As per schedule, Apple unveiled a brand-new array of iPhones in their annual September event in Cupertino on Wednesday, September 12.

The successors to the iPhone X, the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max were announced, while an affordable alternative, the iPhone XR, was also introduced.

The 2018 event witnessed one of the smallest year-toyear upgrade cycles, unlike in 2017, when the iPhone X was a revolutionary change.

Therefore, can buyers consider this year’s iPhone progress in innovation, or is there nothing new?

The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max differ in one main area: their screen technology. They contain the same features as 2017’s iPhone X, and are still the only iPhones to use OLED displays.

The iPhone Xs’s screen size is 5.8 inches diagonally, while the iPhone Xs Max boasts a screen size of 6.5 inches.

Both phones have a Super Retina HD display- an upgrade from the iPhone X. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max contain a dual-camera system.

Internally, they contain Apple’s new A12 Bionic processor.

The bottom line is that the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max are identical in every way except their size and price.

IPhone Xs starts at $999 and increases from there, while iPhone Xs Max starts at $1,099.

For both, base models include 64GB of storage and are available in silver, space gray, and gold. The phone will be available on September 21, and the preorders are already selling out online.

One aspect of the Apple event that everyone is buzzing about is the cheaper iPhone XR. The XR is not Apple’s first attempt to make a cheaper phone with the same feel as the expensive models, and resembles Apple’s earlier models with the iPhone SE and the iPhone 5C.

Though, like Jessica Dolcourt from CNET writes, “Apple has dabbled in cheaper iPhones before… and they didn’t last.”

The XR will start at $749 and is the company’s approach to a more affordable iPhone, as compared to the newest models which range from $999 to $1,099 in starting price.

Dolcourt believes that with these higher prices, Apple buyers will gravitate towards the cheaper XR model.

Another notable moment for the 2018 iPhone reveal was their Apple Water Series 4, which according to many insiders is focusing on better health monitoring. CNET writers Lori Grunin and Justin Jaffe mentioned that the Apple series 4 watch “now has an FDA-cleared built-in electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), fall detection with emergency calls and more.”

Though with all of these changes, consumers are asking the question: ‘what’s new about the new iPhones?’

Dave Smith wrote in article for Business Insider, calling the press event “one of the more disappointing ones.” While Smith continues that many of the technological specs were leaked months ago, consumers saw nothing too new about the new iPhone.

The only real difference between the size and the name was the SIM card and camera options, which still don’t compare to the ‘finger print reader’ that wooed everyone back with the iPhone 5S.

And with the cheaper XR having a wide variety of color choices: white, black, blue, yellow, orange and red, many are wondering whether or not people will go for the XR or the XS, as the iPhone XS only comes in silver, space gray and gold.

While many tech insiders believe that the iPhone reveal was more or less ‘boring,’ they still note that the general public will still be loyal to Apple.

Though unknowingly, many Apple buyers will be upset to hear that the 6S, X and SE have been discontinued with the newer models up for sale.

Apple hopes that these new iPhones and new watches will pick up the sales for them to take their no. 1 spot back from Samsung, as well as having the most devices out in the world, which is a title currently held by Huawei.