That's not to say it isn't impressive, and useful, new hardware in the iPhone XS, but most of the benefits won't be instantly discernible to the average user. FaceTime calling requires a FaceTime-enabled device for the caller and recipient and a Wi‑Fi connection. Availability over a mobile network depends on network provider policies; data charges may apply.

core, Graphics Performance - Upto 50% Faster than A11 Bionic, Metal 2 Optimised, 3D, Graphics-intensive Gameplay, Faster and More Fluid Testing conducted by Apple in August 2017 using pre-production iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus units and software, and in August 2018 using pre-production iPhone X S, iPhone X S Max and iPhone X R units and software, with accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720, 29W Model A1540, 30W Model A1882, 61W Model A1718 and 87W Model A1719). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2019 using pre-production iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720, 29W Model A1540, 30W Model A1882, 61W Model A1947 and 87W Model A1719). Testing conducted by Apple in February 2020 using pre-production iPhone SE (2nd generation) units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720 and 30W Model A1882). Testing conducted by Apple in September 2020 using pre-production iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2021 using pre-production iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in February 2022 using pre-production iPhone SE (3rd generation) units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2022 using pre-production iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Testing conducted by Apple in August 2023 using pre-production iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max units and software and accessory Apple USB‑C Power Adapter (20W Model A2305). Fast-charge testing conducted with drained iPhone units. Charge time varies with settings and environmental factors; actual results will vary. For the first time in years, there is one iPhone model for North America. That means any iPhone bought will work on any US or Canadian carrier, unlike with previous models, where AT&T and T-Mobile phones often had trouble with Sprint and Verizon. It's worth noting that this is the first iPhone to support T-Mobile's new Band 71, for rural coverage, and the first iPhone to support LAA, for additional speed in dense urban settings on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. On the front, the XS has a sharp 7-megapixel camera that also allows you to adjust bokeh after the fact, thanks to the infrared depth sensors used for Face ID. A Unique OS Front Camera - 1080p HD Video Recording at 30 fps or 60 fps, Extended Dynamic Range for Video at 30 fps, 4K Video Upto 60 fps

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max embody Apple’s continuing environmental progress. They are designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact: I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I've reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also write a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsess about phones and networks. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2018 using preproduction iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max units and software and accessory Apple USB-C Power Adapters (18W Model A1720, 29W Model A1540, 30W Model A1882, 61W Model A1718, 87W Model A1719). Fast-charge testing conducted with drained iPhone units. Charge time varies with environmental factors; actual results will vary. The iPhone XS and XS Max use the same dual-lens rear camera system. Last year, when the 8 Plus and X were announced, Apple made a big deal about a larger image sensor. Our testing, along with iFixit's X-rays, showed that, if the sensor was indeed larger, it was only minimally so. Globally, there are four different regional versions of the XS, with slightly different LTE bands. They'll all roam globally, but they're each best for primary use in the countries where they're sold. (We have a full rundown of the differences here.)

The iPhone XS, of course, runs iOS 12. We have a full review of iOS 12 that's long and in depth. In short, some of the big advances over iOS 11 are useful content controls and screen-time monitoring for parents and to prevent device overuse; in general, faster performance in almost everything; and (perpetually) improved augmented reality capabilities. The biggest disappointment is Siri, which really falls down in capabilities and comprehension compared with Google Assistant. You shouldn't worry too much about its high ISO performance, as the iPhone automatically switches to the brighter, wider lens and applies digital zoom in dim light. If you use a third-party camera app you can force the phone to use the 2x lens in any sort of light. We used the Moment app for testing as it supports Raw capture and manual ISO control, both of which are missing from Apple's baked-in Camera app. Handset, EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation The most impressive part of the new processor is the hardest to test. Apple has massively improved the Neural Engine, a part of the chip dedicated to AI and machine learning tasks (basically, matrix math), bumping it from two cores to eight. Standard benchmarks don't tend to test NPUs, so we turned to AIMark, a dedicated benchmark for things like object identification in scenes. The results were stunning: The XS got 3,320, triple the 1,206 score of the Galaxy Note 9. If anyone can figure out what to use the Neural Engine for, it'll really set the XS apart.English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

AAC-LC, HE-AAC, HE-AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3) and Audible (Formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX and AAX+) The iPhone XS display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less). Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant 3Read our Product Environmental Reports for detailed information on the environmental performance of every Apple product.

It adds a 'smart layer' to proceedings, allowing the handset to recognize things on the screen, whether that's appending an Animoji to your head in real time during a FaceTime call, or working out what's needed to improve the quality of a photo as you're taking it. Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately) 6 The phone's 2,659mAh battery is slightly smaller than the iPhone X's 2,716mAh cell, but the XS more than makes up for the gap with a more power-efficient processor and radio. Especially on LTE, 4x4 MIMO really reduces the amount of power needed to eke out a signal. Unfortunately, my battery tests haven't completed yet, but I got 9 hours, 50 minutes of video streaming over Wi-Fi with the iPhone XS Max, and Apple says the XS has slightly less battery life. That puts it in full-day range, but short of the Galaxy Note 9. I'll update this review when I have a battery result. The display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.42 inches (iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 mini), 5.85 inches (iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone X S, iPhone X), 6.06 inches (iPhone 14, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone X R), 6.12 inches (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15, iPhone 14 Pro), 6.46 inches (iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone X S Max), 6.68 inches (iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max) or 6.69 inches (iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro Max) diagonally. Actual viewable area is less. Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes 9with 18W adapter or higher (available separately)It’s a more complex decision, so we ran the iPhone XR color quandry by professional color consultant Katy Kelleher when the XR debuted, and she pointed to the both “fun and neutral” Blue XR as not only the color she’d choose for herself, but as the most “diplomatic” selection anyone could make with respect to the six. That speed improvement is easy to feel within the phone, as the iPhone XS is one of the snappiest handsets we've ever tapped our way through. Apple's new A12 processor is, CPU-wise, the fastest handheld device processor available. It scores about 15 percent better than the A11 did on Geekbench benchmarks, which measure hard-core CPU math. It just crushes the Snapdragon 845 on Geekbench, although on the more realistic Antutu benchmark, which tests UI elements too, it's only about 6 percent faster than the Galaxy Note 9. The iPhone XS is a great leap forward from the iPhone 8 and X in LTE capabilities. The key is 4x4 MIMO, which uses four antennas rather than two to improve signal strength and speeds. We'll test that further in the weeks to come, but in our experience with other devices, 4x4 has had very dramatic effects on LTE performance. Take a look at the charts in our Fastest Mobile Networks story comparing iPhones with Galaxy phones and notice that even the Galaxy S8 was, on average, faster than the iPhone X: That's 4x4 MIMO.