Apple iPhone XS Review: Excess at its best



[ad_1]

The iPhone X of last year was a revolutionary device, partly thanks to the removal of what made the iPhone so emblematic. Gone was the fingerprint scanning home button, and in its place was an aesthetically controversial "notch" to make room for the face identification security feature (and Animoji) . It was also revolutionary in terms of price. It may have made its debut next to the iPhone 8 at $ 699, but it was Apple's first thousand-dollar smartphone, a price that a surprisingly high number people could stand to have the coolest phone on the market.

With the new iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple is trying to tell us something: whether we like it or not, it's the future of the iPhone. All screens, no buttons and only one port that becomes more and more frustrating. Plus, you'll probably need two hands to reach the corners. Fortunately, there is also a lot to love about the iPhone XS, at least indoors. Apple's "S" appliance range, typically revisions of the previous year's design, typically focuses on internal upgrades and enhancements rather than radical design changes . The iPhone XS maintains the same pace, bringing with it essential software revisions, but nothing really new.

At first glance, the XS is almost identical to the iPhone X before it. Side by side, you'll have a hard time knowing which one is who. It has the same rounded stainless steel frame and glass back, the same 5.8-inch OLED screen and the same Super Retina HD screen as the previous iPhone X. The rear cameras are still protruding. The iPhone XS Max collides with a display of up to 6.5 inches, adding a few extra pixels to maintain the 19.5: 9 aspect ratio.

Read more: iPhone Xs vs iPhone Xs Max vs. iPhone Xr: What new Apple smartphone is right for you?

The videos are fantastic on the iPhone XS, and if you watch them cropped, you will not notice anything at all. The audio output has been greatly improved thanks to the now identical speakers at each end of the iPhone. You'll get true stereo sound, a welcome improvement over the X. However, if you want to enjoy every inch of this screen, these videos will forever be marked by the notch filled with the face ID that removes a tape. 'space. Why make the screen so beautiful if you just ruin it?

The battery life on the iPhone XS is similar to that of its predecessor. Apple has made impressive progress with its new A12 Bionic processor, making it more powerful than the A11 Bionic that preceded it, and more powerful. You'll also enjoy more impressive game graphics, but do not expect a miracle. Apple claims that the XS will last "up to 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X", which seems pretty reasonable. I never found myself looking for a point of sale in normal use and turning on the low power mode while I could not charge myself helped me to party in town without a phone. Battery management is more sophisticated and will not let users question whether or not they have a bad power supply when their iPhone starts to go away.

Problem of identity aside, the iPhone XS remains a beautiful device. It is more elegant and more aesthetic than the competition because of its simplicity. Compared to competing devices like Note 9 or Pixel 2, the iPhone XS radiates elegance, while the rest is just smartphones with rounded corners or curved screens. Available in black, white, and now gold (stay cool), it looks more like a luxury product than a device that many users will use primarily to send emoticons and memes. The dedication to form is admirable, but it also makes the XS a bit more laid-back, and makes me wish that there are at least some extra colors to pop it off when it's not hidden in a holster. (The next mid-level XR iPhone will be offered in a wider range of colors.)

Given the absence of radical design changes, Apple wants you to focus on the camera and its effectiveness. Well, it's pretty good. All improvements to the new iPhone processor allow you to take HDR photos – high dynamic range – without worrying about shutter lag. It also means that your photos will be much better in unfavorable environments to photography. The bright blue sky will not be faded and the low-light images will be more alive and saturated thanks to the camera combining several exposures in a single photo. Each lens has an optical image stabilization with a 12 megapixel sensor; one uses a f / 1.8 wide angle lens, the other a f / 2.4 telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom.

The portrait photographs use the two 12 megapixel cameras to simulate the narrow depth of field effect you get with a high quality DSLR camera and lens. The camera automatically focuses on a subject's face and allows you to use live lighting effects to add style to your photo. After you have photographed your subject, you can change the depth of field effect after the fact, blurring or in the background as you see fit. Although this is not the first device to allow depth adjustment, it's a useful and incredibly fun feature to put at your disposal, even if it's a bit heavy as you approach the opening setting f / 1.4.

Apple's iOS 12 software may be the most interesting part of the iPhone XS, given its design that allows you to use the new expensive gadget you just bought less often. Additions such as the Siri and Screen Time shortcuts help users manage their time on the device and show them what they are doing and how long they are doing it. Enhanced security features allow password managers, such as 1Password, to automatically populate your login information, eliminating the need to copy and paste your credentials when you need to access your account from a site or an application. This is one of the most useful additions to iOS 12, and one of the many improvements to the operating system, which makes it more respectful of my time and attention. Even if you are not interested in switching iPhones, upgrading your current model to iOS 12 will provide you with many benefits and features, enough to keep you from switching phones.

The animoji are still there and present some new characters to start. You can also create one with yourself (or whoever you want) with Memoji, the Apple Animoji authoring tool that uses the Face ID camera. This is clearly a work in progress, and can not record facial expressions like winks or raised eyebrows without looking too strange for comfort. Still, it's a ton of fun to use, and now that it's there, I can not imagine it happening anytime soon.

There is a problem with the iPhone XS, a problem that affects all high-end smartphones, a problem that people seem to neglect. To watch the content as expected, with 1080p or 4K resolution with HDR support, you may need to shell out even more money.

Do you want to stream video on this big screen? Well, I hope you are ready to pay your wireless service provider for additional data after your Netflix movie has devoured a few gigabytes. In addition, you will not be able to enjoy this high-resolution screen when streaming on mobile broadband due to limitations on streaming content. Operators such as Verizon and T-Mobile will only allow you to stream videos with the pitiful resolution of 480p, unless you shell out a few extra dollars a month to reach the 720p resolution still so bad. For companies like T-Mobile, "high definition" is the equivalent of a 2002 film. No thanks. On top of that, watching videos when my iPhone XS is connected to Wi-Fi means that I'm somewhere where watching videos would be misguided or where I have access to a larger screen like a laptop or a TV. If this is the case, why bother with this pocket screen a part of which is removed?

The same problems exist with Apple Lightning's proprietary connector, the main one being that it's not the most common USB-C port used by any other smartphone maker, and the only port for MacBook laptops. Apple Pro. If you are not yet a techie, your laptop or computer probably still has its old USB stick – if it is, do not worry. But otherwise, you will need an adapter.

Should you get the iPhone XS or the iPhone XS Max? If you have ignored the iPhone X and you think you're about to buy it, think about the iPhone XS. But if the price is a problem, the next iPhone XR at $ 749 could be faster. If you are not excited either, I do not blame you. Especially with iOS 12 available as a free update, many people will get more revenue on their existing iPhone before feeling the need to upgrade.

[ad_2]
Source link