The iPhone X is arguably Apple's best bet in 2017, but the future of the smartphone fell short in Consumer Reports' ranking.
That said, it's behind the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, and Galaxy Note 8, as well as the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
iPhone X Barely Makes The Cut
Right off the bat, the top spots of Consumer Reports' recommended list (paywall) belong to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, coming in first and second respectively. Meanwhile, the third position is held by the iPhone 8 Plus and the fourth by the iPhone 8.
As for the iPhone X, it came in ninth place, barely managing to land a spot in the top 10 and ranking lower than the Galaxy Note 8, which is more or less its biggest rival in the industry.
According to Consumer Reports, the iPhone X scored lower points than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus mainly because of its weaker durability.
"If not for the damage in that durability test, the iPhone X would have come in ahead of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus," Richard Fisco, the lead smartphone tester of Consumer Reports, says.
The testing outfit subjected several iPhone X units to its "tumble drum." After going through 100 drops, the glass back suffered major damage. Two others were dropped 50 times, and as a result, they both incurred defects on their screens.
Though the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also sport glass backs, Consumer Reports says that they are "more resistant to breaking."
Another factor that had a hand in the iPhone X's lower-than-expected ranking is battery life. It did beat the iPhone 8 on this front, lasting up to 19.5 hours. However, it couldn't hold a candle to the iPhone 8 Plus that kept the lights on for 21 hours. What's worse is that its performance was way below the 26 hours of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
"Taken as a complete package, this phone ranked a bit lower than Samsung's S8, S8+, and Note8, mainly because of their superior battery life," Consumer Reports writes.
iPhone X Good Points
Based on the company's testing, the good points of the iPhone X include its superb camera, which is still rated as one of the best of the best in the game.
On top of that, none of the iPhone X units that were put through the tumble tests had their front glass broken. At that, one important takeaway here is that phone cases and screen protectors go a long way — that is, if opting for $199 AppleCare+ is out of the question.
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports and Apple don't exactly get along well since the tussle over the MacBook Pro's rating came out.
Long story short, the issue stems from battery life — just like the case with the iPhone X now — but the Cupertino brand zeroed in on the problem and found that the testing method was faulty, getting a recommendation from the publication in the end.
