Other 8+ to Xs Anyone else made the change?

[Mijoro]

I currently have the iPhone 8 Plus which is just shy of a year old. I was going to get the Max but after looking at both phones am leaning towards the Xs instead which gives me a slightly bigger screen in a smaller phone.

Has anyone else made the swap, most folks seem to be going for the Max but I don’t see any advantage aside from the battery which I must admit still has me wanting it for that reason.

On a positive side note my gimbal will work better with the Xs rather than the Max as it struggled with the 8 plus.

 

[Manatlt]

I upgraded from 8 Plus to XS Max. One thing that bugged me so much from the upgrade is the lack of Touch ID. There were so many moments that it couldn’t read my face in angles and it took longer to unlock then it should.

Other than that, it’s great.

 

[Mijoro]

I upgraded from 8 Plus to XS Max. One thing that bugged me so much from the upgrade is the lack of Touch ID. There were so many moments that it couldn’t read my face in angles and it took longer to unlock then it should.

Other than that, it’s great.

I wondered about that it’s interesting to hear from someone who has made the jump. Is it significantly different in terms of one handed use. That seems to be a big thing with the max that people are having to use two hands to reach the screen etc.

 

[BrettDS]

I went from the 7 plus to the X last year and while the surface area of the screen on the X/XS is larger than the screen on the plus phones it is taller and narrower, which I think is much less useful. I honestly hated the narrowness of the X screen for the entire year I had the phone and I upgraded to the max this year and I am so much happier with it.

Spend some time playing with a X or an XS in a store before you decide to go with the smaller phone. If you’re like me you may find it too narrow and want to go with the bigger phone.

 

[Mijoro]

Aren’t the dimensions of the screen the same as the 8plus?

 

[Irock619]

I currently have the iPhone 8 Plus which is just shy of a year old. I was going to get the Max but after looking at both phones am leaning towards the Xs instead which gives me a slightly bigger screen in a smaller phone.

Has anyone else made the swap, most folks seem to be going for the Max but I don’t see any advantage aside from the battery which I must admit still has me wanting it for that reason.

On a positive side note my gimbal will work better with the Xs rather than the Max as it struggled with the 8 plus.

I made the switch from the 8+ to XS. So far I am loving it. Face ID takes a bit to get used to. You have to make sure you are not at an angle for it to recognize, something touch ID had no issues with. The camera is night and day. The speed difference is definitely noticeable. I like the smaller form factor of the XS vs the 8+ and the display is superior. The notch still bothers me, which is why I never went for the X and got the 8+.

 

[Mijoro]

I made the switch from the 8+ to XS. So far I am loving it. Face ID takes a bit to get used to. You have to make sure you are not at an angle for it to recognize, something touch ID had no issues with. The camera is night and day. The speed difference is definitely noticeable. I like the smaller form factor of the XS vs the 8+ and the display is superior. The notch still bothers me, which is why I never went for the X and got the 8+.

Thank you so much for responding. Can you notice the difference in battery life?
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I made the switch from the 8+ to XS. So far I am loving it. Face ID takes a bit to get used to. You have to make sure you are not at an angle for it to recognize, something touch ID had no issues with. The camera is night and day. The speed difference is definitely noticeable. I like the smaller form factor of the XS vs the 8+ and the display is superior. The notch still bothers me, which is why I never went for the X and got the 8+.

While diagonally the screen is bigger on the Xs as I understand it has issues with landscape video viewing have you found it to be noticeable coming from the 8+

Sorry for asking so many questions it’s just that everyone seems to have gone from the 8+ to the max

 

[Irock619]

Thank you so much for responding. Can you notice the difference in battery life?
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While diagonally the screen is bigger on the Xs as I understand it has issues with landscape video viewing have you found it to be noticeable coming from the 8+

Sorry for asking so many questions it’s just that everyone seems to have gone from the 8+ to the max

Haven't noticed any changes in battery life. New batteries take a few weeks to get broken in before you notice changes. No issues in landscape mode. You just have to get used to it, whether it be the Max or XS.

 

[chanerz]

Came from 8+ and now Xs. Don’t miss touch id at all.

 

[BrettDS]

Aren’t the dimensions of the screen the same as the 8plus?

Not at all. The screen on the plus phones is 2.7 inches by 4.8 inches, while the screen on the X/XS phones is 2.43 inches by 5.27 inches. As I said above, the X/XS screen is much taller and narrower and for me at least that leads to a less usable screen.

 

[Irock619]

Not at all. The screen on the plus phones is 2.7 inches by 4.8 inches, while the screen on the X/XS phones is 2.43 inches by 5.27 inches. As I said above, the X/XS screen is much taller and narrower and for me at least that leads to a less usable screen.

On the contrary..much larger bezels and larger form factor and heavier.

 

[BrettDS]

On the contrary..much larger bezels and larger form factor and heavier.

Yeah, I agree. For me, at least, the max is ideal. No bezels and the screen is slightly wider and still much taller than plus screen.

My point was that when I went from a plus to the X last year I felt that even though the screen surface area is bigger it is still narrower and less usable than the plus screen. As the OP is looking to move from a plus phone to an XS I just wanted to point out that even though it’s advertised as a bigger screen that it is still narrower. This may or may not be a problem for him, but it’s certainly something to consider as he decides between the XS and the Max.

 

[norsairius]

Made the jump from an 8+ to an XS myself.

FaceID has been better than expected and I don't miss TouchID as much as I thought I would. The gestures that basically replaced what the home button used to do were surprisingly easy to get used to too.

That said, my main motivator for getting the XS was because I was tired of having a big phone. I'm not a particularly big guy and so I don't have proportionately large hands either. The 8+ was nice, but awkward to use at times. the XS is much better for me.

Battery life doesn't seem to be as good though and the phone also doesn't seem to charge as quickly for some reason. I'm hoping this will be something that's improved via an update or just needs a calibration period to go through or something.

All things considered, I'm glad I made the switch to an XS. I'm really enjoying it so far! I will say though that the XS Max's screen is truly amazing in person (my wife got one).

 

[Mijoro]

Made the jump from an 8+ to an XS myself.

FaceID has been better than expected and I don't miss TouchID as much as I thought I would. The gestures that basically replaced what the home button used to do were surprisingly easy to get used to too.

That said, my main motivator for getting the XS was because I was tired of having a big phone. I'm not a particularly big guy and so I don't have proportionately large hands either. The 8+ was nice, but awkward to use at times. the XS is much better for me.

Battery life doesn't seem to be as good though and the phone also doesn't seem to charge as quickly for some reason. I'm hoping this will be something that's improved via an update or just needs a calibration period to go through or something.

All things considered, I'm glad I made the switch to an XS. I'm really enjoying it so far! I will say though that the XS Max's screen is truly amazing in person (my wife got one).

Seeing your wife’s phone given the choice would you change yours to a Max?
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Yeah, I agree. For me, at least, the max is ideal. No bezels and the screen is slightly wider and still much taller than plus screen.

My point was that when I went from a plus to the X last year I felt that even though the screen surface area is bigger it is still narrower and less usable than the plus screen.

As the OP is looking to move from a plus phone to an XS I just wanted to point out that even though it’s advertised as a bigger screen that it is still narrower. This may or may not be a problem for him, but it’s certainly something to consider as he decides between the XS and the Max.

It never dawned on me that it was narrower I just read the diagonal measurements. I’m about to go back into the store and have another play with them.

p.s. I’m a girl.

 

[BrettDS]

p.s. I’m a girl.

Clearly I meant ‘her’. Must have been autocorrect

 

[minicard]

Another satisfied 8+ to Xs user. I upgraded because I wanted a smaller sized phone and the better camera.

 

[ARizz44]

I went from the 8 Plus to the Max 512gb. The Max is a great phone. But seeing that my 8 Plus is paid for, and the Max is setting me back $1,550 after taxes, I just can’t justify it. This will be the first year in 10 that I don’t upgrade my iPhone. Regardless that I have the money, there just isn’t enough of a jump in improvements (to me) to warrant the move.

 

[0970373]

Went from 8+ to XS for the smaller form factor and camera. I am really enjoying FaceID so far. The only time it hasn't worked is when I'm waking up in the morning eyes half closed. And that's by design. lol. I love it.

As someone else mentioned, though the screen area is about the same, it is narrower so that took some getting used to. I find the gestures very natural but I also had the public beta on my iPad so I had time to get used to things.

The biggest WHOAs were the screen quality and camera quality. A bigger jump than I expected.

 

[Barrett85]

I went from 8 plus to xs. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it bc I watch a lot of Netflix on my phone. Battery life seems to be a bit better, camera is much better, feels better in my hands, and it’s a bit faster. I don’t like Face ID. It failed more times than none so it is currently turned off. Also if you don’t like warmer screens I’d stick with the 8 plus. It bothered me at first because I lean more towards the cooler screens, but I decided to keep it and have gotten used to the warmer screen.

 

[Ivabign]

I made the switch from the 8+ to XS. So far I am loving it. Face ID takes a bit to get used to. You have to make sure you are not at an angle for it to recognize, something touch ID had no issues with. The camera is night and day. The speed difference is definitely noticeable. I like the smaller form factor of the XS vs the 8+ and the display is superior. The notch still bothers me, which is why I never went for the X and got the 8+.

I noticed there is a switch that allows Face ID to be more forgiving as it doesn’t require you to be looking directly at the phone. It was when I was messing about in settings so I don’t remember exactly where it is - but it may make the transition easier. I left the more rigid setting in place though. Not having any issues making the change - other than I sometimes try to hit a home button - lol.

 

[psblake]

Upgraded from the 7 plus to the XS and I like it a lot. I wanted a smaller phone the plus models feel like I have an IPad in my pants. The XS is about right and I like the screen. Face ID is great and I love the lack of bezel. Just a great phone overall.

 

[SayCheese]

I went 8+ to XS Max and love it.
Face ID just works. The speed difference is huge. Best phone decision I've made for a while I think.

 

[Mijoro]

Thanks guys I ended up going to the Xs rather than the max. It is updating as we speak so I’ll give a review on it soon.

 

[sir-hd]

My "history" was 6, 7+, 8+ (as I initially was very unhappy with the direction of the X), but jumped to the Max. Apart from a possible problem with a yellow hue on my screen (check other threads, I can live with it but the 8+ was noticeably more accurate - or blue!) and a tad less battery life than the 8+ (that thing was the best!), I'm very happy.

All the points I was worried about cleared up in the first day of use. I LOVED Touch ID and was extremely annoyed to see it go on the iPhones. The reason for upgrading from 7+ to 8+ was to get the latest classic style iPhone with a home button and Touch ID and ride with it until I became happy with the new generation of iPhones. Yet Face ID is just so much more seamless and much easier than Touch ID. I don't think about the process of entering passwords or unlocking my phone or authenticating for Apple Pay. It really just "works" (and even with sunglasses!). Touch ID was annoying when your sweaty fingers would cause it not to recognise you and then you'd have to manually enter the passcode or passwords. Only when in the car (it's in a fixed holder) and when flat on the table does it becoming annoying, that you have to get your face into the sight of the IR camera. But other than that: Face ID wins for me (and that's coming from someone who hated the thought of it last year).

I was also thinking about going to the regular XS and the Max seemed a little too large in store. Got it home and I can just say: It felt smaller than the 8+ did! Very weird feeling, as when I then went back to the 8+ to check I realised that the screen felt cramped and tiny! Weird how perceptions can change in seconds!

If you have been on the iPhone pluses in the last years, get the Max. It'll be the only one that makes you happy! And when you watch videos or type, the keyboard will be in the same place / screen will display at the same size as the 7/8+ phones did.

Only software niggle: Control centre is in a damn stupid place and can realistically be reached only via reachability (which I have activated and makes the phone useable with one hand) or it's easier to just reach out with your second hand. But put up with that and you're rewarded with the plus phone we all really want(ed)!

 

[norsairius]

Seeing your wife’s phone given the choice would you change yours to a Max?

I don't think so. While I really like the way the OLED screen looks on the bigger phone, I still prefer the regular XS for overall usability.