IPhone XS review: half a year with the forgotten flagship
The iPhone XS is Apple’s flagship smartphone that still hasn’t been dumped from the Olympus of premium devices. I have been using this device for half a year and I can fully describe its important features. What is so remarkable about the iPhone XS and whether it is worth buying it in 2021 – read this article.
Why is the iPhone XS forgotten?
The iPhone XS lasted about a year on the market. Released in 2018, the smartphone was withdrawn from sale immediately after the announcement of the 11 Pro. Because of what the XS seemed to stay between two fires. On the one hand, people were looking at the cheaper iPhone XR. On the other hand, it doesn’t have much of what the more expensive 11 Pro offers.
In my opinion, it was from this that the XS stood apart and quickly dropped in price. Now the smartphone is being sold for 50-52 thousand rubles. Despite its tough fate, the iPhone XS is still good and can compete with Android flagships. Not in all respects, but still. What interesting things have I noticed about the iPhone XS after six months of use?
Recognizable and impractical appearance
The design of the iPhone XS is almost identical to the usual “top ten”. The base of the body is a steel frame. This is both a plus and a minus. The advantages of this solution include the incredible strength of the steel. Thus, falling to the ends of the smartphone is not terrible. Of the minuses is the coverage. It scratches easily, and if you wear the device without a case, the appearance will quickly become messy.
Having seen several such devices, I immediately hid my XS in a case from UAG. Who wants full protection against falls – what you need. However, without a case, the smartphone is obviously not the most practical in everyday life. Not only does the frame get scratched, but the front and back glasses are also vulnerable.
The back surface is completely glossy, which means that prints are collected just instantly. In this case, the white color of the smartphone saves: prints and scratches are the least visible on it. In addition, the iPhone XS is available in Gold and Space Gray.
The screen is still one of the best
The display of the iPhone XS is also worth noting. The smartphone has a 5.8-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2436 by 1125 pixels. The screen is really good, one of the best on the market. The color rendition is natural, the viewing angles are maximum. iPhone XS is the last Apple smartphone to support 3D Touch pressure sensing technology.
Not to say that the function is very necessary, but sometimes it comes in handy. Also, the smartphone was stuffed with other technologies. Among them is True Tone, which adjusts the white balance to the ambient light. But like any OLED, the iPhone XS has a time bomb – burnout. I haven’t been bothered by this yet, but I think in a couple of years the first signs of afterimage will start to appear.
Cameras: when 2 is better than 4
By 2020 standards, the iPhone XS camera is downright underdeveloped. Only 2 lenses, the resolution of which is only 12 megapixels. In fact, these 2 modules are in many ways better than those offered by competitors from the Android world, where there are 4 cameras. The main sensor has an aperture of f / 1.8 and takes very good pictures. Considering that the smartphone has Smart HDR, which noticeably pulls the details out of the shadows. There is no night shooting, but you can shoot in low light conditions using the Neural Cam app. Works much the same as the iPhone 11 Pro.
The second camera is an f / 2.4 telephoto lens. This module is needed to create a blurred background and optical double zoom. In general, it works tolerably well even by the standards of 2020.
Memory, performance and autonomy
The center of everything in the smartphone is the A12 Bionic processor. He competently manages all processes and almost never failed. Any task for the iPhone XS is doable. So far, I do not find such programs that would make the smartphone think. I think the lifecycle of the A12 Bionic is about 5 years.
The operative memory also plays an important role in the speed of the device. Here its 4 GB, which seems small by the standards of the same Android world. But in fact, this volume is more than enough for everyday life. Persistent storage can be 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB in size.
The iPhone XS battery is relatively small at only 2,658mAh. Although with moderate use, the smartphone lasts for a whole day of use. There is also support for 15 watt fast charging. Unfortunately, there is no corresponding power supply included in the package.
Is it worth it in 2021?
In my opinion, the iPhone XS is still worth buying for personal use only in one case – if you want a compact smartphone with good equipment. Nevertheless, in some aspects, the iPhone XS is gradually losing to its competitors on Android, which may also be cheaper.