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Everything you need to know to ensure you get the perfect iphone for your needs
We take an in-depth look at Apple’s brand-new range of iphones, including the Xs, Xs Max and XR
As Apple fans we get treated multiple times throughout the year with stunning new product announcements. The keynotes themselves are grand affairs that have become so big it’s hard to comprehend how tech companies drummed up marketing to support their latest launches before. Apple does this better than anyone, and September’s event was no different. We saw not one, not two, but three new iphones launched. Great news indeed, but which iphone should be top of your list? That’s where we come in, to digest all the news and tell you exactly what it means for you. We’ll look at key differentiators to help making that torturous buying process just that little bit easier. Let’s start with the iphone Xs…
The iphone Xs range comes in two options – the standard Xs at 5.8 inches and the flagship Xs Plus at a whopping
6.5 inches. The display is the biggest differentiator here. You get the same Super Retina custom OLED display but the performance benefits from the Xs Plus are marked. The display resolution is obviously greater and, perhaps significantly, battery performance is a notch above standard Xs too. Inside, the Xs is packed with the type of cutting-edge features and specs that you’d expect.
“iphone Xs is packed with nextgeneration technologies and is a huge step forward for the future of the smartphone,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Everything is state of the art including the industry-first 7-nanometer A12 Bionic chip with 8-core Neural Engine, faster Face ID and an advanced dual camera system that shoots Portrait mode photos with Smart HDR and dynamic depth of field. iphone Xs Max offers the biggest display ever in an
iphone with the biggest battery ever in an iphone, delivering up to an hour and a half more battery life in your day.”
This is ultimately Apple’s best-ever – and most expensive – iphone, but is this different enough from the original iphone X? That’s a question to ask yourselves. Note there is a new 512GB storage option (that’s a serious amount of storage) and a gold colour choice to be had. It is also available to buy in store and online right now and stock levels are good, which is important to an Apple fan who wants the latest and greatest and doesn’t want to have to wait.
Budget beauty
Perhaps we are actually most excited by the iphone XR. This is essentially the long-awaited follow-up to the iphone
SE, Apple’s much-celebrated ‘budget’ smartphone. While the SE mimicked a previous generation for its design, the XR takes all its cues from the latest-gen X range. It looks amazing and performance is just as you would expect from a brand-new iphone. The only caveats are a single rearfacing camera (so no advanced shooting) and it doesn’t sport the new OLED displays – you’ll have to put up with the LCD option, but that isn’t a deal-breaker for us. But it does have a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display that you won’t find anywhere else, Faceid authentication, the new A12 Bionic chip and Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting
“iphone Xs Max offers the biggest display ever in an iphone with the biggest battery ever”
photos capability. And the best bit? You’re looking at saving in advance of £250+ on the Xs range. All in all, the XR makes a great case to be your next iphone. Just a shame you’ll have to wait until October 26 for its launch – a whole month after the Xs iphones are released.
“iphone XR helps us reach even more people with the latest iphone innovations,” says Schiller. “The XR has a gorgeous new aerospace-grade aluminium and glass enclosure that has IP67 protection from liquids and dust, long all-day battery life and comes in six beautiful finishes. iphone XR makes it possible for even more people to have the great experience of the latest iphone X technology, in beautiful new designs, at a more affordable price.”
As always, the technology has improved greatly over the past 12 months, but that shouldn’t rule the iphone 8 range – or even the iphone 7 – out of consideration. The most studious among us will have already noted that these are where the great deals are to be had. Phone companies heavily discount older ranges when the brand-new ones come out, so if you’re after a bargain or you’re not wowed by September’s iphone launches, then you could do a lot worse than pick up an iphone 8 or 7 – still brilliant smartphones, but lacking a bit of cutting-edge now.