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
  • IW@
  • 29 Sep 2018

Anonymous, 29 Sep 2018Every phone can lag. OS don't matter.Correct. iOS just makes iPhones appear less laggy by using slow animation speeds/scroll speeds by default and preventing any iOS customization to enable increased scroll speeds and animation speeds. (Default speed is slow and you can only make it slower, not faster unlike androids). It's one of my pet peeves about iOS. Scrolling through contacts lists or settings list is irritatingly slow and doesn't respond proportionally to increased or longer swipe speeds. If it did, it would definitely stutter as it sometimes stutters even at default speeds especially when mobile data is on with auto updates ongoing and the browser is downloading files.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • mJw
    • 29 Sep 2018

    Anonymous, 29 Sep 2018Maybe, if you change the default iPhone animation (which is... moreEvery phone can lag. OS don't matter.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • IW@
      • 29 Sep 2018

      Realistic1, 29 Sep 2018But iOS will sure lag less than Android (whoever says other... moreMaybe, if you change the default iPhone animation (which is already irritatingly slow in default settings) to slow (which will actually become even slower). It's why Apple refuses to provide customization of animation and scroll speeds in iPhones. It wants to hide the fact that iPhones are a stuttery and laggy mess at higher animation and scroll speeds.

        Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018No lag? Well here in reality that doesnt exist. But iOS will sure lag less than Android (whoever says otherwise is a liar)

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • IW@
          • 29 Sep 2018

          Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018No lag? Well here in reality that doesnt exist. Yes, 100% lag free doesn't exist, more so in iPhones with overhyped bionic processors but with limited RAM and limited multitasking ability. So much for the fake news that iPhones don't lag or stutter like androids.

          Here's how to fix iPhone lags:
          https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/speed-up-slow-iphone-3463276/
          https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykarcz/2017/09/20/how-to-fix-lag-in-ios-11/#24d85a557fc5

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • IW@
            • 29 Sep 2018

            Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018Awesome. It was a YouTube one. It was benchmarks and tests ... moreYou're right. Those YouTube battery tests claiming iPhone batteries last longer are definitely not controlled scientific conditions. They are sponsored by Apple to highlight Apple's false claims that iPhones despite their small, puny batteries, can outperform Android phones with large 4000mAh batteries.

            Iphone XS, XS Max vs. Note 9, P20 Pro, Pixel, OnePlus 6:
            https://img.purch.com/tg-batterylife-sept18-iphonexs-jpg/o/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmJlc3RvZm1pY3JvLmNvbS81LzcvNzk5ODE5L29yaWdpbmFsL1RHX0JhdHRlcnlMaWZlX1NlcHQxOF9pUGhvbmVYUy5qcGc=

            Tom's guide tends to be biased towards iPhones but still, they mentioned if you want excellent battery life, you go with android phones with large batteries. In Tom's controlled battery endurance tests, they are using the phone's 4G LTE mobile data (different from GSMArena's outdated battery endurance tests which still use WIFI testing with all LTE radios off).

            I tend to rely more on Tom's Guide on battery performance and longevity despite it being a site biased towards Apple because its battery endurance tests are more reliable than GSMArena's battery endurance ratings. I mean people don't buy flagship Gigabit LTE phones just to turn them off and use WIFI instead.

            Based on Tom's Guide, all recent Android phones with 4000mAh batteries should be waaay better in real world longevity than those overpriced iphones which frankly, have only the bionic processor to brag about.

            Here's Tom's Guide's list of the best battery life phones for HEAVY mobile data use:
            https://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphones-best-battery-life,review-2857.html

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 4QP
              • 28 Sep 2018

              Realistic1, 28 Sep 2018Fluid means no lag. And easy to use means everything being ... moreNo lag? Well here in reality that doesnt exist.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • 4QP
                • 28 Sep 2018

                Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018Really? :) Under standardized lab conditions? Or under Appl... moreAwesome. It was a YouTube one. It was benchmarks and tests to run the batteries down.
                Not scientific I'm sure.

                  Neural engine: 5 trillion ops/sec up from 600 billion.

                    That's: 120 hz touch sensing.

                      Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018Fluid and easy to use? Wow!!! Offseasons half the price are... moreFluid means no lag. And easy to use means everything being simple. Except iTunes... iTunes are baaad....

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • sxs
                        • 28 Sep 2018

                        Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018Actually yes. A run test showed that the new iPhones actual... moreReally? :) Under standardized lab conditions? Or under Apple sponsored, non-standardized pseudo-battery tests you find in YouTube? Please read the link below before you claim the puny 3174mAh iPhone XS Max battery can 'shockingly' outperform the Galaxy Note 9's 4000mAh battery longevity. Note thay the tests below are done based on equal screen brightness and using mobile data, which is what users actually do on their phones most of the time (browsing/Facebook/YouTube)!
                        https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-iphone-xs-max-battery-life,review-5773.html
                        There. So much for your 'shocking claim' that small iphone batteries can outperform Samsung Note 9's large 4000mAh battery.

                          Kaloyan, 26 Sep 2018Yes, it was on iOS 12.Thanks. Yes, the EXIF data in the photos confirms this.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • vjw
                            • 28 Sep 2018

                            Xs will never reach XZ3's "popularity" at this rate.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • yAJ
                              • 28 Sep 2018

                              No thank you...

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 4QP
                                • 28 Sep 2018

                                Realistic1, 27 Sep 2018This is why I like my iPhone so much despite being dated. I... moreFluid and easy to use? Wow!!! Offseasons half the price are fluid and easy to use too!! In fact if all you do is text and Facebook they are both simple. Buy for settings and organization android is still ahead. Though apple did organize iOS again some.
                                Great job though. Hope that placebo of some mythical fluidness and ease of use for double the cost pays off

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • I8m
                                  • 28 Sep 2018

                                  Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018How many android fans came to the comment section without c... moreLol a11 had better benchmarks because better bursts.
                                  But in actual usage throttles much more heavily and is less efficient.
                                  S845 is a much better chip for longevity and efficiency with much less throttle. And much better network connectivity.
                                  And yes the a12 actually comes a little closer to the hype for once....or so it seems so far. And a lot of that is thanks to the move to 7nm which other chips will be there very shortly....and may just as well throttle less and be more efficient again.
                                  We shall see.

                                  And you mean calling out the truth??
                                  Or how apple users are all over every page of the internet proclaiming their superiority??

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • I8m
                                    • 28 Sep 2018

                                    Anonymous, 28 Sep 2018Wow, that's some convoluted logic! Does your iPhone XS ... moreActually yes. A run test showed that the new iPhones actually have good battery life. Not just standby. For once.
                                    Actually lasted longer than note 9 with it set to full screen resolution.
                                    Shocking i know

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • I8m
                                      • 28 Sep 2018

                                      Wow. So apple users finally get to experience standard features from the past 2 to 10 years.
                                      Good battery life, a true premium display, better ram, stereo audio recording, less throttled performance and good efficiency, a more stable OS build.
                                      Just to get old normal features though the prices are more insane than ever.
                                      Congratulations

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

                                        Kaloyan, 27 Sep 2018I am the reviewer and I know what I wrote and it's exactly ... moreYou mean the shape... that's a bit limited, truly. And notched refers to any shape around the front camera's speakers etc. and in that respect the notch was not copied by Android from Apple as Apple didn't start the notch approach, they followed on from what Essential did, just with a different shape. So Android couldn't carry on with something that wasn't even started by Apple.