Not sure which iPhone to choose from since the XS, XS Max and XR have lots of similarities.
We did a quick summary of what will be the same, regardless of which one you choose:
- Apple’s latest processor, the A12 Bionic, which includes a 6-core CPU, a 4-core GPU
- Apple’s latest operating system, iOS12
- 4K video capture
- 7-megapixel front camera with a wide-angle (ƒ/2.2 aperture) lens.
- Dual-SIM capability – able to hold a Nano-SIM and e-SIM
- No headphone jack
- No home button
And what are the differences?
1) Storage
Apple has added a larger storage to the two XS models as compared to XR.
- iPhone XS & XS Max:64GB/256GB/512GB
- iPhone XR:64GB/128GB/256GB
The iPhone XS models both maxes out at 512GB. The iPhone XR has the same 256GB that the iPhone 8 offered at the high end, but adds a new 128GB tier in the middle.
To be honest, I believe not much people need 512 GB of storage on their phones. I am only using 95 GB out of 128GB and I love to keep tons of photos and video on my phone and I have over 150 apps.
2) Power and Battery Life
The XS Max is iPhone biggest battery capacity at 3,179mAh. Apple’s technical specs for the XS Max claim it has up to 25 hours’ talk time, up to 13 hours’ Internet use and up to 15 hours’ video playback.
On the other hand, the iPhone XR has a lower battery capacity at 2,944 mAh but has a similar talk time up to 25 hours, up to 15 hours’ Internet use and up to 16 hours’ video playback.
The iPhone XS has the lowest battery capacity at 2,659mAh. It claims up to 20 hours’ talk time, up to 12 hours’ Internet use and up to 14 hours’ video playback.
Based on those estimates and capacities, the iPhone XR is the leader that offers the longest battery life although XS Max has the biggest battery capacity.
3) Rear Camera
The iPhone XS and XS Max have the same dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, with a wide-angle (ƒ/1.8 aperture) lens and telephoto (ƒ/2.4) aperture. The iPhone XR has a single 12-megapixel wide-angle (ƒ/1.8 aperture) sensor.
However, the biggest difference between them is that the dual lens give the iPhone XS and XS Max 2x optical zoom, and up to 10x digital zoom. The iPhone XR offers up to 5x digital zoom. In addition, XS and XS Max allows dual optical image stabilisation, unlike the XR with normal optimal image stabilisation.
The three iPhones offer Smart HDR features, which means greater detail, sharper action shots and colour in your photos. They give an improved Portrait Mode, with Apple’s Depth Control adjustment choice so you can adjust the depth of field after you shoot a portrait mode photo. You can also adjust this setting as you shoot. The XR’s Portrait mode is smart enough to tell whether you have a person in your photo. You might have a hard time trying to trick it into applying bokeh if they can’t detect a person.
XR has only three lighting effects: Natural, Studio and Contour. The XS and XS Max have Stage and Stage Mono, besides to those.
4) Design and Size
The iPhone XS Max is the largest and heaviest among the three phones weighing at 208g and measuring 157.5 by 77.4 by 7.7mm while XS is the smallest and lightest weighing at 177g and measuring 143.6 by 70.9 by 7.7mm. They make of recyclable stainless steel and comes in three colours options: Gold, space grey and silver.
Meanwhile, the iPhone XR is slightly lighter at 194g but is thicker than both XS devices at 8.3mm. They make of recyclable low-carbon aluminium and comes in six colours options: Black, white, yellow, red, blue, and coral.
5) Display
Although XR is the cheapest, it has a display size of 6.1 inches, in between the XS and XS Max display size. It sticks with an LCD liquid retina display offering a resolution of 1,792 by 828 pixels and a pixel density of 326 ppi.
The XS win by its super retina OLED screen with a resolution of 2,436 by 1,125 pixels. It has a pixel density of 458 ppi, the same as the XS Max.
Conclusion on which iPhone?
I will go for iPhone XR due to the longer battery life and more practical pricing. Although it has a lower resolution and display quality, it didn’t bother me much since I cannot tell much difference in the display.
To add on, XR is available in more vibrant colours as compared to XS.
However, those who are particular and does not want to miss a single feature (dual camera, OLED, resolution) may find themselves forced to pay the premium for the XS
For more information, you can visit Apple’s website.
