iPhone XR Do you think Apple will kill the iPhone xr or refresh it?

Those sales figures are exactly as I suspected. The XR the best seller, and understandably so. I paid for mine outright so saving $350-$450 not buy the XS/XS Max was my biggest driving factor. But at this point, after using it for a couple weeks now, if I actually bought the XS or XS Max, I’d wonder if I should’ve bought the XR. I use Halide Camera App for non-human Portrait Mode shots, and Apple has already expanded Haptic Touch in iOS 12.1, and I’ve heard rumors of iOS 12.2 bringing further short cuts with Haptic Touch so the XR is even closer to the XS at still a significant savings.

 

Nah you could spot that phone out easily.... Bezel all around stands out...

 

Something tells me you’ll spot the lack of a dual camera module on the back before you notice a 1 or 2mm difference in bezel, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Sales numbers like that virtually guarantee there will be an XR successor with the same basic specs: 326 PPI and 6.1" LCD display.

The real question is whether Apple will put a telephoto lens on the 2019 XR.

 

I’d like to see the XR line expanded to two sizes to include a smaller version.

 

You're confusing opinion with fact here. OLED as a technology has pros and LCD as a technology has other pros. Both are mature tech now a days, and the limitations of each have been minimized to a great degree. Modern day OLED technology has come a long way. What do you mean by better shadows? Are you talking about brightness? What levels are you referring to? Do you mean Contrast?

Consider: Apple is not using LCD displays in their high end smartphones or smartwatches for many reasons. If LCD was the superior form of display technology then they would use it in the XS and XS Max. It is cheaper and more affordable. They could have an LCD equipped apple watch. Why would they even adopt OLED tech in the watch or with the iPhone X which they claimed as their best display ever. They would have just put in a Liquid Retina screen across their lineup from the get go. They would have put it in the iPhone X last year. The tech was still there, but apple chose not to go in that direction.

It is not an opinion that OLED has better contrast. It is not an opinion that the screen tech is thinner and malleable in a way LCD is not. It is not an opinion that apples OLED screens are higher resolution and thus have more PPI than their LCD screen. None of that is opinion. Apple hasn't introduced OLED into their iPads or iMacs because of how expensive it would be. The BOM reflect that. It's not just apple, many companies have tried and considered it. It's why OLED TVs are so much more expensive than equivalent LCD counter parts. The tech is more expensive for a reason and it is not because it is worse.

What is opinion, is if you prefer LCD to OLED or if you prefer OLED to LCD. That is an opinion. That is your preference and that is ok. I do not dispute your own opinion, if you prefer LCD that is fine, but downplaying OLED is not fair nor is downplaying it in the context of the XR LCD as a superior display technology to Apple's OLED screens. It's a great LCD yes, I don't disagree, and I enjoy my XR screen without issue - but make no mistake the *core* technology behind LCD screen on the iPhone XR is no different from the LCD on the iPhone 7. Yes, there are new techniques apple and japan display are using to fit the all screen design to the edge of the frame and to accomodate the curves and the edges of the display is a very smart engineering feat but It also is unable to incorporate 3D touch and it still doesn't stretch to the same dimensions one can with OLED.

Apple went with LCD for the XR because they needed a cheaper tech so they had a more affordable product, not because it's better. It's still a DCI-P3 lcd screen from Japan display with the same core display technology as the iPhone 7 (more accurately, the 9.7" iPad pro)

And yes, Micro LED is the next step up from OLED; not just apple but everyone will move on to it once it becomes financially feasible to do so. Samsung is at the forefront of developing the tech for mobile purposes and I'm sure Apple will be one of their first customers. What point were you trying to make by bringing micro LED into the discussion? I only ask because it doesn't have an impact for or against your points regarding the XR display. I don't disagree at all about it likely being the next thing. But that is still a few years off. It will certainly be brighter than even the best amoled displays.

PS You mentioned a pro for LCD being true tone; Apple's OLED phones support true tone. True tone is enabled by separate sensors and adjusts the screen accordingly, it has nothing to do with the technology of the display

 

Because of all the stuff on here about lack of sales I’ve tried to have a go at spotting iPhones out in the wild. From the front, with a case and at an angle (you come across as a bit weird trying to look at a strangers phone face on) it’s almost impossible. At enough angle the bezels will all but disappear. From the back it’s obvious but that’s because of the cameras.

And a couple of days ago while travelling to London I saw far more iPhone XR’s and not a single MAX. But of course that doesn’t mean much. Or does it...

https://9to5mac.com/2018/12/29/iphone-xs-max-production-cut-analyst/

 

I think Apple will have to refresh the XR line simply because of how well the iPhone 7 and 8 appear to be doing. Not everybody wants or needs a £1k+ phone so the XR is realistically the main contender for future sales. It may or may not be breaking records right now but people generally keep their phones longer and the cheaper devices will always be more popular by default.

 

They will simply not refresh it for a few years and they replace it. Apple wants to use as much fewer model variations as they can.

 

Actually, the real question is if Apple graduates to a ‘triple lens camera’ as rumored, and if they do that, is that exclusive to the Max or just the XS line. If they add a triple lens camera, then perhaps they had a telephoto lens to the XR, but I would say it’s variable depending on that rumor specifically.

 

Based on the latest rumors, it seems unlikely Apple will adopt a triple rear camera system in 2019.

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-3d-sensing-rear-camera-for-2019-iphones/

It seems more likely Apple will be turning to software for improving image quality. If we look at iPad Pro, Apple has simplified the camera hardware by removing OIS and a lens element.

 

If it sells well, they'll update it like the iPhone 6~8. If it sells poorly, they'll let it languish and eventually discontinue it like the iPhone SE

 

All opinion, no facts. Go and watch professional TV calibrators reviewing TV’s, then you’ll learn about the real differences and not ‘beleieve’ it’s better because Apple prices it higher.
Then you’ll learn about the limitations of OLED and LCD and where one is better then the other, not as you think either.

And yes, I know you don’t seem to get it, but the XR screen is brand new state of the art tech, the XS is not as new. And with regard to True Tone, I know perfectly well how it works thanks and I know I’d was not designed for OLED and it shows, it looks dreadful on the XS and actually looks great and works as designed in the XR

--- Post Merged, Dec 30, 2018 ---

Whilst I’d agree with that story you linked to, again it’s just guess work, no one will ever be able to claim as fact the sales figures for Apple because only Apple can, and as we know they’ve stated they’ll never do that.
It’s common sense though to believe a cheaper model outsells more expensive ones when they virtually do the same. Cars are the best analogy for that, no manufacture expects its top end model to be its best seller when it offers several cheaper ones.

 

OLED is nice sometimes.

 

I wouldn’t compare the XR to the SE, the SE was always meant to be a limited time model not offering the latest hardware standards, (the XR is highly compettive to the XS) because it’s a 4 inch iPhone that was really intended for other merging markets because of its cheaper price point. Also, The SE had very little marketing at all from Apple or any other carrier for that matter, where the XR dominates Apple’s iPhone marketing currently.

The XR will easily be refreshed for another year, and it will outsell the XS.

 

The XR will stop production like other iPhones. There is no refresh. There will be a new model that replaces it.

 

The problem with the XR in this forum is that is not the phone that most people would go out and buy on day one. All the enthusiasts like most of us go and buy the top of the line model (and the fact that it launched a month later didn’t help).

However, among the non enthusiast population I think it is the preferred model by a wide margin. Whenever my friends are up for renewal they’re getting XRs, as that works for them and they see an amazing iPhone with no much difference from the XS, and a much accessible but still premium price. I think it is going exactly as Apple planned it and will continue to be refreshed among the flagship models.

 

The XR is a different sized XS with an LCD display and a few lower specs for cost. As long as they have an LCD model, it’ll be considered an XR refresh. If they went all OLED, they would all look the same. So I guess the question is whether or not they will keep a “cheaper” version of future iPhones going forward.

 

Be great if they'd make a smaller XR and give iPhone SE users something to potentially move to in the future.

 

Mac Rumours is full of enthusiasts (myself included) who do not buy the current flagship iPhones. The threads over the past 15 months are testament to that. With older models still being so good I think we are in an era where the newer models offer too little as an upgrade. In a year or two time I can see the demand going up again and the XR is by far the best choice currently available if you want a new look iPhone for what it offers.

 

I can’t say I agree with this, because there are quite a few members who actually did opt for the XR Over the XS this year simply because they weren’t willing to pay the extra $250 for the XS. Of course, as you noted, there are enthusiasts who do you want the top-of-the-line iPhone from Apple that offers their latest technology, but I’m not sure that’s been necessarily the case this year with the XS, as it was last year with the 2017 iPhone X was the only option offering Face ID/new form factor.

And if the XR would have launched at the same time as the XS did in September, I think there were would have been more members who would have considered it, but they likely wanted to have the latest iPhone earlier or right away.

 

Also, don’t forget even many members here have purchased XS models and returned them for the XR, as they didn’t find the XS worth the premium. The experience is 95% the same at the end of the day. The question has been, is that 5% different (better?) experience worth the substantial premium?

 

I like the Max, and it’s a nice phone, but in retrospect, I could have easily just opted for the XR and been just as pleased as I was with the XS. Aside from the stainless bands, 3D Touch is nice to have, but not for $250 more (And the telephoto lens isn’t a major feature to me). As you said, it’s about the user experience with iOS, and hardware is only superficial, as all these smart phones are well-made.

 

In retrospect, I would not redo/undo my purchase of the max. I got used to 3dt and wanted a phone with the dual lens. Considering how much I use my phone the $250 increment comes out to pennies a day. I cut down on one cup of coffee a day.