Skip to main content
Tom's Guide Tom's Guide
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
  • Newsletters Newsletter
  • flag of Australia
    Australia
    flag of UK
    UK
    flag of US
    US
    flag of Canada
    Canada
    • Best Picks
    • Phones
    • Streaming
    • TVs
    • Computing
    • AI
    • Mattresses
    • Videos
    • More
      • Newsletter
      • News
      • Fitness
      • Reviews
      • How Tos
      • Home
      • Best VPN
      • Deals
      • Coupons
      • Antivirus
      • Entertainment
      • Wellness
      • Security
      • Laptops
      • Smart Home
      • Audio
      • Gaming
    Forums
    Trending
    • Prime Day Deals
    • Switch 2 Restock
    • Walmart 4th of July Sale
    • Galaxy Z Fold 7
    • iOS 26
    • Best TVs
    • Best Mattress
    • Best laptops
    • Wordle Today
    Recommended reading
    iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
    iPhones This iPhone is now officially 'vintage' according to Apple
    Three Galaxy S25 Edge models with a thumbs up and a thumbs down
    Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: 6 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip
    iPhone 17 render
    iPhones I miss when every other iPhone release featured an S-series — Apple should bring that back
    Best iPhones in 2025.
    iPhones Best iPhones in 2025: Which iPhone should you buy?
    iPhone 17 slim render next to iPhone 16
    iPhones Should you buy the iPhone 16 or wait for the iPhone 17? Here’s the advice I gave my own dad
    Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max
    Phones I don’t plan on buying another Apple or Samsung phone — here’s the 3 reasons why
    iPhone 17 Air render
    iPhones iPhone 17 Air isn’t what the iPhone family needs — Apple should have tried this with the mini and Plus
    1. Phones
    2. iPhones

    6 Reasons to Buy the iPhone Xs (and 4 Reasons to Skip It)

    Round-up
    By Philip Michaels published 24 September 2018

    There are plenty of reasons to grab Apple's latest iPhone. But we can think of a few reasons to pass over the iPhone XS, too.

    Comments (3)

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Comments (3)
    iPhone XS: Pros and Cons

    iPhone XS: Pros and Cons

    Apple just released a new batch of iPhones into the wild, and you may find yourself rushing to your local Apple Store to pick up a model, especially now that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are widely available and getting rave reviews. It's understandable — there are plenty of compelling reasons to upgrade to the new phones. But there's also a handful of reasons to wait before you hand over all your money to Apple. Here's a look at why the iPhone XS should be your next big purchase, along with a few counterarguments that say you should pass over this update.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 1 of 11
    Page 1 of 11
    A12 Bionic processor

    A12 Bionic processor

    The A11 Bionic processor Apple introduced last year has bested all would-be rivals, with A11-powered iPhones routinely trouncing phones with Snapdragon 845 and Kirin 970 chips in benchmarking tests. What does Apple do for an encore? It puts an even faster processor in the iPhone XS.

    The A12 Bionic has two performance cores that reportedly deliver 15 percent faster performance while consuming 40 percent less power than the A11. Four efficiency cores further optimize power consumption. Games should play better, too, thanks to a 50 percent boost in speed with the A12's new GPU, and a neural engine ups the number of operations your iPhone can pull off per second. Our benchmark tests certainly confirm that the A12 outperforms the A11; more importantly, it leaves the Snapdragon 845 powering top Android phones in the dust. Also, the A12 should be especially proficient at handling all the augmented-reality-powered apps that developers are whipping up with Apple's ARKit tools.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 2 of 11
    Page 2 of 11
    Better camera

    Better camera

    On paper, the dual rear cameras on the iPhone XS haven't changed much from what Apple offered before, with the same 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto lenses as on previous iPhones. But the iPhone XS has a new sensor featuring deeper and larger pixels, which Apple says will gather 50 percent more light. That should mean better photos when the lights are dim, an area where iPhones have fallen behind the competition. Apple also added a Depth Control feature to adjust your portrait shots after the fact, while a Smart HDR feature is designed to call out the highlights of a photo, even in shadows. If snapping photos is one of the main ways you use your phone, you might like the iPhone XS, because it has the best camera Apple's ever offered in an iPhone — at least, based on our hands-on tests with the new phone.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 3 of 11
    Page 3 of 11
    Battery-life improvements

    Battery-life improvements

    Apple promised a noticeable gain for how long its new iPhones could last on a charge, and it delivered in the case of the iPhone XS Max, though maybe not as much as you had been hoping. Apple's supersized 6.5-inch phone lasted 10 hours, 38 minutes on our battery test, in which we have a phone surf continuously over LTE until it runs out of gas. That means the XS Max just missed out on on our list of longest-lasting smartphones, though it's still well ahead of the average result for smartphones. The iPhone XS didn't fare as well on our test, with a result more in line with that 9 hour, 48 minute average. But if you want a phone to go all day on a single charge, the XS Max is an excellent option.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 4 of 11
    Page 4 of 11
    It's more durable

    It's more durable

    While the original iPhone X sported an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, the iPhone XS gets a little bit tougher, with a more durable rating of IP68. That means you can drop the phone in up to 6 feet of water and not worry about a calamity. The iPhone XS is durable in other ways, too, using reformulated glass, which Apple touts as the most durable ever used on a smartphone. We haven't had a chance to test this yet ourselves, but the iPhone XS fared well in drop tests conducted by TechSmartt.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 5 of 11
    Page 5 of 11
    There are more-expansive storage options

    There are more-expansive storage options

    Apple's stinginess with built-in storage continues to relax. While the base model of the iPhone Xs continues to offer 64GB — which is more generous than the 32GB capacity of the iPhone 7 from two years ago — you now have the option of going big. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max top out at 512GB of storage. You'll have to pay up for the privilege — the 512GB versions cost $350 more than the base models — but at least you now have the option.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 6 of 11
    Page 6 of 11
    Better Face ID, speakers and Dual SIM

    Better Face ID, speakers and Dual SIM

    If you waited on buying the original iPhone X just to see how Apple might improve the design in subsequent models, your patience will pay off: The XS is dotted with a bunch of upgrades over last year's version. An improved Face ID means your phone will unlock faster, while the screen offers greater dynamic range than its predecessor. Apple says the new phones offer wider stereo sound, and if you do a lot of globe-trotting, you'll appreciate support for dual SIM cards in the new iPhones.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 7 of 11
    Page 7 of 11
    The price is still stratospheric

    The price is still stratospheric

    Oh, you were expecting Apple to drop the price on this year's iPhone X models to make the phone even more attractive? You must not be familiar with the gravity-defying properties of iPhone prices. The iPhone XS costs $999, the same as last year's iPhone X, and you'll have to pay another $100 if you prefer the XS Max. Boost the storage on either the iPhone Xs or Xs Max, and you're looking at the most expensive iPhone that Apple's ever sold. At least you can pick up an original iPhone X for less money now if you still want that notched design.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 8 of 11
    Page 8 of 11
    No included fast charger

    No included fast charger

    The iPhone's premium price tag would be more palatable if everything you needed came in the box. However, Apple continues to ship the iPhone without a charger that can take advantage of the phone's fast-charging features. If you want your iPhone XS to charge more rapidly, you'll have to pony up for a 30-watt charger and a USB-C-to-Lightning cable. Imagine paying $999 — or more! — for a phone, then finding out you weren't done tapping your savings account just yet.

    Credit: Tom's Guide

    Page 9 of 11
    Page 9 of 11
    The notch remains

    The notch remains

    While plenty of people have gravitated to the new design Apple introduced with the iPhone X — the company has the sales receipts to prove it — a segment of Apple's user base likely has mixed feelings about the notched display. If you chose against upgrading to the iPhone X because you found its notch off-putting, we've got bad news: Every new iPhone introduced by Apple now has a notch. If you don't want a notch dipping down into your phone's display, you have to either opt for one of the older iPhones that Apple still sells or track down one of the Android devices that hasn't copied the iPhone X's look.

    Credit: Apple

    Page 10 of 11
    Page 10 of 11
    The iPhone XR isn't here yet

    The iPhone XR isn't here yet

    Apple is now taking preorders on the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, but those aren't the only new iPhones hitting retail shelves this year. The iPhone XR, introduced alongside those other phones, ships in mid-October. And while you'll have some trade-offs with the XR — it has an LCD screen instead of an OLED, and you get only one rear camera — Apple's other iPhone has the same superfast A12 processor and a lower starting price, at $749.

    Maybe you'll decide that the iPhone XS or XS Max is a better fit for your needs. But if you can wait a month, you can keep your iPhone XR option open while seeing if the XS and XS Max really do deliver on Apple's promises.

    MORE: Buy iPhone XS Now or Wait for iPhone XR? Here's Your Cheat Sheet

    Credit: Apple

    Page 11 of 11
    Page 11 of 11
    Comments (3)
    TOPICS
    Apple
    Philip Michaels
    Philip Michaels

    Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

    Read more
    iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
    This iPhone is now officially 'vintage' according to Apple
    Three Galaxy S25 Edge models with a thumbs up and a thumbs down
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: 6 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip
    iPhone 17 render
    I miss when every other iPhone release featured an S-series — Apple should bring that back
    Best iPhones in 2025.
    Best iPhones in 2025: Which iPhone should you buy?
    iPhone 17 slim render next to iPhone 16
    Should you buy the iPhone 16 or wait for the iPhone 17? Here’s the advice I gave my own dad
    Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max
    I don’t plan on buying another Apple or Samsung phone — here’s the 3 reasons why
    Latest in iPhones
    Visual Intelligence on iOS 26 using screenshots to search
    Apple Intelligence's best feature gains new powers in iOS 26 — what's new with Visual Intelligence
    AirTag vs. Tile
    Apple now lets you share your AirTag location with major airlines — here’s how it works
    Alfie Williams and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in "28 Years Later"
    '28 Years Later' was filmed on iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it's no commercial for Apple's cameras
    An image of an iPhone home screen, partly showing the Phone app and FaceTime app, representing how to enable Voice Isolation on iPhone
    iOS 26 beta is freezing FaceTime when it detects nudity — what we know so far
    Foldable iPhone concept image
    The iPhone Fold just hit a major milestone on path to launch in 2026
    Apple logo on Apple Store
    Apple just delivered a smackdown to the EU over iOS 26 rollout — they won't be getting new features
    Latest in Round Ups
    Garmin Forerunner 970
    I review running watches and these are my top 3 suggestions for most people
    B&W PX7 S3, Dali IO-8, JLab JBuds Lux
    Forget AirPods Max — here's the 5 headphones I recommend for every budget
    The author and partner on a mountain summit in bali at sunrise, with mountain shadows in the background and a blue morning sky
    5 tech travel hacks I learned after 2 months backpacking in Asia — don't make the same mistakes as me
    Young woman in yellow walking with smart phone on the old town square in Prague city
    5 best summer travel apps to help you have the perfect vacation
    Weber Slate griddle with accessories
    I’ve been using a griddle for a year — these are the best starter accessories everyone needs
    A college of four pictures: A blonde woman wearing a grey neck pillow on flight (top left); someone holding up a Kindle in front of plane window (top right); a man sleeping on flight wearing Philips sleep headphones (bottom left) and blonde woman wearing light blue SOMO sleep mask (bottom right).
    These 5 airport essentials are the secret to sleeping through long flights — and they start at $14
    3 Comments Comment from the forums
    • davidmthompson
      You're missing a slide. The new iPhones have Gigabit LTE radios. It's the only reason I am considering upgrading from my X.
      Reply
    • flica77
      with dual sim, is iPhone XS working smoothly?
      Reply
    • codyteddy
      Well, the ridiculous price is a good enough reason for me not to buy it. But adding these things, my decision seemed more reasonable.
      Reply
    LATEST ARTICLES
    1. Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptops with one closed and one open on surface with tom's guide price drop badge
      1
      Stop searching Amazon: These 3 RTX 50-series gaming laptop deals are the real steal
    2. 2
      I tried this ‘tiny weights big burn’ 30-minute workout to sculpt strong arms — and I’m hooked
    3. 3
      Is upgrading your NordVPN plan worth it?
    4. 4
      Early Prime Day TV deals — save big on OLEDs, QLEDs, and Mini-LEDs starting at $398
    5. 5
      Prime Day weekend starts now — 35 Amazon deals I'd shop before July 8

    Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    • Terms and conditions
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Advertise with us
    • About us
    • Archives
    • Careers

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

    Please login or signup to comment

    Please wait...