The iPhone X is one of the most exciting phone releases yet, as it offers everything innovative and new to previous phones. It’s the most radical redesign of any iPhone, tying together a number of key trends in the industry and adding in a level of polish that will attract Apple fans to spend another few hundred dollars on its release–$999 to be exact.

In terms of when you’ll be able to get your hands on it, the iPhone X release date has been set for Nov. 3, with pre-orders going active on Oct.27.  It’ll be coming to the major territories first, including the US, the UK and Australia in the first wave of shipments.

For months, there was talk of a possible delay to the iPhone X, thanks to the complexity of the manufacturing forcing the timeline back. That said, even the first wave of releases looks likely to be rather limited as rumors of stock delays have surfaced once more. If you are one of many people looking into the iPhone X, getting one in 2018 is pretty unlikely.  However, the iPhone 8 is now up for grabs.  

Launched on September 12, 2017, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus are a “huge step forward for the iPhone,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The two devices “improve on everything we love about iPhone” with overhauled internals and a tweaked design, but the changes introduced are not as dramatic as the changes brought to the iPhone X.

The overall design is the same as the design of the previous-generation devices, but the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus have new glass bodies between a matching aluminum frame. Unlike the iPhone X, there is still a Touch ID Home button and thick bezels at the top and bottom of the display.

It’s rare that we see Apple jumping on trends so fast, but 2017 has been the year when the bezel–the outer frame of the phone–has begun to disappear from smartphones, and the iPhone X has hopped aboard that train, as well.

The new iPhone X looks like one of the least-bezelled phones on the market. The lip on the top of the 5.8-inch screen is the only thing that gets in the way of you and the new operating system.

The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus represent a “huge step forward for the iPhone,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The two devices “improve on everything we love about iPhone” with overhauled internals and a tweaked design, but the changes introduced are not as dramatic as the changes brought to the iPhone X.

The difference here is that the screen on the iPhone X extends right to the bottom of the device, with the physical home button completely nonexistent.  That’s going to be one of the biggest changes for any Apple fans looking for continuity in their iPhones.

The resolution of the screen has been upgraded from the iPhone 7 with a resolution of 2436 x 1125 on the new Super Retina HD display.  The only reason the pixel count needed to be upgraded was that there’s a definite boost to be had with the sharper screens that makes apps look crisper and web-browsing a better experience.

The LCD screens had a decent contrast ratio and were colorful and bright, but the move to the OLED display in the iPhone X has definitely brought an upgrade with the deeper and richer appearance of colors.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been dubbed the best display on the market with these same techniques, but now that Apple is using the same technology in its iPhones, that could easily change.  

The overall mix of technology is great, and really brings about a special-looking iPhone, rather than Apple rehashing the same tired design again–and that’s what makes these new renditions of the iPhone special.