The iPhone XS was launched last month to great fanfare. Apple boasted of every aspect of the new iPhone, from its display, and cameras to its battery and speakers. Although most of this can be dismissed as hype-building and marketing, the iPhone XS still features the same display as iPhone X and its cameras are (potentially?) not as sharp as those on the Pixel 2, one thing is certain: The new A12 Bionic chipset has serious power.
The iPhone XS starts at Rs. 99,900. I have been testing it. For our complete review, please click here. I have been using the iPhone XS (which starts at Rs. 99,900) and discovered a lot of things that show how amazing this phone is in terms of performance.
Benchmarks
To test the performance of the iPhone XS, I used a variety of benchmarks along with the iPhone X last year, the Galaxy Note 9, and the OnePlus 6. I considered these Android smartphones the best of the year. These are the results.
Geekbench 4
Geekbench 4 showed that the iPhone XS beat the older iPhone X and the OnePlus 6 as well as the Galaxy Note 9.
The A11 Bionic still leads Android smartphones (though that could change with the Snapdragon 855). However, the A12 Bionic has amazing scores in both the single-core and multi-core tests in Geekbench 4.
AnTuTu
The iPhone XS’s AnTuTu scores are incredible. These scores are far higher than any smartphone, even the iPhone XS (which is surprising considering it’s well behind the OnePlus 6).
Take a look at the AnTuTu score. Although I am not sure how the iPhone XS did on AnTuTu, it does so well and that is why I don’t complain.
Day-to-day Performance and Gaming Performance
The benchmarks are promising. It looks like a smartphone that will outperform all other smartphones. But benchmarks are rarely indicative of real-world performance. No app that you use often will stress your smartphone as much as a benchmark. That’s why the actual performance of a smartphone can be a better (if subjective) gauge of its performance.
The iPhone XS is fast, smooth, and brilliant in normal day-to-day usage. The iPhone X has been a fast phone. iOS 12 has made it even more responsive. However, the iPhone XS is still a great phone. This is crucial because, even though the iPhone XS has a new A12 Bionic SoC, it won’t make a huge difference in everyday use as it does in benchmarks. Because the apps and games that we have today aren’t nearly as intensive as the A11 Bionic, it doesn’t actually make the most of the processor power of the A12.
So apps launch quicker on the iPhone XS. Switching between apps is a seamless experience that I love. iOS 12’s gestures and animations are simply superior to any other smartphone implementation. It’s amazing, and it should be for $1000.
The iPhone XS is a great gaming device. It performs as you would expect a flagship phone too. I tried out a lot of different games with the iPhone XS, including Fortnite, Fortnite, Asphalt 9, Mortal Kombat X, and Fortnite Mobile.
PUBGMobile looks like it hasn’t been optimized for iPhone XS’ notch yet. The HUD is hidden. If you’re anything like me, and you use your left-hand fire button more than the right, I can assure you that you will die more often in War mode. This is not to say the performance is poor. It’s actually quite good. It runs at an Ultra frame rate with HDR enabled on the iPhone XS.
Mortal Kombat X has the most problematic display. It doesn’t hide any UI elements underneath the notch but runs it with huge bezels on both sides. This is annoying if not worse. The game runs well on the iPhone XS if you are able to live with it. I had no problems clearing the towers in the single-player campaign.
Many people blame the iPhone for not being capable of running games on its bezel-less display. But it’s up to developers to support bezel-less displays in their apps and games. Let’s take Fortnite as an example. The game runs flawlessly on the iPhone XS. By the way, the graphics are just a lot more than any Android phone (even the Note 9 which is hilarious, but what the heck?). The iPhone XS handled Fortnite perfectly, no matter if I was exploring or engaging in intense gunfights.
Asphalt 9 also runs flawlessly on the iPhone XS. It has been optimized for the iPhone XS’s bezel-less, notched display and ensures that all UI elements are visible. The game runs flawlessly, animations are beautiful, and all Asphalt special effects look amazing. No matter what, there’s never any lag. It’s great.
iPhone XS Performance Test: A Impressive Performer
The iPhone XS is a great smartphone in terms of performance. It has the A12 Bionic chip which is a powerful processor. And even though it only has 4GB RAM, iOS optimizations will ensure that you never feel like this is too much. The iPhone XS is capable of running heavy games such as PUBG Mobile or completing weekly Fortnite challenges.
You would expect a smartphone to deliver this level of performance at $1000, and the iPhone XS delivers.
