iPhone XS = An eXceSsive amount of money for an eXtra Small amount of upgrades

On the surface, the new iPhone XS (Ten S) appears to be one of the best phones on the market, and it is. For the older iPhone owner or even older Android owner (that doesn't car about ecosysem), the new iPhone XS would be an amazing upgrade. It has a large, beautiful OLED screen, an excellent camera, a near-edge-to-edge display, excellent sound, and a new fast chip. It checks all the boxes of what a flagship phone should be.

So yes, the iPhone XS would be an excellent phone for nearly anyone. However, should everyone run out and buy the brand new phone? Of course not. If you just bought an iPhone X, save your money. The physical size of the phone (if you don't get the Max) has not changed and neither has the actual quality of the picture. As for speed of the new A12 Bionic versus the A11 Bionic, you will not even notice a difference. Apple may tout the speed of the new chip, but not a single program takes advantage of the current capabilities so you would be paying for theoretical speed, not practical speed. As for the camera, sure it is much better, but most people view smartphone pictures on smartphones so the difference would be undetectable.

You may be thinking: "Okay maybe iPhone X owners shouldn't upgrade, but what about 8 owners?", and well, you guys are in a awkward position. The iPhone 8 is only a year old so it is not exactly what you would call an old phone, but at the same time, the design does not exactly fit the new iPhone direction. If you can swing the pricing, I would say yes. The smaller body with the larger screen, the lack of monstrous bezels, and the front-facing sensors make the iPhone XS a significant upgrade from the 8. However, dropping $1000.00+ on a brand new phone one year after can be a lot. My advice: check out the iPhone XR; it just may be the upgrade you want anyway.

Finally, what about the Android owners? For you guys, I will say it really depends on what you have. Galaxy S9 and Note 9 owners? Don't even think about it. V30 or OnePlus 6? Probably not worth it. The OnePlus 6 is fantastic, and the V30 is doing just fine. Proud Pixel owners? Well, if you have the original Pixel, the iPhone XS is certainly a worthy upgrade if you are looking to change ecosystems. Pixel 2 owners? I would say you are good to go. The Pixel 2XL camera still bests the iPhone XS a year after release, but if you are set on upgrading, I will (unfortunately) admit that the iPhone XS looks exponentially more appealing than the dumpster fire that appears to be the Pixel 3XL.

Is the iPhone XS an excellent phone? You bet it is. However, is it worth the tremendous amount of money it will cost you? Well that depends on what you carry in your pocket right now; the answer could be yes...and it could be no.