When the iPhone X was announced, I'll admit to feeling "underwhelmed." It really didn't sound that much better than the 8 Plus. Sure, the form factor was better (though the screen not as large, particularly for video) and FaceID was interesting, but seemed gimmicky. And not having a home button seemed odd; I'd used gestures before with a WebOS device but still had a home button.
Then, for some reason, I decided to buy one and I very quickly fell in love. I absolutely love not having the home button; going back to an older iPhone feels so "clunky." I can see why FaceID is polarizing but, with the way I use my phone, I love it. It just works for me and I like not needing to find the home button and press my finger to it.
And this seems to be a story I've heard from a lot of people, that the iPhone X didn't sound that great until they actually started using it. That gestures seemed weird for the first day, or even the first couple of weeks, but then the got used to it and they now find it hard to go back to a home button.
FaceID does seem to be the deal breaker for some; they just can't seem to adjust to it. I'm not sure what the answer is, though I can see there would be advantages to having TouchID. I just don't know that I'd be happy with whatever sacrifice is needed (either in real estate or cost) to put TouchID back on the phone. FaceID works too well for me.