iPhone XR Decision! iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone XR?

[OTACORB]

It seems Apple agrees with you on screen over the iPhone actually making/receiving calls and texts.

I am going to be critical of the PPI on the XR but in all honesty I am using an IPP 10.5 right now and the text looks fine. I have some tolerance for slightly lower resolution versus a screen that turns three different colors (not a joke.. my wife has the X) from in-hand to reading on a table/surface.

I agree with you PBz they surely could have done better with the resolution even at this price point, but Apple is greedy and profit driven. But like you I have a IPP 10.5 and I am satisfied with the text, so I think the XR would suit my needs just fine. That resolution deserves some criticism, but it doesn't mean I won't buy it.

 

[PeytonT123]

XR all the way.
Literally the only thing the 8 Plus has over it is the display being slightly better quality, which and it is honestly not easy to tell the difference. The XR screen is still going to look great.
(It also has the double lens, but the new A12 chip in the XR will result in a better camera, just no optical zoom)

 

[gelie]

XR all the way.
Literally the only thing the 8 Plus has over it is the display being slightly better quality, which and it is honestly not easy to tell the difference. The XR screen is still going to look great.
(It also has the double lens, but the new A12 chip in the XR will result in a better camera, just no optical zoom)

8+ also has 3D Touch.... and a lot cheaper!

 

[PeytonT123]

8+ also has 3D Touch.... and a lot cheaper!

I personally won't miss 3D touch.

And for my needs, the XR will actually be cheaper. I've got a big music library and I don't have unlimited data, so I need the next phone size up from 64GB....for the XR, that's 128GB at $799. For the 8+, that's 256GB at $849.

 

[Broadus]

8+ also has 3D Touch.... and a lot cheaper!

A lot cheaper than the XR? If you're okay with 64GB (not enough for me), the 8 Plus is $50 cheaper than the XR. If you're not okay with 64GB, the 8 Plus is $50 more ($849 for 256GB 8 Plus--much more than I need--to $799 128GB XR--what I need). Price is pretty much a wash.

 

[44267547]

I personally won't miss 3D touch.

Quite the opposite actually. 3D touch has become such a useful tool for those who actually know how to utilize it. The problem with 3D Touch, is you have those 1.) Either who don’t know how to use it or 2.) Don’t even know that it exists in the first place. But once those who actually understand the functionality, it’s so convenient to peek/pop your messages and emails, or navigate through an application by short cutting it to what you want to view certain Content versus opening the application as a whole.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’m a constant user of 3DTouch too and am constantly using it for short cuts on the home screen, peek and pop for emails/images, and moving the cursor around. Long press only accomplishes part of that and is simply not good enough for my needs.

I’m also happy with 64GB as I have 200GB off additional iCloud storage so currently I’m only using about 32GB on my iPhone.

Let’s face it guys and gals, here we are arguing over which iPhone is better when the reality shows they are both very good phones and both have aspects that are better on each. When buying we decide which features we prefer and base the decision on this. Many here prefer the XR for its new look, faster processor, slightly better single lens camera etc etc. Some of us like me who are happy with apps opening 0.05 seconds slower and don’t mind sporting the classic iPhone design opted for the 8+. I wouldn’t expect everybody to buy the same phone and none of us should accept jibes about inferiority one way or the other. It’s about having the best phone in your own mind.

 

[leezz]

Accoring to the review from The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18011306/apple-iphone-xr-review-camera-screen-battery-price), the XR's LCD screen is of lower quality than the one on the 8+:

"That’s not to say it matches the quality of previous iPhone LCDs. The iPhone XR LCD definitely shifts a little pink and drops brightness quickly when you look at it off-axis, which often leads to a bit of a shimmery effect when you move the phone around. I noticed that shimmer right away, but I had to point it out to other people for them to see it;"

 

[PeytonT123]

Accoring to the review from The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18011306/apple-iphone-xr-review-camera-screen-battery-price), the XR's LCD screen is of lower quality than the one on the 8+:

"That’s not to say it matches the quality of previous iPhone LCDs. The iPhone XR LCD definitely shifts a little pink and drops brightness quickly when you look at it off-axis, which often leads to a bit of a shimmery effect when you move the phone around. I noticed that shimmer right away, but I had to point it out to other people for them to see it;"

This is a really good, informative review.
As predicted, the screen is as good as the previous nonplus phones. The only previous one they're comparing it to where it falls a bit short is the 8 plus, which has a better resolution. For people upgrading from anything other than the 8 Plus or the X, the screen will look the same if not better.

 

[ssledoux]

Accoring to the review from The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18011306/apple-iphone-xr-review-camera-screen-battery-price), the XR's LCD screen is of lower quality than the one on the 8+:

"That’s not to say it matches the quality of previous iPhone LCDs. The iPhone XR LCD definitely shifts a little pink and drops brightness quickly when you look at it off-axis, which often leads to a bit of a shimmery effect when you move the phone around. I noticed that shimmer right away, but I had to point it out to other people for them to see it;"

Well I’m upgrading from an 8+ and was really concerned about the screen and camera. Honestly, this doesn’t really scare me off since I rarely look at my phone sideways, and the color dims on my 8+ when I tilt it anyway. It looks like the camera won’t wind up being much of an issue, if at all.

Honestly, the size difference is super exciting to me seeing them side-by-side in-hand like that; I think that’s gonna be a sweet spot for me coming from using plus phones.

 

[nutmac]

This is starting to get old. So it will be my last reply.

Simply put, as someone coming from plus devices for the last 4yrs, i didn't want to downgrade to basic retina. Other's may not be able to tell the difference but i can, every time. And is why i wont get along with the Xr. Seeing it wont change the laws of physics.

Why this is so hard for people to grasp is beyond me

If you think that's being hung on specs that's fine. I don't see how its logical if i opted to buy a last generation device instead.

Which is why Apple sells XS and XS Max for $250-350 more. I don't really get why folks like you are so obsessed with "oh no, XR has 720p screen!" when Apple makes more premium models.

 

[Mackinjosh]

I personally won't miss 3D touch.

And for my needs, the XR will actually be cheaper. I've got a big music library and I don't have unlimited data, so I need the next phone size up from 64GB....for the XR, that's 128GB at $799. For the 8+, that's 256GB at $849.

You're not alone. And there's a reason why analysts claim Apple will be losing 3D touch by 2019.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Accoring to the review from The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18011306/apple-iphone-xr-review-camera-screen-battery-price), the XR's LCD screen is of lower quality than the one on the 8+:

"That’s not to say it matches the quality of previous iPhone LCDs. The iPhone XR LCD definitely shifts a little pink and drops brightness quickly when you look at it off-axis, which often leads to a bit of a shimmery effect when you move the phone around. I noticed that shimmer right away, but I had to point it out to other people for them to see it;"

This had me scrambling for my phone to call Apple and cancel my XR pre order! Can't get a decent OLED from Apple and now their using worse LCDS than old stock?! Think Im done.

 

[AlexJoda]

XR all the way.
Literally the only thing the 8 Plus has over it is the display being slightly better quality, which and it is honestly not easy to tell the difference. The XR screen is still going to look great.
(It also has the double lens, but the new A12 chip in the XR will result in a better camera, just no optical zoom)

The display on the 8+ Is not that good and sharp as you think because it has to downsample the image to a lower resolution from 3x because compared to the Xs Max the 5.5“ display is too small. The Xr did a clean 2x rendering without downsampling instead which gives a 326ppi resolution. That is bejond visibility of single pixels. Everything above that is useless....

 

[rafark]

Definitely XR, the 8 look dated last year already, imagine in 2 years...

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Definitely XR, the 8 look dated last year already, imagine in 2 years...

There will still be plenty of them around for the less vain not to care though. A lot of people may be upgrading after 2 years anyway but even if you don’t it’s the use of the phone rather than how it looks to a minority that you should really care about IMO.

 

[Zaft]

The display on the 8+ Is not that good and sharp as you think because it has to downsample the image to a lower resolution from 3x because compared to the Xs Max the 5.5“ display is too small. The Xr did a clean 2x rendering without downsampling instead which gives a 326ppi resolution. That is bejond visibility of single pixels. Everything above that is useless....

I could clearly see it’s sharper compared to non Plus iPhones. There is no way to spin this. It will look better then the XR. If I had a choice I would get the 8 Plus TBH, I’m also really not liking the relatively thick bezels all around.

 

[tatsuki]

I am a little disappointed with the brightness and colour shift, it's clearly not the best LCD Apple has shipped on an iPhone however it is adequate, for me the most tempting thing is once again the battery life, and it does seem to have as good battery as Apple claims.

 

[davedvdy]

There will still be plenty of them around for the less vain not to care though. A lot of people may be upgrading after 2 years anyway but even if you don’t it’s the use of the phone rather than how it looks to a minority that you should really care about IMO.

Yeah, the vast majority of iPhones I see out here in SoCal look like they fall within the 6 and 8 series.

 

[pdp1]

Accoring to the review from The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/18011306/apple-iphone-xr-review-camera-screen-battery-price), the XR's LCD screen is of lower quality than the one on the 8+:

"That’s not to say it matches the quality of previous iPhone LCDs. The iPhone XR LCD definitely shifts a little pink and drops brightness quickly when you look at it off-axis, which often leads to a bit of a shimmery effect when you move the phone around. I noticed that shimmer right away, but I had to point it out to other people for them to see it;"

Not saying the review doesn't have any merit about the pink shift, but I would definitely not base any opinions of the pink shift on this video. It's kind of like comparing details of a 5MP picture to a 12MP in a 1080p video; creating the video itself introduces too many interfering factors that makes the comparison moot. Like that example, the pink shift is something you need to see in person. To the individual, in person it may not be as apparent, or even more apparent, than what's shown in the video.

 

[dmk1974]

Just another data point for comparison as I've seen the larger bezels mentioned in the XR reviews. Below I calculated, from the Apple specs, the distance from the edge of the screen to the edge of the phone body for some of the phones.

Also, what I call "one-handed reach" (edge of phone body to opposite screen edge). No real surprises.

 

[rafark]

There will still be plenty of them around for the less vain not to care though. A lot of people may be upgrading after 2 years anyway but even if you don’t it’s the use of the phone rather than how it looks to a minority that you should really care about IMO.

That may be true for many people, but I appreciate things that are nice to see and feel, it's not vanity, it's part of the experience for me.

 

[44267547]

Yeah, the vast majority of iPhones I see out here in SoCal look like they fall within the 6 and 8 series.

I would agree, but more so even as much as I spend time in the gym/out in public, I’m starting to see [a lot] more iPhone X’s than I ever have before. Likely because the first GEN 2017 iPhone X has been discounted since the release of the XS and it’s been almost a year since the 2017 X release.

 

[davedvdy]

I would agree, but more so even as much as I spend time in the gym/out in public, I’m starting to see [a lot] more iPhone X’s than I ever have before. Likely because the first GEN 2017 iPhone X has been discounted since the release of the XS and it’s been almost a year since the 2017 X release.

Yeah, I see more popping up too for sure. I'd imagine with the release of the XR and it's affordability, quite a bit more of the newer series of devices.

 

[titans1127]

I've had an 8 Plus since launch last year and have owned every plus model released and I decided to pre-order a XR at the very least to try out for 2 weeks and decide if its worth holding on to. Nothing wrong with the 8 Plus at all but after upgrading to the latest iPhone every year since the 3GS, I initially decided to hold onto the 8 Plus for another year as I did not want to spent the money for the XS or XS Max. But the XR reviewed I have watched and read have me intrigued and the price is much more reasonable especially if I decide to keep it and sell the 8 Plus.