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The iPhone XR is the best option for anyone looking to upgrade to a new iPhone from anything older than the iPhone X. It brings almost all of the X-series features, including Face ID, Portrait mode, and a larger screen to a relatively more affordable handset that comes in vibrant colours.
Unless you must have the absolute best dual-lens cameras and OLED screen, we think the iPhone XR is the best option. It has a larger screen than the XS (although it is LCD, not OLED). And while it has only a single-lens camera, in preliminary testing we found that we actually prefer that in some circumstances. Overall, the XR promises a phenomenal flagship-phone experience for less money.
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max phones offer the same design as 2017’s iPhone X, but come with modest improvements in performance and cameras – which means they’ll feel like an even bigger upgrade than the iPhone X for owners of older phones. The XS Max is especially appealing if you didn’t upgrade last year because you wanted a bigger screen.
Budget pick
Even though the iPhone 7 was released in 2016, it remains a very good phone in the ways that matter most. It has a fast processor, a great screen and a good camera, but it costs significantly less than the iPhone XS or XR. It doesn’t offer wireless charging or automatic screen white balance like newer iPhones (including the still-available iPhone 8), and it uses a Touch ID fingerprint sensor instead of Face ID, but it still does everything you’d need an iPhone to do, and it should continue to receive iOS updates for years. If you can get away with 32 GB of storage, this is the budget iPhone to buy.
What’s new in the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max?
On paper, the iPhone XS and the identical-other-than-size XS Max are incrementally better than last year’s iPhone X. The XS models are a little faster at everything – including general performance, camera focus, wireless charging, and Face ID recognition – and they have improved cameras with new Smart HDR and Depth Control features, water resistance to two metres instead of one, and slightly longer battery life. They’re also available with up to 512 GB of storage (though hardly anyone needs that much) and in a gold colour.
One new feature that’s notable in the XS and XS Max is dual-SIM support, which lets you keep your home-area SIM active while using a second SIM for another area – a convenient feature for international travellers or people who want to use the same phone for work and personal lines.
In our initial testing, these performance differences are noticeable, but if you have an iPhone X, you don’t need to upgrade. For anyone with an iPhone 7 or older, the new models offer a substantially better experience for all the reasons we liked the iPhone X last year.
iPhone XR: The best iPhone X experience at the best price
The iPhone XR offers most of the features of the iPhone XS and XS Max at a significantly lower price. It also has a bigger screen than the XS, and although the camera is slightly different, we actually prefer it to the camera on the XS or XS Max. Unless you absolutely need (or want) an OLED screen and the latest dual-lens camera technology, we think the XR is a better choice.
The iPhone XR uses the same basic design as the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max, meaning an edge-to-edge screen, Face ID, and no Home button. However, one of the first things you’ll notice about the XR is the colour choices: its aluminum and glass body is available in six vibrant colours, compared with only black, silver or gold for the XS and XS Max. Its 6.1-inch screen size also falls in between that of the 5.8-inch XS and 6.5-inch XS Max.
Unlike the rest of the iPhone X series, however, the XR’s screen uses LCD technology like older iPhones, rather than OLED. Generally, OLED provides better contrast and blacker blacks, but the XR’s screen still looks great, and most people wouldn’t notice the difference unless they were staring directly at both phones.
The other major difference is that the XR lacks a second camera lens, which both the XS and XS Max have. Its single lens is, however, the same 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with the same camera sensor as the main lens on the XS and XS Max, and it takes advantage of the same new technologies, including Smart HDR and Depth Control. Even without that zoom lens, the XR is capable of shooting portrait photos – blurring backgrounds while maintaining sharp foreground subjects – and we think it produces better-looking images than the dual-lens camera on the XS.
Other minor differences include slightly less water resistance: Like the iPhone 8 and 7, the XR has an IP (ingress protection) rating of IP67, versus IP68 for the iPhone XS and XS Max. This means that the XR is rated to survive in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes, compared with two metres for the XS and XS Max. And while the XS and XS Max continue to have 3D Touch (which lets you press firmly on the screen to see additional options in supported apps), the XR removes that feature in favour of a new Haptic Touch feature, which instead uses long presses – a less-distinct gesture that’s a bit harder to use. That said, many people don’t even know 3D Touch is there, so unless you use it frequently, this is a minor omission.
Given how similar the XR seems to be to the XS and XS Max, at a much lower price, we think that unless you know you want the XS models’ dual-lens camera or the better contrast of their OLED screens, you’re better off saving your money and getting the XR instead.
If you want a bigger phone right now: iPhone XS Max
We still need to give it a longer assessment, but based on our hands-on time with it, our history with the iPhone X, and reviews from publications we trust, we’re confident that the iPhone XS Max will be a good upgrade for anyone who wants the iPhone X experience but prefers Plus-size iPhones. Its internals and features are exactly the same as those of the iPhone XS, but with a larger screen (6.5 inches compared with the XS’s 5.8 inches). If you’re coming from an older phone, it feels much like an iPhone 8 Plus or 7 Plus in the hand, but its screen is considerably larger: 6.5 inches compared with 5.5 inches for the older Plus models – and unlike the X and XS, which have a longer but narrower screen, the XS Max’s screen has essentially the same width as a Plus-size screen.
Thanks to its larger body, the XS Max also has a bigger battery that Apple says will last about an hour longer than the XS’s. After a few weeks of using it, we’ve found it to get battery life similar to that of the older Plus-size phones: we regularly have quite a bit of juice left at the end of a typical day.
Here’s a sampling of what other reviewers are saying about the XS Max – as with many large phones, praise and criticism tend to focus on its size:
The New York Times, Brian Chen:
“The XS Max screen was so good-looking that I wanted to keep reading articles and looking at photos on Instagram. When I used Apple’s new Screen Time feature to monitor my use of each device, I discovered that I spent an average of roughly five and a half hours a day on the XS Max, two hours more than on the XS.”
The Verge, Nilay Patel:
“If you want a huge screen, get a XS Max. It’s a gigantic, beautiful screen, and I have enjoyed looking at it a lot. But nothing about it is easier to handle than the old Plus phones, and in some cases, it’s harder.”
The Wall Street Journal, Joanna Stern:
“One-handed use is a struggle at times with smaller hands, especially typing – even with Apple’s reachability trick that lets you shift the screen down when needed. The XS is more of a just right fit for my hand and pocket.”
iPhone XS: Same great camera and screen in a smaller size
The iPhone XS is identical to the iPhone XS Max in every way except for its physical size and battery life. It has a smaller, 5.8-inch screen (and commensurately smaller body) but the same processor, cameras, and capacities. So if you like what the iPhone XS Max has to offer, but aren’t thrilled about its size, the iPhone XS may be for you.
But, again, if you’re looking to upgrade to a new iPhone this year and don’t need the very latest dual-lens camera technology or an OLED screen, we think you’re better off getting the iPhone XR, which offers all the best iPhone X features – a larger edge-to-edge screen, Face ID, and an upgraded main camera – for quite a bit less money.
If you’re on a budget: iPhone 7
budget pick
The iPhone 7 debuted in late 2016, but it’s the best option if you want a great iPhone at a good price. It looks a lot like the newer iPhone 8, with the same aluminum body and 4.7-inch screen, but it has the previous generation of processors and cameras.
Despite being a few years old, the iPhone 7’s camera is still very good. (WhistleOut compares the cameras of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 here, or you can look at Mashable’s comparison of all iPhone cameras up through the iPhone X.) The iPhone 7’s camera is a noticeable step down compared with the cameras on the iPhone XS and XS Max, but if it’s between the 7 and iPhone 8, you probably won’t notice unless you’re comparing images side by side.
Similarly, while the iPhone 7 isn’t nearly as fast as the iPhone XS and XR, it’s still more than fast enough to run iOS 12 and any app or game from the App Store – and thanks to improvements in iOS 12, the iPhone 7 actually feels faster now than it did under iOS 11. And the 7 has the same battery life as the 8, which according to Apple’s estimates is about 2.5 hours less than that of the XS and 3.5 hours less than what you get with the XS Max.
Unlike older iPhones, the 7 has the same IP67 water-resistance rating as the iPhone 8 and XR, so it should be impervious to splashing and incidental water damage, and it should be able to survive a drop in the pool, the tub, or – let’s face it – the toilet. Note, however, that Apple’s iPhone warranty doesn’t cover water damage and that you shouldn’t charge a wet phone until it’s completely dry.
Like the iPhone 8, the iPhone 7 uses a pressure-sensitive, solid-state, capacitive Home button and Touch ID fingerprint sensor, rather than the Face ID system of the iPhone X phones. Each feature has advantages. For example, while Touch ID is fast, it can fail if your finger isn’t properly placed or if it’s wet. Face ID is generally more reliable, and it works so naturally that most of the time you don’t even need to think about it, but it can be inconvenient if your phone is in a position (for example, flat on a desk or in a stand or car mount) where it’s awkward to place your face in front of it.
One thing you don’t get with the iPhone 7 is wireless charging. While we were a little sceptical of wireless charging when it debuted in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X – it’s currently slower than wired charging, and it requires you to buy new, wireless chargers – the convenience quickly won us over. It’s great to be able to just set your phone down and have it start charging, and to be able to pick it up and use it (say, when you get a call) without having to unplug.
We wish you could get the iPhone 7 with 64 GB of storage, but the only other option is 128 GB, which is available for slightly less than the price of an iPhone 8 with 64 GB. For most people, 64 GB is plenty, so if you need more than 32 GB, we think you should just buy the 8. It will also get you wireless charging, better cameras, and slightly better performance.
How much storage should you get?
Between photos, videos, music, apps, email and message attachments and other data you’ll accumulate while using your handset for things that smartphones are meant to do, today’s cell phones need more storage than those of even just a few years ago – the last thing you want is to try to snap the perfect photo only to find that you’re out of space. And since you can’t add storage later, you want to make sure to get enough up front.
iPhone XS and XS Max: The base iPhone XS and XS Max models come with 64 GB, which should be fine for most people, especially if you take advantage of streaming music services and Apple’s iCloud Photos feature (which stores full-resolution versions of your images in the cloud while keeping low-res versions on your phone). The next step up is 256 GB. That’s overkill for almost everyone, but if you shoot lots of photos or 4K video, plan to store a lot of video on your phone, or use a lot of space-hogging apps such as high-end games, you’ll probably want to shell out the extra for more storage. The 512 GB option strikes us as wholly unnecessary except for those who are constantly shooting 4K video and not offloading it.
iPhone XR: Like the XS and XS Max, the XR starts out at 64 GB. But the XR is the only 2018 iPhone available in a 128 GB configuration, which is really the sweet spot between enough storage for most people and the peace of mind you get from having extra space. Even better, that option costs not a lot more, making it our recommendation for most XR buyers. As with the XS models, we think the XR’s 256 GB option is overkill for most people.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: For the reasons we give above, the 64 GB capacity should be fine for most people.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: The entry-level iPhone 7 and 7 Plus come with just 32 GB of storage. If you don’t plan on taking many photos or videos, this amount may be enough. While 32 GB doesn’t go very far, the truly budget conscious can likely manage by using iCloud storage for photos, messages and other data you can offload to the cloud – which is why we recommend that configuration for our budget pick. However, as we mentioned above, if you need more storage, it may make more sense to buy a 64 GB iPhone 8 (or the 8 Plus) rather than a 128 GB iPhone 7 (or the 7 Plus). For most people, 64 GB is plenty of storage, and in addition to the extra space, going with the 8 or 8 Plus also gets you a faster processor, a better camera, wireless charging, and another year or two of software updates.
When should you upgrade if you have an older iPhone?
Our general philosophy about upgrading is that if you’re happy with what you have, you don’t need the latest and greatest. Last year’s iPhone, or the one before that (or even the one before that), will likely continue to serve you well. All the models that could run iOS 11 can run iOS 12, so you won’t miss out on most new features so long as you’ve got 2013’s iPhone 5s or newer. And iOS 12 will give those older models a performance boost compared with previous updates.
If you do have an older phone that’s beginning to feel slower, you may want to check the battery’s health. A battery with depleted capacity can actually slow down your phone due to power-conservation features. If the iOS Battery Health screen shows the status “Performance management applied” or “Battery health degraded”, consider having Apple replace the battery rather than investing in a new phone.
What if you’re switching from Android?
If you’re an Android owner and you’re thinking about giving iOS a try, recent versions of iOS don’t require you to sacrifice as many customisation features compared with Android as in the past, and few Android phones can match the iPhone’s overall hardware-software integration.
Apple has a free Android app, Move to iOS, that helps people with a device running Android 4.0 or later to move their contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, Web bookmarks, mail accounts and calendars to a new iPhone during the iPhone setup phase. (The app creates a private Wi-Fi network, secured with a unique 10-digit code, between the two devices.) The app isn’t, of course, a reason to switch from Android to iOS, but for anyone who is doing so, it appears to be a nice option that makes the process easier.
