The 3 best and worst features of the iPhone XS and XS Max
Apple unveiled its annual updated iPhones yesterday, showing off three models that weren’t groundbreaking as far as developments in hardware or design considering they’re standard S upgrades, but they do shake up Apple’s lineup in significant ways. For one, the iPhone X is gone entirely, as are older iPhone models with headphone jacks. In its place is the new iPhone XS, a slightly superior version of the bezel-less smartphone Apple first released for $999 last year. And now, there’s an even larger version — the iPhone XS Max — that has an eye-popping 6.5-inch display, which is Apple’s largest ever.
Complicating the conversation is the third phone that was announced yesterday: the iPhone XR. That device comes in six bright colors, including a Project RED version and a canary yellow one. It also has all of the same internal components as its pricier variants and a bezel-less display. But from a price standpoint, it’s designed to replace last year’s iPhone 8. The two big trade-offs you make are in the display quality — the XR has an LCD display instead of an OLED one — and in the camera, which is a single-lens system instead of the iPhone XS’s dual-lens system that was carried over from last year’s model.
The choice isn’t an easy one. Both the XS and XR involve some trade-offs and compromises, and understanding which elements of Apple’s priciest devices you like or dislike will help you make a more informed decision on which model is for you. We’ve broken down some of the flagship XS model’s best features, as well as some of its biggest drawbacks, so you can decide if it’s time to jump in with the XS / XS Max or if it’s worth going for the more colorful and cheaper XR.