iPhone XS
A faster iPhone X with the 7nm A12 Bionic and Smart HDR.
Overview
The iPhone XS kept the shape and 5.8-inch OLED screen of the X, but nearly everything inside was upgraded. The A12 Bionic was the first 7-nanometer chip in a phone, and its eight-core Neural Engine could run far more machine learning work, powering Smart HDR, which merged several exposures into one photo.
The dual camera got larger pixels and improved Portrait mode, with an adjustable depth of field control that let users change the blur after taking a shot. Water resistance went to IP68, and the stainless steel band came in a new gold color. It also supported two phone numbers at once through a nano-SIM and an eSIM, a first for an iPhone.
Memory rose to 4GB and a 512GB storage tier was added. The phone launched without a charger upgrade, still shipping a 5W adapter in the box.
Why it mattered
It showed how much Apple's own silicon could improve photos, with Smart HDR becoming a hallmark of iPhone photography.
At a glance
- Announced
- September 12, 2018
- Released
- September 21, 2018
- Discontinued
- September 10, 2019
- Launch price
- $999
- Chip
- Apple A12 Bionic
- Display
- 5.8"
- Storage
- 64GB, 256GB, 512GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- A12 Bionic, first 7nm phone chip
- Smart HDR and adjustable depth of field
- IP68 water resistance
- Dual SIM with nano-SIM and eSIM
- New Gold finish
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 5.8-inch
- Type
- Super Retina OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, True Tone
- Resolution
- 2436 x 1125 pixels (458 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Chip
- Chip
- Apple A12 Bionic (7nm, six cores)
- Neural Engine
- Eight cores
Memory
- RAM
- 4GB
- Storage options
- 64GB, 256GB, 512GB
Camera
- Rear cameras
- Dual 12MP: wide f/1.8 and telephoto f/2.4 (2x), both with OIS
- Front camera
- 7MP TrueDepth, f/2.2
- Video recording
- 4K at 24, 30 or 60 fps with extended dynamic range; 1080p slo-mo at 240 fps
Battery
- Video playback
- Up to 14 hours
- Charging
- Qi wireless; fast charge to 50% in 30 minutes with 18W+ adapter
- Capacity
- 2658 mAh
Connectivity
- Cellular
- Gigabit-class LTE (up to 1 Gbps)
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO
- Connector
- Lightning
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.0
- SIM
- Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Design
- Dimensions
- 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
- Weight
- 177 g
- Materials
- Surgical-grade stainless steel, glass front and back
- Water resistance
- IP68 (up to 2 m for 30 minutes)
Security
- Authentication
- Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
Software
- Launch OS
- iOS 12
- Final OS
- iOS 18.x
