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Apple Highlights iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Reviews

I have a 6S Plus and will upgrade in this cycle. While the camera is very interesting, the new LTE bands have me very intrigued. Just the overall responsiveness will likely be the most impressive. The 6S Plus was a big Wow! over the 5 so the XS or XR should be stunning.
 
I have an iphone 6 plus which is now upgraded to iOS 12. The new OS makes the phone feel fresh and new again with the performance benefits. I got the top spec model at the time and I paid the same price as the mid range Xr model. Even AU$1200 was expensive back then, but it is just ridiculous now. I cannot see how the price can be justified. The top spec Xs Max is AU$500 more expensive then the top spec Note 9. I am really hesitating to continue with Apple products in the future
 
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macduke said:
I mean, in all the photos of the new device it looks like the same flat cover glass that goes over both lenses so I doubt it. I haven't noticed much trouble with reflections over the years, but I'm also a professionally trained photographer who has a deeper understanding of how light works and how to best position my camera, subject, background elements (including lighting) to get a good photo. Perhaps that is why I haven't had problems with it? And seriously I'm not trying to come across as bragging or anything but those things do matter a lot when taking a photo and I do it without thinking so you might be 100% right about the lens cover causing problems. I just haven't seen it. Now the green spot on the iPhone 4 camera—that I could see, lol.
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I’m also a trained photographer. Been shooting professionally for 18 years, 10 years as an amateur before that. You can’t control lights in spontaneous situations. The only place where you have real control over light is in a studio.

There’s a real issue with reflections on the front glass of the iPhone since I believe the iPhone 6. It became a serious problem with the iPhone X. This is caused by a gap between the front glass and the lens. A lens alone would cause lens flare which is normal. Reflections on the other hand ruin photos. Nighttime video in a city with cars and other bright lights can become unusable pretty quickly.

Here’s a good demonstration that I found:


This is of course a forced example to make the problem clear but it does pop up regularly in non staged situations.

Here’s a real world demonstration. The lights on the dock reflect in the sky like a runway.

09C9ECAC-3B18-40E0-B461-1A3F3BEE29B7.jpeg


This is not normal lens behaviour. It’s a design defect that Apple has ignored because a front glass cover is the most efficient way to build water protection for the phone. To prevent this, they’d have to build the lens elements into the case itself. You’d have a curved lens on the outside, not a flat cover glass. Reflections would not occur. Presumably, this would be more expensive to build at scale since the case and the camera components come from different manufactures.

I wonder if a lens coating would fix this. That’s why I ask if the Xs had solved it.

EDIT: there’s a whole MacRumors thread on this:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/huge-defect-with-the-camera-extreme-lens-flare.2085341/

As expected, many people don’t understand the difference between lens flare which is normal and reflections which are not.
 
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I have an iPhone 5, which has served me well for six years now. Six! That's like 140 in dog years or something! It's gone through two batteries, multiple cleanings of the Lightning port, and a few drops...the only damage came from a date that accidentally knocked it out of my hand onto the sidewalk, which roughed up a couple corners. It's age is showing now though, I don't use it for much but when I do I can tell that it's slower, and with the OS no longer updating it's time to switch.

I have a XS coming on Friday...it's going to be better in every way except the size. I have held the X and thought it was too big, and was holding on for a 4.5-inch version, but it looks like that's not going to happen this year. I really had no complaints about my 5, but I have a feeling that I won't be keeping the XS for six years...maybe I'll get used to it enough to appreciate the bigger size, we'll see.
 
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Gudi said:
Larger sensor with larger individual pixels was mentioned in the keynote, people didn’t take notice because the camera is always better in an S-year. I remember Gruber making the point about always-in-your-pocket camera years ago.
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The S year makes no difference
The 5 camera was better than the 4S camera
The 6 camera was better than the 5S camera
The 7 camera was better than the 6S camera
Etc.
Same for the 7 Plus vs 6S Plus
In other words, the camera’s get better with each generation.
 
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Keymaster said:
I have an iPhone 5, which has served me well for six years now. Six! That's like 140 in dog years or something! It's gone through two batteries, multiple cleanings of the Lightning port, and a few drops...the only damage came from a date that accidentally knocked it out of my hand onto the sidewalk, which roughed up a couple corners. It's age is showing now though, I don't use it for much but when I do I can tell that it's slower, and with the OS no longer updating it's time to switch.

I have a XS coming on Friday...it's going to be better in every way except the size. I have held the X and thought it was too big, and was holding on for a 4.5-inch version, but it looks like that's not going to happen this year. I really had no complaints about my 5, but I have a feeling that I won't be keeping the XS for six years...maybe I'll get used to it enough to appreciate the bigger size, we'll see.
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I liked my 5 quite a bit. But when it came time to upgrade on my 2 year cycle, I went for the 6 Plus. At first, it felt like carrying a television set in my pocket but I quickly grew used to it. When I got the iPhone X, it felt tiny by comparison and I now see it as the ideal size. Small body, big screen. Because of the ubiquity of gestures throughout iOS and in most apps, it’s easy to use one handed.

The small screens of the iPhone 5 and prior don’t suit this new era of very visual apps and websites. I sometimes go back to my 5 for nostalgia but the iOS experience feels way too cramped.
 
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Tozovac said:
Looking at the app store on my macbook air, High Sierra OSX has only 6 reviews but you can't see each individual review...I remember when Yosemite first landed, the reviews were appallingly bad, but somehow the average was always at least 3.5, and then reviews on Apple apps disappeared for a while...

Apple PodCasts app has no reviews....come on Apple, at least pretend that you're not cooking the books and show a few 4 or 5 star reviews...

View attachment 783491
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Pretty sure apple resets the star ratings for all apps following a new version release.
 
Doc Evils said:
Having a 6 Plus, the XS is a waay better reason to upgrade compared to last years X.
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My thoughts exactly. It totally makes sense that if you already have a X, you wouldn't upgrade...not enough of a jump. I have been a 6S Plus user for a little over 2.5 years, this upgrade makes a LOT more sense for me! Pre-ordered a XS Max.
 
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Apple to the media: If you don't write rave reviews, you won't get a new iPhone to try out in the future and no invite for our future announcements of products.

I'll wait to hear feedbacks from actual customers who use their iPhones for at least a month, not a week, and filter out objective and subjective comments.
 
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Anything is possible even in big cameras... The fact Apple has done it better its just because their that good...

There no psychics to that says cameras cannot do the same.. The fact thy also want it affordable just like Apple wants smart-phones affordable..
 
macduke said:
Something interesting that I noted in Gruber's interview is that he confirmed with Apple that the iPhone XS wide angle camera has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 26mm vs. 28mm on the iPhone X, which makes it a bit wider to fit more in the frame at once.

He also confirmed that the new sensor is 32% larger, which is actually pretty significant if you know anything about smartphone camera sensors. I have no idea why Apple buried a detail like that which will truly improve image quality in low light conditions.

They also undersold smart HDR if you check out the photos in his review. He has some good real-world examples. It also seems like the neural engine coupled with the ISP has improved fine hair details on the edges of the faux blurred background bokeh in portrait mode, which is something I have complained about in the past.

So if you look at the camera spec sheet you won't notice many improvements, but in reality it's actually a pretty solid upgrade for people who take a lot of photos with their phone. And compared to an iPhone 7 or 6s it's going to blow it away.
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Won’t make a difference. Non Xs Max upgrades are waiting for the XR, or 2019 5.8”. Larger pixels on the sensor are a foreign concept to the average iPhone user. A wider angle lens could be of use for the selfies 70% of phone users use them for.

The percentage of users that will take advantage of the photo improvements on a weekly basis are 20% are best. Sure, you have the high end user that will upgrade just for these changes. Apple knows they don’t have to market to them for the upgrade. So, they don’t. :apple:
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Tech198 said:
Anything is possible even in big cameras... The fact Apple has done it better its just because their that good...

There no psychics to that says cameras cannot do the same.. The fact thy also want it affordable just like Apple wants smart-phones affordable..
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Unless you’re Nikon and release a new Mirrorless Body for Pros with only one card slot so you can’t shoot to both cards in case one fails 290 shots into your gig.
 
Same as the iPhone X other than camera improvements if you have an iPhone 7 or lower then it’s your time to upgrade
 
Hopefully this means iOS 12.1 isn't too far off and the new iPad Pro will be here in early/mid October. I sold mine in advance while the cash value was high, now I need my new one.
 
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