iPhone Xs vs iPhone Xs Max vs iPhone X: What has changed?

With every new iteration of an iPhone, there is always one question that’ll pop-up on everybody’s minds — What has changed from the previous one? So, with that in mind let’s find out what the new iPhone Xs and Xs Max has to offer that the iPhone X never had.

Specification	Apple iPhone Xs	Apple iPhone Xs Max	Apple iPhone X
Display	5.8" OLED super retina display @2436 x1125px, 458ppi -Dolby Vision -HDR 10	6.5" OLED super retina display 2688 x 1242px, 458 ppi -Dolby Vision -HDR 10	5.8-inch all-screen OLED display @ 2436 x 1125px, 458ppi
Glass	-Arsenic-free display glass -Mercury-free display -Oleophobic Coating -Scratch-resistant	-Arsenic-free display glass -Mercury-free display -Oleophobic Coating -Scratch-resistant	Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
CPU	Apple A12 Hexa-Core Bionic chip	Apple A12 Hexa-Core Bionic chip	Apple A11 2.39Ghz Hexa-Core Bionic chip
GPU	Apple GPU (eight-core graphics)	Apple GPU (eight-core graphics)	Apple GPU (three-core graphics)
RAM	TBA	TBA	3 GB RAM
Storage	64GB/256GB/512GB internal storage	64GB/256GB/512GB internal storage	64/256 GB internal storage
Expandable	No	No	No
Rear Camera	-12MP wide-angle f/1.8+ 12MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control -Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync -Dual optical image stabilization -2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x -Smart HDR -4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps -1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps slow-mo -2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 6x (video record)	-12MP wide-angle f/1.8+ 12MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control -Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync -Dual optical image stabilization -2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x -Smart HDR -4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps -1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps slow-mo -2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 6x (video record)	12MP f/1.8 wide-angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto rear cameras: Dual OIS, Quad LED Flash
Front Camera	7MP f/2.2 RGB front Camera + IR Camera -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control	7MP f/2.2 RGB front Camera + IR Camera -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control	7MP TrueDepth Camera w/ Face ID
SIM Slot	Dual-SIM (single nano + e-SIM for global / dual Nano for China)	Dual-SIM (single nano + e-SIM for global / dual Nano for China)	Single SIM (Nano)
Connectivity	4G VoLTE 4x4 MIMO and LAA	4G VoLTE 4x4 MIMO and LAA	4G LTE
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2X2 MIMO	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2X2 MIMO	WiFi 802.11ac MIMO
Sensors	-NFC with reader mode -Face ID -Barometer -Three‑axis gyro -Accelerometer -Proximity sensor -Ambient light sensor	-NFC with reader mode -Face ID -Barometer -Three‑axis gyro -Accelerometer -Proximity sensor -Ambient light sensor	NFC
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Features	Face ID, IP68 Certified	Face ID, IP68 Certified	Face ID, IP67 Certified
Audio	Wide Stereo Speakers	Wide Stereo Speakers	Stereo Speakers
Audio Port	none	none	none
Port	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning
OS	Apple IOS 12	Apple IOS 12	Apple IOS 11
Battery	TBA	TBA	2,716mAh battery
Wireless Charging	Qi Wireless Charging	Qi Wireless Charging	Qi Wireless Charging
Color	Gold, Silver, Space Gray	Gold, Silver, Space Gray	Space Gray, Silver

Summary of Changes

Bigger screen (in the case of the iPhone Xs Max)
Better chipset
Larger storage options
New and improved cameras
Dual-SIM options
4G VoLTE
4×4 MIMO and LAA
IP68 Water and Dust resistance
Apple iOS 12

First up, the display. The new iPhones are still riding on the Super Retina display we saw with the iPhone X. Along with Dolby Vision and HDR 10. Although this time one of the variants, the Xs Max, comes in a bigger 6.5-inch size. We’re also getting better water and dust resistance with an IP68 rating as opposed to the iPhone X’s IP67.

Perhaps the biggest change the two new iPhones received over the iPhone X is the new A12 Bionic chip. The new chip is the world’s first 7-nanometer chip that comes with a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU giving it 50% faster performance.

The 2nd-gen 8-core Neural Engine has support for Dedicated Machine Learning and Smart Compute System. That the Neural Engine can now process up to 5 trillion operations per second, up from 600 billion ops of the A11.

The Xs and Xs Max are also the first iPhones to be outfitted with a maximum of 512GB of storage. For the longest time, iPhones only had 256GB of storage.

Of course, Apple prides themselves on creating one of the best smartphone cameras in the world. As such, the new iPhones come with new and improved camera tech. While it may seem on paper that the two have the same hardware as the iPhone X, the real improvements can be seen via software. Apple was able to push in more camera-centric features to the Xs and Xs Max, thanks to its more powerful A12 chipset.

This includes portrait mode with depth control, enhanced bokeh effects, larger and deeper pixels, and smarter HDR. This translates to the front camera too, where we have a TrueDepth 7MP RGB f/2.2 shooter with Face ID. Portrait mode with Depth Control is also available on the TrueDepth camera for selfies, which includes Memoji and faster face tracking support for third-party ARKit apps.

The minor yet appreciated changes include Dual-SIM options, 4G VoLTE, and 4×4 MIMO and LAA. Simply put, better overall connectivity. The new iPhones will also ship with iOS 12 right out of the box. Although, of course, the iPhone X won’t be left behind and will most probably receive a software update down the road.

And there you have it! These are the new toys and tricks that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max are bringing to the table. What do you think about these changes? Are they big enough or are they quite lacking? Let us know in the comments section below.

Zen Estacio

Zen Estacio is a Multimedia Producer for YugaTech. He is the team's laptop guru and one of their resident gamers. He has a monthly column compiling the latest and greatest the Nintendo Switch has to offer. Aside from that, he regularly writes gaming news, reviews, and impressions. You can hit him up at @papanZEN

2 Comments

Manny says:

6 years ago

Poorly written. Iphone x has a lot more details that were left out to make it look like there are so many more additions to the Xs. Fanboying much?
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