Apple has officially announced the existence of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR at its September 12 “Gather Round” even in Cupertino.
As you might expect, we have all of the details below, including device specifications, the price of each model, and expected release date for the hardware. So without further ado, let’s dive right into the good stuff!
About iPhone XS, XS Max, XR
Apple’s iPhone XS device is essentially the second-generation iPhone X handset and comes with the same 5.8-inch OLED display that was present on last year’s device. The iPhone XS Max is very similar but it’s essentially a “Plus” version of iPhone XS complete with a stunning 6.5-inch OLED panel. Both devices come with a surgical-grade stainless steel frame and offer the same premium look and feel that the company introduced with iPhone X.
The glass on the iPhone XS / XS Max, according to Apple, is the strongest ever on an iPhone. Well, we’ve heard these claims before to be honest. But hey! There’s IP68 water resistance on offer here, and a new Gold color in addition to Silver and Space Gray.
The iPhone XR is a device that sits in the middle of the two in terms of screen size and well, colorful new options! We have colors people; White, Black, Blue, Coral, Yellow and (PRODUCT)RED. Just as had been rumored for some time now.
It does away with the OLED panel and comes with the old-school 6.1-inch LCD display which Apple’s calling, ‘Liquid Retina’ at a resolution of 1792 x 828. Like iPhone X, the iPhone XR ships with the first-gen TrueDepth camera system in order to facilitate the Face ID functionality that made iPhone X so popular but does not have a dual-lens rear camera system or 3D Touch functionality baked into the display. The iPhone XS / XS Max on the other hand feature a second-generation TrueDepth module for improved Face ID, as well as 3D Touch and dual-lens camera system.
All three devices feature stunning edge-to-edge displays with almost no bezels around, and a stainless steel frame on the iPhone XS / XS Max, and an aluminum frame on the iPhone XR.
Camera
The iPhone XS / XS Max pack a dual-camera setup as expected, but there are some major improvements here over the iPhone X. We now have a 12MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens + new sensors, along with a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens. On the front we have a 7MP f/2.2 RGB camera with a faster sensor, coupled with the IR camera and Dot projector.
Not only has Portrait Mode been improved this time around, but with the inclusion of Neural Engine into image processing, Apple claims that the iPhone XS / XS Max will process the photos faster and more accurately.
Also, HDR has been removed, and upgraded to being a more ‘Smart HDR’. We’ll know how smart once we start getting some camera results in. But for now, you can aw at the ability to adjust depth-of-field, after having taken a photo. Apple’s calling it ‘Depth Control’.
As for the iPhone XR, the TrueDepth camera remains the same, but on the rear, you find a single 12MP wide-angle lens – the same planted into the iPhone XS / XS Max offering all the goodies packed into the iPhone XS / XS Max, such as Smart HDR, Portrait Lighting, but sadly no Depth Control.
Specs
You have probably been watching Apple’s event with great interest and heard all about the new devices announced for release in the coming weeks. However, it’s always worth having a recap of the specification of the devices in order to see which one best suits your requirements, both now and in the next 12-18 months.
Display comes in at 5.8-inch for the iPhone XS, and 6.5-inch for the iPhone XS Max, with a resolution of 2436×1125 on the XS and 2688×1242 on the XS Max. The OLED display now boasts a 60% greater dynamic range compared to last year’s iPhone X.
The Xs Max gains a slight advantage in sound over its smaller sibling, and that’s a wider stereo sound. That said, the iPhone XS / XS Max, as well as the iPhone XR can record stereo sounds.
Of course, a newer iPhone, a faster and more secure biometric experience. According to Apple not only is Face ID faster on the iPhone XS / XS Max, but the Secure Enclave is now, well, even more secure.
We know that at the heart of the new phones – including the iPhone XR surprisingly – is Apple’s new A12 Bionic processor and improved LTE chips to promote a faster LTE connection. The A12 is the first 7nm chip in the industry, and boasts a 15% increase in performance over the A11, with the A12 GPU gaining an increase of over 50% over the A11’s GPU.
Also making it onto an iPhone for the first time, is the availability of a smacking 512GB storage option! This storage option is available on both the iPhone XS / XS Max, but not the iPhone Xr.
On the battery front, Apple’s not going with specific numbers, but with the iPhone XS, you should expect a battery life of around 30 minutes more than the iPhone X, or 90 minutes more with the iPhone XS Max over the iPhone X.
Dual-SIM is here finally, as Apple adds support for the setup on all three of its newest phones, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and even the iPhone XR as had been rumored for some time now. That said, with one physical SIM and one e-SIM support, not many are bound to be pleased with this decision. Chinese users however, will be able to actually use two physical SIMs with the new phones.
Features are extremely important for anyone looking to buy a new smartphone. As is availability and release date. However, given Apple’s iPhone X released last year and the fact that the price started at $999.00, the attached price-tag is one of the most important factors of any Apple release. For Apple’s 2018 iPhone range, the associated prices can be found below:
- iPhone XR – 64GB, 128GB, 256GB: Starts at $749
- iPhone XS – 64GB, 256GB, 512GB: Starts at $999
- iPhone XS Max- 64GB, 256GB, 512GB: Starts at $1,099
Release Date
Apple wants consumers to get their hands on the new hardware as soon as possible and start flooding the market with 2018 Apple-branded hardware. So, with that in mind, the company has announced that pre-orders for iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will begin this coming Friday, September 14. Devices will start to land in consumers hands a week later on Friday, September 21. For those who are interested in the lower-priced iPhone XR complete with LCD panel, pre-orders will begin on October 19th.
Complete spec sheet for the iPhone XS / XS Max can be seen below:
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