Apple has announced the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, which feature Super Retina displays, a faster and improved dual camera system, the first 7-nanometer chip in a smartphone — the A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine — faster Face ID, wider stereo sound, a new gold finish. They also introduce Dual SIM to the iPhone.
The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max build on the all-screen design of iPhone X and feature the sharpest displays with the highest pixel density of any Apple device. Now offered in 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch sizes, these Super Retina displays with a custom OLED design support Dolby Vision and HDR10 and have iOS system-wide color management for the best color accuracy in the industry, says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max offer a million-to-one contrast ratio with remarkable brightness and true black range with 60% greater dynamic range in HDR pics, he added. The iPhone Xs Max delivers a more immersive experience with over 3 million pixels for videos, movies and games, offering the largest display ever in an iPhone in a footprint similar to iPhone 8 Plus, Schiller says.
A surgical grade stainless steel band now in gold joins finishes in silver and space gray. Wider stereo playback creates a more immersive soundstage, according to Schiller. The front and back glass design features the most durable glass ever in a smartphone with improved scratch resistance, while the glass back enables faster wireless charging, he adds.
The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max reach a new level of splash and water resistance of IP68 for up to 2 meters for 30 minutes and protect against everyday spills including coffee, tea and soda.
The Apple-designed A12 Bionic features the first 7-nanometer chip ever in a smartphone that delivers industry-leading performance in a more power-efficient design, Schiller says. A12 Bionic features a six-core fusion architecture with two performance cores that are up to 15% faster, four efficiency cores that are up to 50% more efficient, a four-core GPU that is up to 50% faster, powerful Apple-designed Image Signal Processor (ISP), video encoder and more.
A fast storage controller can deliver iPhone storage up to 512GB. Even with all this power, iPhone Xs offers 30 minutes longer than iPhone X, and iPhone Xs Max offers an hour and a half longer than iPhone X, between charges.
The next-generation Neural Engine is built for advanced machine learning in everything from photography to augmented reality. A new eight-core design allows it to complete up to 5 trillion operations per second compared to 600 billion in A11 Bionic. Schiller says this enables new capabilities like faster plane detection for ARKit and new features that use real-time machine learning.
For the first time the Neural Engine is open to Core ML, empowering developers to build apps that utilize this highly efficient machine learning engine. Core ML running on the A12 Bionic Neural Engine is up to nine times faster than on A11 Bionic, with as little as one-tenth the energy usage.
iPhone Xs capabilities like advanced depth segmentation using the Neural Engine, Smart HDR creating photos with high dynamic range and great image detail, advanced bokeh quality in Portrait mode photos and dynamic depth of field that is user adjustable in the Photos app, are all huge improvements in state-of-the-art photographic techniques that everyone can use, Schiller says.
The 12-megapixel dual camera system features dual optical image stabilization with 2x optical zoom, while a new sensor is twice as fast. Smart HDR creates photos with more highlights and shadow detail. Larger and deeper pixels improve image fidelity and low-light performance.
Advanced depth segmentation in Portrait mode enables more sophisticated portraits with professional-level bokeh. New Depth Control allows users to dynamically adjust the depth of field in the Photos app both in real-time preview3 and post-capture to create portraits with a background blur. 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.
Schiller says the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max deliver the highest quality video capture in a smartphone. The larger pixels and larger, faster sensor enable improved low-light performance and video stabilization, as well as extended dynamic range for more highlight and shadow detail in video modes up to 30 frames per second. Using the four built-in mics, users can also record stereo sound to get the most out of video recordings.
Face ID is now even faster. The TrueDepth camera system uses precision depth-sensing technology that goes far beyond the capabilities and security of two-dimensional facial scanners and enables users to unlock iPhone, use Apple Pay, gain access to secure apps and many more features with a simple glance.
iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max introduce Gigabit-class LTE for even faster download speeds4 and Dual SIM through the use of a nano-SIM and digital eSIM.
The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB capacity models in space gray, silver and a new gold finish starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively, from apple.com, in the Apple Store app and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
Through Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, customers in the US can get iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max with the protection of AppleCare+, choose their carrier (no multiyear service contract required) and have the opportunity to upgrade to a new iPhone every year. The iPhone Upgrade Program is available for iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max at apple.com and Apple Stores in the US with monthly payments starting at $49.91 and $54.08, respectively. iPhone Upgrade Program customers can get the prep work done before iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max pre-order with the Apple Store app until 4PM (Pacific) on Thursday, Sept. 13
Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max beginning Friday, Sept. 14, with availability beginning Friday, September 21, in more than 30 countries and territories including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.
The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will be available in more than 25 countries and territories including Andorra, Armenia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia and South Africa beginning Friday, Sept. 28.
Apple-designed accessories including leather and silicone cases in a range of colors will be available starting at $39, while the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max Leather Folio will be available starting at $99.
With Apple GiveBack, customers in the US can trade in their eligible device for an Apple Store Gift Card or a refund on their purchase. If their device isn’t eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free.
