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Apple iPhone XS: In-Depth Review with Specification

Apple iPhone XS: In-Depth Review with Specification
$999.00
Brand: Apple
Category: Apple iPhone
  • CPU Hexa-core (2x2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x1.6 GHz Tempest)
  • RAM 4GB RAM Apple A12 Bionic
  • Storage 64/256/512GB
  • Camera 5.8" 1125x2436 pixels
  • Display 12MP 2160p
  • Battery 2658mAh Li-Ion

SPECIFICATIONS

General

Status Available
Announced Released 2018, September
Released 19 April, 2025
Model ALL VERSIONS A2097A1920A2100
A2097 (Global market)
A2100 (China, Hong Kong); A2098 (Japan)
A1920 (USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Price Apple iPhone Price in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan, China, Japan and Europe USA - iPhone Xs - 64GB ($999) 256GB ($1,149) 512GB ($1,349)

UK - iPhone Xs - 64GB (£999) || 256GB (£1,149) and 512GB (£1,349)

Pakistan - iPhone Xs Rs. 174,999 (64GB) || 256GB (Rs.208,499) || 512GB (Rs.231,999 )

India - iPhone Xs 64GB ₹89,900 || 256GB (₹1,03,900) || 512GB (₹134,900)

Network

Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
CDMA 800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G Network LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 14(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 28(700), 29(700), 30(2300), 32(1500), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 46, 66(1700/2100) - A2097


LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 14(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 29(700), 30(2300), 32(1500), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 46, 66(1700/2100), 71(600) - A1920, A2100
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (4CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
GPRS GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications (GSM), Generally, GPRS is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection.
EDGE EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a wireless network technology generally considered the next step in the 2G network offers data transfer rates up to four times faster than ordinary GSM networks, Generally, EDGE is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection.

Body

Dimensions 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 in)
Weight 177 g (6.24 oz)
Colors Space Gray, Silver, Gold
SIM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. Nano-SIM, Electronic SIM card (eSIM)

Body

Dimensions 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 in)
Weight 177 g (6.24 oz)
Colors Space Gray, Silver, Gold
SIM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. Nano-SIM, Electronic SIM card (eSIM)

Display

Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor) Super Retina OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.8 inches, 84.4 cm2 (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Display Colors Display Colors is refers to the number of different shades of colors that the screen is capable of displaying => 64K colors, 256K colors and 16 million colors, Obviously 16M is highest available range of colors and better than others. 16M
Resolution 1125 x 2436 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density)
Pixel Density Pixel Density (PPI) is refers to the concentration of pixels on a particular display, measured in pixels per inch (ppi). Pixel density is calculated by dividing the diagonal pixel resolution of a display by its diagonal size, higher pixel density better display quality. ~458 ppi
Touch Screen capacitive touchscreen ||3D Touch || 120 Hz touch-sensing ||
Display Protection Display Protection => Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind. Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
Multitouch
Features 625 nits
Dolby Vision
HDR10
Wide color gamut
3D Touch
True-tone

Camera

Primary Camera is able to capture photographs and usually videos, The most important characteristics of a camera are the resolution (measured in megapixels), lens focus type (fixed or automatic), higher megapixel cameras are known to capture higher quality photos, but not always a good measurement of the photos quality. Dual Camera
Camera 1: 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS
Camera 2: 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
Video 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Camera Features - TrueDepth camera
- Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
- Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio,
Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)
- Animoji and Memoji
Selfie Camera 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard)
TOF 3D camera
Video 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Camera Features - TrueDepth camera
- Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
- Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio,
Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)
- Animoji and Memoji

Software

Operating System OS => Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device. iOS 12, up to iOS 13
Browser (Default) Safari

Hardware

Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming. Apple A12 Bionic (7 nm)
CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone. Hexa-core (2x2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x1.6 GHz Tempest)
GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
RAM (Memory) RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly from random locations. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computer systems, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices. 4 GB
Internal Storage Internal Storage is a data storage space (flash memory) mostly used in smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices where operating system, apps, music, photos, videos, files and other user data Is stored. 64/256/512 GB
Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras. NO
Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device. Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Siri natural language commands and dictation

Battery

Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. Li-Ion
Capacity Battery Capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain conditions. 2658 mAh (10.13 Wh)
Placement Non-removable
Wireless Charging Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging) uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which can then use that energy to charge batteries or run the device. Qi wireless charging
Fast Charging Fast battery charging 15W: 50% in 30 min
Standby Standby Time is the total amount of time that you can leave your is fully charged, turned on and ready to send and receive calls or data transmissions before completely discharging the battery. 12 Days
Talk Time Talk Time is the longest time that a single battery charge will last when you are constantly talking on the phone under perfect conditions, Ambient temperature and highly dependent on the cellular network environment such as the distance to the closest cell network tower. Up to 20 hours
Audio Playback Up to 60 hours
Video Playback Up to 14 hours
Internet Usage Up to 12 hours

Media

Alert Types Vibration, proprietary ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm Jack
FM Radio NO
Features Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Connectivity

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices. 5.0, A2DP, LE
Infrared Infrared connectivity is an old wireless technology used to connect two electronic devices. It uses a beam of infrared light to transmit information and so requires direct line of sight and operates only at close range.
Wi-fi Wi-Fi is a popular wireless networking technology using radio waves to provide high-speed network connections that allows devices to communicate without cords or cables, Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming the preferred mode of internet connectivity all over the world. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
Wi-fi Hotspot
USB 2.0, proprietary reversible connector
GPS GPS The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio navigation system, GPS permits users to determine their position, velocity and the time 24 hours a day, in all weather, anywhere in the world, In order to locate your position, your device or GPS receiver must have a clear view of the sky. Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches.

MISC

Description

The Apple iPhone XS, released September 21, 2018, is a compact powerhouse combining premium build quality, exceptional display, and reliable performance. This in-depth review thoroughly examines the phone’s design, features, and technical specifications.

Design and Build: Premium Craftsmanship

Apple iPhone XS Design

The Apple iPhone XS is built for elegance and durability.

  • Dimensions: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 in).
  • Weight: 177 g (6.24 oz).
  • Materials: Glass front and back with a stainless steel frame for enhanced durability.
  • Certification: IP68 dust/water resistance protects the phone for up to 30 minutes in 2 m of water.

Colors:

  1. Space Gray
  2. Silver
  3. Gold

Apple iPhone XS Colors

Display: Stunning Visuals

The 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display is a visual treat.

  • Resolution: 1125 x 2436 pixels with a 458 PPI density for crisp and vibrant visuals.
  • Screen-to-Body Ratio: 82.9%, maximizing the viewing area.
  • HDR10 and Dolby Vision Support: Perfect for streaming high-definition content.
  • Contrast Ratio: Infinite (nominal), offering true blacks and rich color depth.
  • Scratch-Resistant Glass: Protects the display from minor scratches and daily wear.

Performance: Powered by the A12 Bionic

Apple iPhone XS A12 Bionic Chip

The Apple A12 Bionic chipset, built on a 7nm process, delivers exceptional performance.

  • CPU: Hexa-core (2×2.5 GHz Vortex + 4×1.6 GHz Tempest) handles multitasking and high-performance tasks efficiently.
  • GPU: 4-core Apple GPU provides smooth graphics rendering for games and media.
  • AnTuTu Benchmark: Scored an impressive 346,379 (v7).
  • GeekBench Score: 11,472 (v4.4), showing excellent single-core and multi-core performance.

Camera: Professional-Level Photography

Apple iPhone XS Camera

The Apple iPhone XS features a dual-camera system that excels in photography and videography.

Rear Cameras

  1. 12 MP Wide Camera:
  • f/1.8 aperture for enhanced low-light performance.
  • Dual-pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF).
  • Optical image stabilization (OIS) for shake-free shots.
  1. 12 MP Telephoto Camera:
  • f/2.4 aperture.
  • 2x optical zoom.
  • PDAF and OIS for professional-grade zoom shots.

Video Recording Capabilities:

  • 4K: Up to 60 fps for ultra-clear videos.
  • 1080p: Up to 240 fps for slow-motion capture.
  • Features stereo sound recording for immersive playback.

Front Camera

  • 7 MP Sensor: f/2.2 aperture, perfect for selfies.
  • SL 3D Camera: Adds depth sensing for Face ID and bokeh effects.
  • Video Recording: 1080p at 30/60 fps with gyro-EIS stabilization.

Battery and Charging: All-Day Power

Apple iPhone XS Battery

  • Battery Capacity: 2658 mAh (10.13 Wh).
  • Fast Charging: Achieves 50% in just 30 minutes with a 15W charger.
  • Wireless Charging: Qi-compatible for cable-free convenience.
  • Endurance Rating: 72 hours under mixed usage conditions.

Storage Options

The Apple iPhone XS offers three storage variants:

  1. 64GB (suitable for light users).
  2. 256GB (ideal for moderate use).
  3. 512GB (great for heavy storage needs like videos and apps).

All variants use NVMe technology for ultra-fast data access, although there’s no expandable memory slot.

Connectivity and Sensors

The device supports cutting-edge connectivity options:

  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Bluetooth 5.0.
  • NFC (for Apple Pay).

It comes with advanced sensors, including:

  • Face ID: Secure facial recognition technology.
  • Barometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer: For enhanced functionality and fitness tracking.

Real-World Performance

  • Audio Quality: Delivers stereo sound with loudspeaker tests scoring 71 dB for voice and 78 dB for ringing.
  • Durability: Glass design and steel frame withstand normal drops and wear.
  • User Experience: Smooth transitions and zero lag, even with resource-heavy apps.

Price and Availability

Despite being a few years old, the iPhone XS remains accessible at $164 (approx.). With its robust hardware and compatibility with the latest iOS 18.1, it still competes with newer mid-range devices.

Conclusion: Is the iPhone XS Worth It?

The iPhone XS remains a solid option in 2025, offering a balance of premium design, strong performance, and advanced features. Its A12 Bionic chip handles multitasking, gaming, and modern apps with ease. The 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display provides vibrant visuals with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, making it great for streaming and media consumption.

At an affordable price of about $164, the iPhone XS offers a premium experience, making it a smart choice for those seeking quality and reliability without a hefty price tag.

Read the Complete Review of the Apple iPhone XS

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