Is the new Apple phone worth it? – Quartz

Are you ready to spend $ 1,100 on a smartphone the size of Rhode Island?

The first reviews of Apple's latest smartphones, the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, have arrived. In appearance, nothing has changed since last year's iPhone X, with the Xs appearing to have a design identical to its predecessor and the Xs Max an elongated version of the Xs. But Apple has announced a number of internal improvements during its launch last week, including faster processors, better augmented reality technology, more camera magic and slightly better battery life.

But what do the first readers think? Quartz has gathered some of the best, so you do not have to go through it all.

The new camera software is good

The new iPhone Xs uses its two rear cameras to create portrait photos, just like the X, but this time, the new software allows the photographer to change the depth of field after shooting. The reviewers generally agreed that this was a step in the right direction:

Scott Stein, in Cnet:

If you compare the camera specifications for the iPhone X 2017 and the new iPhone XS, you think that almost nothing has changed: same dual cameras, same aperture settings, same megapixel values, even optical zoom 2x. But Apple did a lot of work under the hood. The XS has a totally new image sensor that really improves the quality of the photos.

Matthew Panzarino, in TechCrunch:

I will not (always) compare the iPhone XS to an interchangeable lens camera, because the portrait mode does not replace them, it is about removing them less. That said, it's the closest.

Lauren Goode, in Wired:

Overall, the portrait photos taken on the new iPhones were far better than the old Portrait photos on iPhone, with or without the effect of depth. In Pia's nightly photos, the new, deep-tuned iPhone photos were better able to capture the car's lights and flashing city signs behind her, and were generally more beautiful than Samsung's blurry photos. . However, it's not comparable to the bokeh effect you get on a DSLR with a fast lens.

The giant screen is not so bad

Some feared that the giant 6.5-inch screen of the new iPhone Xs Max would make the phone too cumbersome for many users.

Brian X. Chen, a long-time opponent of the big phones, was influenced by the New York Times:

The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max maybe make me a conversion to bigger smartphones. Last week, I started testing the two new models of iPhone. I had predicted that the XS Max's largest screen would be heavy in my pocket and would make the phone awkward with one hand while typing and tapping the buttons inside the apps.

Still, after using the 6.5 inch XS Max next to the 5.8 inch XS in different situations and conditions for a week, I was surprised by my reaction. Far from being disappointed by the oversized devices, I was delighted. The compromises of the new jumbo model turned out to be minor. By eliminating the bevels, which are the borders of the screen, Apple has done a great job of increasing the screen size without adding volume or compromising the usability of the XS Max. I still think the little XS is better for most people, but many would like the XS Max.

Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, who used the help of former NBA basketball player Gheorghe Mureşan 7-foot-7 to test the big phone, appreciated the big screen but did not did not think that Apple was using it enough to require its largesse:

1. Apple is not doing enough to enjoy all the extra space. The Max looks like an iPhone broke, so that it could be a new kind of computer. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Note or even Apple's iPad, you can not place applications side-by-side or float a video in the corner.

2. One-handed use is sometimes difficult with smaller hands, especially when typing, even with Apple's accessibility trick that allows you to shift the screen when you need it. The XS is rather a perfect fit for my hand and my pocket. Even the XR felt much smaller than the Max.

Mark Spoonauer of Tom's Guide has compared the giant phone to its closest giant rival:

The good news is that you get more screen in the same chassis as the Apple Plus handsets, without the buttons and the Home button. The bad news is that it's definitely not a skinny-jeans phone (that no one should ever wear them), and you'll need two hands to comfortably use this 7.3-ounce monster. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is lighter, but it is also bigger and a bit thicker.

Ray Wong, from Mashable, said the phone was not too big, as it was actually the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus from last year:

The iPhone XS Max is a size at which many iPhone users and even Android users have already adapted themselves. After spending almost a week at a time with the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max, I found myself more often on the big device for its bigger screen for reading, playing, watching videos and typing .

The life of the battery

Even with a faster processor and graphics chip, reviewers seemed to agree that the new iPhone Xs Max was generally more battery-powered than the iPhone X:

Nilay Patel, The Verge:

I've mostly tested the XS Max, and it's been awesome – better than Apple's claim for 90 minutes longer than the X. In fact, I've had 12 hours of work. XS Max's autonomy without low power mode, and it's even under my daily heavy use of the constant use of Slack and emails, video, taking pictures and navigation. The smallest XS is estimated 30 minutes longer than the X, which lasted about 8 hours last year. It's solid.

Matthew Panzarino:

Battery life was hard to judge. In my tests, the iPhone XS Max has clearly switched to beast mode, surpassing my iPhone X and my iPhone XS. Between these two, however, it was harder to say. I try to wait until the end of the period, I have to test the phones to make batteries so that the indexing in the background does not affect the numbers. In my test of the "real world" in heat over 90 degrees, the iPhone XS has done better than my iPhone X by a few percentage points, which Apple claims, but my X is also a year. The battery did not fail during the test days, even intense, with the XS.

For little iPhone Xs, the battery life was not much different, Madeline Buxton of Refinery29 discovered:

I did not notice a huge difference in the life of my battery when using the X compared to the X. True, 30 minutes is not much, but after a full morning listening to music texting friends, conducting interviews and typing on Instagram Stories, I stayed at about 50%. Again, it's not bad, but I'd really like the shelf life to be longer.

Is it worth it?

The new iPhones start at $ 999 and $ 1,099, respectively, and it's not a small investment for the vast majority of customers. Whether you want to upgrade an older model or phones from last year, most users seemed to agree that what the iPhone Xs offered on the X was not very important. (Which is a shame, given that Apple no longer sells the iPhone X.) Some have suggested that more price-conscious customers should wait to see Apple's more affordable phone, the iPhone Xr, available in October , before choosing.

USA Today Ed Baig breaks down the costs:

Think about it for a second. If you buy the iPhone XS or XS Max with a maximum storage capacity of 512 GB, you get $ 1,349 and $ 1,449 respectively, or in the price range of a new mid-sized MacBook Pro laptop. I recognize that for many of us, the smartphones in our pockets have become our computers and that not everyone will enjoy it to the full. But Ie, even the "cheaper" phones are not really cheap, with the 64GB XS and XS Max versions reaching $ 999 and $ 1,099 respectively, and the 256GB version at $ 1,149 and $ 1,249.

I am also aware that the four-digit price tags have become the cost of admission to today's high-end phones and that trading and monthly payments can somewhat alleviate the problem. But that does not mean I have to like that. Although I have not tested it yet, that's why some of you may want to wait for the iPhone XR next month. It starts at $ 749 and has most of the features of the XS and XS Max, records a second rear camera and a screen that, while very good, is not as sophisticated as these more expensive iPhones.

John Paczkowski from Buzzfeed does not see the difference:

Now, to be clear, Apple has certainly improved the iPhone with the X and Max Xs; There is a plethora of documentation and marketing points to support this statement. But most importantly, it did not improve my experience of the iPhone. Or if that is the case, I did not notice it.

Lauren Goode tends to agree, but more optimistically:

I still think you should not need to upgrade if you've invested in phones last year – or even if you have a slightly older phone, like an iPhone 7. Is there a palpable difference? between these old phone models? Yes absolutely. But that does not mean that your old phone is defective. This is the case of high-end smartphones, these minicomputers in our pockets: even the models of last year are still incredibly incredible.

Even with Nilay Patel:

I would not rush to spend $ 999 more on the XS if you have an X, but if you're already in pre-order, do not worry: you'll love the iPhone XS. This is much more iPhone, and it will probably take years. I definitely prefer the Pixel 2 camera, but the iPhone XS is not far behind, and it's still a significant improvement over previous iPhones.

For everyone, I think it's worth waiting to see how the iPhone XR presents itself before launching: it has the same processor and the same main camera for $ 750. The only major issue is the quality of its 6.1-inch LCD screen compared to the XS OLED. But for that, we will just have to wait until next month.