It’s that time of year again! Apple, Samsung and more smartphone designers and manufacturers refresh their line of products. For some, it’s the time of year to get a new phone for your electronic needs, or to get a new social status. But do any of these purposes warrant the price tag? The prices for this year’s set of iPhones have been the highest to date, with the top model priced at $1,449.00, not including the $200 to $300 insurance. Here’s what you need to know before forking over the dough.

What’s different about it: First thing you will notice right off the bat is the odd naming change, moving away from “Plus” names to “Max.” But boy, do they mean max. The iPhone XS Max is one of the largest displays I’ve ever handled, and the largest currently on the market. I don’t know how these things can get bigger without making it a new iPad.

If you don’t buy the Max model, things won’t look much different. Unless you have the new gold finish, changes are extremely hard to distinguish from the iPhone X of last year. If you aren’t good at noticing a tiny bit of a bigger camera bump, and an extra antenna band on the bottom of the phone, it will look the exact same. Though, this is expected as with all other “S” upgrades.

Going back to the screen, it is a beautiful OLED display, and it’s huge. If you struggle holding an older Plus model, the Max is NOT for you, as you will struggle to touch apps or buttons at the top. Watching your shows and videos on this thing is a blast with the gigantic screen, and Angry Birds looks better than ever.

The iPhone XS is also the fastest one yet, sporting the new processor that Apple calls the “A12 Bionic,” that performs wonderfully and handles battery life very well. Not once has the phone lagged behind for a few seconds, nor have I killed my battery since owning it. After a day of internet browsing and some video playback, I still had 40 percent left at the end of the day.

The camera is as always impressive. The iPhone XS takes beautiful pictures with new technology packed in, such as Smart HDR, where the phone takes a string of images, has them at different exposures, then combines them to make the best possible photo.

All in all, it’s a fantastic phone, and the best bang for some pretty big bucks. The details of the phone just can’t justify buying it if you already own an iPhone 8 or iPhone X. If you own an iPhone 7 or lower models, this may be the perfect phone to upgrade to. The “S” models serve as an improved version of last year for people who didn’t want to upgrade just then, and Apple does these very well. But for people who have a model that’s still relatively new, or for others who just don’t want to fork over the cash, there’s next year to look forward to.