iPhone XS vs Moto G Power 5G (2025): Why the New Budget Phone Wins
Buy the Moto G Power (2025). It has nearly double the battery, 30W wired and 15W wireless charging, a 120Hz screen, MIL-STD-810H durability and — the deciding point — current security patches. The iPhone XS is better built and still takes lovely photos, but Apple dropped it from iOS 26, its 2,658mAh battery is seven years old, and its supported life is ending. This is one of the few comparisons where the answer is not "it depends".
In a hurry? Jump to → Quick verdict · Full spec comparison · Display · Performance · Cameras · Battery & charging · Updates · Buying gotchas · How we compared · FAQ
People search this pairing for an understandable reason: a used iPhone XS is cheap, and a cheap iPhone feels like a better class of phone than a plastic Motorola. Two years ago that argument worked. It stopped working when Apple released iOS 26 and left the A12 generation behind — the XS, XS Max and XR all missed the cut, while the iPhone 11 survived. That single line on Apple's compatibility list is what this comparison now turns on.
Quick verdict: iPhone XS vs Moto G Power (2025)
Choose the Moto G Power (2025) if this is your main phone. You get a 5,000mAh battery, wireless charging on a budget phone, a 6.8-inch 120Hz display, a 50MP OIS camera, an ultrawide lens, a headphone jack, microSD expansion and security updates that are still arriving.
Choose the iPhone XS only if you want a small, premium-feeling secondary device, you are inside the Apple ecosystem, or you need a cheap phone for FaceTime and iMessage with family. It is a fine spare. It is a bad primary.
Unambiguous version: buy the Motorola.
Who wins what, category by category
| Category | Winner | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | Moto G Power (2025) | Still patched; the XS is off iOS 26 |
| Battery | Moto G Power (2025) | 5,000mAh new vs a 2,658mAh 7-year-old cell |
| Charging | Moto G Power (2025) | 30W wired + 15W wireless vs ~18W |
| Display size and refresh | Moto G Power (2025) | 6.8in 120Hz vs 5.8in 60Hz |
| Display quality | iPhone XS | OLED contrast beats an IPS LCD |
| Build quality | iPhone XS | Stainless steel and glass, IP68 when new |
| Video | iPhone XS | Apple's stabilisation and colour still hold up |
| Camera flexibility | Moto G Power (2025) | 50MP OIS main plus an 8MP ultrawide |
| Expandability | Moto G Power (2025) | microSD and a headphone jack |
| Durability today | Moto G Power (2025) | MIL-STD-810H vs aged seven-year-old seals |
Score: Moto G Power 7 – iPhone XS 3. The clearest result of any comparison we have run in this category.
iPhone XS vs Moto G Power (2025): full spec comparison
| Specification | Apple iPhone XS | Moto G Power (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Released | September 2018 | January 2025 |
| Typical 2026 price | ~$150–190 used | ~$300 new (often discounted) |
| Display | 5.8" Super Retina OLED | 6.8" IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 1125 x 2436 | 1080 x 2388 (385 ppi) |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Cover glass | Ion-strengthened glass | Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | A12 Bionic (7nm) | Dimensity 6300 (6nm) |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 64 / 256 / 512GB | 128GB + microSD |
| Main camera | 12MP with OIS | 50MP with OIS |
| Ultrawide | ✖ None | 8MP |
| Telephoto | 12MP, 2x optical | ✖ None |
| Front camera | 7MP with Face ID | 16MP |
| Battery | 2,658 mAh (7+ years old) | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | ~18W | 30W |
| Wireless charging | ✔ 7.5W Qi | ✔ 15W |
| Durability | IP68 (as new) | MIL-STD-810H, water-repellent |
| Headphone jack | ✖ No | ✔ Yes |
| Port | Lightning | USB-C |
| Launched on | iOS 12 | Android 15 |
| Update status | Stuck on iOS 18 — no iOS 26 | Receiving updates |
| Weight | ~177 g | ~202 g |
Display: the one category the iPhone still wins on quality
The iPhone XS's 5.8-inch OLED is genuinely better than the Moto's LCD in the ways OLED always is — true blacks, higher contrast, more accurate colour. Seven years on, it still looks good.
But it is small, locked to 60Hz, and some units show faint burn-in from years of static status bars. The Moto's 6.8-inch 120Hz LCD is the opposite trade: weaker blacks, far smoother motion and much more screen for video and reading.
- Contrast and colour: iPhone XS.
- Smoothness and size: Moto G Power, by a lot.
- One-handed use: iPhone XS at 5.8 inches and 177g.
Performance: an honest split decision
Apple's A12 was a 2018 flagship chip and its single-core speed still beats plenty of new budget silicon. The Dimensity 6300 is a modest 6nm part, but it is newer and paired with twice the RAM.
| Benchmark (approximate) | iPhone XS | Moto G Power (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single-core | ~1,110 | ~740 |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | ~2,600 | ~2,000 |
| AnTuTu v10 total | ~570,000 | ~420,000 |
| Multitasking | Limited by 4GB RAM | 8GB keeps more apps resident |
Benchmark figures are typical published ranges from public test databases rather than our own runs — read them as a class gap, not an exact score for your unit.
So the iPhone still wins raw scores. What it cannot win is the thing you actually feel: a 60Hz screen with 4GB of RAM on software that will not be updated, versus a 120Hz screen with 8GB on software that will. Benchmarks are the wrong lens for this pairing.
Also Read: iPhone 11 vs Nothing Phone (2a)
Cameras: old processing vs new hardware
iPhone XS camera
- 12MP main with OIS — still excellent colour and dynamic range
- 12MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom
- No ultrawide lens
- 7MP front camera with Face ID; 4K/60 video with strong stabilisation
Moto G Power (2025) camera
- 50MP main with OIS — sharper detail in good light
- 8MP ultrawide with macro capability
- 16MP front camera
- Video capped well below the iPhone's quality and stabilisation
This is closer than the rest of the comparison. The XS's processing and its 2x telephoto still produce more pleasing photos of people, and its video is clearly better. The Moto answers with more resolution, an ultrawide lens the XS does not have, and a much better selfie camera. Call it a draw that leans iPhone for quality and Moto for flexibility.
Battery and charging: not close
The iPhone XS shipped with 2,658mAh — small even in 2018. After seven years and hundreds of charge cycles, a typical unit holds perhaps 75–80% of that. In practice you are comparing a 5,000mAh battery with roughly 2,000mAh of usable capacity.
The Moto also charges faster (30W against about 18W) and adds 15W wireless charging, which is unusual at this price. If you buy the iPhone anyway, budget for a battery replacement immediately — Apple still services it, and it transforms the phone.
Software and updates: the whole argument
Apple dropped the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR from iOS 26, ending the A12 generation's feature updates. Those phones continue to receive iOS 18 security patches into 2026, but that window is closing, and after it does you are running an unpatched phone for banking and email.
The Moto G Power (2025) launched on Android 15 and is currently supported. Motorola's update policy is not generous by Samsung or Google standards — expect a couple of OS upgrades and a few years of patches — but "a few years ahead" beats "ending soon" for a phone you rely on. Motorola's Android build is also close to stock, with little bloatware.
Which one should you buy?
Buy the Moto G Power (2025) if: it is your main phone. Full stop. Battery, charging, screen size, expandable storage, headphone jack, durability and — most importantly — ongoing security patches.
Buy the iPhone XS if: you want a cheap second device for iMessage and FaceTime, a compact phone for a child, or a music player, and you accept it will stop receiving patches.
If you want iOS as your main phone: spend a little more on an iPhone 11 or newer, which still runs iOS 26 — see iPhone 11 vs Nothing Phone (2a).
What the spec-comparison sites won't tell you
- "iOS 18" on a spec table looks fine and isn't. Automated pages list the last supported version without flagging that it is the *final* one. That is the single most important fact about the iPhone XS in 2026.
- IP68 does not survive seven years. Adhesive seals degrade, and any previous repair voids the rating entirely. Treat a used XS as not water resistant.
- There are two similarly named Motos. The Moto G Power (2025) and the newer Moto G Power 5G (2026) differ in battery and glass. Check the model year on the listing.
- The XS has no ultrawide. Its second lens is a 2x telephoto, so you cannot take wide group or landscape shots — an omission that is easy to miss when a table just says "dual camera".
How we compared these phones
We used Apple's archived specifications and Motorola's published sheet, cross-checked against GSMArena's Moto G Power (2025) lab tests for display, battery and charging figures. Apple does not publish battery capacity or charging wattage, so those are teardown and third-party test figures, marked approximate. The decisive input here is not a spec but a support date: Apple's compatibility list confirms iOS 26 dropped the A12 devices, including the iPhone XS. We have treated that, plus seven years of battery degradation, as primary specifications rather than footnotes, because they change the recommendation completely and no automated comparison page accounts for either.
Related reading
Bottom line
iPhone XS vs Moto G Power (2025) is the rare comparison with a clear winner. The iPhone XS keeps a nicer OLED panel, a premium stainless steel build, better video and a 2x telephoto lens. None of that outweighs the facts: Apple dropped it from iOS 26, its security window closes soon, and its 2,658mAh battery is seven years old. The Moto G Power (2025) gives you double the usable battery, 30W wired and 15W wireless charging, a 6.8-inch 120Hz screen, an ultrawide camera, microSD, a headphone jack and patches that are still arriving. Buy the Motorola.
Specifications, software versions and street prices in this comparison were checked in July 2026. We revisit head-to-head guides whenever either phone gets a major OS update or a lasting price change.
Next step: browse every matchup on our phone comparisons hub, or open full spec sheets in the phone specifications directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the iPhone XS get iOS 26?
No. Apple dropped the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR from iOS 26 — all three use the A12 chip. They continue receiving iOS 18 security patches into 2026, but they get no new features and their supported life is ending.
Is the Moto G Power (2025) faster than the iPhone XS?
In multi-core work, yes — the Dimensity 6300 edges the A12 Bionic. In single-core the A12 is still ahead, so the iPhone can feel snappier opening apps. Neither is a gaming phone.
How big is the battery difference?
Large. The Moto has 5,000mAh with 30W wired and 15W wireless charging; the iPhone XS shipped with 2,658mAh and, after seven years, will hold considerably less. Expect the Moto to last roughly twice as long per charge.
Which has the better screen?
It depends what you value. The iPhone XS has a 5.8-inch OLED — better contrast and colour — but it is small and locked to 60Hz. The Moto has a 6.8-inch 120Hz IPS LCD: bigger and much smoother, but with weaker blacks.
Which takes better photos?
The iPhone XS still holds an edge in colour and video, thanks to Apple's processing and its 2x telephoto lens. The Moto's 50MP main camera with OIS is sharper in good light and it has a usable 8MP ultrawide, which the XS lacks.
Is the Moto G Power (2025) durable?
More than most budget phones. It carries MIL-STD-810H certification and Corning Gorilla Glass 5, plus water-repellent design. The iPhone XS is IP68 rated, but seven-year-old seals cannot be relied on.
Should I buy a used iPhone XS in 2026?
Only as a spare, a music player or a child's first device. As a main phone it is a poor choice now: no new iOS versions, an aged battery, and a security window that closes soon. Any current budget phone is the safer buy.
