The iPhone XS is out; am I buying? Probably not.

LAST September 12, Apple did a special event at the Steve Jobs Theater where they announced the new iPhones and the new Apple Watch. Many will claim that Apple Watch was the more exciting announcement than the iPhone but I’m here to talk about the iPhone.

To be honest, this new batch of iPhones are, to me, a mid-cycle refresh. The iPhone X (ten, not “eks”) last year and this year’s iPhone Xs (ten “es”); very much like when there was the iPhone 6 then the iPhone 6s. Mid-cycle refresh. I’m not that impressed with all the touted upgrades/updates for the iPhone X. It’s a very incremental update and not very compelling for my taste especially if you already own the iPhone X.

And even if I’m still using an old iPhone 6, I’m still not fully convinced on putting down USD$ 999 (roughly Php 54,000 without taxes, at the September 14, 2018 exchange rate of Php54.14 to a dollar).

But before I explain myself, here’s a quick comparo between the XS, X and the 8 Plus.

Colors, sizes



Camera, ID tech and chipset



Waterproofing and charging



Capacities available



You can check more specs and compare with other iPhones at the Apple website here.

So... why am I not keen on getting that Xs? For one, I don’t feel that certain excitement I used to feel whenever Apple announces a new product of an update/upgrade to one of their products. I just don’t find any oomph in it anymore. There’s also not much innovation that attracts me as a tech head. Controlling background blur after the fact? Android users have been enjoying that even before Apple did. Waterproofing? Didn’t Sony introduce that already in one or two of their phones years before. And in today’s game, Apple’s been lagging behind on that field too.

Image quality from the camera. I have not seen any real world image samples taken with the new iPhones but I have seen what the P20 Pro is capable of. And boy, it is one heck of a phone cam. Sure, it won’t replace your dedicated dSLR or mirrorless cam but on a daily need to take photos, it will most definitely be more than capable. Especially in low light.

Face ID. I’m not a fan. I don’t like having a wireframe image of my face stored in some chip in my phone. I still go old school with a six-digit pin (to start with).

I will say though that I do need to upgrade my current phone as soon as I can. It’s acting funky of late and it’s getting slower with its tasks. So, yeah. But my dilemma as it is is basically whether to stay within the Apple ecosystem or take a step outside the door by getting an Android phone.

But hey, even if you don’t have the new iPhones, you can have those awesome new wallpapers here.

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