Apple iPhone XS vs iPhone X
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 5.8-inch Apple iPhone XS (with Apple A12 Bionic) that was released on September 12, 2018, against the Apple iPhone X, which is powered by Apple A11 Bionic and came out 1 year before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
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Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XS
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR4X 2133 MHz
- 17% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (756K versus 644K)
- Has 33% more RAM: 4GB versus 3GB
- The phone is 1 year newer
- More energy-efficient CPU β Apple A12 Bionic
- 21% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1306 and 1075 points
- Ready for eSIM technology
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | OLED | OLED |
| Size | 5.8 inches | 5.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1125 x 2436 pixels | 1125 x 2436 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 458 ppi | 458 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 625 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Touch sampling rate | 120 Hz | - |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 81.1% | 81.1% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 | - DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 98.8% | 99.3% |
| PWM | 240 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Response time | 4.4 ms | 2.2 ms |
| Contrast | β Infinity | β Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 143.6 mm (5.65 inches) | 143.6 mm (5.65 inches) |
| Width | 70.9 mm (2.79 inches) | 70.9 mm (2.79 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm (0.3 inches) | 7.7 mm (0.3 inches) |
| Weight | 177 g (6.24 oz) | 174 g (6.14 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP67 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Silver, Gold, Gray | Silver, Gray |
| Fingerprint scanner | No | No |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A11 Bionic |
| Max clock | 2490 MHz | 2390 MHz |
| CPU cores | 6 (2 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex |
- 4 cores at 1.42 GHz: Mistral - 2 cores at 2.39 GHz: Monsoon |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 10 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| Graphics | Apple A12 Bionic GPU | Apple GPU |
| GPU shading units | 256 | 192 |
| GPU clock | 1125 MHz | 1066 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~576 GFLOPS | ~409.3 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
| Single-core score | 1306 | 1075 |
| Multi-core score | 2770 | 2393 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 229658 | 271922 |
| GPU | - | 127700 |
| Memory | 141831 | 110696 |
| UX | 384994 | 133989 |
| Total score | 756483 | 644307 |
| Samples | [5 tests] | Less than 3 |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | 61% | 59% |
| Graphics test | 8 FPS | 5 FPS |
| Graphics score | 1446 | 892 |
Recent User Tests
Apple iPhone XS
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-07-31 (ΠΠΈΠΌΠ°) | AnTuTu 11 | 644981 |
| π 2026-06-27 -> USAball386 | Geekbench 6 GPU | 7868 |
| π 2026-06-27 -> USAball386 | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1306 / 2770 |
| π 2026-05-12 -> Giahuy | AnTuTu 11 | 756483 |
| π 2026-02-05 (tomoclaude) | AnTuTu 11 | 655571 |
Apple iPhone X
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-06-03 (alwayssonqz) | Geekbench 6 GPU | 5436 |
| π 2026-06-03 (alwayssonqz) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1075 / 2393 |
| π 2026-01-08 -> Tangerine | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1105 / 2629 |
| π 2024-08-21 (I desperately need a new phone) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 858 / 1167 |
Memory
| RAM size | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | - |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.7) | iOS 11.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.5) |
| OS size | 11.8 GB | 5.3 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 2658 mAh | 2716 mAh |
| Max charge power | 15 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi (10 W) | Yes, Qi (7.5 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Bypass charging | No | - |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 60 min) | Yes (50% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:40 hr | 2:00 hr |
| Web browsing | 05:44 hr | 05:31 hr |
| Watching video | 09:44 hr | 09:07 hr |
| Gaming | 03:54 hr | 03:35 hr |
| Standby | 84 hr | 93 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Optical, 2x | Optical, 2x |
| Flash | Quad LED | Quad LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 240FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 12 MP 2) Telephoto: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 12 MP 2) Telephoto: 12 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 28 mm |
| Sensor | Apple iSight X | Apple iSight Duo Camera |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (β 0.39 inch) | 1/3" (β 0.33 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.4 micron | 1.22 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.4 |
| Focal length | 52 mm | 52 mm |
| Sensor size | 1/3.4" (β 0.29 inch) | 1/3.4" (β 0.29 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1 micron | 1 micron |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Samples | - | Photo samples of Apple iPhone X from DxOMark |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 7 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3088 x 2316 | 3472 x 2063 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Sensor | CMOS | BSI CMOS |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | - |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
DxOMark front camera
| Photo | - | 88 |
| Video | - | 92 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | No | No |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| eSIM support* | Yes | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 16 | 16 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | September 2018 | September 2017 |
| Release date | September 2018 | November 2017 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1000 | $999 |
| Successor | - Apple iPhone 17 Pro | - Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max |
| SAR (head) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.87 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.97 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
These smartphones have a lot in common, but we would recommend the Apple iPhone XS. It has a better camera, performance, gaming, and connectivity.
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Total votes: 2885