Apple iPhone XS review

25 Sept 2018
Same. But different. And yet the same. The iPhones are masters at being that, especially the S series. What Apple obviously can't do is come up with clever names. Worse, the XS may as well go down in history as the worst labeled phone ever. Two letters but one is a Roman numeral. What could go wrong?

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • gBV
  • 26 Sep 2018

Portrait mode depth is extremely unrealistic. Gsmarena, why do you ignore that?

    • C
    • Chick
    • pu8
    • 26 Sep 2018

    DD, 26 Sep 2018They always release an 'S' version after the regular one. 5... moreNo 7S, 8S...

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 043
      • 26 Sep 2018

      Mikeonline, 26 Sep 2018Note 9 is much better than any iPhone or any smartphone on ... moreI think the review clearly stated that the XS is the best phone on the planet, and when both are unreasonably expensive at € 1000, the reasonable part is to spend that money on the newer, better phone and not on one with half-a-year old technology.

        Note 9 is much better than any iPhone or any smartphone on the planet but it's still Android and we all know Google's mission to take and misuse everyone's personal info,, samsung can't do much about it because google will keep musing the information that's why I've no option except buying an iPhone XS max and I'm sure same is the case for many

          Geric.770, 26 Sep 2018Well, let them buy what they want. It's not our money. It's... moreActually every earned money is money of someone else...and the spend money then again is someone elses money. If you don't believe me: what are banks? The most valueable "companies" in this world right? Companies that produce nothing! They don't own or produce money but lend money of people to other people, try to get more money with lend money of customers, that again is money of someone else...money is a bit like energy only much more volatile.
          I don't care for how people spend money, but I care for those people supporting apple's monopoly and therefore Im in for those people not getting more of my earned money.

            AnonD-476622, 26 Sep 2018to the reviewer, the Android gang didnt copy the notch from... moreIt's the notch approach, not the notch itself -as said in the review. Do you see the Essential or the iPhone's notch on the Nokia 5.1 Plus/ 6.1 Plus, LG G7 Fin/One/Thinq, Motorola One, Huawei P20/P20 Pro, Honor 10/8x/9N/Play, Xiaomi Pocophone/MiA2 Lite/Mi 8/8 SE, Oppo F7/R15, OnePlus 6? Right...

              Just 74 hours battery endurance rating? No, thanks. I don't want to carry a powerbank all the time. My colleague bought an iPhone X (2017) recently and he keeps a powerbank on him all the time because his super-expensive phone (he's still paying monthly EMIs for it) has a below-average battery life. My manager has a Note 8 and I have a Realme 1, and both of these phones have a superior battery life compared to the iPhone. For that amount of money, you can easily get the latest Note 9 which really has everything you could ask for in a smartphone and more (S Pen). The Note 9 also has excellent batery life.

                • B
                • Bob
                • H8B
                • 26 Sep 2018

                iPhone X, 8 and 7 all had the same jack adapter but performed slightly different.

                I expected an audio test on the XS aswell.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • KhD
                  • 26 Sep 2018

                  Wow, very good battery life. Too good to be true. Like a small power bank and last every long, which can't match its real value. What a masterpiece! Must be the King of all smartphones. Must be the gift from Heaven! Fans are very joyous and happy about the battery life!

                    • Y
                    • Yann
                    • stv
                    • 26 Sep 2018

                    Nick Tagataka, 26 Sep 2018P20 Pro still performs great in daylight, but it simply can... moreI think that camera comparison is not comparison of simalar processing and technology, but best results.
                    There is BIG difference in low light photography between P20 Pro and all other phones. I don't care that sensor is bigger. For me the final result is most important. No matter CPU power, the results speak for them self.

                      • f
                      • f m
                      • rJY
                      • 26 Sep 2018

                      In India,64 GB xs max is around $1550.But Samsung Note 9 is just $925. Also those pre order received Galaxy Gear sport watch in India.my question is it worth to pay $625 more for apple product than Samsung.in my opinion Apple iPhone xs max good product but huge over priced.

                        Yann, 26 Sep 2018@gsmarena: Why you compare iPhone with Pixel in low light p... moreP20 Pro still performs great in daylight, but it simply cannot match the significantly faster CPU + ISP as well as more mature software processing of iPhone XS so it'll end up losing in most situations as long as the scenes are well lit. In low light P20 Pro excels thanks to the large sensor, but honestly gaps are closing in now and many phones are doing great at night even with smaller sensors. Besides, P20 Pro is technically 0.5 generation behind this new iPhone so it would be much fairer to compare it to Mate 20 Pro which is expected to arrive within a few weeks.
                        Pixel's camera is also much closer to iPhone XS' because of similar processing style and exactly the same sensor + lens setup, hence more suitable for the comparison.

                          AnonD-476622, 26 Sep 2018to the reviewer, the Android gang didnt copy the notch from... moreLG V10 anyone?

                            • D
                            • AnonD-476622
                            • yuq
                            • 26 Sep 2018

                            to the reviewer, the Android gang didnt copy the notch from Apple! The Essential Phone was the first notch phone, months before the iPhone X...

                              Geric.770, 26 Sep 2018Well, let them buy what they want. It's not our money. It's... moreBut still, the iPHONE XS is a great smartphone by all means, even though it is pricier than most high-end flagships out there. The software isn't a pain in the ass already, the problem lies in the price, they've opted for a slow charger and removed the 3.5mm headphone jack adapter. Yes, they are indeed luxurious, but they decided to skimp on accessories in the box, which made me doubt if it's worth the price. First they removed the essentials from their phones, then they skimp on accessories. Comparing to other brands that kept the essentials with more accessories, it's priced a little too high. Okay, camera's better on the Apple, but not by a big margin, even if their cost of sales is high the selling price is a little too high. I suggest Apple to lower the prices, and add a manual mode in the camera, it's most probably one of the features I really hope Apple can add in their camera app in iOS

                                • D
                                • Don't buy this shit
                                • rJc
                                • 26 Sep 2018

                                Its to expensive with normal features, other brands are selling same features in 50k

                                  Kiyasuriin, 26 Sep 2018that's crApple for you. :PDayum son

                                    xXENDER FREAKXx, 26 Sep 2018Saving money with Tim Crook 101 xDWell, let them buy what they want. It's not our money. It's their money. ;)

                                      Geric.770, 26 Sep 2018Because they don't want to decrease their prices unlike Sam... moreSaving money with Tim Crook 101 xD

                                        Yes iPhones top the performance charts.
                                        However, how much of that is up to the OS, and how much is the chipset, we can't know.
                                        It will most likely mean the best gaming experience though, unless there is throttling or benchmark cheats involved.
                                        On typical usage, transition effects, and RAM buffering, and prediction of user behaviour, could actually effect the speed in such a way that the best benching chip+OS might not feel the fastest to use.

                                        Apple may or may not have the best chipsets.
                                        We don't know.
                                        What they do have are chart topping phones that can't be denied.