Apple finally released the company’s latest iconic iPhone models, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. Ever since the trillion-dollar worth company started making iPhones, a maximum of two models was released at least until the iPhone X came as the 10th-anniversary edition of the first iPhone. In their latest Keynote event, only the successor devices to iPhone X — iPhone XS & iPhone XR have unveiled and no replacement to the last year’s iPhone 8. If you are considering to buy any one of the latest Apple iPhone models, the most confusing models ate iPhone Xs and iPhone XR.
Here is a quick introduction for the new iPhone XS & iPhone XR and the specs comparison to help you in choosing the one which fits best to your budget.
Apple iPhone XS vs XR
The latest and the powerful iPhone flagship —iPhone XS needs a little bigger introduction in terms of its hardware and the newly added features. From the design perspective, the smartphone resembles the preceding iPhone X with the same beefy notch and the dual camera on the rear panel.
One of the biggest change is its CPU — Apple A12 Bionic 7nm chipset which is considered the first 7nm and most powerful smartphone chipset available today. The processor delivers a tremendous performance using its Neural Engine and real-time machine learning capability. It also puts together the company’s unique AR experience. The FaceID and other signature features are just the same as in the previous model.
Difference between iPhone XS & iPhone XR
Are you confused between buying the new Apple iPhone XS and XR? Here is a quick hardware comparison and feature difference between the premium flagship devices from Apple.
[table width=”100%” colwidth=”24%|38%|38%” colalign=”left|left|left”]
Specification | iPhone XS | iPhone XR
Display Size | 5.8″ | 6.1″
Display Type | Super Retina HD | Liquid Retina HD
HDR Display | Yes | No
3D Touch | Yes | No
Resolution (pixels) | 2436X1125 | 1792X828
PPI |458 PPI | 326 PPI
Contrast Ratio | 1,000,000:1 | 1,400:1
Rear Camera | Dual 12MP wide-angle & telephoto cameras | 12MP camera
Image Stabilization | Dual optical | Optical
Camera Optical Zoom | 2x Optical zoom | No
Camera Digital Zoom | 10x Digital Zoom | 5x Digital Zoom
Portrait Lighting Effect | Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono | Natural, Studio, Contour
Water Resistance | Rated IP68 (Max. 2 meters depth up to 30 minutes) | Rated IP67 (Max. 1-meter depth up to 30 minutes)
Battery | Lasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X | Lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus
Internet Use | Up to 12 hours | Up to 15 hours
Talk time (wireless) | Up to 20 hours | Up to 25 hours
Video Playback (wireless) | Up to 14 hours | Up to 16 hours
Audio Playback (wireless) | Up to 60 hours | Up to 65 hours
SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Wireless Charging | Yes | Yes
Capacity | 64GB,256GB,512GB | 64GB,128GB,512GB
Price | $999,$1149,$1349 | $749,$799,$899
Height | 5.65 inches (143.6 mm) | 5.94 inches (150.9 mm)
Width | 2.79 inches (70.9 mm) | 2.98 inches (75.7 mm)
Depth | 0.30 inch (7.7 mm) | 0.33 inch (8.3 mm)
Weight | 6.24 ounces (177 grams) | 6.84 ounces (194 grams)[/table]
The above table covered all of the differences between iPhone XS and XR. The rest of the specifications are the same and we removed from this table for the simplicity.
Camera (Wide angle & Optical zoom)
Considering the iPhone XR as a ‘budget-oriented’ device, Apple had implemented only a camera on the device, comparing with the other two devices they just launched. Unlike the previous launches, the iPhone XR lacks the optical zooming and wide-angle capability. The camera sensor got the same picture quality (12MP) as in the iPhone XS and XS Max.
The difference in the camera department also affects the rear panel design for both of the models. However, the iPhone XR looks more like the iPhone 8 launched last year whereas the iPhone XS has an iPhone X design reference. Both the iPhone devices come with the OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) for the sensor to avoid small shakes during video recording. But, the Optical Zoom feature in the iPhone XS and XS Max helps in improving the portrait mode photography and lossless manual zooming. Other features for the section is also similar but, the budget one does not also have the Stage, Stage Mono Portrait lighting options.
Related: Here is Complete List of iPhone Xs Cases & Accessories
Display (Super Vs Retina HD)
As usual, the company urges to call the display panels in their latest device “Retina display,” despite whether it is OLED or LCD. The ‘bigger’ model iPhone XS comes with an OLED panel (Super Retina HD) having 458 PPI pixel density and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. You can also get the 3D touch feature with iPhone XS, which most of the iOS apps support.
Also, iPhone XS Max has a 6.5-inch OLED display and it could be the only thing that keeps it different from the XS. On the other hand, we can get the iPhone XR with an LCD panel named “Liquid Retina Display.” The 6.1-inch sized panel is the biggest LCD panel Apple ever made so far. Still, it lacks performance in terms of resolution and contrast ratio compared with the iPhone XS.
Battery Capacity (5 Hours more talk time)
Apple has not yet released the battery capacity of any of the devices. Anyways, the iPhone XS is likely to last up to 30 minutes longer than old iPhone X. The biggest among these, iPhone XS Max has a 1.5 hour more extension than the iPhone X. Also, the iPhone XR is assured to last 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus. All the devices also support wireless charging with every Qi certified chargers, which are sold separately.
When you talk about real numbers instead of comparison between battery power, iPhone XS provide you 20 hours of talk time. iPhone XR is capable to bring few more hours of extra talk time, that is 25 hours of total talk time. The video playback time is 2 hours less than iPhone XR. iPhone XR offering up to 16 hours of video playback time in wireless.
Related: 8 Best Wireless Car Chargers for iPhone Xs and Android
iPhone Color (Match to your taste)
Apple announced the iPhone XS and XS Max in two color variants -silver, space gray and gold. Although, the company seems to be implementing the iPhone 5c color options directly into the iPhone XR phones too.
You can get the device in gorgeous color options including blue, white, black, yellow, coral, and Product Red. All the variants come with a premium glass back panel and a metal frame having the color as same as the glass body.
Dimensions & Weight
Apple made the latest devices distinct in the size and other dimensions including the weight. If we consider the previous scenarios and the usual market trends, the cheaper iPhone XR is supposed to smaller and lighter in size. But the things are opposite this time with iPhone XS and XR.
There is almost $250 price difference between the cheaper iPhone XR and the higher model XS. But the XR has a bigger body, having the dimension of 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm and weighs 194 grams (6.84 ounces). The “bigger” iPhone XS has a smaller body with 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm dimensions and 177 grams weight.
Water Resistance (IP68 vs IP67)
The IP68 certified water resistance in the Apple iPhone XS and XSM ax helps the smartphones withstand up to 30 minutes under 2-meter depth water pressure.
The iPhone XR has only IP67 water resistance certification which resists only up to 1-meter depth.
iPhone Xs Capacity
Both the models come in distinct storage space variants, starting at 64GB and extend up to 512GB of inbuilt storage space. Apple iPhone XS is the company’s first model to come with an internal storage range of 512GB. On the contrary, Samsung also introduced their first 512GB model Samsung Galaxy Note 9 last month.
The iPhone XS comes in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB variants, skips 128GB version. Also, iPhone XR skips the 512GB and comes with the maximum storage space of 256GB on the board. The base variant for iPhone XS with 64GB storage starts at US$999 while the higher variants are available at US$1,149 and US$1,349 for 256GB and 512GB variants respectively. Similarly, iPhone XR is available from US$749 (64GB) and extends to US$799 (128GB) and US$899 (256GB).
Price (Makes huge difference)
There is a significant price gap between the new iPhone models. You can get the ‘affordable’ iPhone XR for US$749. In case you want the dual-camera and super retina model, go for iPhone XS for an additional $250 bucks, starts pricing at US$999. The same model with a bigger screen and longer battery life, iPhone XS Max cost US$1099 for the 64GB model.
iPhone 8 was one of the best models Apple launched with iPhone X. If you want to go with iOS in your daily life and want to join Apple’s ecosystem, you can get iPhone 8 64Gb version for $599.00, that is not going to hurt your wallet.
iPhone XR (Budget iPhone)
Apple iPhone XR shares most of the hardware with the iPhone XS, except in the battery and display. Also, you get only a single camera sensor at the rear instead of the dual-lens setup on the former. Whilst the iPhone XS comes with a Super Retina HD display, the iPhone XR has a lower resolution, 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display. The most interesting fact about the new device is the color options. Apple makes available every fancy color options they had with the iPhone 5c back in 2013 – Red, Yellow, White, Coral, Black, and Blue.
Select between iPhone XS and iPhone XR
Simply speaking, the all-new Apple iPhone XS is an upgraded variant of the same old iPhone X with a powerful processor and more resources. The iPhone XR is the affordable, smaller one of the latter with even the same processor on the board. Additionally, the iPhone XS Max is just as the same as XS, but with a larger screen and battery.
If you are about to buy any of the new Apple iPhones, iPhone XS or XR, the article might have helped you make a decision by reading about the difference between the both. I would personally recommend the Apple iPhone XS over XR if you are looking for a great day-to-day companion as we could get a clearer display, excellent camera, and better battery capacity by paying an extra $250. iPhone XR will be your best bet if you are on tight budget, still, want to enjoy the Apple world.