In September, the latest iPhone was released by Apple onto the market. Dubbed the 2nd generation of the X (10) series, the new iPhone XS and XSmax feature the latest technology and ergonomic improvements.
As the most expensive iPhone generation of all time (especially if you are not in the United States), many of us are wondering if the new phones are worth the cost to upgrade from our older devices.
This article is going to break down the various issues that are important to every day use and why they might be worthy of an upgrade. We will assume normal use, such as some music streaming, photo taking and entertainment (as well as normal phone functions!).
So what issues are important and what ‘features’ can you ignore?
Battery Life
We all have had the experience of our phones dying at the worst possible time. And no matter how much you charge your battery, it never seems to last. With a new generation comes a new battery.
Unfortunately, it’s not better. It seems that the new iPhone XS battery gets a few minutes less of life than the last generation. The iPhone XSmax with its larger size gets only an extra hour.
Camera
The camera is the same as last years, no improvement. The software that processes the photos is much better, but this is an operating system upgrade that will be rolled out on all devices.
Some have said that the new iPhone has a better low light capability, but that is not substantial at this time.
Storage
The new phone range now comes with a 512gb option which whilst useful, if you have a cloud storage (such as Google Photos or iCloud) then you don’t really need so much memory on your device.
Other Items
The new phone is much faster with the A12 Bionic chip. This also could be because the phone is newer so it has not bloated and slowed down, but this is the fastest operating system yet!
Here is a brief summary of the specs compared to last years iPhone X.
iPhone XS | iPhone XS Max |
iPhone X |
|
Starting Price | $999 | $1099 | $999 |
Processor | A12 Bionic | A12 Bionic | A11 Bionic |
Screen | 5.8-inch OLED (2,436 x 1,125 pixels) | 6.5-inch OLED (2,688 x 1,242 pixels) | 5.8-inch OLED (2,436 x 1,125 pixels) |
Storage | 64GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 256GB |
Face ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rear Camera | Dual 12MP wide (ƒ/1.8) and telephoto (ƒ/2.4) | Dual 12MP wide (ƒ/1.8) and telephoto (ƒ/2.4) | Dual 12MP wide (ƒ/1.8) and telephoto (ƒ/2.4) |
Front Camera | 7MP, ƒ/2.2 | 7MP, ƒ/2.2 | 7MP, ƒ/2.2 |
Battery Life (Hrs:Mins) | 9:41 | 10:38 | 10:49 (2017 test); 9:51 (2018 retest) |
Metal frame | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
Colors | Gold, Silver, Space Gray | Gold, Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray |
Weight | 6.2 ounces | 7.3 ounces | 6.1 ounces |
Size | 5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 6.2 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches | 5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches |
(Credit Toms Guide)
In Summary, the new iPhone is fantastic and worth it to upgrade if your current phone is older than two years (Such as an iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 or older). However, if you have an iPhone X already, or a Galaxy S8, then it is not worthy of the jump.
What about the iPhone XR
As for the third new iPhone XR, it is not worth your time. Low in cost and low in features, it is not a good upgrade for iPhone users. It lacks features easily available on market equivalents (For example, no HD screen) and has features removed from earlier iPhones (such as 3D touch).
Feature image by Toms Guide.