6 Ways Apple Is Following Samsung With The iPhone X

Imitation Game

Earlier in the history of the smartphone wars, Apple brought accusations against Samsung for copying key features of the iPhone. (The courts agreed.) But that era came to an end years ago -- and now Apple is the one working to play catch-up with Samsung. Yes, the upcoming release of the iPhone X, which ships Nov. 3, will be a landmark moment in the history of the iPhone. But for anyone who's bought a premium Samsung phone over the past year, many features on the iPhone X will already be pretty familiar. In the following slides, we've rounded up six features of the iPhone X that you can already find on Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.

Display Size

To date, Apple's largest smartphone display has been the "Plus" models such as the iPhone 7 Plus, which has a 5.5-inch display diagonally. But over the past year, Samsung has released a string of smartphones with larger displays than that, targeting users who want more space for productivity and social media, among other things. It started with the (ill-fated) Galaxy Note 7, which had a 5.7-inch display. Samsung then went even larger with the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus this past spring. The largest-screened phone came out this month, with the release of the 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 8. With the iPhone X, Apple will move into the same ballpark as the recent Samsung phones with a display that measures 5.8 inches diagonally.

Edge-To-Edge

The reason Samsung has been able to pull off having such large displays is that the screen takes up most of the front of the phones; the minimal bezel surrounding the display means that the devices don't feel enormous overall. Apple is adopting the approach with the iPhone X, which similarly has an "edge-to-edge" look thanks to the drastic reduction of the bezel above and below the phone’s display. However, the iPhone X does have a notch cut out at the top of the screen for the front-facing camera and other sensors, something that isn't found on the recent Samsung Galaxy phones.

OLED

OLED display technology offers benefits such as improved color, contrast and energy efficiency -- and Samsung actually manufactures its own OLED displays. The company has been deploying OLED in its Galaxy phones from the very start of the device line, in 2009. The iPhones have instead relied upon Apple's Retina displays, which have been popular with users but nevertheless have depended upon less-colorful LCD technology to date. The iPhone X will be the first model to switch to OLED, and will also nearly double the display resolution found in the iPhone 7, to 2,436 x 1,125 pixels.

Wireless Charging

Samsung's recent Galaxy phones have all offered the option of charging wirelessly, using a charging pad that's sold separately. The pads use the Qi induction standard, in which the devices charge by laying on top of the pad. Apple will be bringing the same option to the iPhone X. Qi wireless charging pads that work with the iPhone X are being sold separately, initially just by third-party manufacturers, though Apple plans to launch its AirPower charging mat (pictured) next year.

Fast Charging

Though there has been less fanfare about it than about wireless charging, the iPhone X will offer fast-charging capabilities. Apple says the X should be able to get a 50 percent charge in just a half-hour. This is similar to what Samsung's recent Galaxy phones can achieve. Fast-charging for the iPhone X will require buying two pieces of additional gear, however -- a USB-C power adapter, and a cable that converts USB-C to Lightning. Both are sold separately.

Facial Recognition

There's plenty of debate about whether Apple's new iPhone X facial recognition technology, Face ID, will represent a helpful advancement or not. But the fact remains that, once again, Samsung had offered the option well before Apple, as a part of its Galaxy Note and Galaxy S devices dating back more than a year. Unlike Samsung, however, Apple is eliminating fingerprint recognition as a method for unlocking the phone--putting more reliance on facial recognition with the iPhone X than you'll get with the Samsung phones.