Erin Brooks, writing at The Sweet Setup:
I recently traded in my iPhone X for the XS, and it feels like a much bigger difference when it comes to the camera, than past steps up, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I feel a certain loyalty to iPhone, because it was kind of my first love when I picked up photography, and getting to be part of Apple’s World Gallery was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. On the other, I’m not sure I like some of the camera’s changes, or if I’m just not used to them yet. So, I come into this already wanting to love it, yet I feel a bit conflicted. Maybe it’s that I’m simply already spoiled: iPhone cameras have been excellent for so long that I take it for granted.
Reading through this, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement. The XS camera does some weird things under certain circumstances, and I can’t help but think that turning off Smart HDR should make a bigger difference than it does.
All that said, I love her conclusion:
Overall, I think I like the new camera on the iPhone XS. I’m still getting used to it. I don’t love smart HDR right now, but I have a lot of fun playing with portrait mode and being able to adjust it, and I know the enhanced dynamic range will come in handy when I shoot trickier light situations. The over-blur that sometimes happens now as a result of the noise reduction can be a bit much, but I just add a little grain if I feel it goes overboard, and it’s nice that dark shadows aren’t as noisy because of it. I also like that Apple is trying to improve auto exposure, even if it misses the mark sometimes. I like that it’s in an effort to help everyone get properly-exposed shots. I like that portrait mode keeps getting better and that I can now emulate the look of a prime lens with a device that fits in my pocket. And that is why, deep down, more than for my own sentimental reasons, I will always love the iPhone: It’s a powerful, accessible, and unintimidating camera.
And I believe photography is for everyone.