Apple iPhone XS

The Apple iPhone XS is the modest update of the iPhone X with which Apple introduced an entirely new design in 2017. Not to be disrespectful but 2018/2019 is a -s year where it is mainly about speed improvement. What the iPhone XS is capable of, we will explain in this description.

More or less the same numbers as last year

First some numbers. The iPhone XS, which you officially pronounce "ten -s", comes with a 5.8-inch Super Retina HD screen from the extra bright OLED. There's still a notch at the top, the challenged notch, containing facial recognition. Face ID has become a lot faster on the iPhone XS. It's protected by tougher glass, the toughest glass Apple has ever placed on a phone. The case is still made of stainless steel, but this time it's more water resistant. Its IP68 rating means the XS can survive up to 30 minutes at a depth of 2 meters. The cameras all get the same resolution and also the lenses are the same on paper. However, there are differences, which we will explain later.

A12 Bionic

The biggest innovation with the iPhone XS is not visible, because it is deep inside the device. We're talking about the A12 Bionic. This chip, developed by Apple itself, is the beating heart and the most powerful one Apple has ever made. It makes apps start up faster, up to 30% faster, games run smoother and more possibilities are added. We can explain that this is a 7 nanometer chip with 50% more economical hexa-core CPU and 50% faster quad-core GPU, but at the end of the day it's all about what you can do with it. Apple uses that extra processing power mainly in the camera and gaming. So Face ID recognizes your face faster and unlocks your iPhone sooner. Augmented Reality is also much faster and memoji's are more accurate because more points of your face can be scanned.

Main Apple iPhone XS specifications

• Super Retina OLED screen of 5.8-inch high-contrast
• Higher IP68 rated water and dust resistant housing
• Powerful Apple A12 Bionic processor provides extra processing power
• Double 12 megapixel camera with Smart HDR and adjustable bokeh
• 7 MP TrueDepth-selfiecam with enhanced video stabilization and Portrait Lighting
• Dual SIM support thanks to eSIM
• Available in 64, 256 and 512GB of memory
• Providing faster gigabit 4G internet

Better photos due to more processing power

Despite the fact that Apple equips the iPhone XS with the same dual 12 megapixel camera at the back and 7 megapixel camera at the front, improvements have been made. This is partly due to the use of a larger and faster sensor, but mainly due to the clever application of the extra processing power of the A12 Bionic. The extra calculations, up to one trillion per photo, results in a technique that Apple calls 'Smart HDR'. Shadows and light are captured separately and brought together in one photo. What's new is the ability to adjust sharpness/depth settings afterwards so you can blur the background more or less. This so-called bokeh delivers professional-looking portrait photos. You can also shoot these with the selfie camera and add Portrait Lighting which produces studio-like photos. For example, you can filter out the background and replace it with black, called stage light. With the selfie camera, you can also shoot memoji, replacing your face with a selection of emojis.

Pro and cons Apple iPhone XS

• Better weather resistance
• Faster Face ID recognition
• A12 Bionic chip for more speed and features
• Better photos thanks to A12 Bionic processing power

• Very modest upgrade