iPhone XS Pros and Cons: Timeless Design Meets Modern Challenges
I recently dusted off my old iPhone XS from the closet and was instantly reminded of just how stunning this phone truly is. It’s a beautiful device that still holds up in many ways, even years after its release.
It wasn’t perfect though and I only ended up using it for about a year. The following list of pros and cons explains why…
Pros of the iPhone XS
Spoiler alert: the pros definitely outweigh the cons, but the cons are worth knowing (at least for the memories).
1. Full-Screen Display – A Game Changer
The edge-to-edge display was a total game changer for me considering that I was coming from a bezel-heavy iPhone 6s. This was the first iPhone I owned that truly felt (and looked) “premium”.
2. Stunning Design – Glass and Metal Elegance
The design itself is stunning – a beautiful blend of glass and metal elegance. The combination of glass front and back with a stainless steel frame is the pinnacle of iPhone design in my opinion.
The glossy glass back acts almost like a mirror, giving the phone a sleek and elegant vibe. The clean, rounded edges feel great in hand, and the seamless glass back is straight up beautiful.
3. Excellent Camera for Photos
The iPhone XS excels at photos in good lighting. Shots are sharp, colorful, and detailed – whether you’re taking pics outdoors or in daylight, the XS almost always delivered great results. Sometimes, I was even impressed enough to compare it to shots from the Canon 90D I had at the time.
4. Bright and Clear Display
The screen itself is bright and clear – bright enough to see clearly outdoors, even on overcast days. The resolution is sharp, so you won’t see pixels, and colors look vibrant. It was one of the best displays available at the time.
5. Face ID Works Well
When the iPhone XS came out, it ditched the fingerprint sensor entirely in favor of Face ID. At first, I was skeptical – I thought I’d miss the fingerprint reader. But Face ID quickly became second nature. It’s fast, reliable, and secure. Honestly, I don’t miss the fingerprint sensor much at all after the second month.
6. Solid Build Quality
The phone feels solid and well-built despite the fragility of being mostly glass. All that glass and metal gives it a premium heft that just felt good.
7. Smooth and Responsive Performance
Performance-wise, the iPhone XS felt smooth and responsive. Apps opened quickly, navigation was fluid (even after years of software updates), and Face ID made unlocking effortless once I got used to it.
Cons of the iPhone XS
1. Fingerprint Magnet
Here’s the catch with all that glass: it’s a fingerprint magnet. Every time you touch it, you leave smudges all over both the front and back. It gets nasty pretty quickly, which was one of the main reasons I kept my XS in a case for most of its life.
2. Fragility
The glass back looks amazing – but is also very fragile. I was always nervous about dropping the phone because the back would likely shatter on impact – especially if it landed on something decently hard.
3. No Image Stabilization in 4K Video
The lack of optical image stabilization for 4K video was a major downside. This limitation was significant enough that I upgraded to the iPhone 11 Pro the very next year (which is rare for me – I hardly ever upgrade from one year to the next).
4. No Headphone Jack
The absence of a headphone jack was frustrating at the time, too. When the XS came out, wireless headphones weren’t as common, and I still used wired ones a lot.
5. Low Refresh Rate Display
The XS screen runs at 60Hz, which was fairly standard at the time – but feels a bit outdated compared to newer phones with 90Hz or 120Hz displays.
6. Face ID Learning Curve
Switching to Face ID from a fingerprint sensor took some getting used to. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I adapted quickly enough. But I kicked and screamed and pouted all the way.
