If you're reading this review the day it was published, iOS 11 will have just been released to the world. There's obviously a lot to unpack in Apple's new update, and since I'm writing this prior to the official launch, there are a few key features we haven't been able to test yet -- I'm looking at you, AirPlay 2 and peer-to-peer Apple Pay transactions. We're working on a full review that'll represent our definitive opinion on the matter, but in the meantime, let's take a look at how the update's biggest changes work on the 8 and 8 Plus.

First off, yeah, it still looks like classic iOS at first glance. That illusion shatters as soon as you start to poke around: The emphasis on bolder text that began with Apple Music last year has rapidly spread, so you'll see big, punchy headers in Messages, Photos and beyond.

iOS's Control Center also looks nothing like it used to -- what once was a simple panel of options has evolved into a cluster of customizable controls that offer toggles for new features like the True Tone display and Do Not Disturb for Driving. That latter toggle is going to come in especially handy; in theory, the feature does a good job of blocking notifications from rolling in when you're in a moving car, but there's no way for the phone to tell if you're the driver or just cruising along as a passenger. Control Center's new look hasn't rubbed everyone the right way, especially since it's still easy to accidentally fiddle with screen brightness or device volume when you're trying to close the panel itself. Fortunately, it doesn't take that long to get used to.

Meanwhile, the classic notification center doesn't really exist anymore -- swiping down from the top of the screen basically just shows off notification on the lock screen. Sorry, the "cover sheet." You can still 3D Touch notifications to get an expanded view, but I was hoping an update as big as iOS 11 would bring with it a smarter way to handle notifications en masse. Clearing all of them in one shot is simple (if not immediately obvious), but would it have killed Apple to include an option to group notifications by app?

Apple's virtual assistant has received some major upgrades, too. For one, she or he (depending on your preference) sounds a hell of a lot more natural than before -- Siri never sounded terrible, per se, but it finally feels like you're talking to a person instead of a simulacrum made of algorithms running on a remote server. Siri's smarter now too -- I've been trying (and failing) to learn Mandarin for a while, so its multi-language translations and replayable pronunciations have been awfully helpful. Siri is also better at more abstract requests like "Play me some sad music," which I've been asking for more frequently now that summer is basically over.

It's worth noting that you can type out queries for Siri now too, but that doesn't mean you should. The option is tucked away in the Accessibility settings, and pecking out commands almost always takes longer than just asking Siri directly. I wish there was an easier way to switch between these interaction modes, or even a way for them to coexist in the Siri interface, but I'm not holding my breath.