Apple Announces iPhone XS With Dual SIMs, 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max, Entry-Level iPhone XR
Starting with iPhone XS, it is a year-over-year upgrade to the iPhone X, so it retains the 5.8-inch OLED display (2436x1125, 458ppi), Face ID (now with faster respond times) and dual rear cameras. The iPhone XS is IP68 rated, and the display now features better dynamic range, and there is improved stereo sound compared to last year. Powering the smartphone is a new 7nm Apple A12 Bionic processor (6.9 billion transistors) which features a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU in addition to a Neural Engine. There are still dual rear cameras with 12MP sensors (now larger), and Apple has improved the True Tone flash for low-light situations and includes Smart HDR. Up front, there's a 7MP FaceTime camera, and the iPhone XS family can also record stereo sound.
The iPhone XS Max ups the ante with the a much larger 6.5-inch OLED display. It is the largest display ever fitted to an iPhone and has a resolution of 2688x1242 (also 458ppi). Apple says that the iPhone XS Max is roughly the same size as the old iPhone 8 Plus while featuring a display that is 1-inch larger diagonally.
The iPhone XS now lasts about 30 minutes longer during the day compared to the iPhone X, while the iPhone XS Max will last an hour and a half longer (thanks to the largest battery every included on an iPhone). Apple also confirmed that it will support Dual SIMs using DSDS (Dual SIM, Dual Standby) and eSIM technology. On U.S. market devices, that means that you will have one physical SIM and one eSIM. For the Chinese market, Apple will actually have a separate iPhone XS Max SKU with dual physical nano SIMs that fit into a single SIM tray.
But there's more. There's also the aluminum-bodied iPhone XR, which features a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina LCD display (1792x828, 326ppi). The iPhone XR looks like the iPhone XS from the front, but from the back reminds us of the iPhone 8. You'll still get the same A12 Bionic processor and Face ID hardware found in the iPhone XS, but it lacks 3D Touch. The iPhone XR feature a single, 12MP wide-angle rear camera, which is the same camera from the iPhone XS. However, the iPhone XR can now take Portrait shots with a single camera (think Google Pixel 2) despite having a single camera through the use of computational photography.
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are available in Space Gray, Silver and Gold. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max start at $999 and $1,099 respectively, and will be available in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities. They will be available for preorder on Friday and go on sale on September 17th. The iPhone XR comes in white, black, blue, coral, yellow and Product (RED). It starts at $749 and will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. It will be available for preorder on October 19th, and will ship on October 26th.
