The new Apple iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max are going up for sale today, except the least expensive iPhone Xr that will be made available in India next month. The new iPhones run on an upgraded processor, feature a more refined screen and come with new camera-centric features. The iPhone XS features a 5.8-inch display, which is smaller in comparison with the 6.5-inch screen on the iPhone XS Max. The two phones go up against other flagship smartphones like the current Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and will also take on the upcoming XS, Huawei Mate 20 and if one goes lower in the price range, the upcoming OnePlus 6T.
The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max are powered by Apple’s latest A12 Bionic SoC that comes with a new Neural Engine. The Neural Engine is said to be capable of performing 5 trillion operations per second, which is considerably higher than Apple’s previous SoC, the A11 Bionic that could perform 600 billion operations in the same time frame. The A12 Bionic processor is based on the 7nm manufacturing process with 6.9 billion transistors, a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU. The new SoC is said to perform 15 percent faster and consume 40 percent lesser power than its predecessor. Out of the six cores, two are high-performance cores, while four are efficiency cores, which are claimed to consume 50 percent lesser power. As compared to the previous chip which has a 2-core engine, the neural engine on the A12 Bionic has an 8-core design that helps the apps to launch 30 percent faster.
The iPhone XS comes equipped with a 5.8-inch OLED Super Retina True Tone display with a notch, while the XS Max sports the same display panel, but in a larger screen size of 6.5-inches. This year’s iPhones also come equipped with a surgical steel chassis and a glass back. Both the phones are rated IP68 water and dust resistant, which means they can be submerged in 2-meter deep fresh water for up to 30 minutes. The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max come with Dolby Vision and HDR Support and feature Gigabit-class LTE for faster download speeds and Dual SIM-Dual Standby (DSDS) support as it comes with a nano-SIM and a digital eSIM support.
Coming to the optics, both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max feature a dual 12MP f/1.8 wide angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens configuration on the rear. Apple claims that coupled with the new A12 Bionic SoC, the phones can rapidly capture four frames with zero shutter lag and with also capture long exposure shots for detailed shadows. On the front, the two phones carry forward the iPhone X’s 7MP True Depth camera system. The camera is said to unlock faster than its predecessor and take better Bokeh photos from the front camera.
The iPhone XS comes in three storage models of 64GB, 256GB and 512GB and is priced at Rs 99,900, Rs 1,14,900 and Rs 1,34,900 respectively. The larger iPhone XS Max starts at Rs 1,09,900 for the 64GB version and costs Rs 1,24,900 and Rs 1,44,900 for the 512GB model respectively. The two phones will be available for purchase from Flipkart, Airtel Online Store, Reliance Jio, Paytm Mall, Croma and via the company’s offline retailers starting 6 PM today.
Flipkart has taken the iPhone XS and the XS Max off from pre-orders and is offering a 10 percent instant discount on MasterCard for ‘First Online Payment’ but will come up to Rs 100 per transaction. Those purchasing the phones on EMI transactions with HDFC bank credit cards or using Axis Bank Buzz credit card will get to avail 5 percent off. Flipkart is also offering a ‘Purchase Buyback Guarantee’ for Rs 199 on the two phones and says that one can get up to Rs 49,500 Buyback value. One can also opt for a no-cost EMI option that starts at Rs 18,317 per month for the iPhone XS Max and at Rs 16,650 for the iPhone XS.
On Airtel Online Store, the phones are still up for pre-orders and it’s offering 5 percent cashback on Axis Bank or Citibank credit cards, but only by opting for either 12 or 24 months of EMI. They can also avail 5X reward points on all non-EMI transactions. As an exclusive offer, one can also pick up the phone on the day of launch from a nearby Airtel Store on September 28 between 6 PM to 10 PM and the next day between 10 AM to 8 PM. There is also a standard delivery option for those who can wait.
Jio is not running any offers on the iPhone XS and the XS Max, while Paytm Mall is currently allowing pre-booking of the devices with an exchange bonus of Rs 7,000 and those who have already pre-booked the device will get their unit deliverd in 4 hours. The fast delivery option is being implemented in Delhi, Chandigarh, Noida, Gurgaon, Gaziabad, Ahdmedabad, Hyderabad, and Lucknow