The iPhone XS and XS Max are already available for preorder, starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively, which is a lot to ask for a brand new smartphone. Early reviewers confirm the new iPhones are better in every way than the iPhone X, but that doesn’t mean you should upgrade from the original X. If you own an older model, the XS phones will deliver a more refined iPhone experience and the upgrade makes more sense. But there is one reason why buying an iPhone XS or XS Max over any other iPhone — even the upcoming iPhone XR — makes sense.
The iPhone XS and XS Max phones are going to offer you an even faster 4G LTE experience, as you can see in the following image:
A updated chart showing comparison data. pic.twitter.com/OHFzgiaiuf
— SpeedSmart (@SpeedSmart) September 17, 2018
The tests performed by SpeedSmart show that regardless of your mobile operator, the iPhone XS and XS Max will perform significantly better than other models. You can expect download speeds to more than twice as fast, with upload speeds going up by some 50% during regular use. Apple explained during the event last week that both the iPhone XS and XS Max feature support for Gigabit LTE, while the XR is stuck with LTE Advanced. That said, it’s unlikely you’ll ever hit the maximum theoretical speeds of either LTE standard, even if your carrier can deliver such speeds.
The improved wireless performance has a different explanation, an upgraded antenna system. As 9to5Mac explains, both the iPhone XS and the XS Max come with 4×4 MIMO, a significant upgrade over the 2×2 MIMO found on all 2017 iPhones, but also on the iPhone XR. If LTE speed is something you value in an iPhone, then the iPhone XS series is for you.
