iPhone X Vs iPhone 8: Consumer Reports Rates New iPhone Below Predecessor

The iPhone X got a recommendation from Consumer Reports, but the 10th anniversary iPhone X rank did not manage to beat the iPhone 8.

The iPhone X was released on Nov 3., weeks after Apple launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. While the iPhone X has more features than the iPhone 8, like the Face ID, the most recent handset came one spot behind the iPhone 8 on the site's recommended list. The iPhone 8 costs $699, while the iPhone 8 Plus is priced at $799, both cheaper than the $999 iPhone X.

Best iPhone X Features

OLED Display

Consumer Reports tested the 64GB iPhone X model and praised the device’s display. The iPhone has an edge-to-edge Super Retina OLED screen with no home button. The site said the iPhone X’s display excelled because of its overall brightness, vibrant colors and deep black levels.

Camera

Consumer Reports said the iPhone X is “among the best” they’ve ever seen. The combination of performance scores for stills and video made the iPhone X the “highest-rated smartphone camera” the site has tested. Consumer Reports said photos taken with the 10th anniversary iPhone were “sharp, with excellent color reproduction, and video was very sharp as well.”

Face ID

The Face ID also gave the iPhone X a boost. The facial recognition technology allows users to unlock their device and make payments with Apple Pay. The site said the feature’s setup and unlocking process was “quick and easy.”

iPhone X Vs. iPhone 8: Flaws

Durability

The iPhone X made it on the Consumer Reports’ recommended list, but came behind the iPhone 8. The site pointed out flaws with the battery and the device’s durability.

Consumer Reports tested the iPhone X’s durability through a series of drops. The device survived four falls on a concrete surface from a height of five feet. However, the iPhone X did not do well during a more extensive test in a tumbling machine, which repeatedly drops the handset from a height of about 2.5 feet.

The site wrote:

“We tumbled three samples of the iPhone X. The first was fine after 50 drops, but the glass on the back was significantly cracked after 100. The other two phones ended up with malfunctioning displays after 50 drops. Though the front glass didn’t crack, several bright green bars stretched across the screens from top to bottom.”

While the iPhone X proved not to be so durable, it’s not the only device that has failed the site’s tumble test. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones also had broken displays and back panels after the test.

“If not for the damage in that durability test, the iPhone X would have come in ahead of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus,” Consumer Reports’ head of smartphone testing Richard Fisco said.

Battery Life

The iPhone X’s battery life also lowered the score for the device. The site’s testing on the iPhone’s battery showed the handset beat the iPhone 8 and the iPhone SE, but did not do as well as the iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X also did much worse than Samsung’s S8 and S8+ during the site’s tests.

Full results can be read here.