Published on September 29th, 2018 | by Biplab Das

A Bunch of iPhones: The XS, The XS Max and The XR

Each time Apple launches a new device, I think about their previous generation devices which gets a price cut soon after. So, this year I’m thinking about the iPhone 6S (just kidding LOL!). Before diving into the Apple world, I want you to remember one thing: clear your dues off your credit cards, because you will be needing it shortly.

Apple’s slogan is “think different”. When I think about it now, I feel like they mean it this time. I think this time Apple has played the game differently.

This year you will find a bunch of iPhones: iPhone XR, XS and XS Max.

Yeah, it sounds like Motorola’s Play, Plus and regular variants. Same specs but different camera module and storage variants.

I’m starting with the iPhone XR. Apple is calling the XR an affordable device, ironically starting at $749. The look and feel is the same as last year’s iPhone X with no fingerprint sensor, a third-quarter cut notch above the display, same hardware but slightly upgraded Face ID and no headphone jack.

Talking about such specs are common. Let’s move on to something different.

I’m pretty excited for the chipset. Finally, Apple has made the world’s first 7nm fabrication in the A12 chipset. It has a six-core CPU with two “performance” cores and four “efficiency” cores, a four-core GPU, and an updated Neural Engine, a special part of the chip designed to handle AI tasks.

The last year’s A11 Chip had a two-core Neural Engine. The A12 Bionic upgraded into eight cores. And it can handle 5 trillion operations per second. On the other side, Huawei unveiled the 7nm Kirin 980 recently but that won’t ship until October.

From the camera side, each phone has the same camera hardware but the XR lacks a secondary lens. All phones have 12MP f/1.8 aperture camera and are equipped with new software and capable of smart HDR and the best color reproduction in low light.

Moreover, the secondary lenses on the XS and XS max have a 12-megapixel telephoto secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture. It has the same features such as dual optical image stabilization, 2x optical zoom, digital zoom up to 10x, wide color capture for photos and Live Photos, Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono), and Smart HDR for photos.

And the front camera is a 7-megapixel f/2.2 sensor, the camera system used for selfies, Face ID, Animoji, and Memoji is the same across all three new iPhones.

From the storage side, all the device comes with a good amount of storage with different price variants.

The iPhone XR comes in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB inbuilt storage variants. The iPhone XS and XS Max comes with 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB inbuilt storage options.

The iPhone XR gets 1.5 hours more battery life compared to the iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone XS gets 30 minutes more battery life compared to the iPhone X and the iPhone XS Max gets 1.5 hours more battery life compared to the iPhone X.

Apple claimed that every device’s battery will reach 50 percent in 30 minutes of charging. Also, every device comes with wireless charging support.

The iPhone XS and XS Max is IP68 certified for water resistance of up to 2 meters for up to 30 minutes, whereas the XR is IP67 certified.

The price of iPhone XS in India has been set at ₹99,900 for the 64GB variant, while the 256GB and 512GB models will cost ₹1,14,900 and ₹1,34,900. The same three storage variants of the iPhone XS Max will be available for ₹1,09,900, ₹1,24,900, and ₹1,44,900 respectively.

The US pricing of the iPhone XS was announced as $999 (roughly ₹71,800) for the 64GB variant, $1,249 (roughly ₹89,800) for the 256GB variant, and $1,449 (₹1,04,200) for the 512GB variant. Additionally, the iPhone XS Max was announced with a price tag of $1,099 (roughly ₹79,000) for the 64GB variant, $1,249 (roughly ₹89,800) for the 256GB variant, and $1,449 (₹1,04,200) for the 512GB variant.

Notably, the iPhone XS and XS Max will be available for pre-orders starting September 14. Meanwhile, they will become available in India from September 28.

Apple’s iPhone XR, on the other hand, has been priced in India at ₹76,900 for the 64GB storage variant, ₹81,900 for the 128GB model, and ₹91,900 for the 256GB variant. You will be able to pre-order the iPhone XR starting October 19, but its shipments will start from October 26.

So, you might not find iPhones so affordable despite Apple saying “The XR is so affordable”. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Tags: Apple, bunch, iPhone, XR, XS, XS Max

About the Author

Biplab Das My name is Biplab Das. I’m a writer, sometimes a tech YouTuber, blogger, ICT tutor and a part time website developer whose childhood obsession with science fiction never quite faded. A quarter-century later, the technology that I coveted as a kid is woven into the fabric of everyday life. I’ve spent the past years to learn these technologies, People say smartphones are boring these days, but I think everyone is beginning to take this wonderful technology marvel for granted.