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iPhone XS Teardown Shows Few Changes Aside From the Battery (engadget.com)

iFixit tore apart Apple's iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, revealing very similar insides to last year's iPhone X. Engadget reports the findings: One of the most interesting features is the battery on the XS. The iPhone XS sports a slightly downgraded battery from the iPhone X, a 10.13 Wh battery (2,659 mAh at 3.81 V) versus 10.35 Wh (2716 mAh at 3.81 V). But a new configuration might more than make up for it: Apple is using a brand-new L-shaped single-cell battery instead of two separate batteries. However, the XS Max still sports two batteries. Some other tweaks include a new, Apple-branded power management chip and a new antenna line on the bottom of the phone. The camera bump is also slightly taller, meaning your iPhone X case might not fit on your XS, if you plan on upgrading. The Verge also notes that "there's no evidence that the teardown team could find of any improved water or dust resistance, despite the improved IP68 ratings on the iPhone XS and XS Max."

61 comments

  1. Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Cook has finally fried the Apple. They are essentially selling downgraded versions of a discontinued new product in slightly different bodies. They have pulled a "Chinese knockoff" on themselves. ALL THE LOLS. Keep buying those logos boys...

    1. Re:Close the doors folks by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Cook has finally fried the Apple. They are essentially selling downgraded versions of a discontinued new product in slightly different bodies. They have pulled a "Chinese knockoff" on themselves. ALL THE LOLS. Keep buying those logos boys...

      Prove it, Hater.

    2. Re:Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually the new screens break less easily. Price is still too high, but the new designs aren't bad. "ALL THE LOLS"? = Your life can't possibly be this boring really, can it?

    3. Re:Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      apple is SSDD. Same Shit Different Device

    4. Re: Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More like SSHP, same shit, higher price.

    5. Re:Close the doors folks by tsa · · Score: 0

      Have you really nothing better to do than getting worked up about a fucking phone? Pathetic loser.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    6. Re: Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The article you are commenting in just fucking proved it. It's the same phone pretty much. Jesus Christ you are blind.

    7. Re: Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be new here.

      Pathetic loser.

    8. Re: Close the doors folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Keep choking down that Apple dick

  2. Biggest change is the price tag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Research the iTards' elasticity.

  3. No shit sherlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's an "S" model. S models are not wholesale refreshes of the predecessor. Instead they are just a faster version, sometimes with a bit more RAM, and sometimes with additional storage sizes

    4s vs 4, 5s vs 5, 6s vs 6. This isn't rocket science.

    1. Re: No shit sherlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The differences between the S models and the next number isn't different either, so it really doesn't matter lol

    2. Re: No shit sherlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are talking out of your ass. The iphone5 was 32bit and iPhone5s was 64bit. It sure doesn't corroborate with your BS theory.

  4. Re:Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Beau, you were born long after the KGB ceased to exist. Why do you keep blaming them for everything? Tomorrow, you'll be blaming them for your maxi pads being too expensive.

  5. Re:Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She's joking, man.

  6. Be reasonable people. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    “meaning your iPhone X case might not fit on your XS”
    Why any normal person. Upgrade from the X to the Xs.
    Not that the Xs is bad, but there isn’t anything that extra new that would be worth the expense of upgrading.
    If you are some sort of Apple collector then why would you use your old X case on the phone?

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Be reasonable people. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. My history is a 3-4 release refresh. 4->5s->X, so presumably my next phone will an 11s or a 12.

    2. Re:Be reasonable people. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you're using the Apple Upgrade Program, there's effectively no reason not to.

      Well, no reason not to if you were upgrading your phone every two years anyway. If that was what you were doing anyway, the Apple Upgrade Program costs essentially the same as doing that, but you can upgrade every year instead.

      There are, of course, caveats:

      - With the AUP, you MUST pay for Apple Care. If you were already doing that, the difference in cost between buying it outright is actually pretty small. This has more to do with the cost of Apple Care than it being a good deal.
      - You lose out on whatever trade-in value your iPhone would have had at the end of two years. It's hard to say what it would have been because it used to be maybe about $100 but with the new iPhones being so damned expensive who knows what the trade-in on an iPhone X will be next year.
      - There's a fairly good chance that next year's iPhone will as lackluster as the Xs. In which case you could probably have gone three years (or more) between meaningful upgrades. That's the risk you take.

      So, yeah. There will be people upgrading. It (sort of) makes sense. Given very specific circumstances.

  7. So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by greenwow · · Score: 2

    "got the same iPhone 8/iPhone X back glass construction, meaning on tiny crack call for a whole chassis replacement."

    My company makes several iOS apps, so we have about 75 iOS devices. It's been disappointing how easily the back glass cracks but in Apple's defense, that doesn't affect functionality.

    What does affect functionality is that while all of our really old iDevices that use the old 30-pin connector still work even though some of them are over a decade old, nearly all of the devices with a lightning connector have problems. The vibration when you get a message is enough to disconnect them from charging.

    1. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > old 30-pin connector

      That connector worked great. I'm still using it on my iPod I bought in 2003. I've replaced the battery three times, but that connector still works perfectly.

      On the other hand, my iPhone 6S Plus lightning connector disconnects if I have the phone on vibrate. It's a terrible connector unlike Apple's old phone and iPod connector that just works.

    2. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The vibration when you get a message is enough to disconnect them from charging.

      This! I'm getting sick of my Lightning cable disconnecting when my phone vibrates. The old iPhone connectors didn't do that.

    3. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > old 30-pin connector

      It had tabs on the side so it shouldn't disconnect when you didn't expect it to. The new tiny lightning connector doesn't so it will often disconnect if your phone vibrates.

    4. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lightning does have those little tabs that are supposed to keep it plugged in. Like so much about it, it's ass-backwards of the way you'd expect: they're inside the port, not on the cable. (If you look carefully at the plug, you'll see the indents where they go on it.) This of course means that the old buttons you'd press on the cable to release it won't work, so instead they're there mostly to provide additional friction to try and hold the cable in. This thread shows how well that worked.

      This goes perfectly with the directional logic. A Lightning connection needs to figure out which way it's plugged in - there is an "up" and a "down" side, it just has logic that flips the pins if it's plugged in "upside down." This logic is in the cable, not the port. I'm sure Apple would tell you it's there for a good reason, and not to ensure that no one can make Lightning cables without paying Apple a licensing fee for the chip that handles the flipping.

    5. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by tsa · · Score: 2

      Pulling the accumulated lint out of the opening with a tooth pick or something similar helps a lot with that.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    6. Re:So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by rcharbon · · Score: 1

      Doesn't do anything for the corrosion that regularly builds up on the lightning connectors.

    7. Re: So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the lightning cable is disconnecting that easily, youâ(TM)re either using Chinese cables or thereâ(TM)s crap in the connector. Use a straight pin, thumb tack, or sim ejector to gently probe the connector and free any compacted dust/crap from it. The connector is actually extremely robust.

    8. Re: So it still doesn't fix the repair problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean 2013?

  8. Battery shape? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

    I had no idea that an L shaped 10.31 Wh battery has more capacity than a pair of rectangular 5.175 Wh (10.35 Wh combined) batteries in a single pack! I wonder if Tesla is aware of this magical power of the L!

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    1. Re:Battery shape? by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      The article points out that it’s a downgrade. My guess is it’s a cost savings to make one type of battery instead of two.

  9. Changes by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

    New battery, cameras, mainboard, SoC, modem, antennae, eSIM, haptics, speakers... yep, not many changes at all!

    Personally I just picked up a used X to save a bunch of money, but calling the XS mostly the same is disingenuous at best.

    1. Re:Changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      true iFag, why don't you just die, smug butt licking dumbfuck

    2. Re:Changes by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      Yes I am sticking with my X this year, but it's not like there are not good reasons to own the newer device, and the summary is odd in skipping over the ways the device is upgraded pretty well...

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    3. Re: Changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because they aren't upgraded. It's the fucking same. Jesus Christ, what don't you get? Yea you can decode video 4 seconds faster. So fucking what. You Apple worshipers are really something. It's like you deny reality.

  10. Actually there is; the camera, and neural engine by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Not that the Xs is bad, but there isnâ(TM)t anything that extra new that would be worth the expense of upgrading.

    I'm not upgrading from the X myself but there is one factor that is super tempting - the Xs (or Xr or Max) camera is a lot better in low light.

    Take a look at dynamic range and especially lack of noise in low light photos and video from Daring Fireball, each image shows and iPhone X and then the Xs side by side.

    Again I am not upgrading but the difference is actually pretty significant. And the Neural Engine is literally an order of magnitude more powerful, mainly where that would matter besides photography, is advanced AR stuff (like the basketball training app they showed during the keynote).

    If you are some sort of Apple collector then why would you use your old X case on the phone?

    Because I would rather not buy new cases for attachment lenses, and tripod mounts. Indeed as the open is just slightly larger I'd probably just carve them out a bit with an exacto knife.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  11. Well it is the S model - No huge change expected by commodore64_love · · Score: 3

    4 to 4s
    5 to 5s
    6 to 6s
    X to XS

    There's never a huge dramatic change when Apple adds an "s" or "S" to the model name. They save the really big changes for when the Number is incremented.

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  12. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by MikeDataLink · · Score: 1

    CRAP is what you get when a guy who thinks a dick belongs up a guy's ass leads a company.

    Apple is officially OVER.

    1) Apple sales grow every year, despite claims of their demise.
    2) You'll be the first one caught with a dick up your ass. It's always the most vocal homophobic Republicans who get caught being a homo.

    --
    Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
  13. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Agree. Moreover the cocksucker was appointed by Steve Jobs, therefore the cult is OVER too. Steve was a pervert.

  14. Fixed image gallery link by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Not sure how I got the Slashdot URL instead of Flickr, but here's the IPhone X/Xs image gallery I was talking about.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Fixed image gallery link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. You're right. It really is amazing how different the photographs are when you forget you've disabled HDR on the X but haven't disabled it on the Xs.

      Beyond that they look absolutely identical.

  15. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Crapple apologist cries out pledge of allegiance to a pervert Tim Cocksucker. News at 11.

  16. Re: Well it is the S model - No huge change expect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    5 to 5s was a big change. Touch ID and the A7 (first 64 bit)

  17. Re: Well it is the S model - No huge change expect by tsa · · Score: 1

    Indeed. The 5s was a completely different phone than the 5.

    --

    -- Cheers!

  18. From ecks to ecks-ess by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The S stands for SUCKER! LOL AppleFail

  19. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not that. It's worse. It's BLIND accommodation for their fuckups.

    The problem with Apple-jockeys is they don't know the inside story. I do. It's far worse than you imagine, and it's got nothing to do with customer satisfaction or even loyalty. Apple is in it to win it, and they'll spin it any way to win it. Even if that spin means you die and the world burns.

    My iPhone tries daily to kill me on the way to work by not acknowledging commands to Siri, or by demanding that I unlock things or cancelling navigation while doing 70MPH on the freeway. Ignorant much?

  20. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You'll be the first one caught with a dick up your ass.

    .

    If you were as smart as you think you are, you'd know it is extremely unwise to insult people you don't know.

    You. Ugly. fat. Baldheaded. Sack. Of. Shit.

  21. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And you'll be the one living in a wheelchair and eating through a tube.

    Capisce ?

  22. Re:Well it is the S model - No huge change expecte by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

    There's never a huge dramatic change when Apple adds an "s" or "S" to the model name. They save the really big changes for when the Number is incremented.

    I think the amount of internal changes tends to be about the same. But 4 to 4s is no external change, 4s to 5 is, 5 to 5s isn't, 5s to 6 is etc. In any case, not enough reason to upgrade for existing customers.

    If you buy a new phone every two year, you either started with a 4 and stayed on the "no s" line or you started with a 4s and stayed with the "s" line.

  23. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tim Cook's poor judgement will take a while to erode Apple's profits. But it is clear he's not doing a good job running Apple. And no wonder Apple has so many different connectors -- it's run by a man who doesn't understand in holes vs. out holes.

  24. Why can they not make the battery larger? by ShnowDoggie · · Score: 1

    I like apple. But my number 1 want, in terms of improvement, is more battery life. Historically, it has been great on their plus size models. But poor on the rest.

  25. Re:Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice Try KGB

  26. Re:Well it is the S model - No huge change expecte by TFlan91 · · Score: 1

    It's about the only tick-tock you'll find these days..

  27. cover story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The KGB is alive and well. They just want everyone to think they are defunct.

  28. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And you'll be the one living in a wheelchair and eating through a tube.

    Capisce ?

    And if anything happens to this guy, Slashdot will be pulling your info from this post. Like its really anonymous bro.

  29. Re:A teardown of Tim Cook shows an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you were as smart as you think you are, you'd know it is extremely unwise to insult people you don't know.

    You mean he shouldn't do the VERY thing you did?

  30. Re: Well it is the S model - No huge change expect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As well as 6 to 6s introducing 3D Touch.