Please tell me why I should. Benefits ?
Good question. That XDS is a nice pistol with a lifetime warranty, almost bought one myself. I'm a little rusty on the features of the XDS now, but I would start by comparing the XDS to the Shield 45, which has the latest 2.0 trigger and stippling. When I say compare, I mean side by side, personally holding each gun in your hand. I think you will find that the benefits of the Shield to be as follows:
1. Better overall ergonomics; I really like the way the M&P feels in my hand, nobody beats the M&P in this area in my opinion. XDS always seemed more chunky and less refined in my hand, but that's just me.
2. You get an additional round in the Shield's flush mag (6 rds) vs. 5 rds with the flush mag of the XDS. Extended mags are the same on both. Let me quickly add, they did introduce a XDS Mod.2 which I think has 6 rds.
3. XDS uses a grip safety vs. the excellent manual frame safety on the M&P. I am not a big fan of the grip safety on the XDS (not crazy about grip safety in general, but again that's just me).
4. With the Smith & Wesson you also have the added satisfaction of owning a gun that is made in the USA, vs. Croatia or whatever.
5. M&P used to be a better value, as in lower priced, but I'm not sure if that's still true. They do go on sale; I only paid $258 for my Shield 45 after rebate which for me is still unbelievable for the quality. I can tell you the accuracy on my Shield 45 is hard to beat at any price.
Both great guns, XDS does give you a holster and ammo holder in the box, which is a nice bonus for the XDS.
Here's a pretty decent review:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaRSCiJ20nI[/ame]