iPhone Xs and Xs Max hands-on: The new normal

Apple's keynote address is finally over, and you know what that means: we've just fought through a scrum of journalists to get a closer look at the company's new iPhones. First up is the updated iPhone Xs, and just as all those leaks predicted, it looks just like last year's iPhone. No surprises there — all the real changes are tucked away inside this familiar glass and stainless steel body. (That new gold finish sure is nice, though.)

And then there's the iPhone Xs Max, which is the closest Apple has ever come to full smartphone overkill. That's mostly because of the phone's massive display -- at 6.5-inches diagonal, this is the biggest screen that Apple has ever squeezed into a smartphone. To say it's a handful is putting it very mildly, but here's the really crazy thing: it's surprisingly light, almost shockingly so. That might not sound like something to get worked up over, but take it from me, a habitual phablet fan: every fraction of an ounce a company can shave off a phone's weight means my old-man wrist won't hurt quite as much in the long term.

The tricky part about getting a feel for these new phones is that most of what makes them really important is happening under the hood. Based on some limited hands-on time, both the Xs and Xs Max run at least slightly quicker than the iPhone X I brought with me. (It probably doesn't help that it's running the iOS 12 beta which, while good, still packs some odd, non-final behaviors.) We're only just getting started testing these devices, so stick around -- we'll update this story with more nuanced impressions and a live video very soon.

This is a developing story, please refresh for updates.

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