Apple iPhone Xs Review

October 22, 2018 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

Announced in September 2018, the iPhone XS (and iPhone XS Max) made its debut roughly a year after the iPhone X.

It represents a fairly modest update from its predecessor, but in terms of the camera there has been some interesting improvements. Both models use the same camera, but the XS Max offers a larger screen size. For this review we have been using the standard iPhone XS.

The iPhone XS uses a dual 12 megapixel cameras, with one wide angle lens and one telephoto lens. It can record 4K video up to 60fps, and includes shooting modes including “Portrait” which can be used to create shallow depth of field effects.

A 5.8-inch Super Retina HD screen is found on the iPhone XS, with other interesting specifications including a new processor, the addition of a slider to control depth of field, and storage capacities up to 512GB.

At the time of writing, the iPhone XS can be bought for £999 / $999 for the lowest capacity option (64GB), up to £1,349 / $1,349 for the highest capacity (512GB). 

Ease of Use

In terms of phone design, the iPhone XS is very similar to its predecessor. It retains the controversial “notch” that allows the display to go right to the top edge of the phone, but still accommodate the front facing camera and face detection sensor.

You can unlock the iPhone using Face Unlock, or you can enter a passcode if you prefer. As is now standard for iPhones, there’s no fingerprint sensor at all.

If all you want to do is use the camera, you can hold down the camera icon on the bottom left of the lock screen to start up the native camera app. That means that the phone is not unlocked, so although you can shoot with it, you’ll only be able to see the images you’ve taken in a current unlock session in playback.

Apple iPhone XS
Rear of the Apple iPhone XS

As is common for iPhones, the native camera app is relatively simple and straightforward. This can be seen as either a positive or a negative thing depending on your point of view.

Along the bottom of the screen (or to the right if holding the phone in landscape orientation), you’ll see the different photo modes that are available to use. The standard mode is Photo, but by swiping to the left you’ll find Video, Slo-Mo and Time-Lapse, while swiping to right gets you to Portrait, Square and Pano (panorama).

In the standard Photo mode, the amount of control offered to a photographer is relatively limited. You can tap around the screen to select an autofocus point – when you do that you’ll notice a small sun icon appears which you can slide up and down to adjust exposure compensation. Along the top of the screen you can switch flash on and off, turn on and off “Live Photo”, enable the timer (3 seconds or 10 seconds), or add one of several filter options. You can also press and hold on the screen to lock exposure and focus to a particular point.

Apple iPhone XS
Rear of the Apple iPhone XS

You’ll also see a small circle with “1x” written inside it – you can tap this to jump to “2x” and use the telephoto zoom. If you pinch to zoom, you are engaging a digital zoom which goes up to 10x.

In the standard Photo mode, by default, images will be saved in the “HEIF” format (High Efficiency Image Format), which takes up less space on your phone, but is less compatible with certain programs. Images will appear with the file extension “.HEIC.” It is compatible with programs such as Photoshop, but you may run into problems with some other types of software. If you prefer, you can switch to shooting in JPEG – if you do that, the other photos stored on your device will also be switched to JPEG if you need to export one of your shots in the more versatile format.

Also by default, the phone will shoot in HDR (high dynamic range). From the main menu, you can choose to switch this off – once you’ve done that, you’ll see that an HDR icon is displayed in the top of the native camera app, giving you the option to quickly switch it on and off as necessary.

Apple iPhone XS
Front of the Apple iPhone XS

Portrait mode utilises the two cameras together to take shallow depth of field effect images. You can shoot other things aside from portraits, with it working best when there is a clearly defined subject. In this mode, you can choose different “lighting” options, including Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. Each of these creates quite different effects, and you’ll probably find Natural Light is the one you use most commonly. You can change the Lighting Effect via the Edit option afterwards, so if you find you don’t like it, it’s very easy to change it for something else.

Once you’ve taken a picture in Portrait mode, one of the new functions of the iPhone XS is to be able to adjust the amount of background blur. To do this, you need to open the photo in playback mode and tap Edit. From here, you can adjust a slider to increase the amount of blur (or decrease it if you prefer).

In Square mode, the camera options are the same as in Photo mode, but you can’t use “Live Photos”. A Live Photo is a short video clip that accompanies a still image. In Panoramic mode, you sweep the phone across the scene in front of you to automatically create a very wide-angle landscape shot. It can be used with either the wide angle or the telephoto lens.

Apple iPhone XS
Front of the Apple iPhone XS / Image Displayed

To actually take a photo, or Video, you simply tap the on-screen shutter release button, or you can press the physical volume up or volume down button the left hand side of the phone.

A number of the camera settings can only be changed via the Main settings app – to get to this you need to unlock the phone. It’s not hugely user-friendly to not be able to get to certain extra settings without having to exit the native camera app, which is a shame. Luckily, the majority of the settings that you find away from the app are not those which you’re likely to be changing overly regularly.

Apple iPhone XS
The Apple iPhone XS In-hand

The iPhone XS can shoot in a number of different video frame rates and resolutions. To choose which you are shooting in, this is an example of what needs to be changed via the main menu, rather than the camera app itself. If you change it to 4K, it will display the text “4K” in the window of the app so you know you’re using it – you might want to switch to lower resolution Full HD for the majority of your videos to save space on the phone, especially if you go for the cheaper 64GB version.

It’s not possible to expand the storage of an iPhone, so if you think you’re likely to take a lot of photos and/or videos, it would be wise to invest in the largest storage option you can afford.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The iPhone XS represents a fairly modest upgrade from last year’s iPhone X. Image quality has improved a little, but probably not enough to make an upgrade hugely worthwhile if you’re already an X user. If you’re upgrading from something like the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8, or perhaps something older than that, you’re much more likely to notice a difference.

In good light, the iPhone XS produces fantastic quality images. The wide-angle lens performs the best, but both produce nicely detailed shots with vibrant colours. One of the slight improvements from the iPhone X is that colours seem to have been tempered just a little to be more realistic, while still being saturated enough to be pleasing.

Shallow depth-of-field effects are achieved via the Portrait Mode again. Although you can use it for non-human type subjects, it definitely works best with people (and perhaps pet) shots, in short anything with a clear and defined outline. Otherwise, subjects such as plants and the like are not quite as well rendered. The ability to change the amount of background blur is a welcome improvement, though.

The iPhone XS is capable of producing some good quality low-light shots, but it’s best if you can use the wide angle lens where possible – it has a wider aperture (f/1.8) and therefore produces much cleaner images as more light can get to the sensor. The iPhone XS doesn’t surpass the quality produced by the Huawei P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro’s innovative Night Mode, though.

By default, the camera shoots in HDR. You can opt to switch this off, if you like, but on the whole it’s worth keeping it switched on. The results from the mode are very natural, keeping a good amount of detail in both the highlights and the shadows.

Natural colours are generally produced no matter what the lighting conditions, with a tendency to err ever so slightly towards warm colours under artificial lights.

Focal Length

The Apple iPhone XS's fixed focal length lens is equivalent to 28mm in 35mm camera terms, with a 2x telephoto setting also available. A digital zoom is also available when shooting at the full 12MP resolution.

1x Wide

focal_range1.jpg

2x Tele

focal_range2.jpg

Macro

The Apple iPhone XS will focus accurately for close-up shots down to around 10cm from your subject.

macro.jpg

Shallow Depth of Field (Portrait Mode)

Here are some example photos taken using the portrait / shallow depth of field mode.

portrait_mode_01.jpg

portrait_mode_02.jpg

portrait_mode_03.jpg

portrait_mode_04.jpg

Night

The following night photo was taken at ISO 100 for 1/4 second.

night.jpg

Flash

Rear Camera - Flash Off
rearcamera_noflash.JPG
Rear Camera - Flash On
rearcamera_withflash.JPG
Selfie Camera - Flash Off
selfiecamera_noflash.jpg
Selfie Camera - Flash On
selfiecamera_flash.JPG
Wideangle - Flash Off
whitewallwide_noflash.JPG
Wideangle - Flash On
whitewallwide_flash.JPG
Telephoto - Flash Off
whitewalltele_noflash.JPG
Telephoto - Flash Off
whitewalltele_flash.JPG

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Apple iPhone Xs camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 74.3Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 87.1Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 72.1Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 44.4Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 30.5Mb in size.

This is a sample slow motion video movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 43 second movie is 56.6Mb in size.

Product Images

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

Conclusion

In terms of the camera, the iPhone XS represents a fairly small upgrade from its predecessor. That being said, Apple has removed the iPhone X from sale – so if you’re looking to upgrade from one of the older phones, this is the model you’ll end up with regardless.

Image quality is fantastic – just as we’ve come to expect from Apple – but it still hasn’t managed to surpass what you can hope to achieve from the Huawei P20 Pro, and quite likely the Mate 20 Pro (a review of that is in the works).

We also continue to be a little disappointed at the native iPhone camera app. Little has changed from the very first iPhone in terms of usability, with most Android phones offering much more flexibility. While this makes it very simple for anybody to use, regardless of ability, it’s hard to recommend an iPhone to somebody who is seriously into their photography. A “pro” mode that you could ignore if you didn’t want to use it would seem to be an obvious solution.

There are third-party apps which are free or low-cost to buy to give you more control over various settings, but not being able to launch those directly from the lock screen is a little off-putting. Still, there will be plenty of people who are so keen to stick within the Apple or iOS ecosystem, that this is a sacrifice they’re willing to make.

Portrait Mode continues to be impressive – but mainly for human like subjects. That being said, it’s something that most of the premium smartphones on the market are also offering, so is no longer overly special.

As is pretty much always the case, the iPhone XS is a very expensive proposition. The model we’ve been using, the 64GB version, will set you back £999 (sim free). As 64GB is a relatively low amount of storage space these days – and you can’t expand it – you may feel you need to spend £1,149 for the 256GB version. It’s more expensive than other similarly specced phones on the market, such as the Huawei P20 Pro (£799 for 128GB model) or the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (£899 for 128GB model), so you really pay a premium to own an Apple product.

Time was that the iPhone was the default model for photographers looking for a very capable smartphone – these days however, it seems like the crown has been passed to Huawei (or possibly Google), with Samsung and Apple playing catch up. If you like iPhones for iOS you’ll be extremely pleased with what the camera can produce – as it’s still very, very good – but it’s no longer the no.1 recommendation for those whose main concern is the quality of the camera.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 4
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 3

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Apple iPhone Xs.

Google Pixel 3

The brand new Google Pixel 3 smartphone offers photographers a 12 megapixel sensor, 5.5-inch FHD+ screen, wide-angle selfies, Portrait Mode, and the clever Night Sight mode for low-light hand-held shooting. Read our in-depth Google Pixel 3 review to find out just what it's capable of...

Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are new flagship smartphones from Google. New features for photographers include Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight, which lets you take natural-looking photos…

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is simply the best smartphone for photographers that we've ever reviewed - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei Mate 20 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P20 Pro

The Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most exciting new smartphones of 2018 for photographers - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Galaxy Note 9 is Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, boasting a 6.4-inch screen, dual 12-megapixel cameras with dual-aperture control, 2x optical zoom, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps, and internal memory up to 512GB. Take a look at our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review to find out if this is the best smartphone camera for avid photographers...

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

The Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung's flagship smartphone for 2018, boasting a 6.2-inch screen, dual cameras with dual-aperture, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps. Is this the ultimate smartphone for keen photographers? Find out by reading our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus review...

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 is the smaller of two new flagship smartphones from Samsung for 2018, featuring the much heralded variable aperture lens and super slow-motion video recording at 960fps. Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 review with full-size sample images and videos now...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Apple iPhone Xs from around the web.

techradar.com »

Yes, the iPhone XS is the best phone Apple's ever created, but that's not really a surprise - it's the new one. The bigger question is: what's actually changed, given the design is so similar to last year? Well, the speakers are more powerful and 'wider' in sound, the camera has been enhanced with Smart HDR, the battery management is better and the chipset is far more powerful inside. These are all just tweaks though, and it's smart from Apple to remove the iPhone X from sale, as that would be a far more attractive option this year.
Read the full review »

stuff.tv »

No, Apple hasn’t gone off the reservation and made an “extra small” iPhone for children who can, inexplicably, afford a £1000 phone. The iPhone XS is the follow-up to the iPhone X, Apple’s previous showcase for everything new and shiny in iPhone land. So what's the difference?
Read the full review »

cnet.com »

The iPhone XS adds some impressive camera improvements to the already-great iPhone X. But you should seriously wait and see what the lower-priced XR coming in October is like.
Read the full review »

Specifications

iPhone XS

Gold, Space Grey, Silver

iPhone XS Max

Gold, Space Grey, Silver

Capacity

iPhone XS

  • 64GB
  • 256GB
  • 512GB

iPhone XS Max

  • 64GB
  • 256GB
  • 512GB
Size and Weight
Width:
  • 70.9 mm
  • (2.79 inches)
Height:
  • 143.6 mm
  • (5.65 inches)
Depth:
  • 7.7 mm
  • (0.30 inches)

iPhone XS

Weight:

177 grams (6.24 ounces)

Width:
  • 77.4 mm
  • (3.05 inches)
Height:
  • 157.5 mm
  • (6.20 inches)
Depth:
  • 7.7 mm
  • (0.30 inches)

iPhone XS Max

Weight:

208 grams (7.34 ounces)

Display

iPhone XS

  • Super Retina HD display
  • 5.8-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED Multi‑Touch display
  • HDR display
  • 2436x1125-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
  • 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)

The iPhone XS display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

iPhone XS Max

  • Super Retina HD display
  • 6.5-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED Multi‑Touch display
  • HDR display
  • 2688x1242-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
  • 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)

The iPhone XS Max display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 6.46 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

Both models:
  • True Tone display
  • Wide colour display (P3)
  • 3D Touch
  • 625 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Splash, Water and Dust Resistant<
  • Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 2 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Chip
  • A12 Bionic chip
  • Next-generation Neural Engine
Camera
  • Dual 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras
  • Wide-angle: ƒ/1.8 aperture
  • Telephoto: ƒ/2.4 aperture
  • 2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x
  • Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
  • Portrait Lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono)
  • Dual optical image stabilisation
  • Six-element lens
  • Quad-LED True Tone flash with slow sync
  • Panorama (up to 63MP)
  • Sapphire crystal lens cover
  • Backside illumination sensor
  • Hybrid IR filter
  • Autofocus with Focus Pixels
  • Tap to focus with Focus Pixels
  • Smart HDR for photos
  • Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
  • Local tone mapping
  • Advanced red-eye correction
  • Exposure control
  • Auto image stabilisation
  • Burst mode
  • Timer mode
  • Photo geotagging
  • Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
Video Recording
  • 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps
  • Optical image stabilisation for video
  • 2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 6x
  • Quad-LED True Tone flash
  • Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
  • Time-lapse video with stabilisation
  • Cinematic video stabilisation (1080p and 720p)
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Playback zoom
  • Video geotagging
  • Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
  • Stereo recording
TrueDepth Camera
  • 7MP camera
  • ƒ/2.2 aperture
  • Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
  • Portrait Lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono)
  • Animoji and Memoji
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
  • Smart HDR for photos
  • Extended dynamic range for video at 30 fps
  • Cinematic video stabilisation (1080p and 720p)
  • Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
  • Retina Flash
  • Backside illumination sensor
  • Auto image stabilisation
  • Burst mode
  • Exposure control
  • Timer mode
Face ID
  • Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
Apple Pay
  • Pay with your iPhone using Face ID in shops, within apps and on the web
  • Complete purchases made with Apple Pay on your Mac

Learn more about Apple Pay

Mobile and Wireless
Model A2097
  • FDD‑LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66)
  • TD‑LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46)
  • UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Model A2101
  • FDD‑LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66)
  • TD‑LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46)
  • UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
All models
  • Gigabit-class LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
  • NFC with reader mode
  • Express Cards with power reserve
Location
  • Assisted GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS
  • Digital compass
  • Wi‑Fi
  • Mobile data
  • iBeacon micro-location
Video Calling
  • FaceTime video calling over Wi‑Fi or a mobile network
Audio Calling
  • FaceTime audio
  • Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
  • Wi‑Fi calling
Audio Playback
  • Audio formats supported: AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3) and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX and AAX+)
  • Wider stereo playback
  • User-configurable maximum volume limit
Video Playback
  • Video formats supported: HEVC, H.264, MPEG‑4 Part 2 and Motion JPEG
  • High Dynamic Range with Dolby Vision and HDR10 content
  • AirPlay Mirroring, photos and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later)
  • Video mirroring and video out support: up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
Siri
  • Use your voice to send messages, set reminders and more
  • Get intelligent suggestions on your Lock screen and in Messages, Mail, QuickType and more
  • Activate hands-free with only your voice using “Hey Siri”
  • Use your voice to run shortcuts from your favourite apps
External Buttons and Connectors

Volume up/down

Ring/Silent

Side button

Built-in stereo speaker

Lightning connector

Built-in microphone

Built-in stereo speaker
Built-in microphone

Power and Battery
Lasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X
Talk time (wireless):
  • Up to 20 hours
Internet use:
  • Up to 12 hours
Video playback (wireless):
  • Up to 14 hours
Audio playback (wireless):
  • Up to 60 hours
Fast-charge capable:
  • Up to 50% charge 30 minutes
Lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone X
Talk time (wireless):
  • Up to 25 hours
Internet use:
  • Up to 13 hours
Video playback (wireless):
  • Up to 15 hours
Audio playback (wireless):
  • Up to 65 hours
Fast-charge capable:
  • Up to 50% charge 30 minutes
Both models:
  • Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Wireless charging (works with Qi chargers)
  • Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
Sensors
  • Face ID
  • Barometer
  • Three‑axis gyro
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
Operating System

iOS 12
Our most personal and secure mobile operating system yet, iOS 12 is packed with powerful features that help you get the most out of every day.

See what’s new in iOS 12
Accessibility

Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new iPhone XS. With built-in support for vision, hearing, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy, you can fully enjoy the world’s most personal device. Learn more

Features include:
  • VoiceOver
  • Zoom
  • Magnifier
  • RTT and Textphone
  • Siri and Dictation
  • Type to Siri
  • Switch Control
  • Closed Captions
  • AssistiveTouch
  • Speak Screen

Built-in Apps

Camera

Photos

Health

Messages

Phone

FaceTime

Mail

Music

Wallet

Safari

Maps

Siri

Calendar

iTunes Store

App Store

Notes

News

Contacts

Books

Home

Weather

Reminders

Clock

TV

Stocks

Calculator

Voice Memos

Compass

Podcasts

Watch

Tips

Find My iPhone

Find My Friends

Settings

Files

Measure

Free Apps from Apple

Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, iTunes U, Clips and Apple Store app are pre-installed.

iMovie

Pages

Keynote

Numbers

iTunes U

GarageBand

Apple Store

Apple TV Remote

iTunes Remote

Music Memos

Clips

Shortcuts

Headphones
EarPods with Lightning Connector
SIM Card
  • Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
  • iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are not compatible with existing micro-SIM cards.
Rating for Hearing Aids
M3, T4
M3, T4
Mail Attachment Support
Viewable document types

.jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics; .usdz (USDZ Universal)

System Requirements
  • Apple ID (required for some features)
  • Internet access
  • Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:
  • Mac: OS X 10.11.6 or later
  • PC: Windows 7 or later
  • iTunes 12.8 or later on Mac and iTunes 12.9 or later on PC (free download from www.itunes.com/uk/download)
Environmental Requirements
Operating ambient temperature:

0° to 35° C (32° to 95° F)

Non-operating temperature:

−20° to 45° C (−4° to 113° F)

Relative humidity:

5% to 95% non-condensing

Operating altitude:

tested up to 3,000 metres (10,000 feet)

Languages
Language support

English (Australia, UK, US), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

QuickType keyboard support

English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, US), Chinese - Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke), Chinese - Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic (Modern Standard, Najdi), Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Transliteration), Hinglish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Kannada, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Maori, Marathi, Norwegian, Odia, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Slovakian, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil (Script, Transliteration), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh

QuickType keyboard support with predictive input

English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, US), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Thai, Turkish

Siri languages

English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, US), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, US), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland China, Taiwan), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)

Dictation languages

English (Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, US), Spanish (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, US), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland China, Taiwan), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi (India), Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (Mainland China), Slovakian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Definition dictionary support

English, Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Thesaurus

English (UK, US)

Bilingual dictionary support with English

Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Spellcheck

English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish

In the Box
  • iPhone with iOS 12
  • EarPods with Lightning Connector
  • Lightning to USB Cable
  • USB Power Adapter
  • Documentation

News

The Apple iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max feature a 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch all-screen design, with powerful A12 bionic chips and a breakthrough dual camera system. The 12-megapixel dual camera system features dual optical image stabilisation with 2x optical zoom, while a new sensor is twice as fast. Other photography features include advanced depth segmentation using the Neural Engine, Smart HDR creating photos with high dynamic range and great image detail, advanced bokeh quality in Portrait mode photos and dynamic depth of field that is user adjustable in the Photos app.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 14 and in stores beginning Friday, September 21. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB capacity models in space grey, silver and a new gold finish starting at £999 and £1,099, respectively.

Apple UK Press Release

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max bring the best and biggest displays to iPhone

Most Advanced iPhone Ever Features a 5.8-Inch and 6.5-Inch All-Screen Design, with Powerful A12 Bionic Chip and a Breakthrough Dual Camera System

Cupertino, California — Apple today announced iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the most advanced iPhones ever, taking the vision for the future of the smartphone to a new level. The 5.8-inch iPhone XS and 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max feature stunning Super Retina displays, a faster and improved dual camera system that offers breakthrough photo and video features, the first 7-nanometer chip in a smartphone — the A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine — faster Face ID, wider stereo sound, a beautiful new gold finish and introduce Dual SIM to iPhone. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 14 and in stores beginning Friday, September 21.

“iPhone XS is packed with next-generation technologies and is a huge step forward for the future of the smartphone. 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,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone XS is not one, but two new iPhone models, and 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.”

Two All-Screen Designs

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max build on the all-screen design of iPhone X and feature the sharpest displays with the highest pixel density of any Apple device. Now offered in 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch sizes,1 these Super Retina displays with a custom OLED design support Dolby Vision and HDR10 and have iOS system-wide colour management for the best colour accuracy in the industry. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max offer a million-to-one contrast ratio with remarkable brightness and true blacks while showing 60 percent greater dynamic range in HDR photos.  iPhone XS Max delivers a more immersive experience with over 3 million pixels for videos, movies and games, offering the largest display ever in an iPhone in a footprint similar to iPhone 8 Plus.

A surgical grade stainless steel band now in gold joins finishes in silver and space grey. Wider stereo playback creates a more immersive soundstage. The front and back glass design features the most durable glass ever in a smartphone with improved scratch resistance, while the glass back enables faster wireless charging. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max reach a new level of splash and water resistance of IP68 for up to 2 meters for 30 minutes and protect against everyday spills including coffee, tea and soda.2

A12 Bionic and Next-Generation Neural Engine

The Apple-designed A12 Bionic, the smartest and most powerful chip in a smartphone, features the first 7-nanometer chip ever in a smartphone that delivers industry-leading performance in a more power-efficient design. A12 Bionic features a six-core fusion architecture with two performance cores that are up to 15 percent faster, four efficiency cores that are up to 50 percent more efficient, a four-core GPU that is up to 50 percent faster, powerful Apple-designed Image Signal Processor (ISP), video encoder and more. A fast storage controller can deliver iPhone storage up to 512GB. All of this unlocks new experiences for games, photography, video editing and graphics-intensive apps. Even with all this power, iPhone XS offers 30 minutes longer than iPhone X, and iPhone XS Max offers an hour and a half longer than iPhone X, between charges.

The next-generation Neural Engine is built for advanced machine learning in everything from photography to augmented reality. A new eight-core design allows it to complete up to 5 trillion operations per second compared to 600 billion in A11 Bionic. This enables new capabilities like faster plane detection for ARKit and new features that use real-time machine learning. For the first time the Neural Engine is open to Core ML, empowering developers to build apps that utilise this highly efficient machine learning engine. Core ML® running on the A12 Bionic Neural Engine is up to nine times faster than on A11 Bionic, with as little as one-tenth the energy usage.

Breakthrough 12MP Dual Camera System

iPhone XS continues to bring innovations to photography, things not possible before iPhone. Capabilities like advanced depth segmentation using the Neural Engine, Smart HDR creating photos with high dynamic range and great image detail, advanced bokeh quality in Portrait mode photos and dynamic depth of field that is user adjustable in the Photos app, are all huge improvements in state-of-the-art photographic techniques that everyone can use.

The 12-megapixel dual camera system features dual optical image stabilisation with 2x optical zoom, while a new sensor is twice as fast. Smart HDR creates photos with more highlights and shadow detail. Larger and deeper pixels improve image fidelity and low-light performance. 

Advanced depth segmentation in Portrait mode enables more sophisticated portraits with professional-level bokeh. New Depth Control allows users to dynamically adjust the depth of field in the Photos app both in real-time preview3 and post-capture to create portraits with a beautiful background blur. Portrait mode with Depth Control is also available on the TrueDepth camera for selfies, which includes Memoji and faster face tracking support for third-party ARKit apps. 

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max deliver the highest quality video capture in a smartphone. The larger pixels and larger, faster sensor enable improved low-light performance and video stabilisation, as well as extended dynamic range for more highlight and shadow detail in video modes up to 30 frames per second. Using the four built-in mics, users can also record stereo sound to get the most out of video recordings.

Advanced Technologies

Face ID, the most secure facial authentication system ever in a smartphone, is now even faster. The TrueDepth camera system uses precision depth-sensing technology that goes far beyond the capabilities and security of two-dimensional facial scanners and enables users to unlock iPhone, use Apple Pay®, gain access to secure apps and many more features with a simple glance.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max introduce Gigabit-class LTE for even faster download speeds4 and Dual SIM5 through the use of a nano-SIM and digital eSIM.

Featuring iOS 12

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max come with iOS 12, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. iOS 12 introduces new AR experiences, helps people rediscover and share photos, and makes communications more expressive and fun with new Animoji® and Memoji. Screen Time helps customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices, Siri® Shortcuts give any app the ability to work with Siri and new privacy features help protect users from being tracked on the web. 

Pricing and Availability

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB capacity models in space grey, silver and a new gold finish starting at £999 and £1,099, respectively, from apple.com, in the Apple Store app and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorised Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).

Through Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Programme, customers in the UK can get iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max with the protection of AppleCare+, choose their carrier (no multiyear service contract required) and have the opportunity to upgrade to a new iPhone every year. The iPhone Upgrade Programme is available for iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at apple.com and Apple Stores in the UK with low monthly payments starting at £56.45 and £61.45, respectively, with 0% interest.

Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max beginning Friday, September 14, with availability beginning Friday, September 21, in more than 30 countries and territories including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in more than 25 countries and territories including Andorra, Armenia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia and South Africa beginning Friday, September 28.

Apple-designed accessories including leather and silicone cases in a range of colours will be available starting at £45, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Leather Folio will be available at £99.

With Apple GiveBack, customers can trade in their eligible device for an Apple Store Gift Card.6 If their device isn’t eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free.

Every customer who buys iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max from Apple will be offered free Personal Setup in-store or online to help them customise their iPhone by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store and more.

Anyone who wants to learn more or go further with iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iOS 12 can sign up for free Today at Apple sessions at apple.com/today.

1 The display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches (iPhone XS) and 6.46 inches (iPhone XS Max) diagonally. Actual viewable area is less.

2 iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are splash-, water- and dust-resistant, and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes). Splash, water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions, and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone; refer to the user guide for cleaning and drying instructions. Liquid damage not covered under warranty. 

3 Real-time preview in Depth Control will be available via a free software update later this fall.

4 Speeds vary based on site conditions and carrier. For details on LTE support, contact your carrier and see apple.com/iphone/LTE. 

5 Dual SIM support will be available via a free software update later this fall. Use of Dual SIM requires two wireless service plans (which may include restrictions on roaming). Certain restrictions apply to use.

Apple revolutionised personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the brand new Apple iPhone Xs smartphone. This flagship smartphone has a dual 12 megapixel rear camera, 7 megapixel selfie camera and a 5.8-inch OLED display.

A gallery of full-size sample images taken with the Apple iPhone Xs smartphone.

Apple iPhone Xs Sample Images

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 74.3Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 87.1Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 72.1Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 44.4Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 30.5Mb in size.

This is a sample slow motion video movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 43 second movie is 56.6Mb in size.

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