Since September, you can buy three new phones from Apple, namely the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. The last two models are the successor of the iPhone X, which appeared last year, the XR is the smaller and cheaper brother. Are you looking for the flagship of Apple, then you will end up with the iPhone X or the XS. Which one should you have?
The iPhone XS and XS Max are therefore the answer to the iPhone X and belong to the top segment of phones that Apple now has on offer. The Cupertino company would prefer that you choose the XS immediately and withdrew the X from production a year after its launch. But Apple came back to that later, when sales of the latest iPhones were disappointing.
Prices compared
From a price point of view, the iPhone X is the most interesting choice. If you look a bit well, you can purchase this device for approximately 880 euros, while the last iPhone XS is sold for no less than 1,159 euros. An essential difference, but do you also get a better device for the higher price tag?
To get straight to the point: the XS has a better processor, camera and a nicer screen compared to its predecessor, but you should not expect really major innovations. The iPhone XS Max has a larger 6.5-inch screen, but otherwise the specifications are roughly the same as the XS. You also pay significantly more for the larger screen (at least 100 euros extra).
Where the iPhone X scores some points on the battery capacity. The iPhone XS has a capacity of 2658 mAh, while the iPhone X has a higher capacity of 2716 mAh. Slightly better, but to be honest not a world of difference. Incidentally, the battery life of the latest iPhones remains significantly less than the 3500 to 4000 mAh that many other good smartphones have.
Conclusion
Due to the better processor, camera and nicer screen, the iPhone XS remains a better phone, although the differences with the X are quite minimal. As we wrote in the review of the XS, the price of this smartphone is in no way commensurate with what you get in return. The price is so high that the XS is not recommended.
Precisely because of the arrival of the XS, the X has become cheaper and therefore more interesting. The iPhone X is in itself a phenomenal device with a beautiful display and a beautiful design. And now that the price has dropped nicely, the X is therefore preferred over the new model.
Why no comparison with the XR?
In this article we do not put the new iPhone XR next to the yardstick, because the device seems to target a different target group than the more expensive XS and X. Buyers of the XR especially like ease of use, want a long battery life and no fuss. For example, the XR has no dual camera and no OLED screen. In fact, the screen panel does not even have a full-HD resolution, which has been the common standard for smartphones for years. We already concluded in our review that the high price tag of the XR is problematic, making the iPhone X a much more logical purchase.
