Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS
How does Apple's brand-new Apple iPhone 11 Pro compare to its predecessor, the Apple iPhone XS?
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: What to look for
Apple's iPhone 11 Pro is the smallest of this year's flagship iPhone series, which means it's effectively the replacement for 2018's Apple iPhone XS.
Actually, you can scrub effectively out of that equation, because while Apple will continue to sell the Apple iPhone XR at retail, the iPhone XS is gone from its retail presence. That doesn't mean you can't still buy one from online retailers or shops, although actual new stock will become limited over time.
But should you? Here's what you need to compare.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: Power
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro runs on Apple's new A13 Bionic chip, which Apple is calling the "fastest in a smartphone ever". Or at least, we guess, until next year when it will be supplanted by the Apple A14. That being said, its core specifications and the limited benchmarks Apple has shown off do suggest it's a mighty powerful chip.
However, that's more of a bet for the future in 3-4 years than right now, because the Apple A12 Bionic in the Apple iPhone XS is no slouch. Even now, a year after its release, it's still more powerful than any Android CPU we've tested, and that means it's got plenty of performance power to spare. Developers will still be coding around the A12 Bionic for quite some time, and unless you're already stretching what it can do in a performance sense, it's probably more than enough for your needs.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: Camera
The camera is the area where Apple has made the biggest changes to the iPhone formula, jumping into the world of triple rear lenses for the first time. Where the Apple iPhone XS has a standard and telephoto lens, Apple ups the ante with the Apple iPhone 11 Pro with standard, telephoto and wide lenses. It's also promising some neat ability to shoot with all three lenses for stills or video, as well as an upcoming "Deep Fusion" software upgrade that will analyse shots at a pixel level to optimise them automatically.
Realistically, while the iPhone XS camera was nice, if a little outpaced by its Android rivals, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro's camera could well be great, and a real contender.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: Battery
Battery life is often a sore talking point for iPhone users because historically it's been a big problem.
By premium flagship phone standards, the iPhone XS battery capacity of 2,659mAh is at best mediocre.
Apple hasn't released the battery capacity of the iPhone 11 Pro just yet, but it's claiming a battery life of up to 4 hours over that of the iPhone XS. Any measurement that is expressed as "up to" is instantly suspicious – one more minute would still fit into that description – but it does suggest some kind of serious boost in battery capacity for the new models.
Both the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro charge via lightning cable, or wirelessly from any Qi charger.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: Pricing
Apple doesn't retail the Apple iPhone XS any more, but when it did, it charged from $1,629 (64GB) up to $2,199 (512GB).
The iPhone 11 Pro is a little bit more expensive again. It costs $1,749 for a 64GB model, $1,999 for 256GB or $2,349 for a 512GB model.
The reality here is that while you might see some very small discounting on the Apple iPhone XS now that there's a newer model, iPhones historically hold value pretty well. If you want a discount you'd need to look second-hand, and that's sometimes a risky prospect. Read our guide to buying a refurbished phone before you opt for a second-hand iPhone XS.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs Apple iPhone XS: Plans
We're still waiting for plan details on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro, but we can expect carriers to offer the Apple iPhone XS until they run out of stock.
Here's what you'll currently pay for the Apple iPhone XS on contract: