Apple iPhone XS
Specs
General
| Device Type | Apple Iphone |
| Model | A2097, A1920, A2100, A2098 |
| Announced | 12 September, 2018 |
| Released | 21 October, 2018 |
| Status | Discontinued |
Design
| Water Resistant | Water resistant (up to 30 minutes in a depth of 2 meter), IP68 |
| Dimensions | 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm |
| Weight | 177 g |
| Protection | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Colors | Space Gray, Silver, Gold |
Display
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor) | Super Retina OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM) |
| Size | 5.8 inches (14.73 cm) |
| Resolution | 1125x2436 px (FHD+) |
| Display Colors Display Colors is refers to the number of different shades of colors that the screen is capable of displaying => 64K colors, 256K colors and 16 million colors, Obviously 16M is highest available range of colors and better than others. | 16M colors |
| Pixel Density Pixel Density (PPI) is refers to the concentration of pixels on a particular display, measured in pixels per inch (ppi). Pixel density is calculated by dividing the diagonal pixel resolution of a display by its diagonal size, higher pixel density better display quality. | 463 ppi |
| Touch Screen | 3D Touch Touchscreen, Multi-touch |
| Display Protection Display Protection => Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind. | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Features |
Dolby Vision/HDR10 compliant, Wide color gamut display, 3D Touch display, True-tone display, 120 Hz touch-sensing Front/back glass + stainless steel frame, IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 mins), Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified), Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Siri natural language commands and dictation, iCloud cloud service |
| Secondary Display | No |
Camera
| Front Camera | 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) |
| Camera Setup | Double |
| Main Camera Camera is able to capture photographs and usually videos, The most important characteristics of a camera are the resolution (measured in megapixels), lens focus type (fixed or automatic), higher megapixel cameras are known to capture higher quality photos, but not always a good measurement of the photos quality. |
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom |
| Image | 4000 x 3000 Pixels |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Camera Features | f/1.8 & f/2.4, phase detection, OIS, 2x optical zoom, Geo-tagging, simultaneous 4K video and 8MP image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR (photo/panorama), Video (2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps) |
| Flash Flash Light => There is commonly two types of flash lights are used in camera mobile phones, LED Flash (LED flash offers lower power consumption with drive circuitry that takes up very little room, LEDs can be strobed faster than any other light source), Xenon Flash (xenon flash produces an extremely intense full-spectrum white light for a very short duration) | Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
Hardware
| Operating System OS => Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device. | IOS 12 |
| Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming. | Apple A12 Bionic |
| CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone. | Hexa Core (2.49 GHz, Dual core, Vortex + 1.52 GHz, Quad core, Tempest) |
| Architecture | 64 bit |
| Fabrication | 7 nm |
| GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. | Apple GPU (four-core graphics) |
| RAM (Memory) RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly from random locations. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computer systems, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices. | 4 GB |
| Internal Storage Internal Storage is a data storage space (flash memory) mostly used in smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices where operating system, apps, music, photos, videos, files and other user data Is stored. | 64/256/512GB Built-in |
| Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras. | |
| Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device. | Accelerometer, Barometer, Compass, Gyro, Proximity |
Network
| SIM TYPE SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. | Nano SIM |
| SIM Technology | Single SIM |
| 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G Network | LTE |
Multimedia
| FM Radio | |
| Stereo Speakers | YES |
| Loudspeaker | YES |
| Audio Jack | Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter |
Connectivity
| Wi-fi Wi-Fi is a popular wireless networking technology using radio waves to provide high-speed network connections that allows devices to communicate without cords or cables, Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming the preferred mode of internet connectivity all over the world. | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices. | v5.0 with A2DP, LE |
| GPS GPS The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio navigation system, GPS permits users to determine their position, velocity and the time 24 hours a day, in all weather, anywhere in the world, In order to locate your position, your device or GPS receiver must have a clear view of the sky. | Yes + A-GPS support & Glonass |
| USB | 2.0, proprietary reversible connector |
| EDGE EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a wireless network technology generally considered the next step in the 2G network offers data transfer rates up to four times faster than ordinary GSM networks, Generally, EDGE is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection. | |
| GPRS GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications (GSM), Generally, GPRS is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection. | |
| Speed | 3G (HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps), 4G (LTE-A (4CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps) |
| Wi-fi Hotspot | |
| NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches. |
Features
| Messaging | iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email |
| Web Browser Web Browser => a web browser is a software application used to locate, retrieve and display content on the World Wide Web, including Web pages, images, video and other files, The primary function of a web browser is to render HTML, the code used to design or markup webpages. | HTML5 (Safari) |
| Games | Built-in + Downloadable |
| Torch |
Battery
| Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. | Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) |
| Capacity Battery Capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain conditions. | 2658 mAh |
| Placement | Non-removable |
| Wireless Charging Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging) uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which can then use that energy to charge batteries or run the device. | Yes |
| Extra |
Fast battery charging: 50% in 30 min Qi wireless charging |
Introduction:
The Apple iPhone XS, released in September 2018, was a follow-up to the groundbreaking iPhone X. It continued the all-screen design and advanced features introduced by its predecessor, while also offering improvements in performance, camera quality, and durability. The iPhone XS was aimed at users who wanted a premium smartphone experience with cutting-edge technology, packaged in a sleek and compact design.
Specifications at a Glance
- Display: 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED (2436 x 1125 pixels, 458 ppi)
- Processor: Apple A12 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage Options: 64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
- Rear Cameras: Dual 12 MP (wide-angle f/1.8 and telephoto f/2.4) with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- Front Camera: 7 MP TrueDepth camera (f/2.2)
- Battery: 2,658 mAh
- Water and Dust Resistance: IP68 rating
- Operating System: Originally iOS 12, upgradable to iOS 16
- Audio: Stereo speakers, Lightning port (no headphone jack)
- Dimensions: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
- Weight: 177 grams
Design and Build Quality
The iPhone XS builds on the design language of the iPhone X, offering a refined and polished appearance with improved durability.
Aesthetics:
- All-Screen Design: The iPhone XS maintains the nearly bezel-less design with a 5.8-inch OLED display. The notch at the top remains, housing the TrueDepth camera system for Face ID.
- Stainless Steel Frame: The polished stainless steel frame continues to add a premium feel and increased durability.
- Glass Back: The device features a glass back, which supports wireless charging and gives the phone a luxurious appearance.
- Color Options:
- Space Gray: A sleek and modern look with a dark frame.
- Silver: A bright and clean finish with a contrasting white front bezel.
- Gold: A new option with a warm, elegant tone that adds a touch of luxury.
Durability:
- IP68 Rating: The iPhone XS offers improved water and dust resistance compared to the iPhone X, with the ability to withstand submersion in up to 2 meters of water for 30 minutes.
- Glass Durability: The glass on both the front and back is more durable than in previous models, though it remains susceptible to cracking if dropped. A case is recommended for protection.
No Home Button:
- Gesture-Based Navigation: As with the iPhone X, the iPhone XS relies on swipe gestures for navigation, with no physical home button.
- Face ID: Face ID has been improved with faster recognition speeds and better performance in different lighting conditions.
Ergonomics:
- Compact Design: The iPhone XS is compact and easy to handle, making it comfortable to use with one hand despite its large display.
- Button Placement: The buttons are well-placed for easy access, with the elongated Side button on the right and volume controls on the left.
Overall, the iPhone XS offers a refined design with a focus on durability and premium aesthetics. It retains the sleek, modern look of the iPhone X while introducing new color options and improved water resistance.
Display
Specifications:
- Size: 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED Display
- Resolution: 2436 x 1125 pixels (458 ppi)
- Panel Type: OLED
- Color Gamut: Wide color (P3)
- True Tone: Adjusts display color temperature based on ambient lighting
- HDR Support: HDR10 and Dolby Vision support for enhanced video playback
- 3D Touch: Pressure-sensitive technology for added functionality
Performance:
- Clarity and Sharpness: The Super Retina display continues to impress with its high pixel density, offering sharp and detailed visuals for text, images, and videos.
- Color Accuracy: The wide color gamut and True Tone technology ensure vibrant and accurate colors, with True Tone adjusting the display’s color balance for a more natural viewing experience in various lighting conditions.
- Brightness and Contrast: The OLED panel delivers deep blacks and high contrast ratios, enhancing the viewing experience, especially for HDR content. The display is bright enough to be easily viewable in direct sunlight.
- HDR Content: The iPhone XS supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, providing richer colors and deeper contrast when watching compatible videos.
Limitations:
- Notch: The notch remains a divisive design element, as it can interrupt the display, particularly when viewing full-screen content.
In summary, the Apple iPhone XS’s display offers an exceptional viewing experience with its high resolution, vibrant colors, and deep blacks, making it one of the best screens available on a smartphone.
Performance
Hardware:
- Processor: Apple A12 Bionic chip with six cores (two high-performance and four energy-efficient)
- RAM: 4 GB
Performance Evaluation:
- Speed and Responsiveness: The A12 Bionic chip is a powerhouse, delivering fast and efficient performance across all tasks, from everyday usage to intensive gaming and multitasking.
- Gaming: The iPhone XS excels in gaming, with the A12 Bionic’s custom GPU handling even the most graphically demanding games with ease.
- Energy Efficiency: The A12’s 7-nanometer architecture improves energy efficiency, allowing for better battery life without sacrificing performance.
- AR Capabilities: The iPhone XS is optimized for augmented reality, offering smooth and immersive AR experiences through ARKit 2.
Benchmark Scores:
- Geekbench 4: The iPhone XS scored around 4,800 (single-core) and 11,500 (multi-core) at launch, placing it among the fastest smartphones available.
Considerations:
- RAM Capacity: The 4 GB of RAM ensures smooth multitasking and app performance, with fewer apps needing to reload in the background compared to its predecessor.
- Longevity: The A12 Bionic chip ensures that the iPhone XS will remain fast and responsive, even with future iOS updates.
Overall, the Apple iPhone XS offers outstanding performance, capable of handling any task you throw at it, making it a future-proof device for years to come.
Camera
The Apple iPhone XS features an improved dual-camera system, offering enhanced photography capabilities compared to the iPhone X.
Rear Cameras:
- Primary Lens: 12 MP wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture
- Secondary Lens: 12 MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture
- Optical Image Stabilization (OIS): Yes, on both lenses
- 2x Optical Zoom: Provided by the telephoto lens
- Quad-LED True Tone Flash: Provides even lighting in low-light conditions
Front Camera:
- Resolution: 7 MP TrueDepth camera
- Aperture: f/2.2
- Features: Auto HDR, Retina Flash for well-lit selfies, Portrait Mode with Portrait Lighting
Camera Performance:
- Image Quality:
- Daylight: The Apple iPhone XS captures sharp, detailed photos with accurate colors and excellent dynamic range. The Smart HDR feature enhances photos by combining multiple exposures for better detail and color accuracy.
- Low Light: The wide f/1.8 aperture and dual OIS significantly improve low-light performance, reducing noise and improving sharpness in darker environments.
- Portrait Mode: Portrait photography is enhanced with more refined bokeh effects and the ability to adjust the depth of field after taking a photo using the Depth Control feature.
- Video Recording:
- 4K at 60 fps: The Apple iPhone XS can record 4K videos at 60 frames per second, delivering smooth, high-resolution footage.
- 1080p at 240 fps: Slow-motion recording at 1080p and 240 fps allows for high-quality slow-motion videos.
- Stabilization: The dual OIS ensures stable video recording, even in challenging conditions.
- Audio Recording: Stereo sound recording adds depth and clarity to videos.
Camera App Features:
- Smart HDR: Combines multiple frames into one, improving dynamic range and capturing more detail in both highlights and shadows.
- Depth Control: Allows users to adjust the depth of field in portrait photos after they’ve been taken.
- Animoji and Memoji: The TrueDepth camera enables animated emojis (Animoji) and personalized avatars (Memoji) that mimic the user’s facial expressions.
Comparative Analysis:
- Against Predecessors: The Apple iPhone XS’s camera system offers noticeable improvements over the iPhone X, particularly with the introduction of Smart HDR and enhanced portrait photography.
- Against Modern Smartphones: While still competitive, the Apple iPhone XS lacks some advanced features found in newer models, such as night mode and ultra-wide lenses.
Conclusion: The Apple iPhone XS’s camera system is versatile and capable of producing high-quality photos and videos, with significant improvements in low-light performance and dynamic range.
Battery Life
Specifications:
- Battery Capacity: 2,658 mAh
- Charging Methods: Qi wireless charging, Fast charging (50% in 30 minutes with compatible charger), Lightning cable
Battery Performance:
- Daily Usage: The Apple iPhone XS’s battery is sufficient for a full day of moderate use, including browsing, social media, and occasional gaming or video streaming.
- Heavy Usage: With more intensive tasks, such as extended gaming or video streaming, the battery may require a top-up towards the evening.
- Standby Time: The device performs well in standby mode, with minimal battery drain when not in use.
Charging Options:
- Wireless Charging: The iPhone XS supports Qi-standard wireless charging, allowing for convenient charging without cables.
- Fast Charging: With a compatible charger, the iPhone XS can charge up to 50% in about 30 minutes, though the necessary charger is sold separately.
- Lightning Cable: Traditional charging via the Lightning cable remains the primary method, with a full charge typically taking around 2-2.5 hours.
Battery Longevity:
- Degradation: As with most smartphones, the Apple iPhone XS’s battery life will degrade over time, though iOS includes features like Battery Health to help monitor the battery’s condition.
- Battery Replacement: Apple offers a battery replacement service, which may be necessary as the device ages.
Considerations:
- Battery Size: The battery is smaller compared to newer models, which may affect longevity, especially for heavy users.
- Battery Life Management: iOS includes features to optimize battery life, but heavy users may still find the battery life somewhat limiting over time.
Conclusion: The Apple iPhone XS offers decent battery life for most users, with the convenience of wireless and fast charging options. However, heavy users may find themselves needing to charge more frequently, especially as the device ages.
Software
Operating System:
- Original OS: iOS 12
- Upgradability: Supports updates up to iOS 16, ensuring continued functionality and access to new features.
User Experience:
- iOS Ecosystem: The Apple iPhone XS integrates seamlessly with other Apple products and services, providing a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
- Performance Over Time: The A12 Bionic chip handles iOS updates well, maintaining smooth performance even with the latest software.
- App Compatibility: The device remains compatible with the vast majority of apps on the App Store, though some newer features may not be fully supported.
Software Features:
- Face ID: The improved facial recognition system provides a secure and convenient way to unlock the device and authenticate purchases.
- Animoji: The TrueDepth camera enables animated emojis (Animoji) that mimic the user’s facial expressions, adding a fun element to messaging.
- Augmented Reality: ARKit allows for immersive augmented reality experiences, leveraging the A12 Bionic chip’s capabilities.
- Apple Services: Access to Apple Pay, iCloud, and other services enhances the device’s utility.
Future-Proofing:
- Software Support: Although still receiving updates, the Apple iPhone XS may soon reach the end of its software support lifecycle, potentially missing out on future iOS features.
Conclusion: The Apple iPhone XS offers a robust software experience with continued support, though it may begin to show its age as newer iOS versions are released. The integration with Apple’s ecosystem and new features like Face ID and AR make it a forward-thinking device, even years after its release.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Refined Design: The stainless steel frame and improved durability make the iPhone XS feel more premium and resilient.
- Face ID Improvements: Faster and more reliable facial recognition enhances the security and convenience of the device.
- Exceptional Display: The Super Retina OLED display offers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast, perfect for multimedia consumption.
- Solid Performance: The A12 Bionic chip delivers fast and efficient performance, ensuring smooth operation even with demanding tasks.
- Improved Cameras: The dual-camera system with Smart HDR and better low-light performance makes the Apple iPhone XS a capable photography device.
- Wireless and Fast Charging: The inclusion of Qi wireless charging and fast charging capabilities brings the Apple iPhone XS in line with modern charging standards.
- IP68 Water Resistance: Enhanced water and dust resistance make the Apple iPhone XS more durable in various environments.
Cons:
- Expensive: The Apple iPhone XS was a premium device at launch, and its price may still be a consideration for those purchasing second-hand or refurbished units.
- No Headphone Jack: The absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack requires the use of wireless or Lightning-compatible headphones.
- Fragility: Despite its improved durability, the glass back and front are still susceptible to cracking if dropped.
- Battery Life: While adequate, the battery life may fall short for heavy users, particularly as the device ages.
- Notch: The notch, while necessary for Face ID, can be distracting when viewing full-screen content.
- Limited Camera Features: Lacks some advanced features found in newer iPhones, such as ultra-wide and night mode photography.
Conclusion
The Apple iPhone XS is a refined and powerful smartphone that builds on the innovations introduced by the iPhone X. With its premium design, outstanding display, and top-notch performance, it offers a high-end experience for users who value quality and attention to detail. The improvements in Face ID, camera performance, and water resistance make it a compelling choice for those seeking a reliable and feature-rich device.
However, the Apple iPhone XS does come with some drawbacks, such as its high price, limited battery life, and the absence of a headphone jack. Additionally, while the camera system is excellent, it lacks some of the more advanced features found in newer models.
In summary, the Apple iPhone XS remains a strong contender in the smartphone market, particularly for those who appreciate Apple’s ecosystem and the device’s overall design and performance. It is a solid investment for users who prioritize quality, though those looking for the latest and greatest features may want to consider newer models.
Review
Disclaimer Note
All prices in Pakistan is updated daily from the price list provided by local shops and dealers but we can not guarantee that the information / price on this page is 100% correct (Human error is possible), always visit your local shop for exact cell phone cost & rate.
