Apple has launched three new iPhones, just like last year. Only this time, it has made some big changes to them. Literally as well as figuratively. While it had already confirmed that all iPhones after the iPhone X will look like iPhone X, Apple’s 2018 iPhones, aka the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR, aspire to offer a little something for every Apple fan and enthusiast.

The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR all pack better hardware and improved software over last year’s iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Apple has also tried to streamline all the three iPhones so buyers will not exactly be missing out on much even if they choose to buy the iPhone XR, an iPhone that Apple seems to have designed for the masses.

Apple’s 2018 iPhones also pack many iPhone-firsts including dual-SIM support, something that would be quite useful in markets like India where dual-SIM phones have become an industry norm.

Here are 10 iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR features that you should care about.

1.Last year Apple had confirmed that the anniversary edition iPhone X will form the basis of all iPhones going forward, and true to that commitment, this year’s iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, all have been designed to offer an iPhone X-like experience in a variety of form factors. This means the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR all look more or less similar to the iPhone X as far as design is concerned, and differ only in screen size. If one were to nit-pick, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, look remarkably like the iPhone X while the iPhone XR, being a relatively more affordable offering, cuts some corners to achieve the iPhone X design language. The same is true about the iPhone XR’s build materials.

The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max have a glass sandwich design with an outer frame built out of stainless steel. The iPhone XR replaces the steel with Series-7 Aluminum. Also, the iPhone XR has significantly more bezels all around the display in comparison to the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Where it falls slightly behind in build quality (in comparison to its more expensive siblings), the iPhone XR more than compensates for through its range of peppy color options. While the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max will be available in gold, space gray and silver, the iPhone XR comes in blue, black, coral, white, yellow and (PRODUCT) RED.

2.The iPhone XS Max is the biggest iPhone that Apple has ever made. At 6.5-inch, the iPhone XR towers over even the biggest Samsung Note, aka the Galaxy Note 9 which maxes out at 6.4-inch. The iPhone XR follows a close second with its 6.1-inch screen. The iPhone XS, meanwhile, has the same screen size as the iPhone X.

While the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have a Super Retina HDR-ready display, the iPhone XR comes with what Apple is calling a Liquid Retina panel. In simpler terms, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max come with OLED screens, the iPhone XR has an LCD panel. The iPhone XR also falls back, somewhat, in terms of screen resolution as it ships with an HD+ screen as opposed to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max that have full-HD+ displays. The iPhone XR, in addition, also does not support 3D force touch. All the three new iPhones pack True Tone though which is nice.

3.The iPhone X was Apple’s first iPhone to ditch a physical home button and a fingerprint scanner in favor of facial recognition technology, that Apple calls Face ID. That stays put for all of Apple’s 2018 iPhones as well. The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR all come sans any fingerprint scanner and instead ship with a True Depth camera system that enables Face ID on these iPhones. The system uses the same tech — a dot projector, an infrared camera and a flood illuminator — only Apple says that new hardware makes Face ID on its new iPhones faster.

4.The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR come with updated hardware. The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR are the most powerful iPhones that Apple has ever made. The new iPhones pack Apple’s new 7nm TSMC-sourced A12 Bionic processor which is — quite obviously — a big upgrade to last year’s A11 Bionic. The A12 Bionic has a 6-core CPU which is claimed to offer up to 15 per cent performance jump while consuming up to 50 per cent lower power in comparison to the A11 Bionic. The A12 Bionic, in addition, has a new 4-core GPU which is claimed to offer up to 50 per cent graphics performance jump over the A11 Bionic. A new and improved neural engine will meanwhile assist in all-round better AI-based number crunching.

Although Apple does not quote RAM figures, fresh benchmark listings have revealed that while the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max come with 4GB RAM, the iPhone XR comes with 3GB RAM.

Apple is offering lots and lots of storage on its new iPhones. While the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations, the iPhone XR will come with 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage.

5.On paper, it may seem like the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have the same cameras as the iPhone X, but Apple is making under the hood changes this year, as a measure to catch up with the Google Pixel phones. This means that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are both high on computational photography, and also they pack a new feature called smart HDR, to allow for better photography in all kinds of lighting scenarios. The iPhone XR has the same primary rear camera (and front camera) as the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max although it misses out on the secondary telephoto lens that is found in its more expensive siblings. Having said that, the iPhone XR will be able to perform almost all the new and improved camera tricks that the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max would be able to pull off including the ability to adjust background blur after taking a photo. The iPhone XR, even though it misses out on the added functionality of the secondary telephoto lens, is still high on computational photography. The iPhone XR also supports Apple’s new smart HDR technology.

6. Just like RAM, Apple also does not quote battery figures but looks like they are getting an upgrade. Apple claims that the iPhone XS can last up to 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, while the iPhone XS Max can last up to 90 minutes longer than the iPhone X. The iPhone XR can last up to 90 minutes longer than the iPhone 8 Plus, according to Apple.

7. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are IP68-certified while the iPhone XR comes with IP67-certification. In simple terms, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are water and dust resistant, the iPhone XR is splash-resistant.

8. The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR are first Apple iPhones to ship with dual-SIM support out-of-the-box. Apple’s dual-SIM solution will be a little different from others globally and in India. The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR will support one standard nano SIM and another e-SIM in India (supported by Airtel, Jio and Vodafone). Fully-fledged dual-SIM versions will be sold only in China, Apple has announced.

9. The iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR don’t ship with a headphone jack and looks like Apple will also not be shipping a 3.5mm audio dongle in the box this time round.

10. The iPhone XR will start at Rs 76,900 for the base 64GB storage version, while the 128GB and 256GB versions will sell for Rs 81,900 and Rs 91,900 respectively. The iPhone XS starts at Rs 99,900 for the base 64GB version, while the 256GB and 512GB storage versions will cost Rs 1,14,900 and Rs 1,34,900 respectively. The iPhone XS Max will meanwhile start at Rs 1,09,900 (64GB), going all the way to Rs 1,24,900 (256GB) and Rs 1,44,900 (512GB).

The iPhone XR will be available for buying in India from October 26, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in India from September 28.