iPhone XS (Max) vs iPhone X: In-Depth Camera Test Comparison By KJ Hardrict

Hi guys, it's KJ the MiTechGuy here, and today will be the first of several videos coming out within the next couple of weeks involving the brand new iPhone XS Max. Apple emphasized the camera a lot during their launch event, so I wanted to see how the cameras on the XS and XS Max compare to the cameras on last year's iPhone X. In this video, we'll be taking a look at pictures shot in various lighting conditions, both indoors and outdoors, and I'll also be taking a look at the video and audio qualities of both phones. Make sure to stick around to the end of the video to see just how much the iPhone XS improved in regards to low light. In this video, everything was set to automatic. Also, huge shout out to Torras for sponsoring this video.

Let's get right into it. The iPhone X has a dual-12 Megapixel camera system, with a wide-angle and telephoto lens at f/1.8 and f/2.4 apertures respectively. The telephoto lens means the X also has 2x optical zoom and can also take depth-effect portrait pictures. The cameras can record up to 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at up to 240 fps. They have dual optical image stabilization.

The X's front True Depth camera is 7 Megapixels with an aperture of f/2.2. It can take portrait mode pictures, and can record video at up to 1080p at 30 fps. The iPhone XS also has a dual-12 megapixel camera system, with a wide-angle and telephoto lens at f/1.8 and f/2.4 apertures respectively. The main camera sensor is now larger, captures larger pixels, and has a bit of a wider angle than before. Using its new Smart HDR feature, the XS's camera is able to capture multiple pictures almost instantaneously at different exposure levels and then merge them into one picture.

The iPhone XS has the same video quality specs as the iPhone X on paper, but along with better image processing, expect to hear improvements because of the fact that it now captures stereo sound. The front true depth camera is the same on paper as well, but the new A12 Bionic should help with those front portrait shots and overall image processing. As always, I'm going to start off by looking at pictures shot in great lighting. In this image, we can see that the iPhone X already has a very quality camera system. We can also see that the XS is able to capture a wider image.

Things I notice right away are the facts that the XS seems to have more natural levels of saturation than the X, and the clouds in the sky in the XS's picture are better exposed and show more depth. Again, both images are great, and both show great dynamic range. But the smart HDR capabilities of the XS allow the XS to have a brighter foreground with better preserved colors and detail. This image shows similar trends as before. Because of the new smart hdr feature of the XS, it just does the overall better job with exposure in my opinion.

Couple this with the natural looking colors make the improvements pretty substantial already. If we look at this telephoto shot, we can see that the XS was just able to make everything crispier, with better defined details and better preserved colors in things like the buildings. This goes without saying that I notice these things because I placed the pictures side by side. The iPhone X is capable of some amazing pics. Looking at the portrait modes of both phones, I will say that the XS is able to take the overall brighter images, while still capturing an incredible amount of detail.

The XS also improved with its edge detection and dealing with hair in general. As I shift into video, know that both phones are capable of shooting in 4K at 60 fps, but I set both to 4K at 30 fps because that is what this video was uploaded at. The XS really impressed me in terms of its 4K video capabilities. I was walking through shadows, and the XS was able to not only keep the foreground properly exposed and clear, but also the sky was perfectly exposed. I really don't like it when manufacturers oversaturate their phones' 4K video, and Apple used to with the iPhone X.

Now with the XS, iPhones goes back to the trends they used to have with having crisp, color accurate video. In terms of image stabilization, the XS seems to have improved, although it still seems to jitter in some occasions. That being said, the iPhone X still has one of the best smartphone video cameras to date. In terms of the front video qualities of both phone, the first thing I really noticed was the audio quality differences. The XS finally records stereo audio, and it just creates a fuller sound that sounds more natural, especially if you listen to the audio using headphones.

I actually prefer the saturation levels of the iPhone X's video because I have an orange tint in the XS's video. But overall, the stability and crispness of the iPhone XS's video, coupled with the stereo microphones, give the clear advantage to the new XS. Everything so far was shot in excellent lighting conditions outside, and as expected everything came out great. So I wanted to take a look at images shot in more challenging lighting scenarios to see if the XS improved in those situations. This image was very challenging because of all of the light coming in through the giant windows.

Both phones did surprisingly well. But the XS was able to do a lot better with not letting the light overpower the image. This is clear in the higher parts of the window. Here we can see just how much the image processing improved. There is a strip of light, but on the X's image, it was not able to contain it and really overexposed that area.

The XS, on the other hand, was able to properly expose the light while keeping the rest of the foreground nice and clear. This portrait mode shot actually came out really well on both phones given the challenging lighting. But the XS was able to keep the subject of the picture brighter overall, and again did the better job of exposing the lights in the background. Here, we can see clearly what I mean about properly exposing light sources and how this could affect an image. In the XS's image, every light source and computer monitor is exposed nicely, but the same cannot be said for the X's image.

As it got even darker, the larger sensor and pixel sizes of the XS's camera system started to shine. In this image, the XS was able to pick up so much more detail throughout the image, from the floor to the entrance in the background. Also, the image is less noisy and again dealt with the lighting fixtures a lot better. Here, we can see how much more of the colors of the scene the XS can pick up as opposed to the X. Somehow, Apple was able to pick up all of these colors while still keeping noise to a minimum.

This last image shows that even in generic shots like this, the larger sensor size is able to really improve just the overall clarity of the image. The iPhone X's image is actually not bad at all and is very solid, but there is a level of clarity in the XS's image that the X simply cannot achieve. Now before I give my final thoughts and channel updates, I wanted you to hear a little more about a case company that I was excited to have become a channel sponsor. I use Torras cases on a day-to-day basis and really admire their approach to the case market. They make clean, minimal cases without any blatant branding, which I really appreciate.

They're easy to clean, durable enough for the occasional drop, and are just as high quality as the official Apple cases for about half the cost. On top of all this, they work perfectly fine with wireless chargers like Torras' new quick charge 3.0 charger. Check them out in the link below. You won't be disappointed. The iPhone X was already had one of the best smartphone camera systems to date.

But Apple really made a substantial improvement in terms of its camera with the XS and XS Max. The XS's smart hdr capabilities really allow it to take photos that are able to not only keep everything properly exposed, but also maintain natural colors throughout the images. That being said, there are more to these phones than just their cameras, so you should really stay tuned for my initial iPhone XS Max review coming in a couple days to really learn more about what this phone is like to use as a daily driver. Watch out for a special day in the life of an MIT student video coming next Wednesday. Subscribe and have the notification bell clicked to stay up to date on all my latest iPhone XS Max coverage.

And as always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.

Source : KJ Hardrict