Yes, the iPhone Xs came out in 2018. I thought it would be interesting to review it in 2023. Plus, I only just bought one!
I hung on to the old home-button form factor for as long as I could, using a 6s for the longest time, but two things made me move to an edge-to-edge phone:
- I was on an SE2020 which doesn’t have enough RAM to run modern iOS well. The newer SE2022 has more RAM, but still suffers from…
- the encroachment of user interface meant for edge-to-edge phones that do not work well on home-button devices: gestures, buttons, and weird spacings and misalignments: death by a thousand cuts.
So, why an Xs over a newer iPhone? Many reasons.
Good
- Extra RAM is the biggest benefit, especially when it comes to multi-tasking
- Home bar interactions are great, they make sense for this device
- Safari address bar at the bottom also makes sense!
- One of my favourite gestures is swiping up on the editable Safari address bar to get to tab view
- Being able to see large cards for every tab now makes sense
- 3D Touch is so much more immediate than a long press
- Camera features less computational adjustments
- OLED blacks are really black
- 256GB capacity means less hassle
Bad
- Top corners accessibility is a pain, though reachability helps
- Entering passwords is slower due to Face ID being slower than fingerprint
- Having to enter my passcode more frequently due to Face ID fails
- Speakers are nowhere near as good as on the SE2020
- OLED ghosting at low brightness
- 3D Touch interactions other than long press have been removed
Indifferent
- Speed is slightly slower than SE2020, but the increased RAM and ui fit are a net gain
- Very slippery, but I use a case that provides additional grip and protection as I am clumsy
So, there we have it! I bought an old iPhone rather than a new one and I’m enjoying it.
Comments: @gingerbeardman