How To Buy An Affordable iPhone

Apple iPhone XS Series 2

In my quest to upgrade from my broken 4 year old iPhone 8, I google searched for different models and various vendors until I found iPhone XS within my budget. But why an iPhone XS in 2021? Well, firstly I only have $500 to spend and the iPhone XS seems to be the perfect choice (affordability vs tech specs).

The Apple iPhone XS Series is a newer and more improved version of the iPhone X. Released in 2018, it was meant to solve some minor issues that the X had, and was a huge success evident to its 48 million units sold even with just 1 year of availability. The XS definitely had my name on it.

Let me summarise my 10 days of research..

Apple iPhone XS Series

Design

The iPhone Xs Series followed the iPhone X’s futuristic all-screen design. It also removed the home button on the front panel to give way for more screen and had no audio jack port in it. Both front and back panels have a Gorilla Glass 6 that epitomise style and durability at the same time.

Specifications

Apple didn’t hold back on the iPhone XS’s hardware. The iPhone XS model has a 5.8 inches, 1125 by 2436 display while the iPhone XS Max has 6.5 inches, 1242 by 2688 display equipped with Super Retina display which supports HDR 10. Furthermore, the devices are powered by Apple’s A12 Bionic chip with a hefty 4 GB of RAM.

The series came with 64, 256, and 512 GB storage variants for capacity. Obviously, different variants require different phone cases, but it’s well worth purchasing the best screen protectors and iPhone cases in Australia to protect your iPhone from water, dust and shocks.

Camera

And now onto the important stuff… the camera. For the main camera, the iPhone XS follows the iPhone X’s dual configuration. It has two 12 MP cameras with one dedicated to wide-angle and the other for telephoto angles. Furthermore, it is equipped with dual-tone flashes, HDR, and Optical Zoom enhancements.

The other camera for the phone is a 7 MP front camera with TrueDepth Sensors. It also supports HDR, as well as video recording at 30 to 60 frames per second. Truly, the camera is one of the iPhone XS’ best selling points.

Features

Newer and faster chipset. Compared to previous generations which only had 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM in their chips, the A12 Bionic Chip has a jaw-dropping 4 GB of RAM, and this can be on par with entry-level laptops. It also operates efficiently to extract more runtime from the heft battery pack.

Better Audio Recording. The iPhone XS series is equipped with multiple microphones to help with video/audio recordings. It can easily simulate sound source directions even during video shoots.

IP68 Waterproof.

Face ID and Animoji. TrueDepth technology enables the iPhones to have accurate FaceID recognition for security purposes. Not only that, but it also helps in creating live Animojis as well as in the simulation of Augmented Reality displays.

Operating System. The iOS runs smoothly on it and it supports iOS 14. Since it’s a newer phone, the support support from Apple is expected.

All-Screen Display. The iPhone X got rid of the Home Button to make room for more display space. Thus, full-screen gestures were introduced for navigation.

Price

Nowadays iPhone XS is on sale at around $450 to $550 depending on the storage capacity and condition (if buying refurbished). As more Apple products get released, this cost is very likely to drop further. I found quite a few resellers online but so far Phonebot has the lowest price, one of the best reviews and $60 worth of freebies included which is quite tempting. You can check their website https://www.phonebot.com.au as they have a lot of good reviews.

Conclusion

If you want to have a modern looking device without spending too much on the newer iPhone models, then the iPhone Xs series is perfect. It has all the hardware and software that can definitely compete with any smartphone from another brand.