While the iPhone XS retains the same extortionate costs for screen repair ($279) and “Other damage” ($549) as the iPhone X, these have been pushed up to an astonishing $329 and $599 respectively for the iPhone XS Max. What Apple announced was its updated Service Pricing to cover the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and the user response has been hostile. Even though the glass used has been labelled as being the strongest ever, the increased price of repairs of the flagship handset should help the sales of protective cases (and Apple Care). Of course new iPhones mean new handsets will be very shortly rolling into Apple Genius Bars for repair. A final trick is the ability to adjust background bokeh (aka blur) on Portrait Mode shots, something Samsung’s Galaxy range provides. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is how Google’s ‘HDR+’ works on the Pixel range. This combines multiple photos taken at different exposures and combines their best elements into a single shot. …But arguably more exciting, is the introduction of what Apple calls ‘Smart HDR’.
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Secondly, Apple is greatly upping its software game - something that was essential after iPhones fell far behind the image processing smarts of the Pixel 2. Firstly, after years of reserving its best cameras for its flagship phone, now Apple has given both XS models equal standing. There are two pieces of very good news with the iPhone XS and XS Max. Kelly lines up the two units in context of the competition:
There is the physical size difference, but unlike previous years that’s about the only real difference - for once the smaller and larger flagships are carrying identical optical hardware. The iPhone X has surprisingly loudspeakers (more so than the front firing, stereo supporting Pixel 2) so this should be a welcome increase for anyone who likes to listen to podcasts on the kitchen counter.Ī bigger question is choosing between the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max.
Next up, and equally subtle, is a 25% increase in speaker volume and stereo support - the latter of which Apple promises deliver audibly clear left and right channels. You can read about the technicalities here, but essentially it means you can now submerge your iPhone in up to three metres of water instead of one. The first of these is increased IP68 water and dust resistance over the IP67 certification in the iPhone X. In terms of physical size, the X and XS carry the same dimensions (and the XS Max is on a par with the iPhone 8 Plus) but there are some practical changes under the hood, as Forbes’ Gordon Kelly notes: