The iStore in South Africa released pricing for the various iterations of the iPhone Xs and Xs Max this week.
If you missed that news here’s the skinny – the handsets are ludicrously expensive.
Prices start at R21 999 for the 64GB iteration of the iPhone Xs and, sorry Apple, we believe the EXCESS in the name, is apt.
Following this news we’ve seen chatter on our timelines that follows the same train of thought, Apple fans have had enough of overpriced handsets that don’t justify the price.
Being an office of majority Android users we thought we’d offer up some friendly advice for iPhone users that want to make the switch to an Android phone.
Now, we know, iOS is a simple operating system that just works but if we’re being honest, Android isn’t that much worse in comparison. Sure you’ll take a while to get used to it but getting to grips with a new operating system is going to be easier than explaining to your landlord why you have a 512GB iPhone Xs Max but can’t pay your rent.
Samsung Galaxy S9 64 GB – R11 999
One could argue that the S9 is not a direct competitor to the iPhone Xs and Xs Max but it’s in the market and it’s a damned good handset.
Sporting a 5.8inch super AMOLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution (2960 x 1440) the Galaxy S9 is gorgeous to look at it.
It’s also an incredibly hard worker. You can throw almost anything at the Exynos 9810 chipset and it will handle the task with ease.
Battery life will last you just over a day though we highly recommend charging the handset overnight.
The camera is decent by flagship standards though if you want a great camera we recommend our next Android star.
Huawei P20 Pro 128GB – R15 499
Grown accustomed to the notch on the iPhone X? Well then Huawei has a phone for you.
The P20 Pro sports a 6.1inch OLED display with a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2240.
Driving that along is the Kirin 970 CPU chipset but the real star of the show is the Leica Triple Camera.
That camera consists of a 40MP RGB lens, 20MP monochrome lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. Using artificial intelligence the P20 Pro will determine the best settings for a particular shot to give you wonderful colour and contrast.
The handset also boasts a 4 000mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 128GB – R18 999
For those that like a larger display look no further than the new Galaxy Note 9.
Unlike Apple, Samsung still sees the value in a fingerprint reader and you get Iris Recognition as well. Oh, you can also hook the handset up to a display, connect a mouse and keyboard and use it as a desktop.
Why are people such huge fans of Apple again?
Anyway. The handset boasts a 6.4inch QHD+ (2960 x 1440) display that curves around the edges of the handset.
The battery has been bumped up to 4 000mAh from last year but the camera is the star here.
At the rear you’ll find a dual camera setup with a 12MP lens that boasts a variable aperture and a 12MP lens with 2X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom.
It’s also IP68 certified for dust and water resistance in 1.5m of fresh water for 30 minutes.
Sony XZ2 64GB – R13 499
Sony isn’t exactly competing with Apple but the firm offers an alternative for those that aren’t fans of Huawei or Samsung.
The XZ2 features a 5.7inch 1080 x 2160 IPS display. While the resolution is among the lowest in this line up it still boasts HDR for a spectacular viewing experience.
The battery is also small at 3 180mAh but, you’ll get a full day’s use from it.
The camera is a small 19MP affair but you can record 4K video and 1080p video at up to 960fps for buttery-smooth super-slow motion.
While it is light on features it is a decent offering from a brand that is increasingly playing third fiddle to the tune of Huawei and Samsung.
iPhone X 64GB – R15 999
While South Africa waits for the latest iPhone Xs series to arrive in SA next week, other countries are getting their hands on the device today.
As such international tech publications have already reviewed the Xs series and consensus seems to be that if you own an iPhone X there is no need to upgrade to the Xs.
So then, perhaps what you want is the iPhone X which retails for R4 500 less than it did last year and R6 000 less than its new sibling.
For your money you get a 5.8inch OLED display with a 1125 x 2436 resolution. The Apple A11 Bionic chip with a neural engine drives everything along and the battery should last at least 12 hours.
At the back you will find a dual 12MP camera with a wide and telephoto lens. You can also record 4K video at up to 60fps and 1080p video at up to 240fps for super-slow motion.
Yes, we know this is not an Android smartphone but if you really must have an iPhone X device perhaps consider waiting until the price drops.
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
