IPhone XS／XS Max evaluation： the most expensive ever, is it the strongest ever？
Editor’s Note: The new iPhone will be officially released tomorrow. The Verge has lifted the detailed evaluation of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Let’s take a look at how the two most expensive iPhones in history perform.
The annual Science and Technology Spring Festival Evening passed, and the new iPhone arrived as scheduled in 2018. As a model with the name "S" updated, we didn’t expect the iPhone XS to change much in appearance, but the largest iPhone XS Max was the most concerned one in this new machine camp. So, as one of the most anticipated models in the world market this year, what is the specific performance of iPhone XS/XS Max?
In terms of appearance, in fact, we can completely ignore the iPhone XS. After all, it is almost exactly the same as the iPhone X, so let’s focus on the iPhone XS Max.
Apple’s first taste of the big screen dates back to the iPhone 6 Plus era a few years ago, and that generation of mobile phones also set a sales miracle in the history of the iPhone. After several generations of updates, it seems that Apple wants to do the same thing to the successor of iPhone X. Of course, it is reasonable for consumers to buy the big screen. After all, with the blessing of comprehensive screen design, the body size of iPhone XS Max with 6.5-inch screen is only 157.5*77.4*7.7mm, which is almost exactly the same as the Plus series with 5.5-inch screen (158.4*78.1*7.5mm).
Under such a screen size, watching videos or playing games with iPhone XS Max naturally has nothing to say. In addition, the OLED screen with wide color gamut display (P3), 625cd/m2 brightness and 458ppi makes the visual impact of iPhone XS Max higher than that of iPhone X by several gears. Of course, if you want to operate with one hand, it may be a little difficult. Even for users with large hands, it is almost impossible to hold the menu at the top of the operation with one hand.
As for the quality of this OLED screen, I think that after the self-certification of iPhone X in the past year, everyone has already had sufficient trust in it. At least in terms of screen burning, it has performed better than other OLED screen phones in the same period. However, there were many problems about the wear of iPhone X last year, and this year, Apple improved the material of the front and rear glass to make it more wear-resistant. According to foreign media inspectors, after streaking for more than a week, there were no obvious scratches before and after the mobile phone. As for the durability for a long time, it needs longer verification to get a conclusion.
In fact, from the current usage situation, Apple has hardly made too many software optimizations for this smartphone with a larger screen. No matter the application or UI, all we can see is just "bigger than bigger". In landscape mode, some native applications such as Safari have evolved, for example, the tab bar has become more accessible, which is largely due to the optimization of iOS12.
At the top of this screen, we still see the familiar "little bangs". As far as the unlocking efficiency of Face ID is concerned, iPhone XS Max has not changed much compared with iPhone X, and the improvement in unlocking speed in milliseconds is not obvious, and it still doesn’t recognize me who just woke up. Of course, the horizontal or upside-down unlocking previously guessed has not been realized in iPhone XS Max. Also affecting the unlocking are sunglasses that block infrared rays. It is said that Apple is cooperating with some sunglasses manufacturers to launch sunglasses that support Face ID in the future. It’s really "apple" not to adjust technology to solve the adaptation problem, but to ask others to cooperate with them to make changes.
The biggest change brought by Face ID is to expand the facial information to two people, that is, an iPhone XS Max can be unlocked by two pairs of faces entered in advance. Considering that Face ID adapts to the changes of users’ facial eyes, beards and other elements very quickly, there is no need to set a second set of facial information for backup. It seems that Apple just wants to provide users with an emergency unlocking solution, but it also gives your girlfriend more reasons and ways to unlock your mobile phone.
The lens quality of iPhone has always been obvious to all, and no matter which generation of iPhone, its shooting effect is among the top products in the same period. Although we often say that the iPhone is not as good as other products in targeted optimization, at least in terms of film quality, the iPhone is still worthy of pride. So how does it perform in iPhone XS Max?
At the press conference, Apple said that the shooting effect of iPhone XS/XS Max is still leading in the current smart phone market. iPhone XS Max still adopts the configuration of rear dual camera, but it has been upgraded for the previous 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture, and the unit pixel area has been increased from 1.22um to 1.4um, which makes iPhone XS series phones more sensitive to light. Combined with A12′ s image information processing system and neural engine, a film with more ideal tolerance and color can be obtained by taking multiple photos and synthesizing them.
With the blessing of SmartHDR, the filming effect of iPhone XS series phones is really satisfactory. At least compared with the previous generation iPhone X, iPhone XS is obviously superior in exposure control, dynamic range and dark light performance. However, SmartHDR also makes the sharpness of photos lose, which leads to the improper handling of details.
This pot should be buckled in the so-called intelligent HDR. This function has done a lot of excesses in the details during actual shooting, which is why after enlarging the photo, you can clearly see the skin texture of the portrait chin and the texture of the eyebrows, which are all smeared out by the iPhone XS.
As can be seen in the photo below, the portraits taken by iPhone XS are as original as ever, while the photos taken by Pixel have better saturation. This is a contradiction between "truth" and "pleasing", especially for users who can’t take selfies and send friends without beauty. iPhone XS is undoubtedly "fatal" for them.
In portrait mode, iPhone XS has added a virtual aperture system. Through simulation algorithm, the blur effect of the background can be adjusted from f/1.4 to f/16 at will. All users need to do is turn on portrait mode, aim at the target theme and take the next photo. Because iPhone XS can distinguish and record the theme, foreground and background, the virtual depth of field effect can be adjusted in the later stage.
As for the blur effect, it can only be said that it is difficult for most smartphones to perfectly simulate the texture brought by the camera lens, and the iPhone XS is not much better in the end, but it is better than nothing.
In short, the camera performance of iPhone XS has made remarkable progress compared with last year’s iPhone X, but it can’t be said that it is easy to use. Its imaging effect can only be equal to several top Android flagships in the first half of this year. It’s not outstanding, but there are no obvious shortcomings. This is the consistent lens training style of iPhone.
In terms of processing chips, Apple has always been ahead of all its competitors. In this year’s A12, they also used the 7nm process first. Apple official said that this generation of chips has improved performance by 15% compared with last year’s A11, while GPU has improved by as much as 50%.
As for the performance improvement of 15%, it is actually difficult to experience it in daily use. After all, apart from the occasional system ventilation, the iPhone has not been associated with the word "Caton" for a long time. In short, whether it is a large game or a daily use, the iPhone XS is very smooth to use.
However, the more intuitive experience improvement brought by the 7nm process lies in the better power consumption performance. In the case of simple daily use such as sending emails, watching videos, taking photos, browsing social networking sites, etc., the iPhone XS Max can even be firm for 12 hours. As for the iPhone XS Max, the official claim is that the battery life is 30 minutes longer than that of the iPhone X, and this is because the battery capacity of the iPhone XS(2658mAh) is higher than that of the iPhone X(2716mAh).
We can see that the performance improvement of 15% is actually not obvious, which means that Apple has put more energy into controlling power consumption and heat generation. We should know that last year’s A11 has strong performance, but its performance in iPhone X is not ideal. To a large extent, it is a pot that triggers frequency reduction after high heat, and the A12 processing chip carried by iPhone XS can provide a stronger and lasting experience.
In short, A12 will be a chip full of more possibilities, and its excellent and stable performance will enable it to cope with various high-intensity applications in the coming year. For ordinary users, the battery life it brings can also improve the iPhone experience.
Whenever a new mobile phone is launched, people who eat melons will question whether it is worth buying. In fact, as a "make-up version" with the name "S", this is indeed a problem that needs to be considered. After all, the iPhone released this time is the most expensive iPhone in history, and the domestic version has even sold for more than 10,000 yuan, so it is reasonable to make some considerations.
Then if you already have an iPhone X, it is not necessary to upgrade to the iPhone XS at least. It is really easy to use, but the iPhone X is not a model that has been abandoned by the times. Even if it is put in the second half of this year, it is still the top flagship smartphone.
So how about buying an iPhone XS Max? If you want to experience a bigger screen, there is nothing to hesitate. After all, the experience brought by 6.5-inch and 5.5-inch is just like a world of difference. It can be said that iPhone XS Max is a mobile phone that will make people feel that there are no shortcomings. Everyone still needs to understand that even if it is the most expensive iPhone in history, it can afford such a price. After all, it is not its fault that it is expensive.
If you are holding an older model than iPhone X, then our suggestion is to change it if you can. It’s been 8102 years, and you haven’t got a full screen yet, so you are embarrassed to go out.