(iPhone XS is sitting in a cafe when the iPhone XR walks in) iPhone XS: What took you so long? You are late, my friend! iPhone XR: I had to be. I was launched slightly after you, remember? Jokes aside, I had just gone to check out the new iPhones. XS: So, you have seen them too? XR: Hasn’t everyone? XS: Well…they ARE kind of high-profile. XR: So they are. I met my brand new elder brother, the iPhone 11. Yes, they got rid of the “R” in the name. What a pity. (sigh) XS: I met mine, too. And guess what? Guy has become a Pro now. Makes me wonder if I was an amateur all along… I mean, cost the same, didn’t I? (Rs. 99,900)
XR: Dude, do not even get me started on the price. Do you even remember the price tag I was launched with (Rs.76,900)? Yes, I did receive a price cut later on but this new guy swoops in with a much lower price tag from the get-go (Rs. 64,900). I got more kidney jokes than he did. XS: And honestly, I do not get what the fuss is about. Both of them look exactly like us, at least from the front– same size display (5.8 inches for me, 6.1 inches for you), same resolution (2436 x 1125 for me, 1792 x 828 for you) and the good ol’ notch, although the display tech has been bumped up a bit (my Pro’s gotta Super Retina XDR), better colors and brightness. By the way, bro, I am sorry that even your new avatar missed out on the full HD and AMOLED. An HD+ LCD panel in this day and age? You have gotta be kidding me. XR: Hey, do not get too cocky just yet. AMOLED or not, I am the highest selling phone in the world. And I have high hopes for my upgraded version. XS: All right, All right! Point conceded. From one (e)X to another, what do you think of the new fellas…? XR: As you said, they have pretty much the same faces as us – I do not think anyone can tell them apart from us from the front. But it really is all about them glass backs, isn’t it? Strongest glass ever used on a phone and all that. And, of course, the two different textures and some new colors and even the logo has shifted to the middle! XR: Colors! You must be going (Midnight) Green with envy. XR: Get off your high horse already. My big brother may not be as heavily textured as yours but has six colors (black, green, yellow, purple, red and white) to your four (gold, space grey, silver, midnight green). XS: But you know what? I actually really dig the new texture on my Pro brother. To be honest, I was getting a little tired of them glossy glass backs. No offense to anyone. XR: Hey, none taken! I wish my upgrade had a little more of it too. They have not really been as generous with all that matte finish with 11 as they have been with the 11 Pro. I guess being a Pro has its perks. I mean, both of our upgrades have dust and water-resistance, but yours is slightly better than mine. They are both IP68 rated, but the Pro can go 4 meters underwater for 30 minutes, the 11 can go up to 2 meters. XS: Do not take it to heart, my friend. We both know texture or no texture, it is the cameras that are going to turn heads on these new fellows. By the way, congratulations to your upgraded brother for getting in the multiple camera zone. Now all new iPhones have multiple cameras. Hooray! XR: Well, more congratulations to you – your Pro got three while mine has just two. These Pro perks, I ask you! XS: Numbers, numbers. Just digits. How do you think they look?
XR: You know, I am having a tough time trying to make up my mind about that. They definitely look very different from anything less out there, making them stand out as the new iPhones, something which our generation lacked. But the question is: do they look good? XS: I totally get what you mean. I mean, it is great to see three cameras on the back of the 11 Pro, but it is the placement that is slightly… off? I mean, I was pretty okay with that small capsule unit jutting out in myself, but now these new kids have a whole square block of glass jutting out with exceptionally big lenses on them. Mind you, credit to Apple for making that back one piece of glass even with that protruding square enclosure. Design artistry is alive and kicking! XR: Not to sound mean, but you know, I can live with the 11’s camera arrangement as the two lenses are stacked one below the other but it the 11 Pro’s camera arrangement that makes me cringe a little. That triangle camera placement with the flash on top, all seems so asymmetrical. XS: They might look weird, but trust me, those cameras could very easily turn out to be the stars of the show. I know, the cameras iPhones have always been very popular but with these, Apple has widened the photography horizon, quite literally. The three 12-megapixel sensors on my Pro bro can deliver 2X optical zoom, wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle shots. You can even switch modes in real-time while taking photos and in the middle of videos. How cool is that?
XR: I cannot argue with that. The camera game on these new iPhones is expected to be a clear notch above anything we have seen before. The 11 might be one camera short of the Pros, but it still brings two 12 megapixel sensors, one wide and another ultra-wide. XS: Speaking of notches, even the ones on the front are better now. Both our upgrades have 12-megapixel true depth cameras for selfies, FaceTime and not to forget the new Slofies (and we were laughing at Nokia for Bothies). XR: But you know, it is not just the hardware that has had a makeover, the software has been revamped, too. There are many more settings and editing options in the camera app, including a new night mode and improved portrait mode. It is all very empowering but can be a little intimidating at first. I mean, I just got iOS 13 a few weeks ago, and when I saw the camera app, I went “Woah” and this is when I have just one camera! XS: Enough about the cameras already. They might be making the headlines and heads turn, but there is a lot more to the new iPhones. The new A13 Bionic chipset is supposed to be way ahead in processing game than the A12 Bionic we run on and mind you, we are still pretty swift. I mean, gaming and everything is supposed to just fly on these news chaps and they are designed for iOS 13, so that might not be as buggy as it is on us. And Even battery life on the new iPhones is supposed significantly better.
XR: Better? I never faced battery blues! XS: That’s because you had an HD display and… XR: Ahem, bestselling smartphone of the world… XS: Yes, yes, your battery was exceptional for an iPhone. That is why the 11’s battery life has improved by just an hour while my new brother has got an extra four hours of battery life as compared to me. And hey, there is fast charging too! Finally, iPhones that last longer and charge faster! XR: Welcome to the big battery life, bro! XS: Better processor, cameras, battery… quite a handful, isn’t it? XR: I do not know about you but I always have been (check the size!). And so is my successor. We share the same size and unlike yours who has put on a few grams in weight, mine even weighs the same as I do. Don’t get annoyed – I know the 11 Pro follows your lead in being perhaps the best compact smartphone around.
XS: Thanks. These new kids? They might not win all beauty pageants but they sure look very different, which was definitely a need of the hour. Especially after losing the home button, I think we had somehow lost that distinct “iPhone look.” And no matter how cringe-y the square camera units may look to sure, they sure make the phones stand out from the routine flagship crowd. I mean, there is no way you can mistake an iPhone 11 Pro or an 11 for any other device in the market. XR: You got that right. And standing out is quite important when you consider the sort of price tags they come with. They sure do look different, now I think they just need to back up all that design and specs with performance. XS: Let’s leave that to the reviewers at TechPP, eh? XR: Sure, till then let’s head back to the stores. After all, we are still very much in demand. I mean, the highest-selling phone in the world, you know… XS: Stop it, already. Bye! Hey, Siri? Take me to an Apple retailer. (Nimish Dubey contributed to this conversation at places)
