Wow, the phrase “time is running out” applies to this type of news from Apple that makes us see how time has passed, and in this case, if at the time you wanted this iPhone, let me tell you that it has already taken on a new meaning. The iPhone XS has been declared a “vintage” product for Apple. This happens when 5 years have passed since it officially stopped being distributed. Just in November 2024, its older brother, the iPhone XS Max, joined this list when it was still being updated to iOS 18.
One of the prettiest iPhones after its tenth anniversary is now “vintage.”
If you still have a device like this, you ‘ll likely find some parts in case you need repair assistance at an Apple Store or authorized service provider. Finding one of these devices in good condition is a challenge these days, and it’s no longer upgradeable to iOS 26.
The iPhone XS was released in September 2018, and despite managing to escape the vintage list for almost another year, it was discontinued a year after its release, but was still available for purchase through retailers and carriers. The next step this iPhone will face after two years from today is obsolescence. The device will no longer have service support of any kind.
It is the last of the iPhone’s “S” era devices
Previously, the path of the iPhone in model terminology was characterized by an “S” . It started with the iPhone 3GS, continued with the iPhone 4S, 5S, 6S (with its Plus variants) and stopped between the iPhone 7 and 8, the latter having a double launch as it climbed to the X to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the iPhone. Apple launched the iPhone XS and XS Max and the “S” era returned without knowing that it would be the last iPhone of this denomination . Those from Cupertino decided to follow the line of numbers without letters, betting on consecutive numbers from number 11 to the present.
The iPhone XS wasn’t a huge leap forward from the iPhone X, save for an A12 Bionic chip, a slightly improved camera, and the arrival of the eSIM on the iPhone. However, in terms of colors, it represented the return of gold to the iPhone color palette, which in those years the last model to have it was the iPhone 8, the iPhone X was only released in space gray and silver.
The next target on the list of vintage devices, without a doubt, will be the iPhone 11. Surely by now, but next year we’ll see some related news on iPadizate. The farewell of a great device that marked a new era for the iPhone is now farewell. In essence, its memory still lives on with that vertical camera design in the iPhone 16 and surely in the iPhone 17.
