's physical footprint is smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus's, which makes the entire device smaller in the hand; Laporte doesn't mind the smaller size. He then briefly discusses the price difference between the two, $799 (iPhone 8 Plus) vs $999 (iPhone X). Approaching the end of the discussions he says that the iPhone 8 Plus is an adequate phone, it has the same processor and very nearly the same cameras and software as the iPhone X; he believes that if you have an iPhone 8 Plus, and are happy with it, you shouldn't feel the need to upgrade to the iPhone X. Lastly, he believes the iPhone X is the future of the iPhone.

As for my position on the topic, I agree with Laporte. The iPhone X is the best iPhone to date, but I don't think that the iPhone X is a substantially better phone than the iPhone 8 Plus. In terms of day-to-day practicality, I prefer Touch ID. Face ID is overall a really great and innovative feature that'll likely push the mobile phone industry into further development of similar features, but having to swipe up on the display is an inconvenience. Personally, I wouldn't buy the iPhone X solely based on its size; I have an iPhone 7 Plus and I love the size of its physical footprint, I truly couldn't see myself using anything smaller. I do believe that the price for the iPhone X is fair for what you're getting; unlike many other people that believe that is way too overpriced. The iPhone X is undoubtedly the future of the iPhone, it would be redundant for Apple release future iPhones with the general design of the other iPhone models and a lack of the features found on the iPhone X.

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