My wife and I, for financial reasons, upgrade our various electronic gadgets only when there’s a compelling reason to do so: something breaks, becomes too slow to use, or becomes obsolete, or a newer model has new features that we really want or need. We went from the iPhone 3G to the 4 to the 5 to the 6S Plus. As there was nothing wrong with our 6S Pluses, and the 2018 iPhones are expensive and offered no must-have features, we decided to wait another year or two to upgrade and instead just took advantage of the $29 battery upgrade program in November.
This weekend, however, we changed our minds, for three reasons: 1) We both use our phone cameras extensively. Last week, we went to a dimly lit museum exhibit and took a lot of photos. They all came out blurry. 2) My wife has started a new business and might need a separate business phone number in 2019. T-Mobile just announced that they’ll soon support dual SIMs. 3) Apple extended their trade-in deal, which was $250 for each of our 6S Pluses. That’s about what they go for on eBay, and Apple’s trade-in eliminated eBay’s cut and the hassle of selling them myself. We each ended up getting a red 128GB XR. If money were no object, I would have gotten an XS Max, but the slightly better screen (which I could only tell when I held them side by side) and the second camera weren’t worth the significantly higher price to me.
The verdict? All the little improvements of the XR over the 6S Plus that seemed insignificant to me individually add up to a much better user experience than I had expected. First, the camera is better in low light, which was no surprise. Second, Face ID is much more convenient and effective than Fingerprint ID, which didn’t work if my thumb was slightly damp. It’s also more automatic that I’d realized (i.e., some apps just open automatically now, whereas before I had use Fingerprint ID). Third, while the 6S Plus didn’t feel slow, the XR feels faster. Fourth, wireless charging (they had pads at the Apple Store) is one additional small convenience, and there are some inexpensive pads out there. Finally, the way the buttons and interface work make getting around a bit easier.
So my wife and I are glad we upgraded. If it weren’t for the $250 trade-in, though, we wouldn’t have done it, and we would have been content with our 6S Pluses (except when taking low-light photos).
This weekend, however, we changed our minds, for three reasons: 1) We both use our phone cameras extensively. Last week, we went to a dimly lit museum exhibit and took a lot of photos. They all came out blurry. 2) My wife has started a new business and might need a separate business phone number in 2019. T-Mobile just announced that they’ll soon support dual SIMs. 3) Apple extended their trade-in deal, which was $250 for each of our 6S Pluses. That’s about what they go for on eBay, and Apple’s trade-in eliminated eBay’s cut and the hassle of selling them myself. We each ended up getting a red 128GB XR. If money were no object, I would have gotten an XS Max, but the slightly better screen (which I could only tell when I held them side by side) and the second camera weren’t worth the significantly higher price to me.
The verdict? All the little improvements of the XR over the 6S Plus that seemed insignificant to me individually add up to a much better user experience than I had expected. First, the camera is better in low light, which was no surprise. Second, Face ID is much more convenient and effective than Fingerprint ID, which didn’t work if my thumb was slightly damp. It’s also more automatic that I’d realized (i.e., some apps just open automatically now, whereas before I had use Fingerprint ID). Third, while the 6S Plus didn’t feel slow, the XR feels faster. Fourth, wireless charging (they had pads at the Apple Store) is one additional small convenience, and there are some inexpensive pads out there. Finally, the way the buttons and interface work make getting around a bit easier.
So my wife and I are glad we upgraded. If it weren’t for the $250 trade-in, though, we wouldn’t have done it, and we would have been content with our 6S Pluses (except when taking low-light photos).
