Well, nearly two weeks in, my sentiments on these two products is almost exactly as I had anticipated.
I’ll cut to the chase: if you have an iPhone X, unless you are a part of an upgrade program (like me), there is really no need to upgrade. Short of the camera, the differences bnetween the X and the XS are virtually indistinguishable. In fact, I’d say having owned literally every iPhone ever made, that the difference between these two phones is the smallest ever between any two series of iphones. Generally with “S” upgrades I’ve noticed, at minimum, a difference in speeds. Though I don’t doubt that the XS is probably a bit faster, it’s simply not perceptible.
Again, the only difference that I have been able to ascertain lies in the camera. And I have to say, the camera on the XS is really quite amazing. That’s not to say that the X was bad — it too was excellent — but the XS is clearly superior. Apple attributes this to “computational photography” that is enabled by its fast processor Bionic chip. Whatever it is, it’s working. I fancy myself a bit of an armchair photographer. On weekend’s I’ll often carry my iPhone (everywhere), my GoPro Hero 6 (while running) and my Sony A6000 (while hiking). The Sony is still the “winner” in terms of overall picture quality, but the gap between that and the iPhone is definitely closing and some low light photos actually might look better on the iPhone. So, if photography is important to you, that’s a consideration. And if you’re the owner of a 8 or 7 series, it’s also worth considering, as it’s a pretty big step up from those two models in terms of just about everything. But once again, if you own an X, you’re good.
If I pick up any other differences between the X and XS I’ll add a postscript to this post, but right now from a usability perspective, it simply lies in the camera.
The Apple Watch Series 4 on the other hand is amazing. I upgraded from the Series 3 and no regrets whatsoever. Of all the Apple products I’ve owned, which is, like, all of them, I’ve never seen a product develop so rapidly as Apple Watch. When Apple Watch Series 1 was introduced, it was pretty much a beta product with no roadmap attached. It was a watch with a terrible battery that was sluggish to boot. As I’ve posted before, I hated it.
Three generations down the line, everything has changed. It’s a seemless health, fitness and music device all woven into one. You can also make payments, check into airlines, look at your schedule, check the weather at a glance and much more. I’m a watch guy who owns several very nice timepieces, but the Apple Watch is getting nearly all of my wrist time these days. This bodes very poorly for the watch industry as a whole. Coupled with its new dimensions (44 mm and 30 percent larger screen versus the Series 3) and this thing is just a winner. Price notwithstanding (and I think the price is actually pretty reasonable compared against a lot of other watches), it’s a no brainer. If I had to ding it somewhere, it’s probably battery life, though it should get you through a day of active use without too much trouble.
So that’s it: two winning products by Apple, which is pretty much par for the course. For the first time in an Apple product cycle, however, I think the watch definitely stands out as the more intriguing of the two.
