The wait is over and Apple's latest batch of iPhones is finally here. Possibly one of the bigger refreshes of the iPhone lineup in the past few years, the 2018 iPhone family inherits its sleek looks from the path-making iPhone X and spans it over to three different size variations. iPhone XS - the smallest one The smallest new iPhone, the 5.8-inch iPhone XS , stands and is pretty much similar to the iPhone X in terms of size. That's fortunate, as the already great screen-to-body ratio of the device means it's one of the most efficient 5.8-inch phones you will be able to get in autumn 2018. But how does the smallest new iPhone stack up against its rivals? Our nifty size comparison tool is here to provide you with a visual representation of what the device looks like next to its rivals. iPhone XR - middle of the road Second in size comes the more affordable 6.1-inch iPhone XR , which boasts an LCD display and a lonely single camera at the back. Of course, these cut corners have allowed Apple to slap a much more affordable price tag on that device, which could very well be a recipe for success with those consumers not willing to break the bank on a $999+ iPhone but are still sort of locked in the ecosystem. But how big is the seemingly-enticeable iPhone XR, exactly?<doc-sep>Introduction Apple has introduced its 2018 iPhone smartphones, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, and it’s time for us to compare those three devices with the best Android world has to offer at the moment. Having said that, we’ve included a couple of Android flagships into the mix, but we’re unable to include all of them, as there are simply too many, so please keep that in mind if your Android flagship is missing from the list. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 Plus, LG G7 ThinQ, and the OnePlus 6 made the list in order to face off the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. Needless to say, all of the listed Android devices are considerably different when compared one to the other, and those differences are noticeably larger when compared to the best Apple has to offer. The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR are clearly inspired by last year’s iPhone X, as they do sport a very similar design with a notch at the top, and the smallest iPhone that Apple introduced this year sports a 5.8-inch display. Apple has decided not to announce a successor to the highly-requested iPhone SE, leaving its consumers without a truly compact smartphone to lean back to, as a direct iPhone 8 successor also did not get announced. In any case, let’s kick this comparison off by talking about the specs, shall we. Advertisement Specifications The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 features a 6.4-inch QHD+ (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, while it comes with 6GB / 8GB of RAM and 128GB / 512GB of expandable internal storage. The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 845 / Exynos 9810, while Android 8.1 Oreo comes pre-installed on it with Samsung’s skin on top of it. The device is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, while an S Pen stylus with Bluetooth support is included in the package. The device comes with Gorilla Glass 5 both on its front and back sides, while a 4,000mAh battery is included in the package as well. The phone offers stereo speakers, while you will find two 12-megapixel cameras (OIS, f/1.5-2.4 and f/2.4 aperture lenses) on the back of the phone. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus sports a 6.2-inch QHD+ (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top of it. The device comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB / 128GB / 256GB of expandable storage. The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 845 / Exynos 9810 processor, while it comes with Android 8.0 Oreo, and Samsung’s custom UI on top of it. Stereo speakers are a part of the package, as is a 3,500mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 support, and support for wireless charging. Two 12-megapixel cameras (f/1.5-2.4 and f/2.4 aperture lenses, OIS) are included on the back of the phone, while a single 8-megapixel camera (f/1.7 aperture) sits on the phone’s front side. Advertisement The LG G7 ThinQ features a 6.1-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) IPS LCD display, 4GB / 6GB of RAM and 64GB / 128GB of expandable storage. The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor, and a 3,000mAh battery is included in the package. The phone supports both Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging, and also WPC & PMA wireless charging (US variant only). Two 16-megapixel cameras (OIS, f/1.6 and f/1.9 aperture lenses) sit on the back of the LG G7 ThinQ, while an 8-megapixel camera can be found on its front side. A 3.5mm headphone jack is included in this package as well, as is DTS:X Surround Sound, and a Quad DAC. Android 8.0 Oreo comes pre-installed on the LG G7 ThinQ, while LG’s custom UI sits on top of Google’s operating system. The OnePlus 6 is fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor, while it comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 512GB of non-expandable storage. The device includes a 3,300mAh battery, while it comes with a 6.28-inch fullHD+ (2280 x 1080) Optic AMOLED display. The OnePlus 6 is splash resistant, and it offers two SIM card slots. The device offers one of the fastest fast charging solutions out there, and it ships with Android 8.1 Oreo, and OxygenOS skin on top of it. 16-megapixel (f/1.7 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, OIS) and 20-megapixel (f/1.7 aperture, 1.0um pixel size) cameras sit on the back of the phone, while a 16-megapixel unit (f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size) is included on the front side of the device. The Apple iPhone XS and XS Max are actually quite similar in terms of specs, though the XS Max comes with a larger display. The iPhone XS features a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 OLED Super Retina HDR display with 3D Touch, while the iPhone XS Max comes with a 6.5-inch 2688 x 1245 OLED Super Retina HDR display which also supports 3D Touch. The A12 Bionic 64-bit hexa-core 7nm processor fuels both phones, and it comes with the M12 motion co-processor. Both devices come in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage variants, with iOS 12 pre-installed. Both of these devices are IP68 certified, and both sport a 12-megapixel main camera (wide-angle lens, f/1.8 aperture) and a secondary telephoto camera (unknown sensor, f/2.4 aperture). A 7-megapixel front-facing camera is also a part of the package, while both devices support wireless charging. Advertisement The Apple iPhone XR is inferior to the iPhone XS and XS Max. This smartphone sports a 6.1-inch 1792 x 828 LCD Liquid Retina Display with 3D Touch support, while it is fueled by the A12 Bionic 64-bit 7nm hexa-core processor, and the M12 motion co-processor is also included. The device comes in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage variants, while it is IP67-certified. iOS 12 comes pre-installed on the device, while a single 12-megapixel camera (wide-angle lens, f/1.8 aperture, OIS) is included on its back. A 7-megapixel front-facing camera (f/2.2 aperture) is also a part of the package, and so are stereo speakers. This phone also supports Qi charging, just like the iPhone XS and XS Max. Design As far as the design is concerned, all of these phones are similar in one way, they’re all made out of metal and glass. The most similar phones on the list are the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, both sport very thin bezels above and below their displays, while their displays are curved on the sides. The Galaxy S9 Plus comes with vertically-aligned dual camera setup, while the Galaxy Note 9 sports horizontally-aligned cameras. Both devices offer a dedicated Bixby button on the left, while the Galaxy Note 9 comes with an S Pen stylus does on the bottom, unlike the Galaxy S9 Plus. Back sides of both devices are curved a bit, while both devices sport a power / lock key on the right, and volume up and down buttons on the left, in addition to the aforementioned Bixby key. A fingerprint scanner sits on the back of both devices, and that is one feature that all Android devices from the list sport, unlike Apple’s offerings, which opt for an advanced facial scanning feature instead. Advertisement The LG G7 ThinQ comes with a similar camera setup as the Galaxy S9 Plus, not in terms of sensor, but general look, as this phone also sports vertically-aligned cameras, and a fingerprint scanner below them. The LG G7 ThinQ does sport a notch on its display, unlike the Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy Note 9, while this phone also has a thin ‘chin’ below the display. The device’s power / lock key is located on the right, while its volume up, volume down and Bixby buttons sit on the left. The phone sports Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both its front and back sides, just like the two Samsung phones that we’ve mentioned in the last paragraph. The back side of this device is curved, and the phone sports a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, along with a Type-C USB port. The OnePlus 6 is also made out of metal and glass, and it sports a similarly-looking dual camera setup to the LG G7 ThinQ and the Galaxy S9 Plus. The device also has a rear-facing fingerprint scanner, and a display notch on its display. The OnePlus 6 comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a bottom-firing speaker, and a Type-C USB port which is located on the bottom as well. The phone’s back is curved, while you’ll find its power / lock key and alert slider on the right. The volume up and down buttons are located on the left, along with a SIM tray access. The phone’s display sports rounded corners, and the device does sport a small chin below the display. All three iPhones that Apple presented have a similar design language, though the Apple iPhone XR comes with a single camera on the back, unlike two vertically-aligned cameras that are included on the iPhone XS and XS Max. As already mentioned, neither of those devices sport a fingerprint scanner, instead, Apple opted for a front-facing TrueDepth camera for FaceID facial recognition, similar to the one on the iPhone X. The power / lock key is located on the right-hand side of all three devices, while on the left you’ll find the volume up and down buttons, and Apple’s mute switch. An LED flash is placed in between two rear-facing cameras on the iPhone XS and XS Max, while all three devices sport extremely thin bezels, though that notch at the top is quite large. Advertisement Display All the devices that we’re comparing here sport OLED displays, except for the LG G7 ThinQ, which comes with an IPS LCD panel. The Galaxy Note 9’s and Galaxy S9 Plus’ displays are the most similar ones, and quite probably the best ones here. Both devices come with QHD+ (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED units, the Galaxy S9 Plus sports a 6.2-inch panel (84.2-percent screen-to-body ratio), while the Galaxy Note 9 comes with a 6.4-inch display (83.4-percent screen-to-body ratio), which results in 18.5:9 display aspect ratios. Both of those displays are HDR10-compliant, and both phones have the always-on display capability. The Galaxy Note 9’s and Galaxy S9 Plus’ displays are curved on the sides, which makes them the only phones on this list who sport curved displays. Advertisement The LG G7 ThinQ sports a 6.1-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) IPS LCD display (82.6-percent screen-to-body ratio), and we’re looking at a 19.5:9 display aspect ratio, and 564ppi. Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 covers that display, as it does on the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. The LG G7 ThinQ’s display is HDR10-compliant, and we’re looking at a Dolby Vision-tuned display here, which also supports always-on functionality. LG claims that its display has 100-percent DCI-P3 coverage, in case you were wondering. The OnePlus 6 has a display which utilizes OLED technology, but unlike the display on the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, the OnePlus 6 sports a fullHD+ (2160 x 1080) Optic AMOLED unit DCI-P3 setting is available here, and Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 covers this display as well. The phone’s display has a density of 402ppi, while we’re looking at an 83.8-percent screen to body ratio here. The iPhone XS and XS Max sport 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED Super Retina HDR displays. The iPhone XS features a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 display with 458ppi, while the iPhone XS Max comes with a 6.5-inch 2688 x 1245 display with 458ppi. Both displays support 3D Touch functionality, which basically means they’re pressure sensitive. The iPhone XR features a 6.1-inch 1792 x 828 LCD Liquid Retina Display, and that display also supports 3D Touch, and we’re looking at 326ppi here. Advertisement Processor / RAM / Storage The Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 Plus, LG G7 ThinQ, and the OnePlus 6 are all fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor, which is the most powerful processor Qualcomm has released. Now, The Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are also available in an Exynos variant in some regions, and fueled by the Exynos 9810 instead of the Snapdragon 845. Both of those are 10nm 64-bit octa-core processors, in case you were wondering. That being said, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR are a completely different story.<doc-sep>
They’re The Beatles vs The Stones. Blur vs Oasis. KSI vs Logan Paul. Okay, maybe not that last one. Apple and Samsung are the reigning monarchs of the smartphone world, commanding prices and making profit margins their rivals can only dream of. Samsung brings out the big guns in the Spring and Apple in the Autumn, so you’d expect Apple’s newly launched iPhone XS to outperform the Galaxy S9 in all kinds of ways. Does it? Let’s find out. iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S9: design The iPhone XS doesn’t look dramatically different from the iPhone X, although this time out it’s IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. It has improved stereo speakers and no headphone jack. The Galaxy S9 is a very good looking phone, if a little conservative: it took the familiar shape of the Galaxy S7 and refined it. The bezels got smaller and the display got bigger, with the fingerprint sensor moving to the back of the device. And unlike the iPhone, it still has a headphone jack. It also boasts AKG-tuned speakers that promise to deliver 360-degree Dolby Atmos sound from any audio source, although the limits of physics mean it can only pump out so much volume. It’s IP68 certified too. iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S9: display Both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max get OLED screens delivering 2,436 x 1,125 pixels: the iPhone XS is 5.8 inches and the iPhone XS Max is 6.5 inches. Both versions offer True Tone colour, million-to-one contrast ratios and Dolby Vision HDR 10. The Samsung Galaxy S9 display is one of the best smartphone displays you can get: a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED certified for Mobile HDR Premium content. It doesn’t suffer from the overly vivid colours of previous Super AMOLED displays – if anything it’s a little too reserved – and it delivers a crisp and detailed picture across its 2960 x 1440 pixels. iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S9: processor and storage The processor is the big news in the new iPhones. The Bionic A12 processor is much faster and more energy efficient than before, with a claimed 15% performance boost and 40% lower power drain in the two performance cores and 50% less power drain from the energy efficient cores. The GPU is 50% faster than the A11 and the neural engine is up to eight cores from the A11’s two. That means an increase from 600 billion operations per second to a whopping 5 trillion: apps launch 30% faster, and the Core ML machine learning framework runs 9x faster with 1/10th of the energy consumption. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, and the first 7-nanometre processor in the industry. As ever, the Samsung Galaxy S9 comes in two versions depending on where you live. In the US and China it’s powered by a Snapdragon, and the rest of the world gets Samsung’s own Exynos processor. The Snapdragon 845 has 4 x 2.7GHz cores and 4 x 1.7GHz cores; the Exynos 9810 has 4 x 2.8GHz and 4 x 1.7GHz cores, again with 4GB of RAM. The S9 comes with 64, 128 or 256GB and supports microSD up to 400GB. iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S9: camera The big news in the iPhone XS isn’t a new lens or a massively improved sensor: while the 12MP sensor is marginally improved, it’s not hugely different. The big difference here is the A12 Bionic processor. It delivers DSLR-style bokeh with the ability to change depth of field after you’ve taken your shot, so you can move from f/1.4 to f/16 with a swipe. The results are astonishing, backgrounds going from pin-sharp to beautifully blurred. There’s also a new Smart HDR feature. It uses a four-frame buffer to capture the exact moment with apparently zero shutter lag while also taking higher exposure and longer exposure shots to capture highlights and shadows. Those multiple shots are then seamlessly combined into a single image. It’s very impressive. The A12 processor connects the image signal processor to the processor’s neural engine for improved face and body detection and scene analysis, better portrait shooting and what Apple claims to be “a trillion operations on every photo you take”. The S9 has a 12MP “Super Speed Dual Pixel” dual-lens setup capable of f/1.5 for incredible low light shooting. It also has a clever noise reduction algorithm that combines multiple photos to identify and remove unwanted image noise.