Apple officially launched three new iPhone models at an event held at the Steve Jobs Theater auditorium, Apple Park, Cupertino, California, Wednesday (09/12/2018) or early Thursday morning (09/13/2018).
All three are iPhone XS (iPhone Ten S), iPhone XS Max (iPhone Ten S Max), and iPhone XR (iPhone Ten R), all of which carry a ‘notch’ screen design, aka bangs.
You could say, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the successors of the iPhone X, while the iPhone XR is the successor to the iPhone 8 Plus that was released last year.
XS iPhone and XS iPhone Max
From the videos shown at the launch event, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max look elegant with sturdy stainless steel or termed ‘surgical-grade’. The front is wrapped in glass which is claimed to be the most resilient compared to all smartphones on the market today.
Available in three colours — gold, silver, and grey, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have the IP68 dust and water resistant certification, increased from the previous series which carried IP67 certification.
“This means that users can immerse them in water to a depth of 2 meters for 30 minutes. In addition, we have also tested in various types of liquids, such as orange juice, wine, even beer,” said Philip W. Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, in its presentation on the launch stage.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max carry a bezel-less design like the iPhone X, but the difference is the screen size.
The iPhone XS has a 5.8-inch screen with a resolution of 2436×1125 pixels, while the iPhone XS Max has a larger screen with a size of 6.5 inches with a resolution of 2688×1242 pixels.
The screen quality is equally classy adopting an OLED-type Super Retina display with a 458ppi pixel density level that is equipped with Dolby Vision and HDR10 technology.
In addition to visual problems, the audio aspect is also thought through carefully. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use stereo speaker technology, so there is no need to connect the device with portable speakers.
In terms of performance, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max increased significantly by relying on the A12 Bionic processor. The processor is the first to use 7nm chips with 6.9 billion transistors.
If explained, in one processor there are 4- GPU cores, 6- CPU cores, and Neural Engine. Each CPU core on the A12 Bionic is claimed to be able to run a program 15 percent faster and 40 percent better energy efficiency than its A11 predecessor on the iPhone X, while the GPU is 50 percent better.
Meanwhile, the Neural Engine on the A12 Bionic has eight cores dedicated to Machine Learning. “This is the smartest and most powerful processor chipset on smartphones,” Schiller said.
Machine Learning on the A12 Bionic brings a new feature in the camera, namely Animoji’s Real Time Machine Learning when FaceTime and Animoji that can be made according to the user.
A12 Bionic also supports Augmented Reality (AR) with ARKit 2 and AR Quick Look. Not only that, this ability makes Apple work with a number of game studios, including Bethesda Game Studio, A7 Nex Team and Directive Games to bring a better gaming experience.
Turning to the camera sector, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are equipped with two dual rear cameras with 12MP wide-angle camera configuration (1.4 microns pixels with f / 1.8 openings) and 12MP telephoto camera (f / 2.4 openings with 2x optical zoom ), which reinforced with True Tone flash.
On the front side, users can take a selfie with a 7MP camera. The sensor is claimed to be faster and openings f / 2.2. With Image Signal and Neural Engine technology, selfie results can be maximized.
The camera feature that is highlighted is ‘Smart HDR’. Users can shoot four photos in a row without any shutter lag at all. So, no need to worry when you want to take a moving object.
“The camera also comes with a better bokeh. In Portrait Mode there will be a menu to adjust the depth level of the photo background,” Schiller explained.
Another impressive thing about the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max is the battery. The XS iPhone has a battery that is claimed to be 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, while the iPhone XS Max lasts 90 minutes longer than the iPhone X.
“The iPhone XS Max is the iPhone with the biggest battery,” Schiller said.
Like the leak that had circulated, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max also supported the use of a dual SIM card with DSDS technology (Dual SIM Dual Standby) aka both SIMs can be equally active.
The DSDS consists of one standard physical SIM and one electronic SIM song or ‘eSIM’. Especially for the Chinese market, both SIMs can be both physical licenses.
“Because there are people who store two numbers with two different operators. Many people also travel abroad, use original numbers and use local numbers,” Schiller said.
XS iPhone comes in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB memory variants with prices starting from US $999 or around N360,000 naira. While the iPhone XS Max also comes in a storage space variant of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, with more expensive prices, starting from US $1,099 or around N397,000 naira.
The preorder of XS iPhone and XS Max iPhone starts on September 14, and will be officially available on September 21, 2018 in 30 countries, including Germany, Italy, Australia, China, Japan and Singapore, and will extend to 29 countries, including India, Russia and South Africa on September 28, 2018.
iPhone XR
iPhone XR comes with a 6.1-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1792×828 pixels with a density of 326ppi. This phone has a larger screen than its predecessor, the iPhone 8 Plus (5.5 inches), but with a smaller body.
The LCD screen material used makes the price of the XR iPhone more affordable than the two flagships iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max that already use OLED screens.
Available in five colours — white, black, blue, coral, and yellow, the iPhone XR also carries the premium A12 Bionic processor chipset with a 7-nanometer architecture that is claimed to be reliable for handling heavy work.
For cameras, the iPhone XR is equipped with a 12MP wide-angle camera that is equipped with an f / 1.8 opening, optical stabilizer (OIS), 6 element lens, True Tone Flash, and blink detection. has a bokeh feature with a level that can also be set.
“Even with a single camera, the iPhone XR can shoot portrait mode amazingly,” Schiller said.
Meanwhile, the 7MP powerful iPhone XR front camera that also carries the TrueDepth camera with Face ID, like the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
Another specification of the iPhone XR is a battery that is claimed to be 90 minutes longer than the iPhone 8 Plus, features an IP67 certified anti-water, Dual SIM, and recording with stereo audio.
iPhone XR is offered in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB memory variants with prices starting from US $749 or around N270,000 naira with pre-orders starting on October 19, 2018, and will be officially available on October 26, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=9m_K2Yg7wGQ
