iPhone XR Decision! iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone XR?

[franzkfk]

Hmm. that is interesting.
"The TrueDepth camera system is safe to use under normal usage conditions. The system will not cause any harm to eyes or skin, due to its low output. It's important to know that the infrared emitters could be damaged during repair or disassembly, so your iPhone should always be serviced by Apple or an authorized service provider."
Very interesting.

 

[Cool Pup]

The 8 Plus. A non-1080p LCD screen on a phone approaching 2019 is just completely reprehensible considering these devices are major media consumption devices at this point. The other stats are comparable, although you get the larger body and bezels. Plus you get wireless charging, AR, and whatever else you might like from the XR.

I won't go into the whole notch thing, but just screen alone I think the XR is not nearly as impressive. I would even say a 7 Plus is better than the XR regardless to everything I just previously mentioned based on the screen merits alone as well.

 

[franzkfk]

Using an 8 Plus now would feel like a serious step back with the humongous bezels and fingerprint scanner. I wouldn’t be able to do it.

"Legacy" series iPhones does not have bigger bezels in my opinion. I think that the bezel around Xr is a step back. Look at the photo - 8 Plus v. Xr.


8 Plus is definitely big but the bezel does not interfere with the display and the bezels on the sides are so thin therefore psychologically I do not recognize the top and the bottom as the bezel at all.

Btw, have you all guys noticed that the notch on the Xr is bigger on purpose? You can see that the bezels around Xr are so big that it could accomodate the notch and all the sensors?
If not all it could be significantly smaller

 

[kid84]

I pick 8+ because:
1. Touch ID is a proven technology. I tried an Xs in store and Face ID does not work if the phone is too close to my face (i.e. using phone in bed).
2. XR's portrait mode uses the 28mm wide angle lens, while on the 8+ it uses tele lens. In general longer lens is preferred for portrait unless you are after the wide angle effect (instagram generation may like the wider effect).
3. Most importantly Face ID emits IR radiation and constantly blasts hundreds of IR dots at your face (even when Face ID is not being actively used, search youtube video to see this). It is still a gen1 product and is too new to say it's 100% safe. Apple only states it "is safe to use under normal usage conditions" (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208108). This implies there are conditions it is not safe (but Apple does not tell us). However, Samsung users already reported the IR iris scanner in their phones caused eye discomfort: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...-say-iris-scanner-causing-eye-discomfort.html It is too early to tell if FaceID will cause any long term health effect.
4. 8+ is less thick.
5. The LCD screen on the 8+ is better. I compared 8+ and 8 (LCD similar to XR's) in the store and the font on the 8+ is indeed sharper when viewed from close (i.e. when using phone in bed)

Dang , this guy havent use any Xs or Xs Max for damn sure and act like a pro .... about reading !!

Face ID , Iris with health effect ?? What the ... ?

And Face ID does not working when using in bed ? Common dude ...

Wake up , stop reading or try to work harder to use the Xs or Xs Max !! A million unit of Xs/Max has been sold , people are not wrong , but you are wrong !

Danggg , read like a pro but ....

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Dang , this guy havent use any Xs or Xs Max for damn sure and act like a pro .... about reading !!

Face ID , Iris with health effect ?? What the ... ?

And Face ID does not working when using in bed ? Common dude ...

Wake up , stop reading or try to work harder to use the Xs or Xs Max !! A million unit of Xs/Max has been sold , people are not wrong , but you are wrong !

Danggg , read like a pro but ....

‘Dang’? What does that mean? lol
Love the old ‘your opinion is completely wrong because my opinion is fact’ attitude.

 

[Manatlt]

8+ > XR. Much better and bigger 1080p display. Better back camera than XR. 3D touch. Touch ID. Cheaper.
Just because newer, doesn't mean better. And Apple fanboys here will bow before Apple and Cook in almost about everything.

How can XR have a PPI display of an iPhone 4 in 2018 is beyond me, and almost criminal. 2018, and we have a phone that costs $800, with a 720pish display. WTF. Think about that for a second.

[doublepost=1539937891][/doublepost]

And Face ID does not working when using in bed ? Common dude ...

No it doesn't, or at least it's way worse than Touch ID in bed. I have a XS Max (and 8+ last year) and my experience between them in bed are night and day. I have to move my head in a certain position, get off the pillow or sit up before the damn thing works.

 

[kid84]

With X , it was hard to use in bed because I had to move my head , too ...

But with my Xs Max , I dont need to move anything , just swipe up and done . Its like the faceid wide more than X model .

Like in table , I dont have to move my face straight with my Max , faceid read more wide than X
[doublepost=1539938759][/doublepost]

‘Dang’? What does that mean? lol
Love the old ‘your opinion is completely wrong because my opinion is fact’ attitude.

It is mean damn . I got warning by using that from our "dang" admin .... lolz

 

[Manatlt]

With X , it was hard to use in bed because I had to move my head , too ...

But with my Xs Max , I dont need to move anything , just swipe up and done . Its like the faceid wide more than X model .

Like in table , I dont have to move my face straight with my Max , faceid read more wide than X
[doublepost=1539938759][/doublepost]

....?

I just laid the Max in front of me on my office desk. The lock icon on the top shakes (aka failed).

And even IF it say, "works", I have to have the phone in FRONT of me. I usually have the phone on the side next to my keyboard. It's worse than Touch ID in this scenario.

Correct me if I'm wrong too, but Apple did NOT improve Face ID for the XS/XR/Max.

All they did is give you an option to add additional face, which is a iOS 12 update, which means X has it as well.

 

[franzkfk]

In my opinion the Xr is for YouTubers and selfie generation - Colours, Memoji, Animoji, Selfie videos (better front camera). And X gen phones are generally for everybody who shoot photos vertically.

 

[decafjava]

8+ > XR. Much better and bigger 1080p display. Better back camera than XR. 3D touch. Touch ID. Cheaper.
Just because newer, doesn't mean better. And Apple fanboys here will bow before Apple and Cook in almost about everything.

How can XR have a PPI display of an iPhone 4 in 2018 is beyond me, and almost criminal. 2018, and we have a phone that costs $700+, with a 720pish display. WTF. Think about that for a second.

[doublepost=1539937891][/doublepost]
No it doesn't, or at least it's way worse than Touch ID in bed. I have a XS Max (and 8+ last year) and my experience between them in bed are night and day. I have to move my head in a certain position, get off the pillow or sit up before the damn thing works.

Seems sometimes funny thing is I am a fanboy but still love my old 7 plus. The 8 plus is excellent too and if I were to upgrade it might be that. I also see the appeal of the SE and am hoping Apple comes through with a worthy successor.

Do I lose my credentials?

 

[Manatlt]

In my opinion the Xr is for YouTubers and selfie generation - Colours, Memoji, Animoji, Selfie videos (better front camera).

I'm pretty sure professional YouTubers would want a 1080p display at the very least. They'll most likely get XS at minimum.

[doublepost=1539940340][/doublepost]

Seems sometimes funny thing is I am a fanboy but still love my old 7 plus. The 8 plus is excellent too and if I were to upgrade it might be that. I also see the appeal of the SE and am hoping Apple comes through with a worthy successor.

Do I lose my credentials?

Well...when I mean by fanboys, I mean blinded fanboys. You're clearly not a blinded fanboy lol.

People voting XR over 8+ as a "better" phone seriously needs questioning. Yes, by default XR will get you a better processor, and slightly better battery life but it's all about the overall experience. It's not like 8+'s processor and battery life are terrible and will almost mirror the same performance as XR.

And I promise you, 8+ stumps XR in terms of overall experience simply because it has a much better display. FFS, do you guys really care about Animoji over a better display?! XR doesn't even have 3D touch. $800. Come ON.

"But but! Big bezels!" XR's bezels are much bigger than XS/XS Max's, and the notch is there.

 

[Gudi]

Look at the photo - 8 Plus vs XR.

View attachment 796453

I am looking! And I don’t get why you want a bigger phone with a smaller screen and huge top and bottom bezels? Maybe if you already have an 8+ there are good reasons to keep it, but for someone who buys a new phone ... I can’t understand you.

 

[Manatlt]

I am looking! And I don’t get why you want a bigger phone with a smaller screen and huge top and bottom bezels? Maybe if you already have an 8+ there are good reasons to keep it, but for someone who buys a new phone ... I can’t understand you.

...one has 1080p display vs. one that has a 720p-ish display with a PPI of iPhone 4. If it was me (or any sensible person who is not in to Animojis) and had to choose, it'll be the one with top and bottom big bezels. More value for your money.

 

[Ralfi]

Pre-order time is upon us!

My advice is to never pre order a first-of-its-kind phone like the XR.

Wait for reviews as none of us know anything about it, real-world use wise anyway.

 

[Gudi]

...one has 1080p display vs. one that has a 720p-ish display with a PPI of iPhone 4. If it was me (or any sensible person who is not into Animojis) and had to choose, it'll be the one with top and bottom big bezels. More value for your money.

So you don’t really want big bezels, you want a higher PPI screen like in the XS, but in the price range of an XR or 8+. That’s a different argument.
[doublepost=1539943015][/doublepost]

My advice is to never pre order a first-of-its-kind phone like the XR.

The X was the first of it’s kind and the XR has a much faster 8-core Neural Engine, which will improve FaceID, Computational Photography, Animojis and all other time critical machine learning operations. Next years iPhone Z will likely come with other new first generation technologies. This is the S-year iPhone.

 

[Manatlt]

So you don’t really want big bezels, you want a higher PPI screen like in the XS, but in the price range of an XR or 8+. That’s a different argument.

I prefer to not have big bezels, but it's not a dealbreaker or "criminal". If we are talking about XS/XS Max vs. 8+, then there are more reasons to upgrade over 8+.

But XR? It's a downgrade from the 8+ in terms of overall display experience! XR gives you a slightly larger screen with the worse PPI and resolution. A newer iPhone has a worst PPI than a year old iPhone. And you are trying to justify it.

 

[Gudi]

A newer iPhone has a worst PPI than a year old iPhone. And you are trying to justify it.

Of course I do, because more does not always equal better. Retina was named after the light-sensitive layer in the human eye, because this resolution is right at the edge of what one can possibly see. Therefore Super Retina can’t be that much sharper as the sheer numbers would suggest. We had the cpu megahertz myth, the camera sensor megapixel myth, now we have the display mega-ppi myth. Apple are the masters at creating a better product by deliberately omitting unnecessary technologies and intentionally losing the spec race where it doesn’t matter. The iPhone 8+ has just 3GB RAM and last years Androids had upto 8GB RAM. So why buy an iPhone at all? Cause it doesn’t matter. RAM doesn’t matter, PPI doesn’t matter. Not having a physical keyboard, no SD-card slot, no usb-c port and no headphone jack doesn’t matter. Nothing matters! Only the experience of using the device matters. If it doesn’t feel like the screen is much worse, then it isn’t.

 

[Nhwhazup]

I’m not going to lie. Size is a big factor for me. While the XsMax is a littler smaller in size compared to the plus it still is a huge phone completely. I took it back. I am pre ordering the Xr. It should hit the sweet spot for me.

I’m almost feeling the same. I switched to the bigger Plus phones when they first came out and just loved the larger real estate. For some reason, I’m just not feeling the love for the Max. It’s like it’s just hit the too big limit for me. I know physically it’s the same size but it just feels bulkier. I have another week to return it. I have a perfect case and screen protector installation on it, so that is also a plus for keeping it. Hate to be so wishy washy.

 

[Aneres11]

I stopped reading his posts when he said the 8 Plus has a better back camera than the XR.

 

[franzkfk]

I am looking! And I don’t get why you want a bigger phone with a smaller screen and huge top and bottom bezels? Maybe if you already have an 8+ there are good reasons to keep it, but for someone who buys a new phone ... I can’t understand you.

I don´t think that iPhone Xr can be used one handed so what is with the few cm in difference?

 

[Manatlt]

Of course I do, because more does not always equal better. Retina was named after the light-sensitive layer in the human eye, because this resolution is right at the edge of what one can possibly see. Therefore Super Retina can’t be that much sharper as the sheer numbers would suggest. We had the cpu megahertz myth, the camera sensor megapixel myth, now we have the display mega-ppi myth. Apple are the masters at creating a better product by deliberately omitting unnecessary technologies and intentionally losing the spec race where it doesn’t matter. The iPhone 8+ has just 3GB RAM and last years Androids had upto 8GB RAM. So why buy an iPhone at all? Cause it doesn’t matter. RAM doesn’t matter, PPI doesn’t matter. Not having a physical keyboard, no SD-card slot, no usb-c port and no headphone jack doesn’t matter. Nothing matters! Only the experience of using the device matters. If it doesn’t feel like the screen is much worse, then it isn’t.

I once held an iPhone 7 and 8+ together side by side. I can tell the difference between the displays.

I'm tired of "Apple knows that they are doing and they are masters!" Tell me something. If having a 720p-ish display and 326ppi is "great" and together, give you a better display experience than the 8+...

...then why Apple are selling XS and XS Max at a much better ppi and a 1080p display? It's not rocket science to know that PPI and resolution matters. Even Apple knows, hence WHY their premium phones have higher PPI and 1080p!

You can TELL the difference man, unless your eyes are poor.

And why are you using Apple/Android comparisons? That's apple and oranges. Android is a completely different OS that uses different methods to run things on millions of different phones.
[doublepost=1539946922][/doublepost]

I stopped reading his posts when he said the 8 Plus has a better back camera than the XR.

Errr..one has telephoto lens, one doesn't? Yes I'm aware Pixel 3 did wonders, but XR's camera software is not as great as Pixel 3's.

 

[janeauburn]

I prefer a home button. Swipe up gets old--and tiring--pretty fast.

That said, I'm not happy with any of Apple's phones. The big ones are too heavy. The small ones have screens that are too small.

At this point I'd just go for small and concentrate on using the phone less.

 

[Aneres11]

Errr..one has telephoto lens, one doesn't? Yes I'm aware Pixel 3 did wonders, but XR's camera software is not as great as Pixel 3's.

The XR has the same lens that's in the XS / Max.
Computational processing also happens on the newer models including the XR, which if you look at any reviews of the new iPhone cameras you will see makes a massive difference to photos compared to older iPhones.

2 lenses does not mean better photos.

I think it's better to wait and see actual real world reviews first rather than just telling people like it's fact that the 8 Plus's camera is better.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I’m almost feeling the same. I switched to the bigger Plus phones when they first came out and just loved the larger real estate. For some reason, I’m just not feeling the love for the Max. It’s like it’s just hit the too big limit for me. I know physically it’s the same size but it just feels bulkier. I have another week to return it. I have a perfect case and screen protector installation on it, so that is also a plus for keeping it. Hate to be so wishy washy.

I had the same feeling with the Max. I think it's the wasted use of such a larger display as iOS is slightly zoomed in. So you can fit more of a page height wise when viewing this website for example but are only going to look at portion of the screen you are reading. So no gains there.

When filling the screen with video to take advantage of full display the top and bottom are cut off which I personally dont like.

I end up feeling like "why is this phone so big"?

The plus series was different because you gained a 1080p display and better camera. As the XS is basically the same phone and the plus series still runs really well, the Max looks less enticing.

The only advantage of the MAX for me is the wider keyboard and bigger battery over the XS. Also them super loud speakers. Still rocking the 7+ as it already has two of these features and doesn't have a yellow hue screen..!

 

[keeper]

I was really unsure and was going to keep my 6s plus, however son broke his phone.

I needed something quickly and got myself an XS, giving son my old phone.

I love it, I just decided to take the long term view and went with the XS.

It’s not your option but I would go and test them all in the store and see which you like best.

It does not matter what a forum thinks it’s what you are happy with.