iPhone XS vs iPhone X: CAMERA TEST! (4K)

This is the new iPhone XS versus last year's iPhone X. Today we're gonna be seeking out the answers to two big questions. A, if you already have the iPhone X, is it worth upgrading to the latest XS or Max? And more specifically, in terms of those new camera improvements. Or B, maybe you have an even older device, iPhone or Android, and you've been thinking about upgrading. Well, could it be worth saving around three to $500? Skip the new XS and then pick up a mint or brand new iPhone X on a site like Swappa? Basically, is the upgrade worth it? Well, I'm Ben from Authentech. Let's jump right in and shoot some side-by-sides. Starting with some daytime photos, there's a few things we notice. First, the new smart HDR feature is pretty amazing. I discussed it a lot in my last iPhone video. Check it out after this one. But in short, the improved dynamic range. Think of it as more details maintained in the bright highlights, as well as those darker shadow areas. It's producing a more pleasant-looking image overall. This is in both photo and video mode, as you'll see shortly, and it actually makes a massive improvement. Here's a quick little example. We zoom way in on the clouds and just see how the iPhone X is blowing out some of those bright areas. Versus the new XS, those bright highlights are not blown out, and instead, we see more shadows and clarity in the clouds. This is a great little example of how HDR is working. On the new iPhone, it has larger size pixels, 1.4 microns versus 1.1, and this also helps in a lot of areas, like details, sharpness, even in low-light shots, which we'll get to in a second. I think images look a tad sharper and nicer on the new XS. Colors and white balance are nice on both. Sometimes the XS might look a little bit more saturated, but that might also be because of that higher dynamic range. There's simply more color details that pop on screen over the old iPhone X. It also looks like the new XS sometimes has a bit warmer tones versus the X has slightly cooler tones. It's been confirmed that the new iPhone has a slightly wider angle field of view, 26 millimeter versus 28. I personally really like this new improvement, and you can notice just how much of a difference that makes out to be. There's more landscape squeezing into frame, both horizontally and vertically. It's no LG V30 wide angle, but hey, I'll still take that small improvement. Switching to portrait mode on the rear-facing camera, don't forget we now have a bokeh slider in the app to adjust background blur after the photo is snapped. This is nice to have. I feel like the edge outlining hasn't changed much, and both shots look pretty similar. Let's jump into some 4K video side-by-sides. You should be able to notice a few of the same similarities from photo mode, like the new and improved Smart HDR looks really good. Clarity and sharpness on the new iPhone definitely looks improved over the old X. In some shots, it's a clear difference. Shooting in the exact same settings, we still get that wider field of view on the new XS, which I definitely appreciate. Let's try a little experiment here. We zoom way in at 750%, and we're basically nitpicking pixels. I noticed two things. First, it seems there's a bit more details in the wood grain on that pillar on the XS, and secondly, check out that little butterfly. I feel like we can see a bit more detail on the head and the antenna on that new camera, where it's all mushy on the old X. Again, probably not a big difference at the end of the day. For example, that new Smart HDR feature is a bigger improvement to highlight. Let's compare the image stabilization, both at 4K30. I'd say they look pretty similar with a simple walking test. However, when I start to jog a little bit, man, that old iPhone X has this terrible focusing wobble issue that's going on. The new XS, thankfully, does not have that. It's a pretty massive difference, and the XS clearly wins here. When I switch to 4K60 on both, again, walking tests look a bit similar, and then when we start to jog, we can half-speed slow down the footage and clearly see that same focusing problem again on the iPhone X. And if you guys have that same issue on your iPhone X that you know of, it's pretty jacked up. What's really funny is when we switch to slow-mo tests, both can shoot 1080p, 240 FPS, we see the same focusing issue again. It really ruins the shot. Thankfully, the new XS does not have that huge problem. When things are finally in focus on the old iPhone X, we can see more clearly and make a judgment call on quality. Interesting, in this sample shot, the XS actually looks a bit rougher around the edges, almost more pixelated. I don't really understand. In this slow-mo shot, both cameras have this horrible jittering effect going on. Is this the image stabilization or something? That's not good. Now, let's keep going. I shot a couple autofocus tests, and check this out. The new XS clearly smokes the old X in terms of autofocus speed. And not only does it look faster, but way more accurate, as the old X sometimes can't even find or lock focus onto my hand. It's totally missing it over and over. What's up, guys? This is a front-facing camera and audio test. This is the new iPhone XS. And this is the older iPhone X. How's the sound compare? It's almost looking like the old iPhone X has a much wider field of view. Right now, I'm front-lit by the sun, but as we rotate around, how's colors and contrast change? Man, just look at the blown-out highlights on the old X versus the new smart HDR on the XS. Pretty massive difference. This is a quick walking stabilization test on the front-facing camera. And this is a quick jogging test on the front-facing cams. How's stabilization? Stabilization actually looks a lot improved on that front-facing camera. Nice job, Apple. I snapped a couple front-facing photos with and without portrait mode turned on. I'd say they both look pretty similar. However, again, that new HDR processing really helps and makes the XS shots look nicer. As a connected result, the overall exposure and white balance looks better too. Have you guys heard about that extra skin softening effect that's going around? Is it simply HDR noise smoothing, or is it actually a beauty mode issue that we can't turn off? Even Lou from Unbox Therapy just made a whole video on it, and I wanna hear your guys' thoughts on the controversy. One last item to note on that front-facing camera, we can now shoot 1080p 60 frames per second, while the old one maxed out at 30. I'm honestly not sure when you'd actually wanna shoot slow-mo on the front-facing camera, but hey, it's now here, and I'll take the extra frame rate capabilities. And of course, we can't skip low-light shots. With those larger pixels on the XS, it really shines as the winner in these side-by-sides. That HDR is tone mapping the image for a much more balanced exposure and clarity. The noise reduction is way smoother and nicer as well. That old iPhone X looks pretty rough with its high noise and grain. I'd say it's night indifference between the two on this test. My overall summary and thoughts. I'd say the new XS camera is actually a bigger deal and upgrade than a lot of people are thinking. I'm not sure it's worth the trade-in or spending tons of extra cash for an upgrade, especially if it's not in your budget. I'd say the old X is still a good device with a good camera, and to save a few hundred bucks if you were deciding between the two, that's a nice option to have. Now, which phone do you want me to compare next up against the iPhone XS camera? Maybe the LG V30 or the new Pixel 3 releasing soon? Let me know down in the comments, and if you enjoyed this content, consider sticking around for more posted every week. Until next time, let's live authentic.