iPhone XS Max - page 7

Beautygate: Top camera developer debunks iPhone XS beauty filter

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Beautygate
Some people get better looking with age and some get better looking with the iPhone XS.
Screenshot: Unboxing Therapy/YouTube

Turns out the entire “Beautygate” controversy has been much ado about nothing.

Corners of the internet have been up in arms over a perceived flaw in the iPhone XS camera that makes people in selfies look better than they should. Apple is supposedly looking to “fix” the undisclosed beauty filter, but developers behind one of the best iOS camera apps revealed today that such a filter does not exist.

iPhone XS Max can replace your iPad mini [Review]

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The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple stopped updating the iPad mini a few years ago because sales dropped off at the release of the first iPhone Plus model. Seems lots of people prefer a large-ish smartphone to a small tablet, even if the iPad is bigger than the iPhone.

And now there’s the iPhone XS Max, Apple’s biggest smartphone ever. So we explored using one as a replacement for an iPad mini 4.

iOS 12 causes charging problems for some iPhone, iPad models

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iPhone XS Max
An iPhone charging problem sometimes crops up with the XS Max, but also other devices running iOS 12.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Reports are coming in that some devices running iOS 12 won’t begin charging if they’re in sleep mode when a Lightning cable is plugged in.

The issue was first noted with the iPhone XS Max, but it is apparently happening with a wide variety of Apple’s models.

Apple goes big in whimsical new iPhone XS Max ad

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iPhone XS Max
Go big with the iPhone XS Max.
Photo: Apple

Everything is big when you own an iPhone XS Max, based on the latest ad Apple put out today about its new phone.

The whimsical new ad called “Growth Spurt” imagines a world where anything viewed through the iPhone XS Max’s 6.5-inch display instantly becomes larger than life. Cats, golf balls, even babies aren’t safe from the iPhone XS Max’s amazing powers.

Brace yourself for the embiggening:

Beautygate: Apple might ‘fix’ iPhone XS selfie camera

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Beautygate
Some people get better looking with age and some get better looking with the iPhone XS.
Screenshot: Unboxing Therapy/YouTube

The selfie camera on the iPhone XS may soon return your sudden good looks back to your old face. Apple is reportedly working to dial back some of the effects from its front-facing camera after several complaints of unnatural skin hue, glow, and smoothness.

Shortly after the iPhone XS and XS Max got into the hands of eager upgraders one week ago, users took to Twitter, Reddit and YouTube about their experiences with the front-facing camera.

Catch our first-week impressions of Apple Watch 4 and iPhone XS Max, this week on The CultCast

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Macbook Pro CultCast
Catch our iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch 4 first week impressions!
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: Beautygate — what it is, and why it’s undoubtedly the dumbest “gate” in the history of iPhone! Plus: How have we liked our first week with Apple Watch 4 and iPhone XS? We reveal all. And the shockingly low production price of the iPhone XS Max proves Apple owes us more storage space!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

iPhone XR gets go-ahead for October launch

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iPhone XR portrait mode
Thinking the iPhone XR would have been worth the wait?
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR has been cleared for takeoff by the FCC.

Apple’s budget-friendly phone received the FCC’s official stamp of approval this morning, allowing the company to go-ahead with its plans to start taking pre-orders for the iPhone XR on October 19.

Every iPhone ranked, from worst to best

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Nicole Arbour 3
What was your favorite iPhone?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iPhone XS and XS Max are generating rave reviews. Having marked the iPhone’s 10th anniversary with last year’s awe-inducing iPhone X, Apple has now set the stage for a second decade of smartphone innovation.

But what about all the awesome iPhones that led us to this point? Which models are the classics that will occupy museum shelves long after they’ve stopped working? I decided to dive in at the deep end and rank every phone Apple ever made. Wish me luck!

iPhone XS selfie cam is so beautiful it spawned an ugly conspiracy theory

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iPhone XS beautygate
"Beautygate" – Does the front-facing camera of the iPhone XS smooth too many blemishes?
Photo: chemicalsam/Reddit

The iPhone XS and its front-facing camera are supposed to help its owners make better self-portraits. However, some think their iPhone selfies look better than they should.

Users are taking to internet forums like Reddit to question whether Apple added an undisclosed beauty filter to the front-facing camera on the iPhone XS and XS Max. Some are even posting side-by-side selfies taken with an XS and an older handset to make a case that the newest iPhone has more than deeper pixels and an improved portrait mode going for it.

iOS 12.1 will bring Dual SIM feature to iPhone XS and XS Max

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When iPhone Dual SIM support appears in iOS 12.1, it will be possible to use two service plans at once with Apple's latest models.
When iPhone Dual SIM support appears in iOS 12.1, it will be possible to use two service plans at once with Apple's latest models.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A hotly anticipated feature wasn’t available when the iPhone XS models arrived last week, but Apple is hard at work bringing Dual SIM support to these new handsets. This cutting-edge features is included in the first iOS 12.1 beta.

When the full version of the operating system update becomes available later this fall, the iPhone XS and XS Max will be able to simultaneously connect to two cellular providers.

iPhone XS Max production cost is shockingly low

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Open the iPhone XS Max and you'll see just $443 worth of components.
Open the iPhone XS Max and you'll see just $443 worth of components.
Photo: TechInsights

An estimate of the component costs for each iPhone XS Max shows that much less than half of the purchase price goes to producing the device. This is Apple’s most expensive phone ever — and likely its most profitable.

The cost of storage went up considerably but Apple managed to save money by removing some 3D Touch components from the display.

How to find if iPhone XS and Apple Watch 4 are in stock near you

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iPhone Xs
Avoid lines and find the iPhone of your dreams with this tool.
Photo: Apple

Didn’t get in on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max pre-order madness and are now lusting after the best smartphone display ever?

There’s a simple tool on the internet that can save you hours of searching so you get the iPhone you want today. All it takes is setting a few filters and you’ll be alerted as soon as your local store has the new iPhones or Apple Watch Series 4 in stock.

This is how the tool works:

Is iPhone XS battery life really better?

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iPhone XS gaming
The first iPhone with ProMotion?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple promises that you’ll get better battery life if you upgrade to the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. Their cutting-edge A12 Bionic chips and power-efficient Super Retina displays should mean that they last longer than any other iPhone in between charges.

But is that really the case? One battery test has found that last year’s iPhone X actually has more stamina than its successor.

Face ID fails to recognize difference between twins

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Face ID
Face ID isn't unbeatable.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s foolproof Face ID system looks like it has met its match.

Even though Face ID is supposed to faster on the iPhone XS and XS Max, it appears that the security system can be completely fooled by identical twins. If you’ve got a sibling doppelganger, you might want to just use a passcode.

Watch how ineffective Face ID is at distinguishing between these two:

iPhone XS Max whips Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in speed tests

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Apple wins benchmark and real-world comparisons of the performance of the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9.
Apple wins benchmark and real-world comparisons of the performance of the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9.
Screenshot: SuperSaf TV

Both Samsung and Apple offer really large smartphones fo those who want to carry a miniature tablet around with them everywhere. Anyone trying to decide between the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9 should consider which one offers better performance.

In several head-to-head tests, the iPhone solidly beats its Android-based rival. That’s in both benchmarks and real-world use.

iPhone XS Max vastly outsells smaller XS

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iPhone Xs
The iPhone XS Max is Apple's best selling model by a wide margin.
Photo: Apple

When it comes to iPhones, it appears bigger is much better. The iPhone XS series debuted on Friday, and a respected analyst reports the larger of the two is selling far, far better than its smaller sibling.

The analyst also reports that the new Apple Watch Series 4 is selling better than he expected.

Don’t be fooled: iPhone XS is not a boring ‘S’ upgrade [Review]

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iPhone XS and XS Max
There are over 1.4 billion active Apple devices in the world.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you ever watched schlocky ’70s sci-fi show The Six Million Dollar Man, you probably remember the opening sequence, during which a faceless narrator describes building a man who is “better than he was before. Better … stronger … faster.”

With the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Apple’s engineers achieved just that type of incredible transformation. They fabricated phones that look “normal,” like last year’s iPhone X. But, just like the shadowy geniuses who built the bionic man, Apple indeed made the iPhone X better, stronger and faster — thanks in large part to the A12 Bionic chip that powers the new phones’ most advanced functions. (Other hardware and software upgrades help, too.)

Just like Col. Steve Austin, the ace astronaut who got $6 million worth of bionic implants after a devastating crash, the iPhone X received massive internal upgrades to morph into the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. While it looks like the same old (excellent) device, it’s actually far more fantastic and futuristic.

It’s a total bionic blast!

iPhone XS is stronger, but certainly not unbreakable

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iPhone XS broken
Yes, you still need a case.
Photo: SquareTrade

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max boast the strongest glass ever used in a smartphone, Apple says. But is it strong enough?

New tests reveal that although Apple’s devices may be tougher than their predecessors, they’re still not unbreakable. Drop one on a sidewalk and it will almost certainly result in a pricey repair bill.

The iPhone XS Camera review for iPhone 7 owners

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Depth Control gets confused by glass.
Depth Control gets confused by glass.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Most iPhone camera reviewers are upgrading from last year’s model, the incredible iPhone X. Most iPhone buyers are upgrading from an earlier iPhone, probably the iPhone 6s or 7. This review is for the buyers. In it, I compare the new iPhone XS camera to the iPhone 7 camera, and talk about just how massive an upgrade this is.

iPhone X owners shouldn’t feel left out, though. Camera-wise, the iPhone XS and XS Max might be the biggest iPhone upgrade since the iPhone 3GS added autofocus. One note: The iPhone XS Max has the exact same camera as the XS, so this review goes for both.

For Middle East elites, packing two iPhones is a way of life

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ullu
Hold two iPhones in Ullu's Dual Case made of full-grain or hand-colored leather.
Photo: Ullu

In shopping for a stunning case to outfit your new iPhone XS or XS Max, you might spot an accessory that hints at an even richer lifestyle — one that holds two iPhones.

People with two phones, one for personal and the other assigned by a boss for work, is not that unusual. But, elites in the Middle East, where Apple has about 60 percent of the smartphone market, tend to carry two iPhones by choice.

For those of us who own more than one iPhone, with a penchant for carrying them both around, the Dual Case is worth a look. For the rest of us, check out Ullu’s great lineup of iPhone cases for the XS and XS Max.