iPhone Xs Max

Apple iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max: What’s your take?

Apple launched 3 new iPhones ranging from the mainstream replacement for the iPhone X, the iPhone Xs & Xs Max along with the new iPhone XR, earlier this month. Apple also announced the all-new thinner, lighter Apple Watch 4 with a built-in ECG and a lot of other cool features.

Apple has decided to go with the iPhone X design and discontinued some of the old models like the iPhone 6s. The new iPhone Xs & Xs Max  will be available in 64GB, 256GB & 512GB storage variants while the iPhone XR will come in 64GB, 128GB & 256GB storage variant.

Apple also announced that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max are now available in India and you can order the devices from Flipkart. The iPhones never comes cheap, talking about the prices of the new iPhones, the iPhone Xs starts at Rs 99,900 while the iPhone Xs Max starts at Rs 1,09,900 for the basic variant. While the iPhone XR will be launched on October 19.

iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max

iPhone Xs
Apple iPhone Xs & Xs Max

iPhone Xs Max is all about its massive, beautiful screen which is easily better than any other top-notch smartphones in the market. At 6.5-inch the screen is slightly larger than the Samsung’s flagship business phone the Galaxy Note 9, which has a 6.4-inch display. However, the iPhone Xs Max is slightly wider than the Note 9 which makes it difficult to operate with a single hand.

Apple’s biggest achievement is that the company has somehow managed to squeeze a larger display in a compact body. The Apple iPhone Xs Max is a big phone, but at 7.7mm thickness it is thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 which is 8.8mm thick.

As mentioned earlier, the iPhone Xs Max is wider and shorter than most of the phones in the market which makes it very difficult to operate with one hand. The phone does look and feel premium but the stainless steel round edges do not offer a good grip to the phone. In our review, the iPhone Xs seemed much more usable to us as the glass and metal sandwich will definitely break if it falls. The iPhone Xs share the same specifications as of the Xs Max except for the display size. Let’s have a look at the spec sheet below:

  • Display: 5.8-inch & 6.5-inch with HDR OLED Super Retina Display.
  • Colours: Available in 3 colors Space Gray, Gold and Silver.
  • 12MP dual cameras with a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens.
  • Front-facing Cameras: 7MP camera is equipped with portrait mode and depth mode.
  • Processor: A12 Bionic, the first 7nm processor with a promise to launch the apps 30% faster than the older models.
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Software: iOS 12 software.
  • Storage Options: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
  • Protection: IP68 water & dust resistant.
  • Dual-SIM card support through eSIM technology.
  • Face ID to unlock the device.
  • 3D Touch pressure-sensitive screen.
  • Battery: The iPhone Xs should last 30 minutes longer than iPhone X while the iPhone Xs Max claims a 1.5hrs longer battery life than the iPhone X.

Camera

apple iphone xs
iPhone Xs Max

The new iPhones come with improved image sensors and algorithms but with the same setup of two 12MP cameras, one wide angle and one with an effective 2x zoom. 

The outcome is improved low-light performance, which comes close to some of the rivals like Samsung and Huawei but is not good enough to beat them. The device also comes with an improved HDR mode which is now on by default. It helps in dealing with high-contrast scenes while capturing bright areas. 

The cameras now take better portraits and Bokeh mode allows you to adjust the amount of blur. Thus, using the front-facing camera is fun with the new iPhone.

To sum it all up, the camera on iPhone Xs Max good and better than last years iPhone X. But when it is compared with the top of the line smartphones like Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 2 XL.

Face ID

Face ID is the only biometric security system on Apple’s new iPhones. It is as good as the last years iPhone X, but was’nt any faster. Those wearing glasses or sunglasses will still have issues with it.

Final Verdict

The iPhone Xs Max is big, beautiful and expensive. Its primary selling point is the enormous screen which is only useful in watching videos or viewing photos.

When the iPhone X was released, we loved the compact design and handling of the device. But the iPhone Xs Max is heavy, bigger and bulkier to use and keep in your pocket. However, the camera is good with a decent battery life it also features wireless charging and a myriad of other features.

We would have loved to see an additional fingerprint sensor on the device as the Face ID has its own limitations. Apple does not bundle any fast charger with the device even after paying a hefty amount for the device. The device oozes opulence in a way the other smartphones don’t. Beware, if you drop it, you might shatter the front and back glass of the device.

Giri Raj
Giri Raj

Technology enthusiast, part-time blogger, technical writer, and reviewer, MUSic is a basic necessity.✌