Apple today announced three new iPhone models, and none of them have a home button. The 5.8-inch iPhone Xs improves upon iPhone X and keeps the same look and price. However, there’s now a new gold finish and 512 GB storage upgrade option. The 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max is the larger version of the Xs with an extra hour of battery life. The outer dimensions of Xs Max are about the same as iPhone 8 Plus, but the edge-to-edge display is the biggest screen ever in an iPhone. Finally, there’s the lowest-priced (mid-sized) 6.1-inch iPhone XR which forgoes some of the latest technology to save some cash. Nonetheless, iPhone XR is no slouch and outperforms all but the latest and highest-end smartphones from just about anyone.
“iPhone Xs is packed with next-generation technologies and is a huge step forward for the future of the smartphone. Everything is state of the art including the industry-first 7-nanometer A12 Bionic chip with 8-core Neural Engine, faster Face ID and an advanced dual camera system that shoots Portrait mode photos with Smart HDR and dynamic depth of field,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone Xs is not one, but two new iPhone models, and iPhone Xs Max offers the biggest display ever in an iPhone with the biggest battery ever in an iPhone, delivering up to an hour and a half more battery life in your day.”
“iPhone XR helps us reach even more people with the latest iPhone innovations. It is packed with the newest technologies including a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display that goes edge to edge, the latest TrueDepth camera with faster Face ID authentication, new 7-nanometer A12 Bionic chip with second generation Neural Engine and a 12-megapixel camera that takes advanced Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting photos,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPhone XR has a gorgeous new aerospace-grade aluminum and glass enclosure that has IP67 protection from liquids and dust, long all-day battery life and comes in six beautiful finishes. iPhone XR makes it possible for even more people to have the great experience of the latest iPhone X technology, in beautiful new designs, at a more affordable price.”
iPhone Xs (5.8″) & Xs Max (6.5″) Highlights:
- Edge-to-edge OLED screen 458 ppi
- 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- New Durable Glass
- New A12 Bionic chip
- New Dual SIM
- New 8-core Neural engine, 5T ops
- New Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
- Smart HDR camera processing combines zero shutter lag, highlight details, shadow detail
- Portrait Lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono)
- Better water protection IP68
- Wider stereo sound
- Up to 512GB storage
- Apps launch 30% faster
- ML 9x faster, 1/10 energy
- AR Quicklook
- Dual 12MP Camera
- Camera Sensor 2x faster
- Optical image stabilization
- Stereo recording
- All-new Depth Control
- Videos recorded in stereo sound
- 1.5 hour longer battery (XS Max), 30 min longer (XS) than previous model
- Bluetooth 5.0
- New Gold color, space gray or silver finishes
iPhone XR (6.1″) Highlights:
- Edge-to-edge LCD screen 326 ppi
- 1400:1 contrast ratio (not OLED)
- Haptic touch (not 3D touch)
- Same FaceID, A12 Bionic, Smart HDR, TrueDepth front camera, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 5.0 as XS
- Single 12MP rear camera w/ advanced bokeh depth control (no telephoto camera)
- Portrait Lighting with three effects (Natural, Studio, Contour)
- 1.5 hour longer battery (same as XS Max)
- IP67 water protection (same as X)
- Up to 256 GB storage
- More colors (red, white, blue, black, yellow, black)
- $250 less!
Xs & Xs Max Dual Cameras vs. XR Single Camera
Which one Should You Choose?
Choosing which 2018 iPhone model is right for you likely depends on your budget and your previous smartphone.
- iPhone 6, 7, 8 → Xs or XR
- iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus → Xs Max
- iPhone X → No compelling reason to upgrade unless you want bigger screen Xs Max
- Android phone → iPhone XR is the best value smartphone that Apple has ever offered!
iPhone XR is ideal for people that don’t use the camera as much and can live with less screen resolution. If you’re worried about screen resolution, just remember it’s the same resolution and contrast ratio dating back to iPhone 6 all the way through iPhone 8.
Price and Availability
iPhone Xs ($999) and iPhone Xs Max ($1099) will be available Friday, September 21, 2018 in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB capacity models in space gray, silver and a new gold finish starting at $999 (US) and $1,099, respectively
iPhone XR ($749) will be available Friday, October 26, 2018 in in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in white, black, blue, yellow, coral and (PRODUCT)RED.
Pre-orders start one week earlier for all models.
