Even before the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max enter the store shelves, the first reviews surf the Internet. International media reports unanimously about the new flagship of Apple: the device is not much better than the iPhone X and it is probably wise to wait for the iPhone XR .
iPhone XS review round-up
‘An evolution, not a revolution’, writes Lauren Goode of Wired . “Apart from the fact that the iPhone XS Max has a giant screen, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max do not feel much different than the iPhone X last year. The phones do not release any special feelings – except that they might annoy you because of the price. ”
‘If you’ve seen an iPhone X, you already know what the iPhone XS looks like’, continues Goode. “And really: you also know what the iPhone XS Max looks like: it’s a jumbo iPhone X. Apart from the differences in size and battery, the XS and the XS Max are exactly the same. Even the cameras are exactly the same. ”
Matthew Panzarino of Techcrunch shares this opinion, but emphasizes that the marginal improvements are especially unfortunate for people who want to upgrade their iPhone every year. ‘If you upgrade from an older device than the iPhone X, it is a huge improvement. And the XS camera can even convince iPhone X owners to make the leap. ”
iPhone XS reviews
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have a starting price of 1,159 and 1,259 euros. “But their excellent cameras and screens deserve the high prices,” says Brian X. Chen of New York Times .
The large size of the iPhone XS Max has many advantages, writes Chen. “It was easier to read maps while driving. The larger screen made writing longer e-mails – something I usually do on a laptop – more pleasant. The display was also handy for reading recipes in the kitchen. ”
‘However, I had a preference for the smaller body of the XS. The smaller iPhone felt less intrusive during walks and gymnastics sessions. ”
Nilay Patel of The Verge was enthusiastic about the speed of Face ID. Also the camera upgrades are ‘considerable’ and the battery of the iPhone XS Max was ‘great’. The A12 Bionic chip of the iPhone XS would be 15 percent faster than the A11 of the iPhone X, but according to Patel there was no noticeable speed improvement.
iPhone XS or iPhone XR?
Almost all reviewers agree that upgrading to the iPhone XS only makes sense if you have an iPhone 8 or older. But even then it remains to be seen whether you should opt for the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max …
‘These are the best phones at the moment’, writes Scott Stein of CNET . “But that third new iPhone, the iPhone XR is perhaps the best option for anyone who has a different iPhone than the iPhone X from 2017. The iPhone XR has many of the same features as the XS, but then with a larger 6.1-inch screen and better battery life. And he is $ 250 cheaper. That makes it only $ 50 more expensive than the iPhone 8 after the launch. ”