iPhone XS offers peace of mind when it comes to security, privacy, software updates and warranty
This is the best time to buy a high-end, top of the line smartphone in India. There are several fantastic phones available. There is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, with its godly hardware and unique stylus. And joining the Samsung phone this month are the iPhone XS (and the iPhone XS Max) and the Google Pixel 3 XL (and the Pixel 3). The iPhone XS and the Pixel 3 XL are also the manifestation of smartphone vision from the two top companies: Apple, which for practical purposes invented smartphone, and Google that makes world’s most used mobile operating system Android. In other words, the two are the latest, greatest — and most expensive — phones you can buy right now. The key question then is: which of these two — the iPhone XS or the Pixel 3 XL — that you should buy?
On these pages over here at the India Today Tech, I earlier reviewed the Pixel 3 XL and the iPhone Xs. And found them to be excellent phones, almost perfect. But there are subtle differences between these two phones, which means that there will be people who will prefer one over other. There is a big difference in price too, although here we are talking about the phones that cost over Rs 80,000 and for people who are willing to spend this kind of money on a phone, this difference may not matter.
So, what are these subtle differences? And why do they make one of these phones the best option for most people whereas the other one is the best phone for some people? One by one.
When it comes to the iPhone XS and the Google Pixel 3 XL, you should choose the Pixel 3 XL for following reasons:
— The best camera in the phone. The 12-megapixel rear camera in the Pixel 3 XL is just so good. It clicks wonderful photos in all lighting conditions. It clicks ridiculously good portrait photos, with both the rear and front cameras. And some of the tricks it uses, like Top Shot to let you freeze the right moment, or the Night Shot for low light or the Super Res Zoom for telephoto images are no gimmicks. They work!
— The Pixel 3 XL has the best version of Android inside. The Android 9 Pie, which is also the latest version of Android, inside the Pixel 3 XL is clean and has fast user interface. There are no bloated apps. Features like Google Assistant and Google Lens are genuinely interesting and useful. Although Apple closed the gap with the iOS 12, Android also continues to be more versatile and I believe user friendly to savvy users. It is easier to do things on the Google Pixel 3 XL and quickly compared to the iPhone XS.
— It is cheaper and gets you a bigger screen. The Pixel 3 XL price starts at Rs 83,000 for the 64GB variant. The iPhone XS price starts at Rs 99,900. The Pixel 3 XL gets you a 6.3-inch screen, whereas the iPhone XS has a 5.8-inch display. To get a bigger display, you will have to shell out Rs 109,900 for the iPhone XS Max, which has a 6.5-inch display.
— If you are the kind of person who earlier gave the iPhone and the iOS a try, but didn’t like it, get the Pixel 3 XL. It’s the Android, and the way Android arranges information, apps, data and features you like. You won’t be comfortable with the iOS 12.
— I talked about camera earlier, but here is another quick note: if you like to shoot a lot of photos in low light, or use your phone to shoot photos for work, get the Pixel 3 XL.
When I say most people here, I am assuming that they are going to spend Rs 99,900 on a phone. If you don’t want or can’t, then obviously the iPhone XS is not the best phone for you. But the price part aside, the iPhone Xs is a fantastic phone. If there is a phone that comes closest to personify word “perfect” it is the iPhone XS. And here is why:
— I find the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone Pixel 3 XL on the bigger side. They are barely usable with single hand. The iPhone XS is just the right size. There is the Pixel 3 as well with its 5.5-inch screen, but given the thick bezels around the display of that phone, I still believe that the iPhone XS is the right size.
— The iPhone XS screen is absolutely the best you can get in a phone. No, there is nothing wrong with the Pixel 3 XL screen, but the iPhone XS is a notch better. It has a smaller notch, shows warmer and better colours, and its True Tone feature does make a difference when you are swiping through photos on the iPhone XS.
— The design of the iPhone XS feels and looks so much more cohesive and more premium than the design and looks of the Pixel 3 XL. There is no chin in the iPhone XS. There is a symmetry in its design, which I don’t think any other phone in the market has right now. The finish of the stainless steel frame is impeccable. There is no discernible gap where the glass meets the metal frame. The iPhone XS is like a jewel.
— The iPhone XS is also the fastest phone you can buy right now. By far. The animations on this phone are magically smooth. Even weeks after I started using the iPhone XS, I still get amazed at how seamlessly the phone functions when I switch apps, or scroll or open a game or type an email on it. Much of this performance is due to the excellent Apple A12 processor but some of it is also due to optimisation that Apple can do in its phones because it controls both the hardware and software.
— If in the past you have tried an expensive Android phone and for some reason didn’t like the software, you will probably want to get the iPhone XS over the Pixel 3 XL. Although, I believe that the Android 9 Pie is a more versatile operating system, if you prefer how the iOS arranges settings, apps, data and are comfortable with it, I don’t see any reason why you should move to Android now. Earlier, I would have said that Android is much better, but now that is not the case. The iOS 11 and the iOS 12 have fixed a number of issues that Apple software earlier had.
— The iPhone has a better history of software updates. If you get the iPhone XS now, you will probably get updates for 3 to 4 years. Even 5 years, if Apple is generous and if the future iPhones and the iOS don’t bring in some radically different technologies that will be incompatible with the older iPhones.
— The iPhones, and consensus on this is clear, are also slightly better from security and privacy perspective. It’s not that there is anything specifically wrong with the Android privacy and security.
