In this article, I will be comparing the iPhone X vs iPhone Xs in terms of design, display, performance and price. The iPhone Xs is the latest flagship smartphone from Apple, it’s an upgrade to the iPhone X smartphone which was introduced last year and took the world by storm with a notch.
Now, if you’re using the iPhone X, you must be wondering “Do I need to upgrade?”. Well, in this post we will be looking at a few similarities and differences between the devices and letting you know if there’s a need to upgrade or not.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – DESIGN
In terms of design, we won’t call it an upgrade. They are both identical, you can hardly tear them apart, they are both designed with Stainless Steel overall unibody with a glass back. The rear features are still the same.
They both measure 7.7 mm in thickness, however, the iPhone X weighs less at 174g, while the iPhone XS weighs more at 177g. The iPhone X is available in only Silver and Space Grey colours, while the XS gets a Gold version alongside Silver and Grey. Let’s see what both phones have to offer in terms of display and resolution.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – DISPLAY
The iPhone XS comes with a more advanced version of the OLED display on the iPhone X, but they both have a notch. The iPhone X sports a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED capacitive touchscreen with 1125 × 2346 pixels in resolution and pixel per inch density of 459.
While the iPhone XS is built around the same 5.8-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and boasts of 1125 × 2346 pixels in resolution and 463 pixels per inch density as well. There is no difference between the two phones here.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – CAMERA
In the photography department, the iPhone X sports dual rear 12MP + 12MP cameras with Quad-LED Flash, f/1.8 + f/2.4 aperture and 1.4um + 1.0um pixel size respectively. While the XS sports the same dual rear 12MP + 12MP camera with Quad-LED Flash, f/1.8 + f/2.4 aperture and 1.4um + 1.0um pixel size respectively as well.
We are waiting on DXOMark to really find out if there’s been an upgrade here. For selfies, they both sport the same 7MP Selfie Camera with f/2.2 aperture, however, the XS has an infrared lens for Face ID while the iPhone X uses the selfie camera for that.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – Performance
The iPhone X is powered by the Apple A11 Bionic chip with Hexa-core processor that clocks up to 2.39GHz alongside 6-Core GPU. While the iPhone Xs comes with an advanced Apple A12 Bionic with Hexa-core processor that clocks up to 2.5GHz alongside 8-Core GPU.
The iPhone XS runs on iOS 12 operating system out of the box even though the X runs on iOS 11, it should get the iOS 12 update soon. In the RAM and storage department, there’s a bit of a difference. The iPhone X boasts of 3GB RAM with 64GB/256GB storage variants, while the XS comes with a bigger 4GB RAM and 64GB/256GB/512GB storage space variants. Personally, this is the only area, the iPhone Xs is considered an upgrade.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – BATTERY
The battery on the iPhone XS hasn’t been revealed yet by the company, however, the XS battery capacity should be much bigger compared to the iPhone X. The iPhone X is powered by a 2716mAh battery, the battery on the iPhone XS might not be up to 3000mAh or even less.
iPhone X vs iPhone Xs – Price Comparison
The iPhone Xs is more expensive obviously, it has a starting price of about $999 (N350,000). While the iPhone X price has fallen in recent times, it now has a starting price of about $899 (N300,000).
iPhone X VS iPhone XS Specs Comparisons
| DISPLAY | ||
| Display size | 5.8 inches | 5.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1125 x 2436 pixels | 1125 x 2436 pixels |
| Pixel density | 459 ppi | 459 ppi |
| Technology | OLED | OLED |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 82.35 % | 82.64 % |
| Peak brightness | 625 cd/m2 (nit) | 625 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Features | HDR video support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | HDR video support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor |
| CAMERA | ||
| Rear camera | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Flash | Quad LED | Quad LED |
| Aperture size | F1.8 | F1.8 |
| Pixel size | 1.22 μm | 1.4 μm |
| Optical zoom | 2.0 x | 2.0 x |
| Hardware Features | Second camera (12-megapixel, F2.4 aperture), Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Second camera (12-megapixel, F2.4 aperture), Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus (Phase detection), Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) |
| Video recording | 3840×2160 (4K) (60 fps), 1920×1080 (1080p HD) (240 fps), 1280×720 (720p HD) (30 fps) | 3840×2160 (4K) (60 fps), 1920×1080 (1080p HD) (240 fps), 1280×720 (720p HD) |
| Features | Optical image stabilization, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing | Optical image stabilization, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing |
| Front camera | 7 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Features | High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) | High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) |
| DESIGN | ||
| Dimensions | 5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches (143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm) | 5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches (143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm) |
| Weight | 6.14 oz (174 g) the average is 5.8 oz (165 g) | 6.24 oz (177 g) the average is 5.8 oz (165 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Glass; Accents: Stainless steel | Main body: Glass; Accents: Stainless steel |
| Rugged | Water, Dust resistant | Water, Dust resistant |
| IP certified | IP 67 | IP 68 |
| Biometrics | Facial recognition | Facial recognition |
| Colors | Gray, Silver | Gold, Gray, Silver |
| HARDWARE & PERFORMANCE | ||
| System chip | Apple A11 Bionic APL1W72 | Apple A12 Bionic |
| Processor | Hexa-core, 2390 MHz, 64-bit, 10 nm | Hexa-core, 64-bit, 7 nm |
| GPU | Apple 3-core GPU | Yes |
| RAM | 3 GB | |
| Internal storage | 256 GB | 512 GB |
| OS | iOS (11.x) | iOS (12.x) |
| BATTERY | ||
| Capacity | 2716 mAh | |
| Fast Charging | USB Power Delivery | USB Power Delivery |
| Wireless charging | Built-in (Qi) | Built-in (Qi) |
| Talk time | 20.00 hours the average is 20 h (1187 min) | |
| Music playback | 60.00 hours | 60.00 hours |
| Video playback | 13.00 hours | 14.00 hours |
| NETWORK | ||
| CDMA | 800, 1900 MHz | |
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66 | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71 |
| LTE (TDD) | Bands 38, 39, 40, 41 | Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46 |
| Data | LTE-A Cat 12/13 (600/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA, UMTS |
| Nano SIM | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | Yes | |
| Multiple SIM cards | 2 slots | |
| HD Voice | Yes | |
| VoLTE | Yes | Yes |
| CONNECTIVITY | ||
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band | 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band |
| Mobile hotspot | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Yes | Yes |
| Connector | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Features | Mass storage device, USB charging | Mass storage device, USB charging |
| Mobile Payment | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Location | GPS, A-GPS, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning |
| Other | NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop | NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync |
| PHONE FEATURES | ||
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer |
| Notifications | Haptic feedback | Haptic feedback, Vibration |
| Price | $899 | $999 |
CONCLUSION
Personally, the iPhone XS isn’t much of an upgrade to the X. They are quite identical, it’s kinda what Apple did with the iPhone 6 and 6S. Nonetheless, we will have to wait for benchmark scores to find out how powerful the A12 Bionic chip really is.
