iPhone XS Max review: the oversized Apple smartphone | Technology



[ad_1]

AThe high-end pple smartphone has been oversized both in terms of screen size and price, but is the iPhone XS Max really worth buying more than £ 1,099 plus the asking price?

Last year's iPhone X was a huge leap forward in design for Apple after years of resting on its laurels. This year, the iPhone XS Max is essentially this winning concept stuck in a photocopier on 112%, which does not sound much but makes all the difference.

The iPhone XS Max is characterized by its giant screen and superb, better than any other, with the exception of Samsung's high-end displays. At 6.5 inches diagonally, the screen is about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which has a 6.4-inch screen but with a different aspect ratio. Both are high-end phones with about 103 cm2 of the screen area and a screen-to-body ratio of about 84%, and as such dwarf the competition.





iphone xs max reviews



The iPhone XS left, the iPhone XS Max right. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

The biggest feat of Apple is that the colossal screen is stuck in a body that is not this huge. The iPhone XS Max is certainly a big phone, but at 7.7mm thick, it is thinner than any current high-end phone, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 8.8mm thick.

With a length of 157.5 mm, the iPhone XS Max is also shorter than phones with much smaller screens such as the Google Pixel 2 XL 6 inches (157.9 mm long), the Samsung Galaxy S9 + 6.2 inches (158.1 mm long). that note 9.

The thing is that the iPhone XS Max is actually one of the most difficult-to-handle super-size phones. This is partly because it is slightly wider than the competition with a width of 77.4 mm, 1 mm more than the note 9 and a width of 3.6 mm wider than the S9 +. But the biggest difference between the iPhone and the rest is that Apple uses rounded sides.

Yes, they are luxurious stainless steel, but they are hard to grasp with your fingers. Others shrink on the sides, allowing your fingers to buy.

Unless you have unusually large hands, the iPhone XS Max is almost exclusively a two-handed phone, even if Apple is accessible, bringing the top of the screen to the center. Try using it with one hand at your own risk. this metal and glass sandwich will break if you drop it.

Characteristics

  • Screen: 6.5 inch Super Retina HD (OLED) (458ppi)

  • Processor: Apple A12 Bionic

  • RAM: 4 GB of RAM

  • Storage room: 64, 256 or 512 GB

  • Operating system: iOS 12

  • Camera: Two 12 MP rear cameras with OIS, 7 MP front camera

  • connectivity: LTE, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5, Lightning and GPS

  • Dimensions: 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm

  • Weight: 208g

Battery all day, but nowhere near two





iphone xs max reviews



The holes in the bottom of the phone are no longer symmetrical, overcome them. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

The iPhone XS Max features the latest Apple processor, the six-core A12 Bionic, which, according to the company, is 15% faster than the A1 Bionic from last year and up to 50% more efficient. But it is the integrated AI chip that is up to nine times faster than the old one that makes all the difference.

In everyday operation, it's not significantly faster than the iPhone X, which already seems powerful and responsive with iOS 12. But as with the latest recent iPhone upgrades, the power brute will probably only make one with the new software. AR experiments and other pieces behind the scenes.

The battery life of the iPhone XS Max was slightly disappointing. He will spend hours of clarity without problem, but he will not compete with the Huawei of this world. It lasted a little over 27 hours between charges, from 7 am on day 1 and up to 10 am on day 2.

It was using it as the main device to send and receive hundreds of e-mails, messages and push notifications, listen to five hours of music on Bluetooth headphones, watch an hour of Netflix and photograph. a dozen photos a day. The Lightning connector at the bottom remains the fastest way to charge the phone, with a full charge in about two hours thanks to an optional fast charger and a USB-C cable.

In perspective, the iPhone X lasted 30 hours under the same conditions, while last year, the Mate 10 Pro Huawei lasted 50 hours. This year, the Samsung Galaxy S9 + only lasted 26 hours and the Note 9 only 25 hours. It seems like we have taken a step back in 2018.

iOS 12





iphone xs max reviews



Messages has a split screen of chat selection on the landscape, which is only one of the few adjustments made to iOS for the large size of the screen. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

The strength of Apple lies in the fact that it pushes software updates on phones for a long time. The iPhone 5S, released in 2013, runs the same version of iOS as the iPhone XS Max.

Differences in behavior have resulted in the gesture-based navigation that was introduced with the iPhone X last year, and little has changed since iOS 12 focused on optimizing versus new features .

The most important is a set of wellness tools, with much better group notifications, which can be rejected in one go. Siri Shortcuts, an additional application that you can download, also allows you to automate the user if you wish, to configure custom routines and to trigger words that you can pronounce on Siri.

One of the disadvantages of the iPhone XS Max is the small size that Apple has big screen in the software. There is no multitasking on split screen or otherwise. Some Apple apps have a few more features compared to the smaller iPhone XS.

When you select a mail inbox picker in Mail, the chat selector in Messages, Reminders, and Contacts displays a split screen, while the calendar displays a Day, Week, Month, Year, and new view picker. . The Settings app also adopts an iPad style view into the landscape. But these changes are not as useful as the huge wealth of productivity features built into phones with screens as big as Samsung.

Face identifier





iphone xs max reviews



The red LED on the left of the speaker projects a pattern of dots on your face for the facial recognition system. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

Face ID remains the only biometric security system on Apple iPhones. It works as well as on the iPhone X, but has not been faster. Those who wear glasses may have difficulty, just like some with sunglasses, although it works perfectly when you wear a set of polarized Oakley TwoFace XL Prizm sunglasses.

Camera





iphone xs max reviews



The camera iPhone XS Max is one of the best in the business and a clear improvement over the iPhone last year. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

The dual camera system on the back of the iPhone XS Max has been upgraded since it first appeared on the iPhone X and 8 Plus last year. It features the same 12 megapixel camera combo, a wide angle and an effective 2x optical zoom, but the image sensors and algorithms have been updated.

The result is much better in terms of low light, which has not yet beaten the rivals of Samsung or Huawei, but is getting closer. The detailed preservation of the images in full harvest has also improved a lot, coming very close to that of Google's Pixel 2 XL.

Enhanced HDR mode, which is now enabled by default, is also better for high-contrast scenes, which means that shooting in the sun and other bright areas is not as much of a problem.

The portraits are also significantly better, especially the shallow depth of field around the hair and other extremities. The bokeh is also adjustable afterwards, which is fun.

The selfie camera is good, but not as rich in detail as some rivals. The video is also good, with better stabilization than previous iPhones.

Overall, the iPhone XS Max camera is the best competitor on the market.

observations





iphone xs max reviews



Full screen video looks great on the massive 6.5 inch screen. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper
  • I hurt my hand by placing my little finger under the phone to support his weight, which I have never met with another phone.

  • When your hands are warm, they adhere to the glass for easier handling, but they are very slippery when they are cold.

  • You can swipe from one side to the other of the gesture bar to change the application without calling the recently used cards

  • Strangely, the restoration of applications such as Evernote in the background took an abnormal time

  • ESim for dual-sim support (two phone numbers on one phone) will only be activated later in the year.

  • The holes in the bottom of the phone are no longer symmetrical, overcome them

  • There is a surprising amount of stereo separation compared to the speakers, which is all the better for bothering your passengers

Price

The iPhone XS Max is available in black, silver or gold and costs £ 1,099 for 64 GB of storage, £ 1,249 for 256 GB or £ 1,449 for 512 GB.

For comparison, the 5.8inch 5.8in iPhone costs £ 999 for 64GB of storage, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 £ 6.48 for 128GB, the Galaxy S9 + 6.2 'for 869 $ storage, the 6.1 for Huawei P20 Pro. 128GB, the Google Pixel 2 XL 6-inch with 64GB costs £ 549, the OnePlus 6 6.3-inch with 64GB costs £ 469.

Verdict

The iPhone XS Max is big, beautiful and expensive. Its main selling point is this huge and beautiful screen, which is only really useful for watching videos or viewing photos.

But by maximizing the screen, Apple lost some of the charm that made the iPhone X and its replacement the XS so good. It is much harder to handle, heavier and bigger in your pocket.

The camera is great, the battery life is ok, the wireless charging and a myriad of other features. It overflows with opulence in a way that other smartphones just do not do. But we can say the same thing about his little brother. And the smaller and cheaper iPhone XR 6.1 arrives later.

If you want the biggest iPhone, and you can support the asking price, then that's it. Just try not to let it down.

Advantages: massive and beautiful screen, decent autonomy, water resistance, awesome camera, face recognition

The inconvenients: no fingerprint scanner, very expensive, no fast charger in the box, no headphone jack, massive body





iphone xs max reviews



The glass back allows for wireless charging but is a fingerprint magnet, while the camera protrudes a bit. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the keeper

Other opinions

This article contains affiliate links, which means that we can earn a small commission if a reader clicks and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by an advertiser or commercial initiative.
The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you agree that the cookies of Skimlinks are defined. More information.

[ad_2]
Source link