n-depth press reviews for the iPhone X are now live after several influencer unboxings and previews

Some of the largest gripes so far have been about Apple being more selective with how much time certain reviewers got with the device before opinions were allowed to be published. Still, many pundits have been fair, noting that while the iPhone X has many stellar qualities, it is far from perfect. Here’s what is being said.

Mashable
Lance Ulanoff called the iPhone X “the iPhone you want.” He praises its OLED display and both cameras on the smartphone. While he noted that the Face ID facial recognition is effective, he added that the feature is not 100 percent foolproof. Mashable did an experiment with two sets of twins, who were both able to unlock an iPhone X after their sibling set up Face ID.

The Verge
Nilay Patel called the iPhone X design the third best after the iPhone 4 and the original iPhone. This main gripe about the device was the learning curve in how to hold the iPhone X in order to properly use FaceID.

Business Insider
Steve Kovach is a fan of the iPhone X design and doesn’t even mind the top notch. However, he pointed out that third-party apps have issues with screen optimization.

The Independent
David Phelan claims the iPhone X “feels like the future” noting that its Face ID feature and lack of a home button makes it very close to the first hands-free smartphone. He also noted that while the functionality of Face ID wasn’t ideal that he didn’t find it any more of an issue than handing the first generation of Touch ID on the iPhone 5s.

iMore
Rene Ritchie is a fan of the OLED display on the iPhone X, which supports HDR, but noted that watching video on the device has its challenges. While viewing in landscape mode video defaults to widescreen and to put the display to full-screen brings up the notch.

BuzzFeed
Nicole Nguyen was a fan of the size of the iPhone X, which is roughly the same as the iPhone 8 despite having a much larger screen. Her critiques of the device included the device's less than desirable battery life, software bugs and a slow handling of Face ID.

Engadget
Chris Velazco was impressed by Apple’s first OLED display on the iPhone X, noting that the colors are more natural than vivid, in comparison to a device like the Galaxy Note 8. He found some of the gestures that now command functionality to be slightly slower than using the home button on other iPhone, switching and closing apps, in particular.

Yahoo! Finance
David Pogue‏ said the iPhone X price and new features are worth it, highlighting the device’s speed and efficiency. He also took issue with the new app closing and switching functions.

CNET
Scott Stein was satisfied with the accuracy of Face ID, having done tests, which deliberately failed, such as wearing a mask or goggles with dark lenses. He noted some challenges in using Apple Pay, which now had an added step of having to look at a device with Face ID before making a purchase.

USA Today
Edward Baig is a fan of Animoji on the iPhone X but admitted he found the top notch to be distracting.