A Day With the iPhone XR: Unboxing and First Impressions

[saintstryfe]

Smartphones/iPads (not tablets in general) have gotten really so good and at the same time so expensive that is hard to justify the frequent upgrade. It has gone to the point where smartphones are so great that is hard for companies to make the new models appealing enough to make people upgrade. And it is not that I find the new models boring. It is because I find the one from last year I am using so good that I don't feel I need to upgrade for the first time.

I don't think this is bad thing at all. You don't need to keep people on the treadmill - just in the gym. People will get on and off as they wish, but so long as you're selling them apps, music subscriptions, iCloud storage, etc you're making more money on what you've all ready invested in. Think of it like this: a buck for 50gb of storage, 10$ for Apple Music, a few 2$ apps a month, you're pulling in 15$ a month without a single dollar more investment. While Apple will always be a hardware company there's plenty of money to be made in that big services division and that will be best served by keeping people with Apple devices in their hand.

Now, Apple needs to keep people in the gym by keeping up the speeds on reasonably aged older phones, like they have in iOS 12 - I'm shocked how nice it runs on older hardware like the 6 and 6s. I'm very pleased on my 7+. I don't feel an incredible push to upgrade (beyond the fact I sell Apple products for a living and love having new things... but realistically it's not going to revolutionize my life like getting the 7+ from the 6 did).

Apple has lots of revenue streams and as an investor I'm insanely happy. Just keep things rolling. I'm happy with the change to OLED screens and I'm happy they've given an LCD option with the vast majority of feature parity. I'd be happier if AT&T weren't so bleeping expensive and might cut me a deal for selling their services, but Que Sera, Sera.

 

[BvizioN]

I don't think this is bad thing at all. You don't need to keep people on the treadmill - just in the gym. People will get on and off as they wish, but so long as you're selling them apps, music subscriptions, iCloud storage, etc you're making more money on what you've all ready invested in. Think of it like this: a buck for 50gb of storage, 10$ for Apple Music, a few 2$ apps a month, you're pulling in 15$ a month without a single dollar more investment. While Apple will always be a hardware company there's plenty of money to be made in that big services division and that will be best served by keeping people with Apple devices in their hand.

Now, Apple needs to keep people in the gym by keeping up the speeds on reasonably aged older phones, like they have in iOS 12 - I'm shocked how nice it runs on older hardware like the 6 and 6s. I'm very pleased on my 7+. I don't feel an incredible push to upgrade (beyond the fact I sell Apple products for a living and love having new things... but realistically it's not going to revolutionize my life like getting the 7+ from the 6 did).

Apple has lots of revenue streams and as an investor I'm insanely happy. Just keep things rolling. I'm happy with the change to OLED screens and I'm happy they've given an LCD option with the vast majority of feature parity. I'd be happier if AT&T weren't so bleeping expensive and might cut me a deal for selling their services, but Que Sera, Sera.

Absolutely not a bad thing, it was just an observation and I agree with what you saying. At this point, smartphones, and tablets are reaching the lifespan of a computer. Expensive but you could use it for a few years without the need to upgrade.

 

[Jimrod]

Now they just need to make a sub-XS-sized version of this phone for even cheaper, to serve as the new SE.

Doesn't need to be cheaper, just same specs and smaller size for the huge amount of potential customers who don't want a phablet. People who want to upgrade but are still using their SE's because even the "standard size" X has gotten pretty huge.

 

[zeesix]

apple no longer sells it.

Apple discontinuing it could be for many reasons, but I think the most likely scenario is the profit margin was too low. There are reports, which I think make sense, that people with larger screens spend more money on the App Store. So in an effort to maximize profits, which is what Tim is supposed to do and is doing really well at the detriment of the users, they want people to buy more expensive phones at a higher margin and spend more on the App Store.

 

[212rikanmofo]

That bezel is noticeably huge, it looks like there's a case on it, imagine how much bigger it would look if there was an actual case on there.

 

[Jimrod]

Any possibility of Apple bringing back the form factor of the 5 w/ the edge to edge screen. This would be a winning combo for smaller hands and easy pockets.

Not just smaller hands, people always say that - I've got large hands and hate the larger phones, they're just more awkward to use one-handed, more likely to be dropped and more awkward in the pocket. I've got 2 ipads, I can keep them to use as phones when that becomes the "normal" size I guess.

 

[zeesix]

Apple doesn’t provide breakdowns but there is third party data, make of it what you will.

Localytics provided the following data for installed base through the end of last year, across about 750 million iPhones:

View attachment 798176

In just a couple months, the X had caught up with about a year and 9 months of SE sales.



Flurry tracked activations, so new sales, for a week during peak holiday buying season last year; 94% bought larger (than SE) iPhones:

View attachment 798183


As I mentioned before, tastes change, and people may shift back to wanting smaller phones. But really they’re anything but phones; they’re really a computer you always have in your pocket. For that purpose, that reason, users want a larger screen. The vast majority do anyway. Yeah it sucks if you’re one of the customers who like smaller phones. But that’s the reality.

I appreciate the effort and at least some data. However, I don't think it's that clear-cut. For one, it's a bit silly to highlight try and make comparisons between the X and a 2-3 year old phone. Not to mention, did they ever advertise the SE anywhere? What I find most interesting in these numbers is the comparison between the SE and the 6, since the SE technology-wise fits between a 6 and a 6s (though closer to the 6s). Again, there are so many factors in play like carriers providing deals on specific models, etc. that it's impossible to get a good picture unless someone at Apple can help out.

At the end of the day I'm not arguing that some people want larger phones. I'm arguing against the notion that no significant segment of the market wants smaller phones. I don't think we can conclude that.

 

[Jimrod]

Apple doesn’t provide breakdowns but there is third party data, make of it what you will.

Localytics provided the following data for installed base through the end of last year, across about 750 million iPhones:

View attachment 798176

In just a couple months, the X had caught up with about a year and 9 months of SE sales.



Flurry tracked activations, so new sales, for a week during peak holiday buying season last year; 94% bought larger (than SE) iPhones:

View attachment 798183


As I mentioned before, tastes change, and people may shift back to wanting smaller phones. But really they’re anything but phones; they’re really a computer you always have in your pocket. For that purpose, that reason, users want a larger screen. The vast majority do anyway. Yeah it sucks if you’re one of the customers who like smaller phones. But that’s the reality.

What a misleading set of data - so comparing sales of a brand new flagship to an incredibly old (in tech terms) model, the flagship outsells the old one? What a surprise! This will always be the case with any product - I make loudspeakers, when we launch a new one, be it budget, mid price, high end, small, large, floorstanding or standmount - it always outsells the oldest models in our range, weird huh!

Saying 94% bought phones larger than the SE last year, when the SE is pretty much the smallest mainstream phone on the market, let alone one of the oldest, is a bit of a stupid comparison. If an iPhone X was launched with SE proportions and all the same tech I guarantee you it would be one of the best selling phones.

 

[FairlyKors]

Is it just me or have phones, tablets, and computers are just plain boring nowadays. I just don't care to get the latest stuff anymore. Seems like every year there is less of a reason to upgrade. Same goes for my friends. I take it the market is fully saturated and this whole tech bubble is ready to pop.

Maybe a question that should also be asked is, “How exciting are phones, tablets and computers supposed to be anyway?” Once you ingest and crap out the $100 million of marketing thrown at you, it’s clear that all the utopian magic horse sh— is really not magic nor utopian, and that these things are just tools to communicate, create your own content, or buy someone else’s.

Part of the letdown is perhaps getting used to what these tools allow you to do. Apple is basically trying to replace a real camera and lens... and take that picture for you. But you still need to find a subject yourself and press the button.

 

[Gudieve Ning]

Correct except for Note 9 and Huawei. Latter Mate 20 Pro can reverse charge! I have Note 9. Way more useful than iPhone with its toy OS.

Is it just me or have phones, tablets, and computers are just plain boring nowadays. I just don't care to get the latest stuff anymore. Seems like every year there is less of a reason to upgrade. Same goes for my friends. I take it the market is fully saturated and this whole tech bubble is ready to pop.

 

[Jimrod]

SE existed and didn't sell well.

Was the SE a current design or an old design with a more modern processor? It's all apples (pardon the pun) and oranges comparisons with no like-for-like models and specs. For years manufacturers put all the flagship tech in the larger models, then sales of smaller models slowed, it's not a surprise. Now we finally have much reduced bezels meaning a smaller phone with a decent-sized screen is possible - but instead of a win/win smaller phone with larger screen the iPhone X is just bigger than the model it replaced (6/7/8 - still on sale I know, but this is how Apple works).

 

[Whoakapi]

Unsung feature of the XR: No inevitable OLED wear aka burn-in aka botched display.

I know it has not been an issue on X yet. But I'm sure we'll begin to see this when Apple's first gen OLEDs start to show their age.

 

[jakja83]

The XR doesn’t appeal at all to me. I have a XS and it feels like a tank in my hand. I miss the smaller size and weight of my 6/7 and my 4S before that. The XR is even bigger - frankly it looks enormous - and the thick bezel looks doofy next to the XS. The promise of a bezel-less phone was the best of both worlds - a big screen in a small body - but these things are just too damn hefty. I would much prefer a 5” screen in a pocketable, one-handable body.

4,5" inches edge-to-edge would be spot on for me. I like having my phone on longer runs and shuffling these bricks aren't very appealing.

 

[Caspavio]

I appreciate the effort and at least some data. However, I don't think it's that clear-cut. For one, it's a bit silly to highlight try and make comparisons between the X and a 2-3 year old phone. Not to mention, did they ever advertise the SE anywhere? What I find most interesting in these numbers is the comparison between the SE and the 6, since the SE technology-wise fits between a 6 and a 6s (though closer to the 6s). Again, there are so many factors in play like carriers providing deals on specific models, etc. that it's impossible to get a good picture unless someone at Apple can help out.

At the end of the day I'm not arguing that some people want larger phones. I'm arguing against the notion that no significant segment of the market wants smaller phones. I don't think we can conclude that.

no the data is pretty conclusive. there are more 5S users than SE. 5S is released in 2013, but SE is in 2016. it tells me 2 things. 1) the market demand for small iphones is only 5% (and possibility shrinking), so it's something apple can give up. 2) a significant portion of small iphones users are not that particular about tech. in fact, the existing SE might be good enough as their next upgrade.

you also talked about deals and stuff, but dont forget, SE was really really cheap.

4,5" inches edge-to-edge would be spot on for me. I like having my phone on longer runs and shuffling these bricks aren't very appealing.

you realised your wants are contradictory? having a similar footprint means a similar sized battery. but throw in a larger screen, your battery life will be toast.

 

[recoil80]

Now they just need to make a sub-XS-sized version of this phone for even cheaper, to serve as the new SE.

Maybe a 5'' phone, slightly smaller than iPhone 8 with edge-to-edge display.
I don't think they'll ship a 4'' again, but I can see them selling a "budget" phone with X design in a couple of years when all the iPhones with home button will be too old to be sell brand new.

Xr is too big for a lot of people, especially the SE users. I went for the Xs this time, I find the display to be big enough for me and the phone is easier to hold and use one handed. The Xr is more similar to the Max than to the Xs, I wonder why they went for a 6'' instead of 5'' as it is their cheapest option.

 

[Spizike9]

Most of the market wants large screens, so you’re in the minority. If the market wanted smaller screens, Apple would build them.

They still might but it’s clear people want larger screens.

Apple would buikd them but 2 years later and after trying to convince people they don’t want them.

 

[jakja83]

Apple would buikd them but 2 years later and after trying to convince people they don’t want them.

iPhone 6-8 seems thin and light compared to the X-models.

 

[majkom]

Not sure which way to go Yellow, Coral, Blue, Red,White..... I went to an Apple store today and they didn't have any Xr's to pick up yet sadly 2 days before launch..... Worst was saw a guy buying a fully loaded MBA ahead of the rumored refresh!

You should have told him.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

I love my iPhone X but if there's one thing I would change is the weight.. I miss the iPhone 7 weight! That's all.

 

[majkom]

A bezel looks "interesting”? Seems you are merely finding a reason, a justification, to not go XS / XS Max. Carry On

No need finding reasons, there are at least 2 well known: pwm and bad lte

 

[Letterb]

Is it just me or have phones, tablets, and computers are just plain boring nowadays. I just don't care to get the latest stuff anymore. Seems like every year there is less of a reason to upgrade. Same goes for my friends. I take it the market is fully saturated and this whole tech bubble is ready to pop.

This is very relative. For me it's not boring as the camera is substantially better. Also, who says you need to upgrade every year? I've upgraded from the 7 Plus to the Xs Max and the difference is substantive.

 

[Tijdelijk]

That bezel is noticeably huge, it looks like there's a case on it, imagine how much bigger it would look if there was an actual case on there.

Huge Bezels haha.
IPhone had huge huge huge bezels for ever and now these bezels on the XR are huge

 

[phillypharm]

That means Portrait Mode photos in lower lighting on the XR are potentially going to look better than those on the XS, but there's one major caveat - you can only take Portrait Mode photos of people on the XR.

Hopefully that's updated via software since the pixel can do it on pets, etc. That's the only downside I see in this phone for me personally.

 

[widestload]

Why does the XR keep getting referred to along the lines of "Apple's most affordable flagship smartphone".

The XS is their "flagship" surely? The XR is their lower tier "more affordable" (but still really expensive) phone. Ok doesnt sound as good from a marketing point of view, but a flagship should be the best and the XR isnt.

 

[kl4d4]

At this point, he can return it within 14 days.

Truth there, just the nerd in me wanting to reach out and be like hey man wait 5 days and come back on the 6th since it's a nice store in CO