A modest upgrade on a very good phone.
OUR VERDICT
Yes, the iPhone XS is the best phone Apple's ever created, but that's not really a surprise - it's the new one. The bigger question is: what's actually changed, given the design is so similar to last year? Well, the speakers are more powerful and 'wider' in sound, the camera has been enhanced with Smart HDR, the battery management is better and the chipset is far more powerful inside. These are all just tweaks though, and it's smart from Apple to remove the iPhone X from sale, as that would be a far more attractive option this year.
FOR
- Smart HDR helps the camera
- More powerful again
- Fast operation in the hand
- Smart HDR helps the camera
- More powerful again
- Fast operation in the hand
AGAINST
-
- Battery life not world-beating
- Design not altered in a year
- Still very expensive
- This is the iPhone XS – pronounced ‘10-S’, not ‘excess’ as you might think. It looks identical to last year's iPhone X, and you might think that not a lot has changed – but it’s inside where the differences lie.
-
This is a weird situation for a review; usually, when looking at an ‘S’ variant of an iPhone we’re asking the question of whether it’s better than the now-cheaper model from the previous year.
In 2018, however, Apple has made the choice to discontinue the iPhone X, so while we can draw comparisons they won’t help you make an informed choice (unless you can still pick one up while stocks last).
If you want the best iPhone Apple has created, the iPhone XS is surely it – but do the tweaks inside really justify the price tag, and are they enough to fend off the ever-improving competition?
There’s also the looming specter of the iPhone XR – it’s a more affordable version in many ways compared to the iPhone XS, but until we can test that in the future (it’s due out in October) it’s hard for us to say whether the iPhone XS is the best Apple handset for you.
- iPhone XS price and release date
- Battery life not world-beating
- Design not altered in a year
- Still very expensive
- This is the iPhone XS – pronounced ‘10-S’, not ‘excess’ as you might think. It looks identical to last year's iPhone X, and you might think that not a lot has changed – but it’s inside where the differences lie.
- This is a weird situation for a review; usually, when looking at an ‘S’ variant of an iPhone we’re asking the question of whether it’s better than the now-cheaper model from the previous year.In 2018, however, Apple has made the choice to discontinue the iPhone X, so while we can draw comparisons they won’t help you make an informed choice (unless you can still pick one up while stocks last).If you want the best iPhone Apple has created, the iPhone XS is surely it – but do the tweaks inside really justify the price tag, and are they enough to fend off the ever-improving competition?There’s also the looming specter of the iPhone XR – it’s a more affordable version in many ways compared to the iPhone XS, but until we can test that in the future (it’s due out in October) it’s hard for us to say whether the iPhone XS is the best Apple handset for you.
- iPhone XS price and release date
-
The iPhone XS is now available to pre-order in most countries around the world, with the handset going on sale globally from September 21 if you want to pick it up from a store.
- The iPhone XS is now available to pre-order in most countries around the world, with the handset going on sale globally from September 21 if you want to pick it up from a store.
