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iPhone XS Is the iPhone XS still worth it?

OMGitsDaYisus

OMGitsDaYisus

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 14, 2016
38
2
Spain
Hello there,

I'm currently the owner of an iPhone 6s Plus (32GB), which I bought in 2017's summer. I am looking forward to upgrading my phone. I was aiming at an iPhone 11, but the LCD display, as well as the thicker vessels and the 0,5x optical zoom camera (I prefer a 2x optical zoom), made me reconsider. I even considered the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's way too expensive for my budget (1,159€).

So then I thought why not going back just one generation? I guess it's not a big difference in terms of performance. I saw the iPhone XS as the perfect sized phone, which also featured the OLED display that would save great battery, and had a "premium" look. I want this phone to last as much as possible so, do you guys see it as a good investment? Forgot to mention that I could find it at a discounted 850€.

My two main points are getting better battery life (dark mode + OLED pannel) and better performance than my previous phone, given that it's not far from the 11th generation of iPhones.

Thanks beforehand! 😄
 
You’d be better off getting the 11 or 11+. Battery life on the new iPhones is mind blowing. There’s no 3D Touch so it that is super important to you then the Xs would be a good choice for you.
 
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I use an Xs max, my GF has an 11 pro. Other than dimensions, the few better camera features they are practically the same phone.

The 11 pro has a slightly higher capacity battery than my max (3179 vs 3190) further enhanced by the a13 chip which has better battery management but from our usage patterns the difference is not significant, although I’m sure the standard Xs battery would perform slightly below either.

Tbh in day to day usage it would be difficult to differentiate. They look identical, they perform pretty much identical. Like mentioned the pro will have the better camera if photography is important. The Xs is still has a plenty competent camera but has lesser feature set and lacks the newer telephoto lens
 
If you never need to take pictures indoors in dim lighting than the XS is good enough.

Normally, I’d say that the previous generation is okay. But the new 11 cameras are so freakin’ good I’m telling everyone to buy the 11 and ignore the XS or wait until you have the money. It’s that good.
 
chanerz said:
Better off with 11. Xs has terrible battery life.
Click to expand...

I’d disagree. I never had an issue with the battery life on the XS. There were various iOS releases that did affect the battery, but overall, that seem to be rectified later on.
 
chanerz said:
Better off with 11. Xs has terrible battery life.
Click to expand...
Bit of a dramatic statement, don't you think? OK, the latest models have better battery life but the Xs has a perfectly capable battery for the majority of users. You have to weigh up if it's worth the extra money.
 
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I value the OLED screen more than the camera improvements on the 11, so if you can get a good deal on the XS that would be my choice in your situation. Upgrading from a XS Max to an 11 Pro Max, performance is pretty much the same. If you intend to keep the phone for a long time, the 11 might get an extra year of iOS updates than the XS, but as of now there is hardly any perceptible performance difference
 
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Xs ONLY if you can get it for like $800 or better.

If you're paying $900 or more get the 11 Pro.
 
JCCL said:
I value the OLED screen more than the camera improvements on the 11, so if you can get a good deal on the XS that would be my choice in your situation. Upgrading from a XS Max to an 11 Pro Max, performance is pretty much the same. If you intend to keep the phone for a long time, the 11 might get an extra year of iOS updates than the XS, but as of now there is hardly any perceptible performance difference
Click to expand...
Yeah, the thing is that the iPhone Xs is currently at 850€ and the iPhone 11 at 809€. I'm starting to think that it might be a good choice that wouldn't go off-budget. New LCDs look much better (taking into account I would be shifting three generations) in the newer iPhones. It might not be a huge deal.

However, I value OLED capabilities which are permanent and can grant me a better battery life than just more mAH in the battery, which will eventually go old.
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Wide opeN said:
Xs ONLY if you can get it for like $800 or better.

If you're paying $900 or more get the 11 Pro.
Click to expand...
What if I tell you that the iPhone 11 is at 809€? I'm starting to get less exquisite with OLED panels and looking at LCD as a nice substitute, as they have been improved over time. The thing is I haven't had in my hands for much time the iPhone 11, maybe I'm biased to think the more expensive iPhones are best.
 
Freakonomics101 said:
You’d be better off getting the 11 or 11+. Battery life on the new iPhones is mind blowing. There’s no 3D Touch so it that is super important to you then the Xs would be a good choice for you.
Click to expand...

I want 3D Touch so badly but oh well. Why not just wait for a sale on the 11 pro OP tho
 
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Hello there,

I'm currently the owner of an iPhone 6s Plus (32GB), which I bought in 2017's summer. I am looking forward to upgrading my phone. I was aiming at an iPhone 11, but the LCD display, as well as the thicker vessels and the 0,5x optical zoom camera (I prefer a 2x optical zoom), made me reconsider. I even considered the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's way too expensive for my budget (1,159€).

So then I thought why not going back just one generation? I guess it's not a big difference in terms of performance. I saw the iPhone XS as the perfect sized phone, which also featured the OLED display that would save great battery, and had a "premium" look. I want this phone to last as much as possible so, do you guys see it as a good investment? Forgot to mention that I could find it at a discounted 850€.

My two main points are getting better battery life (dark mode + OLED pannel) and better performance than my previous phone, given that it's not far from the 11th generation of iPhones.

Thanks beforehand! 😄
Click to expand...
I know that the main features of the iPhone 11 Pro are found in iPhone 11 except triple camera (no big deal) and an OLED screen (I can keep using LCD). The deal for me is battery life.
Is that battery life improvement compared to iPhone 11 worth 350€? Is iPhone’s 11 battery not that good?
 
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Hello there,

I'm currently the owner of an iPhone 6s Plus (32GB), which I bought in 2017's summer. I am looking forward to upgrading my phone. I was aiming at an iPhone 11, but the LCD display, as well as the thicker vessels and the 0,5x optical zoom camera (I prefer a 2x optical zoom), made me reconsider. I even considered the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's way too expensive for my budget (1,159€).

So then I thought why not going back just one generation? I guess it's not a big difference in terms of performance. I saw the iPhone XS as the perfect sized phone, which also featured the OLED display that would save great battery, and had a "premium" look. I want this phone to last as much as possible so, do you guys see it as a good investment? Forgot to mention that I could find it at a discounted 850€.

My two main points are getting better battery life (dark mode + OLED pannel) and better performance than my previous phone, given that it's not far from the 11th generation of iPhones.

Thanks beforehand! 😄
Click to expand...
For sure the upgrade from a 6S to an XS would be great.
said that, if camera performance and battery life are important factors for you, an iPhone 11 would be a much better option
[automerge]1576447836[/automerge]
OMGitsDaYisus said:
I know that the main features of the iPhone 11 Pro are found in iPhone 11 except triple camera (no big deal) and an OLED screen (I can keep using LCD). The deal for me is battery life.
Is that battery life improvement compared to iPhone 11 worth 350€? Is iPhone’s 11 battery not that good?
Click to expand...
Battery life on the 11 is on the same level (or even slightly better) than on 11 pro.
 
Last edited:
FlyingDutch said:
For sure the upgrade from a 6S to an XS would be great.
said that, if camera performance and battery life are important factors for you, an iPhone 11 would be a much better option
[automerge]1576447836[/automerge]

Battery life on the 11 is on the same level (or even slightly better) than on 11 pro.
Click to expand...
Would you say so if I use dark mode 24/7 and dark wallpapers?
 
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Would you say so if I use dark mode 24/7 and dark wallpapers?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily.
I have both, with dark mode in “automatic” setting, and battery life is quite similar.
Sometimes 11 is even better than 11 Pro.

0C30BACF-FA02-498F-B8E9-250028029EF4.jpeg
 
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Hello there,

I'm currently the owner of an iPhone 6s Plus (32GB), which I bought in 2017's summer. I am looking forward to upgrading my phone. I was aiming at an iPhone 11, but the LCD display, as well as the thicker vessels and the 0,5x optical zoom camera (I prefer a 2x optical zoom), made me reconsider. I even considered the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's way too expensive for my budget (1,159€).

So then I thought why not going back just one generation? I guess it's not a big difference in terms of performance. I saw the iPhone XS as the perfect sized phone, which also featured the OLED display that would save great battery, and had a "premium" look. I want this phone to last as much as possible so, do you guys see it as a good investment? Forgot to mention that I could find it at a discounted 850€.

My two main points are getting better battery life (dark mode + OLED pannel) and better performance than my previous phone, given that it's not far from the 11th generation of iPhones.

Thanks beforehand! 😄
Click to expand...

I would say go with the 11 but if you really want an OLED screen / smaller bezels and the 2x optical zoom (i also like that more than the 0.5x) you are better off with the Xs. But you need to make a trade-off when it comes to battery life, as the 11 is heavily improved there.
 
FlyingDutch said:
Not necessarily.
I have both, with dark mode in “automatic” setting, and battery life is quite similar.
Sometimes 11 is even better than 11 Pro.

View attachment 883240
Click to expand...
Whats the time span when you are using dark mode?
[automerge]1576575611[/automerge]
Elitegate said:
I would say go with the 11 but if you really want an OLED screen / smaller bezels and the 2x optical zoom (i also like that more than the 0.5x) you are better off with the Xs. But you need to make a trade-off when it comes to battery life, as the 11 is heavily improved there.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I’ve also seen in comparisons that neither iPhone XS or XS Max have like “great” battery life. If I were to buy it, it should be a huge deal. However, 850€ may sound ok, but you have other much better alternatives regarding battery life.
 
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Whats the time span when you are using dark mode?
Click to expand...

Sunset - sunrise.
[automerge]1576576898[/automerge]
OMGitsDaYisus said:
Yeah, I’ve also seen in comparisons that neither iPhone XS or XS Max have like “great” battery life. If I were to buy it, it should be a huge deal. However, 850€ may sound ok, but you have other much better alternatives regarding battery life.
Click to expand...

I don’t know what you read, but XS Max has great battery life.
XS has good battery life.
 
FlyingDutch said:
For sure the upgrade from a 6S to an XS would be great.
said that, if camera performance and battery life are important factors for you, an iPhone 11 would be a much better option
[automerge]1576447836[/automerge]

Battery life on the 11 is on the same level (or even slightly better) than on 11 pro.
Click to expand...

Actually it’s 11 pro max > 11 pro > 11 in terms of battery life
 
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OMGitsDaYisus said:
Hello there,

I'm currently the owner of an iPhone 6s Plus (32GB), which I bought in 2017's summer. I am looking forward to upgrading my phone. I was aiming at an iPhone 11, but the LCD display, as well as the thicker vessels and the 0,5x optical zoom camera (I prefer a 2x optical zoom), made me reconsider. I even considered the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's way too expensive for my budget (1,159€).

So then I thought why not going back just one generation? I guess it's not a big difference in terms of performance. I saw the iPhone XS as the perfect sized phone, which also featured the OLED display that would save great battery, and had a "premium" look. I want this phone to last as much as possible so, do you guys see it as a good investment? Forgot to mention that I could find it at a discounted 850€.

My two main points are getting better battery life (dark mode + OLED pannel) and better performance than my previous phone, given that it's not far from the 11th generation of iPhones.

Thanks beforehand! 😄
Click to expand...
I currently use a 6 Plus and purchased the XS Max as an upgrade. I gave the XS Max to my mother who tells me the battery life on the XS Max drains quickly. I would try and save a little more and get yourself an 11. I read nothing but great battery life on that phone among other things.
 
ET iPhone Home said:
I currently use a 6 Plus and purchased the XS Max as an upgrade. I gave the XS Max to my mother who tells me the battery life on the XS Max drains quickly. I would try and save a little more and get yourself an 11. I read nothing but great battery life on that phone among other things.
Click to expand...

It depends on what she’s using on it though. If she’s playing games all day any phone will die pretty quickly
 
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