Iphone xs max and iphone xs review

Both phones are excellent, but the Max is our fave sầu.

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ByMark Spoonauerpublished 5 November 19

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While pricey, the iPhone Xs Max delivers an immersive sầu 6.5-inch display, blazing performance và excellent cameras in an elegant thiết kế.

Pros+

Massive sầu and beautiful OLED display

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Superfast A12 Bionic processor

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Longer battery life than iPhone Xs

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Improved cameras with Smart HDR và better bokeh

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Split-view mode in certain apps

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Gigabit LTE

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The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are Apple"s flagships now and top our best phone danh sách, but you can still get the older iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at a discounted price. Of the two, I prefer the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max ($999/£999), thanks lớn its ginormous screen and longer battery life.

The 5.8-inch iPhone XS ($899/£899) has all the same enhancements as its superkích thước sibling, including a fast A12 Bionic processor that blows away most Android phones, as well as improved cameras with Smart HDR và impressive bokeh controls.

To see how Apple"s 2018 iPhones compare, check out our iPhone XS vs iPhone XS Max vs iPhone XR face-off.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Cheat Sheet

The cameras are good, & the new Depth Control for portraits works well.The lachồng of USB-C fast charging out of the box for both phones is a bummer.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS price và deals

The iPhone XS starts at $899/£899 for 64GB of storage. We"d prefer the 128GB you get with the Galaxy Note 9"s base model. But you can upgrade to 256GB và 512GB on the iPhone XS for $1,049/£1,049 & $1,249/£1,249, respectively. The iPhone XS Max starts at $999/£999 for 64GB, và goes up to lớn $1,149/£1,149 for 256GB và a whopping $1,349/£1,349 for 512GB.

For our money, we would go for 256GB if possible. Opting for 512GB of storage will be overkill for most people when you factor in how much you can store in iCloud Storage.

When you break down the phone"s price to lớn monthly payments (available in the US only), the cost varies by carrier, but figure about $42 a month for the iPhone XS và $46 for the iPhone XS Max. Be sure khổng lồ check out our frequently updated best iPhone XS đơn hàng to make sure you get the best price.We"re also tracking the best Blaông xã Friday đơn hàng and best Cyber Monday giao dịch.

Design: Regular và Supersized

As someone who carried the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus for more than a year before moving on lớn the 5.8-inch iPhone X, the iPhone XS Max feels familiar in my hands & pocket. cảnh báo I didn"t say that it feels great. That"s because the iPhone XS Max is about the same form size as the largeriPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus while packing in a larger 6.5-inch display.

The good news is that you get more screen real estate in the same form size chassis as Apple"s Plus handsets, minus the bezels & trang chủ button. The bad news is that this is definitely not a skinny-jeans phone (not that anyone should ever wear them), & that you"ll need two hands khổng lồ use this 7.3-ounce behemoth comfortably. By comparison, Samsung"s Galaxy lưu ý 9 is a lighter 7.1 ounces but it"s also taller & a little bit thicker.

The 5.8-inch iPhone XS is better optimized for one-handed use, as it"s shorter and narrower than the iPhone XS Max while weighing a lighter 6.24 ounces.

Whichever iPhone mã sản phẩm you choose, it looks gorgeous in gold. I like the way the glass baông xã plays with ambient light to deliver different shades, while the shiny color-matched stainless steel adds a hint of bling. Apple says this phone has the most durable glass ever on a điện thoại thông minh, but we have not yet been able to kiểm tra that clayên ổn. (The iPhone X finished third the last time we tested smartphone durability.)

Early drop tests on the iPhone XS look promising, though. YouTuber TechSmartt dropped the handsets from pocket height, head height (6 feet) and while standing on a picnic table with arm extended, & Apple"s phones can through without cracking.

Extended warranty company SquareTrade gave sầu the iPhone XS a high breakability score following its drop tests, but it started at an unrealistic height of 6 feet.

Apple has upped the durability in another way, as the iPhone XS & XS Max are both IP68 rated for dust- & water-resistance. That means they can withstand being submerged in 2 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, compared with 1 meter of water for the same amount of time on the iP67-rated iPhone X & iPhone 8.

Display: The Max Steals the Show

Bigger & bolder than anything Apple has ever put in a phone, the iPhone XS Max"s OLED display is a sight to lớn behold. Not only is it ginormous at 6.5 inches, you can use split-view mode in various Apple apps, such as Mail và Calendar. The phone looks & feels more lượt thích a desktop. However, the Galaxy Note 9 can run two separate apps side by side, including third-tiệc nhỏ apps.

When Danny Rvà started running down the street with yellow and red neon lights toward a speeding truông xã, và then sheared off its front with a punch of his glowing Iron Fist, I felt lượt thích I was in Chinatown. I could make out all the creases in his yellow face mask, và the resulting sparks from the punch really popped.

The Super Retimãng cầu Displays on both of the new iPhones are searingly bright, with the iPhone XS" registering 611 nits on our light meter and the iPhone XS" Max hitting 606 nits. (The Galaxy chú ý 9"s 6.4-inch screen reached 604 nits.) Their OLED panels are pretty colorful, too, covering 123 percent of the sRGB color gamut. The lưu ý 9"s screen, however, reaches 224 percent.

The hues on the new iPhones" screens are more accurate, however, as they achieved a Delta-E rating of 0.25 và 0.22 for the XS & XS Max, respectively. A score of 0 is perfect. The Galaxy chú ý 9 fared slightly worse on this demo with a Delta-E rating of 0.34.

iPhone XS và iPhone XS Max Specs

	iPhone XS	iPhone XS Max
Starting Price	$999/£999	$1,099/£1,099
Processor	A12 Bionic	A12 Bionic
Screen	5.8-inch OLED (2436 x 1125 pixels)	6.5-inch OLED (2688 x 1242 pixels)
Storage	64GB, 256GB, 512GB	64GB, 256GB, 512GB
Face ID	Yes	Yes
Rear Camera	Dual 12MPhường wide (ƒ/1.8) and telephoto lớn (ƒ/2.4)	Dual 12MPhường wide (ƒ/1.8) và telepholớn (ƒ/2.4)
Front Camera	7MP., ƒ/2.2	7MP, ƒ/2.2
Battery Life	9:41	10:38
Metal Frame	Stainless steel	Stainless steel
Colors	Gold, Silver, Space Gray	Gold, Silver, Space Gray
Weight	6.2 ounces	7.3 ounces
Size	5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches	6.2 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches

Camera: Catching Up to lớn (& Sometimes Beating) Pixel 2

If there"s one area where the Apple needed to lớn improve sầu the iPhone, it"s the camera. Google"s Pixel 2 beat the iPhone X in our face-off, especially in low light. The iPhone XS & XS Max even the score with dual 12-MPhường cameras that have bigger và deeper pixels that let in up khổng lồ 50 percent more light without sacrificing sharpness.

Examine this photo lớn in a bar we shot on the iPhone XS, Pixel 2 XL & Galaxy Note 9. The chú ý 9"s shot is the most vibrant, but theiPhone X delivers stunning detail when you zoom in, allowing us lớn read the text on the bottles. Plus, the upper-left area of the image didn"t get blown out as it did on the other two phones.

The iPhone XS also benefits from a new Smart HDR mode, which Apple says takes advantage of faster sensors, an enhanced ISPhường and advanced algorithms lớn offer more highlights và shadow details in photos. I saw the improvement in shots lượt thích this, where I could see more of the eagle in the iPhone XS that got lost in the original iPhone X"s image.

In this shot of colorful cupcakes, the iPhone XS once again delivers more detail, especially when you zoom in to see the frosting và the sugar crystals. The Note 9"s shot is a cthua second because it"s simply brighter và a bit more inviting.

Click above sầu khổng lồ exp&

The iPhone XS now gives you Depth Control, so you can tweak the depth of field after you shoot. This worked extremely well when I captured this picture of my colleague Adam. Using a slider, I could adjust the blur effect so that I could see the trees & some passersby behind hyên ổn or make it so that I could see only hints of those objects.

Does the iPhone XS beat the Pixel 2 XL at portraits with its two rear cameras? Not quite. In this shot of my colleague Caitlin, the iPhone XS" picture looks a bit too warm, while the exposure on the Pixel 2 XL looks more natural given the lighting conditions. Plus, you can make out more detail in her hair and her face looks brighter. The chú ý 9"s shot looks great, but the left side of Caitlin"s face looks blown out.

The iPhone XS" camera is good at close-ups, too, but the Pixel 2 XL edged it out. While the iPhone captured a brighter phokhổng lồ of this yellow flower, Google"s camera let us see the specs in the leaves better, & the green leaves around it look more saturated.

Cliông xã above sầu khổng lồ exp&

In one more low-light kiểm tra, the iPhone XS took the brightest shot of this clock in Grand Central, và there"s less noise on the signs in the background as you zoom in. But the gold resonates more on the cloông chồng in both the photos from the Pixel 2 XL & the chú ý 9.

The 7-MP TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone XS and XS Max both benefit from the same advanced bokeh controls and Smart HDR. The Stage Light effect, which blacks out everything but your face, is still hit or miss. But I thought the Contour Lighting effect did its job without looking lượt thích too-heavy makeup.

Performance

The A12 Bionic processor is the first 7-nanometer chip in a phone, but what"s more important is what that enables. Apple claims that the two high-performance cores in this 6-core processor are up lớn 15 percent faster, & that the 4-core GPU is up to 50 percent faster.

Before we even get to the benchmark scores, it"s important lớn note that Face ID is faster on the iPhone XS và the iPhone XS Max than on the iPhone X. That"s because of improved algorithms in iOS 12 và the speedier A12 chip. It"s just a half-second difference or so, but it"s noticeable, and I appreciate being able to lớn unlock my phone faster than on last year"s iPhone X.

The iPhone XS & the iPhone XS Max also shined in other real-world tasks, such as đoạn phim editing. It took Apple"s phones just 39 seconds lớn transcode a 2-minute 4K clip to lớn 1080p. TheGalaxy S9 took 2:32, and theOnePlus 6 finished in 3:45.

How about opening apps? The iPhone XS took đôi mươi.8 seconds to lớn open Fortnite, 4.9 seconds for Pokémon Go & 6.17 seconds for the Asphalternative text 9 racing game. The lưu ý 9 was slower across the board at 35 seconds, 7.2 seconds and 9.1 seconds, respectively. The older iPhone X was also slower than the iPhone XS at 26, 7.2 và 10 seconds for the above apps.

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On Geekbench 4, which measures overall speed, the iPhone XS Max scored 11,515, while the iPhone XS hit a slightly lower 11,420. Those scores smoke the faskiểm tra Android phones around, including the Snapdragon 845-powered Galaxy lưu ý 9 (8,876) & the OnePlus 6 with 8GB of RAM (9,088).

To test graphics performance, we ran 3DMark Slingshot Extreme, & the iPhone XS Max scored 4,339 and the iPhone XS hit 4,244. Both of those numbers are below the Galaxy chú ý 9"s 4,639, but they"re a lot higher than the 2,227 turned in by the older iPhone X.

In a separate graphics benchmark that has a more intense workload, GFX Bench 5, the iPhone XS Max crushed the the Galaxy cảnh báo 9. Apple"s phone scored higher Aztec Ruins thử nghiệm (1,604.7 frames to lớn 851.7 frames) và on the Car Chase test (1,744.44 frames to lớn 1,103 frames).

Neural Engine and AR

The next-generation Neural Engine inside the A12 Bionic on the iPhone XS is now up to nine times faster than what the A11 offered, which can give sầu a sizable boost in augmented-reality apps. For instance, in the new elemenTao puzzle game, the iPhone XS Max was faster khổng lồ load the experience than on the iPhone X, and it was able khổng lồ scan for và place the virtual world on a table more quickly.

From there, I could zoom in on a landscape, complete with clouds, mountains và water, & use the wind & even bolts of lightning to move sầu a ball toward its goal. I also had a blast playing Smash Tanks, which allowed me khổng lồ fling tanks around slingshot-style. The graphics rendered smoothly even when there were big explosions.

I was also completely engrossed in the game when I tried shopping on the Magnolia Market website & pulled up a leather bag I could place right in front of me. I could make it bigger or smaller with pinch-to-zoom, and get up real cthảm bại to lớn see the stitching và zipper. Apple"s usdz file format makes this a reality.

I still think AR apps could be more compelling, though more are on the way using Apple"s ARKit 2.0. For instance, the HomeCourt ứng dụng leverages your iPhone"s camera khổng lồ show you how many basketball shots you make and miss during a given session, và a multiplayer Galaga game from Directive sầu Games that lets you and some friends shoot alien spaceships in the same room at the same time. It makes Head"s Up feel like Roông xã, Paper, Scissors.

Audio: Sweeter Stereo

The audio boost in the iPhone XS và iPhone XS Max is so good that you"ll think twice about connecting lớn a công nghệ Bluetooth không dây speaker. Apple says it widened the stereo sound to lớn deliver more detail, & I immediately appreciated the difference when I put the iPhone X và the iPhone XS side by side.

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When listening khổng lồ Imagine Dragon"s "What It Takes," Dan Reynolds" vocals sounded much more present on the iPhone XS . On the iPhone X, his voice seemed khổng lồ recede into lớn the background. The drums had more punch on the new phones, too.

Battery Life and Charging

Based on a teardown of the iPhone XS & XS Max, the iPhone XS packs a 2,658 mAh battery, which is smaller than the 2,716 battery in the iPhone X. The iPhone XS Max has a larger capađô thị of 3,174 mAh, based on regulatory filings.

The iPhone XS turned in a just-OK runtime of 9 hours & 41 minutes. That"s shorter than the iPhone X"s endurance, with that phone lasting 10 hours, 49 minutes when we tested it last year. When we retested the original iPhone X recently as part of our battery testing for the new phones, that time fell khổng lồ 9 hours, 51 minutes, which could be because the websites we use in our browsing thử nghiệm are using more Javascript và other code than before, putting áp lực on the phone"s bqttery.

While the iPhone XS supports faster wireless charging, Apple still doesn"t include what you need for fast wired charging in the box, even though every other Android phone maker does with its flagships.

So, if you want to lớn charge your iPhone XS or iPhone XS to 50 percent in 30 minutes, you"ll have to invest in a USB-C power briông xã ($49) & USB-C-to-Lightning cable ($20). Apple should have sầu made the switch khổng lồ native sầu USB-C with these iPhones or at the very least include an accessory.

Some iPhone XS & iPhone XS Max owners are reporting a bug where the phones will not charge when the devices are plugged in and the screen is off. However, a fix should be coming with the iOS 12.1 update.

iOS 12: New features added, including Apple News+, Apple Arcade và Apple TV+

iOS 12 has a lot of enhancements under the hood, but the one I appreciate most is Instant Tuning, which is, essentially, easier control over notifications. If you keep getting alerts from an tiện ích that you find annoying, you can disable them right from the Notification screen.

But I"m most excited by Siri Shortcuts, an phầm mềm that will let you accomplish multiple tasks (including those using third-các buổi tiệc nhỏ apps) with a single phrase. For instance, saying "I’m going home" could turn on your Nest thermostat, text "I’m coming home" to a loved one and open up the Maps ứng dụng to lớn provide directions.

iOS 12.1 brings several new features. These includes Group FaceTime, which allows you to lớn conduct video clip calls with up to 32 people. And there"s now Depth Control in real-time pĐánh Giá, which lets you adjust the bokeh effect in portraits as you"re shooting.

Dual SIM support is a welcome nâng cấp for travelers, professionals or anyone who wants khổng lồ use two phone numbers on the same iPhone. And there are 70 new emoji in iOS 12.

With iOS 12.2, the iPhone XS and XS offer access khổng lồ the new Apple News+, which lets you subscribe khổng lồ more than 300 magazines and The Wall Street Journal for $9.99 per month.

Other services coming soon include Arcade Plus for enjoying 100+ premium games per month for $9.99, Apple Channels (think Amazon Channels for iOS) & the premium Apple TV+ service this fall.

Gigabit LTE & Dual-SIM

The iPhone XS & XS Max now tư vấn Gigabit-class LTE, thanks to lớn a new enclosure that has additional antennas that enable what"s called 4x4 MIMO. The result was blazing speeds on T-Mobile"s network using the Speedtest.net tiện ích. Downloads reached as high as 103 Mbps on the iPhone XS and 96.9 Mbps on the iPhone XS Max. The iPhone XS Max averaged 58.2 down, and the iPhone XS averaged a faster 67.2 Mbps.

Uploads on the iPhone XS averaged 18.6 Mbps; the iPhone XS Max pulled ahead here with 25.4 Mbps. By comparison, the older iPhone X averaged just 15.5 Mbps down and under 6 Mbps uploads.

Third-party testing by SpeedSmart.net found similar LTE results, with the iPhone XS offering nearly double the download rates on some networks.

In side-by-side tests against the Galaxy cảnh báo 9, the iPhone XS Max delivered slower download speeds but slightly faster uploads. We ran Speedtest.net multiple times in three different locations in Thủ đô New York City, and the iPhone averaged 45 Mbps downloads và 21.8 Mbps uploads, compared to lớn 53.8 Mbps down & 18.6 Mbps up for the Galaxy.

iPhone XS & XS Max vs iPhone XR

I know what you"re thinking. Why spover $999 on the iPhone XS or $1,100 on the iPhone XS Max when you can get the 6.1-inch iPhone XR for just $750? There"s a very good case lớn be made for this more affordable option.

The iPhone XR offers many of the same top features as the iPhone XS and XS Max, including the same powerful A12 Bionic processor, great camera unique (including portraits) and Face ID. Plus, the iPhone XR lasted longer on our battery life thử nghiệm at 11 hours & 26 minutes, compared lớn 10:38 and 9:41 for the iPhone XS Max and XS.

Apple offers the iPhone XR in six colors, while the iPhone XS comes in three finishes.

On the other hvà, the XR"s LCD screen doesn"t offer the same black levels or wide viewing angles as the OLED panels on the iPhone XS or XS Max. You also don"t get two rear cameras on the iPhone XR for 2x optical zoom.

Bottom Line

The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are aao ước the best phones you can buy, & if you"ve been holding off on upgrading your iPhone 7 or iPhone 6s, either one of these handsets will feel lượt thích a huge leap forward. The cameras are miles better — especially in low light — and the A12 chip provides a big speed boost.

Between the two, I"d opt for the iPhone XS Max because of its bigger & more immersive 6.5-inch display & longer battery life, but the iPhone XS is the new iPhone khổng lồ get if you want something more one-hvà friendly.

If you"re deciding between iOS và Android, the $999/£899 Galaxy Note 9 is an excellent alternative sầu khổng lồ the iPhone XS Max, offering an even more colorful display, double the storage and the handy S-Pen. The Google Pixel 3 XL is the ikhuyến mãi choice if you want an even better camera than the iPhone XS along with a big display.

For those sticking with the iPhone, many will prefer the cheaper iPhone XR, which offers nearly all of the great features in the iPhone XS & iPhone XS Max for $749/£749. But if you want a superior OLED display, dual rear cameras & less bezel, I"d splurge on the iPhone XS Max for it"s even bigger screen.