Apple has launched the iPhone X (or iPhone 10) to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the game- changing smartphone.

A premium model, the iPhone X features a high-resolution display that covers almost the entire front of the smartphone, a trend for many of this year's flagship handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and LG V30.

Another highlight is a face-recognition feature for unlocking the latest Apple phone.

But what also grabbed consumers' attention was the device's higher price compared with previous handsets. Apple's iPhone X will be available on Nov 3 in Singapore, starting from $1,648 (64GB model, without contract) to $1,888 (256GB, without contract). Pre-orders start from Oct 27. Last year's iPhone 7 started from $1,048.

The iPhone X - unveiled on Tuesday at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Apple Park, Apple's new headquarters - has a Super Retina display that uses OLED technology, which is known to exhibit colours more accurately and vividly, as well as being more power efficient.

But with the near-full display, the phone's home button and Touch ID feature are gone. Instead, a front- facing system of cameras and sensors supports a new 3D face-recognition technology.

Users just look at the handset to unlock the iPhone X. Apple said the phone will recognise users' faces even in the dark, or changes in their hairstyles and facial hair.

Bucking the trend of an aluminium unibody chassis that many previous iPhones use, the iPhone X has an almost all-glass exterior. Also, it features a rear dual-camera system and uses a quad-LED flash system for more uniform lighting.

The phone is powered by a new A11 Bionic six-core processor and supports wireless charging.

But the gadget's price was a turn- off for some consumers in Singapore. Assistant marketing manager Rebecca Koh, 26, said she does not think she will buy the iPhone X "as it is too costly, considering that there are not many new technologies or features" in the new phone.

She currently uses an Apple iPhone 7.

But analysts said the iPhone X's high price may not be a sore point for some buyers.

Said Mr Loo Wee Teck, Euromonitor International's head of consumer electronics: "The iPhone X is a top-of-the-range product and appeals to a different consumer segment. Its demand will not be deterred by the high prices."

Forrester Research's principal analyst Julie Ask said loyal Apple enthusiasts will purchase the iPhone X. "We always think the price tag is high, but consumers buy," she said.

"Remember, there are also new phones at lower price points. The hardware amortised over two years is about US$50 (S$68) per month or one-third of the total cost of ownership for a consumer in the US."

Some undeterred consumers include Mr Tang Weng Sing, 45, head of innovation at a software company. "I think the iPhone X will become as iconic as the first iPhone," he said.

Meanwhile, Apple has taken away the "S" moniker for many of its previous "second-generation" phones of the same design.

Instead of calling them the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, the direct successors are the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus respectively.

Both models retain the design ethos of their respective predecessors but now come with a glass back. The iPhone 8 Plus continues to feature a rear dual-camera system, while the iPhone 8 has a single rear camera.

But both iPhone 8 models have been updated with the faster A11 Bionic processor and their 12-megapixel cameras are said to be faster in terms of focusing speed and are able to take better pictures. Both models also support wireless charging.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be available on Sept 22 in Singapore, starting from $1,148 (64GB, without contract) for the iPhone 8, and from $1,308 (64GB, without contract) for the iPhone 8 Plus. Pre-orders start from tomorrow.

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