Apple’s new iPhone X is the “future of smartphone design” and will still be a success despite its almost €1,000 price tag, according to one analyst.

The technology giant used a live event on Tuesday to unveil the special edition iPhone to mark its 10th anniversary, complete with an edge-to-edge screen and facial recognition technology.

The phone’s starting price of €999 – which can rise to €1,149 for the highest-specification version – has sparked some outcry on social media.

The device goes on sale on November 3, some two months after the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which begin to ship on September 22.

Technology expert Ian Fogg, from IHS Markit, said the price jump had been overstated for what the iPhone X offers in terms of an upgrade.

“Apple is hoping the later availability date for iPhone X will not affect iPhone 8 sales this quarter,” he said.

“Apple’s lower iPhone 8 pricing should limit the impact, but it remains a risk.

It will still sell in enormous volumes, because Apple has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to persuade consumers to shift their overall spending

“The iPhone X is the future of smartphone design, but it’s also available in the future, too.

“iPhone X is a premium-priced smartphone which for the first time goes over the $1,000 threshold for the top 256GB model.

“It will still sell in enormous volumes, because Apple has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to persuade consumers to shift their overall spending to place a greater share of their disposable income towards a smartphone purchase.

“And the starting price of $999 [the phone is 999 in each currency] is only $33 more than the previously most expensive iPhone, the 7 Plus 256GB.”

The iPhone X will be the first Apple smartphone to feature facial recognition technology – enabling users to unlock the device with their face.

The technology replaces the fingerprint-scanning Touch ID, built into the home button, which has vanished from the iPhone X to make way for the larger screen.

The software can also be used to animate emojis and send them as messages, a feature Apple is calling Animoji.

The iPhone X was the showpiece announcement at Apple’s first event to have taken place at its new Apple Park campus – inside the new Steve Jobs Theatre.

Chief executive Tim Cook paid tribute to the late co-founder at the beginning of his keynote, calling the venue a tribute to “Jobs and his vision”.

A third-generation Apple Watch, which contains its own mobile signal and can be used to make phone calls independent of a smartphone, was also announced, alongside the Apple TV 4K.

Malta sales

The Apple iPhone 8 is expected to be available in Malta between the end of this month and the first week of October, but local retailers are still sketchy on details.

Leading Apple resellers contacted by the Times of Malta were also uncertain about the cost of the new models.

They were also unsure whether the highly anticipated gadget would only be available in limited stocks at first, as is often the case.

Some businesses said they had already started receiving requests from Apple fanatics keen to get their hands on the latest instalment in the iPhone family.

“It’s only been a few hours since the announcement was made, and we’ve already started receiving calls from customers asking when they can get their hands on the new iPhone,” one shop manager said.

Some of the larger resellers have already set up a pre-order booking service.

How did tech experts react?

Apple’s latest announcements will excite their hardcore fans, but may underwhelm some consumers, industry analysts say.

Technology experts have had their say on Apple’s new line-up, with a mixed reaction the first from many.

Katie Collins from technology site CNET said: “The iPhone X is Apple’s attempt to recreate that sense of exclusivity early adopters of the first iPhone felt 10 years ago. There’s a sense in 2017 anyone can own an iPhone, but the X is priced a tier above most premium phones and will be beyond the budget of many.

“By including wireless charging, no home button and facial recognition on its high-end iPhone X, Apple is showing us its vision for subsequent iPhones.

“None of these technologies are new per se – wireless charging tech has been around for years – but if any company can drive widespread consumer adoption, it’s Apple. These three new iPhones will inevitably be popular with Apple fans, but Apple’s challenge now is to meet demand for each model correctly, especially the X.”

Vix Leyton from broadbandchoices.co.uk said: “The pressure to keep innovating and improving has driven Apple to create their most futuristic handset yet, but beyond the promise of an extra two hours’ battery life and new camera features, the AR and FaceID are leading tech here that feels a little gimmicky; with some of them, there is arguably a bit too much focus on what could be done, as opposed to what should.

“It remains to be seen how much the new technology will actually enhance the user experience and set this apart.

“Modern consumers are already wary of signing off on their next upgrade, as it seems like every time they do, a new hero handset emerges to render theirs out-of-date.

“In reality, behind the smoke and mirrors, other handset manufacturers are arguably doing equally exciting things at a more reasonable price, so it’s never been more important to shop around rather than blindly upgrade.”

Key features on Apple’s new smartphones

Apple has revamped its iPhone line-up with three new flagship handsets, including the most expensive in the company’s history.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus both support wireless charging for the first time, improved cameras and processors, while the X is the company’s first edge-to-edge screen and facial recognition technology.

Here is a look at the key features of Apple’s new smartphones.

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus

Both feature glass rears for the first time, while wireless charging capabilities have been added.

The two phones are both dust and water resistant, and feature 12-megapixel rear cameras.

The dimensions of both are familiar - the 8 has a 4.7-inch screen, the 8 Plus a 5.5 -inch one.

In the case of the 8 Plus, there are dual cameras and a new technology called Portrait Lighting. It uses machine learning technology to improve the lighting on faces for portrait photography.

The phones house the new A11 bionic chip, which Apple says improves processing time and efficiency.

The iPhone 8 will start at €699 and the 8 Plus €799. Both devices go on sale on September 22.

iPhone X

The special edition version of the iPhone, the X is a complete re-design.

It has the first edge-to-edge display and is the first iPhone to use an OLED screen and a Super Retina display.

The 5.8-inch screen fills most of the front panel, and as a result, the traditional home button is gone from the X. Instead users can swipe upwards to unlock the device and leave apps.

In terms of security, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner found in the home button has been replaced by Face ID, facial recognition technology that scans a user’s face to unlock the device.

It works in daylight and at night, Apple says.

The technology is also at work in Animoji, new animated emojis that users can animate using their own face, changing the expressions of the characters on screen and sending them in messages.

The dual real cameras on the X – which are both 12-megapixel – also both feature optical image stabilisation for the first time.

The X will be available in two colours – space grey and silver – when it goes on sale on November 3, with prices starting at €999, the most ever.

New cellular Apple Watch to free users from carrying phone

Three new iPhone handsets may have been the focus, but Apple Watch users were given new powers to free themselves from their phones at Apple’s live event.

The Apple Watch Series 3 was unveiled in San Francisco and will feature cellular for the first time, meaning it can be used to make calls, send messages and stream music, even when not connected to a smartphone.

The Watch will run on watchOS 4, the new version of Apple’s smartwatch operating system, which includes enhanced heart-rate monitoring and fitness tracking.

The new Heart Rate app more broadly tracks a wearer’s heart rate, sending notifications when abnormal spikes are detected.

The Workout app, already a staple of the Apple Watch, has also been updated with a new interface and more customisable options.

In the UK, the Series 3 cellular version will initially be exclusive to EE, Apple confirmed, and cost €399.

Apple TV 4K

Apple also announced an update to its streaming box, the Apple TV, introducing 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) support.

The technology greatly increases picture quality and colour, and will also support 4K content from the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

The new Apple TV 4K will start at €179 and will go on sale on September 22.