Apple has released three new iPhones, the XS, XS Max, and XR. These three additions to Apple’s collection come with several new improvements and have been met with many positive responses. However, they come with a high price tag, at $749 for XR, $999 for the XS, and $1099 for the XS Max, all for 64 GB models.

The prices of the new iPhones range from $999 to $1,449. When asked about the high cost, Miguel M, a technician at the Apple store in Montgomery Mall, said, “They’re expensive, but there’s a good reason for it. There are high-cost materials in the screen, glass, body. This doesn’t even count the new software improvements.”

Compared to the iPhone X, all of three new iPhones have larger screen sizes, extended battery life, louder and more distinctive stereo speakers, and a faster, more efficient processor. The new iPhones’ cameras have higher resolution and come with Smart HDR, a new feature that takes multiple pictures from each photo and combines together to provide the highest quality photo. Returning features from the iPhone X include a full glass screen, wireless charging, Face ID, dual-SIM capability. Like the iPhone X, the XS, XR, and XS Max do not feature a headphone jack, fingerprint sensor, or expandable storage.

The XS Max differs from the XS as its name suggests, featuring a bigger screen but the same thickness and more battery life. While cheaper, the XR offers almost all of the features as the XS. With the highest battery life of the new releases, the XR also has more colors to choose from than the XS and the XS Max. However, the XR has an aluminum body instead of stainless steel and a lower resolution screen which cannot display HD content. It only has one camera, while the XS and the XS Max offer two, resulting in less zoom power and a Portrait Mode that only works on people. It also doesn’t feature improved water resistance like the XS and XS Max.

Humanities Senior Casandra Maier explained her rationale for purchasing a new iPhone XS Max. “The screen size for me matters because I don’t have WiFi at my house, so I have to watch a lot on my phone. I’m in AP Photo, so I do a lot of reworks on my phone when my camera can’t get the correct exposure. Along with the camera, I’m also looking forward to the battery life,” said Maier.

However, customers of Apple have made complaints regarding the new iPhones, including the expensive price, and missing charging cable and headphone adapters. Several critics dispute Apple’s battery life claims, stating that their tests show lower battery life than advertised. Consumer Reports, a nonprofit dedicated to product testing, recommends a protective case as they have found that the durability of the XS and the XS Max is rather low. The Guardian found that wireless charging heats up the phone “quite a lot”.

When the new iPhones were first released, they had several software issues such as extremely slow charging, nonfunctioning speakers, and poor signal. These issues have since been fixed through software updates.

Despite these complaints, the new iPhones remain popular in Montgomery Mall.

“The Apple store is jam-packed on the weekends. You can’t see the tables,” says Miguel.