iPhone XR from iPhone 6s to iPhone XR... and now it’s too big

cub4bearin

cub4bearin

macrumors 6502
I’ve been using XR for last 48 hrs and I can’t find comfortable hand grip for use with one hand.
Of course phone case only added to it.
I love everything about this phone, but the size.
I had a chance to use XS as well and it was way better and closer to 6s. But the price.
Anyone can give me some ideas or thoughts if this gets better with every day of use? Or should I just go back to my old 6s.
 
You'll eventually get used to the size. I went through the same thing the first time I bought a plus sized phone but in the end I eventually went back to the smaller variation because it's just more comfortable. I don't consume a lot of media outside of music so the extra screen real estate is a waste on me.

I'd say give it through the allowed return period and if it still hasn't grown on you return it and see if you can find a used X. I've had mine for a year and the size is perfect. Plus it screams on iOS 12. Feels like a brand new phone.
 
cub4bearin said:
I’ve been using XR for last 48 hrs and I can’t find comfortable hand grip for use with one hand.
Of course phone case only added to it.
I love everything about this phone, but the size.
I had a chance to use XS as well and it was way better and closer to 6s. But the price.
Anyone can give me some ideas or thoughts if this gets better with every day of use? Or should I just go back to my old 6s.
Click to expand...

Same experience. I'm sorry, but upgrading from perfect for one-hand usage iPhone 5S, after almost 2 weeks of using the XR, the experience didn't become better: so heavy and big for a one-hand usage, too big to carry on pockets, so I changed it for XS, and now I'm very happy, because is much much more comfortable! If it wasn't, then I would have changed it for iphone 8, but at the moment, all is quite fine.
 
FreddyKrueger said:
Same experience. I'm sorry, but upgrading from perfect for one-hand usage iPhone 5S, after almost 2 weeks of using the XR, the experience didn't become better: so heavy and big for a one-hand usage, too big to carry on pockets, so I changed it for XS, and now I'm very happy, because is much much more comfortable! If it wasn't, then I would have changed it for iphone 8, but at the moment, all is quite fine.
Click to expand...


My current XR has 128 GB.
It hurts to give that up as well in case I would go with XS and 64 GB.
What were your options?
 
cub4bearin said:
My current XR has 128 GB.
It hurts to give that up as well in case I would go with XS and 64 GB.
What were your options?
Click to expand...
Yeah! that has been my major concern: my XR was also 128GB, now XS is 64Gb :-( 256Gb price is simple ex-ess-ive. But I think is fine for me, my 5S was 64Gb and I never fullfilled it. I use backups like google photos a lot.
 
Hicksmat1976 said:
are you all children or just have freakishly small hands? are you the cast of the Hobbit? or Lord of the Rings? or The Wizard of Oz?
Click to expand...
hahahaha :)
I am 250 lbs guy with medium size hands :( lol Don't know how to explain this, but after adding case to XR (and even without it)... its just difficult to be comfortable with this phone functions by using one hand.
 
Hicksmat1976 said:
are you all children or just have freakishly small hands? are you the cast of the Hobbit? or Lord of the Rings? or The Wizard of Oz?
Click to expand...
I'm a troll :): 1.9m tall with quite big hands, and as happy 5S owner for 5 years, that XR phablet is too big, thick and heavy to me. I simply hated to use it.

aakshey said:
There’s a reason it is 6.1”. To upsell you to the XS instead.
Click to expand...
Sadly, I agree.
 
Exact same upgrade here. I am finding the XR hard to hold, but couldn't justify spending 1000 for the Xs. I went with 128gb for my Xr which is nice to have.
 
cub4bearin said:
I’ve been using XR for last 48 hrs and I can’t find comfortable hand grip for use with one hand.
Of course phone case only added to it.
I love everything about this phone, but the size.
I had a chance to use XS as well and it was way better and closer to 6s. But the price.
Anyone can give me some ideas or thoughts if this gets better with every day of use? Or should I just go back to my old 6s.
Click to expand...

Why not just buy a X ? There cheaper then the XS and basically the same phone minus some features
 
Closingracer said:
Why not just buy a X ? There cheaper then the XS and basically the same phone minus some features
Click to expand...
The main reason is camera with smart HDR.
I watched some reviews X to XS and there was visible difference.
Photography is my hobby and having camera on me constantly is important.
 
@cub4bearin, how much time have you spent with the Xs? I was in an Apple store for a good 30 minutes going between the Xs and Xr. First I will admit the Xs did immediately feel better in my hands than the Xr as well. However, I found that the increased height of the Xs screen, as compared to a 6, due to the 19.5:9 ratio, still made it more difficult to reach the top of the screen when using it one handed... so in that respect, it wasn't much better off than the Xr. Where the Xs did fare better than the Xr from a size point of view was reaching across the screen horizontally, but since my hands are a bit smaller than average, even that wasn't a huge plus for the Xs.

In the end I went with the Xr because while the Xs did feel better in my hands, during practical use, they both felt a bit more clunky to me than my old iPhone 6... The difference didn't justify the price increase... also with the Xr, I get more screen real estate as a bonus. NOTE, I did not have cases on either during the comparison, and the case I use for the Xr is very thin and doesn't really change the feel, if anything, it made it more grippy for me, which is good.
 
cub4bearin said:
The main reason is camera with smart HDR.
I watched some reviews X to XS and there was visible difference.
Photography is my hobby and having camera on me constantly is important.
Click to expand...

Meh is it really worth it ? Meh not for me to spend more money on a phone after I just got my X in June. If photography is a job you aren’t using a smartphone anyways at least 24/7 . If it’s a hobby the price difference between the X and XS isn’t worth it imho if you need to justify buying a XS and don’t want a XR. Just my 2 cents
 
FreddyKrueger said:
Same experience. I'm sorry, but upgrading from perfect for one-hand usage iPhone 5S, after almost 2 weeks of using the XR, the experience didn't become better: so heavy and big for a one-hand usage, too big to carry on pockets, so I changed it for XS, and now I'm very happy, because is much much more comfortable! If it wasn't, then I would have changed it for iphone 8, but at the moment, all is quite fine.
Click to expand...
"So heavy"? What are we talking 1 or 2 ounces? Not too big to carry in a pocket,even with massive Otterbox Defender case. BTW,I came from 6S+ for reference but that in no way affects my 2 references to weight and size.
 
I went from a an iPhone 5 to XR. Was a bit of a change to start with but I got used to it and wouldn’t want to give the bigger screen/great battery life that comes with the size.

I have adapted to use it less with one hand. I still can if I need too though if the requires by using reachability and one handed keyboard mode for example.
 
cub4bearin said:
I’ve been using XR for last 48 hrs and I can’t find comfortable hand grip for use with one hand.
Of course phone case only added to it.
I love everything about this phone, but the size.
I had a chance to use XS as well and it was way better and closer to 6s. But the price.
Anyone can give me some ideas or thoughts if this gets better with every day of use? Or should I just go back to my old 6s.
Click to expand...

I have used large phones for a long time. Always use two hands. Everyone is different but I would say if you are a one handed person exclusively you might not be happy with the larger phones.
 
I never used a smartphone with just one hand (other than talking on the phone) and I have had small smartphones in the past. I have the iPhone XR and I personally don't find it that big. The XR is a little bigger than my old phone which was the Google Pixel 2 though it does weigh more than it. I find a case can make a world of difference when it comes to gripping the phone.
 
aakshey said:
There’s a reason it is 6.1”. To upsell you to the XS instead.
Click to expand...

I would disagree. Look at the competition next to Apple, they are all offering 6 inch smart phones, and that’s one of the reasons Apple is offering the XR, being that there is not enough of a market for everyone to one upgrade to $1000 smart phone with the XS. Apple had to have a move necessary to have something to offer a cheaper alternative under the XS, but still compete in terms of what is offering for features and capabilities [I.e. Wireless Charging, True Tone, True Depth camera, etc].
 
Nothing wrong with what you're experiencing OP

My mom had a similar issue with her XR, from her 7

She ended up getting me to return the XR and just went back to her 7. Too big and bulky is an issue for some people, which is a fair criticism.
 
I decided to give it another try. I put on spigen tempered glass and Caudabe clear case and will take it with me to daily tasks starting tomorrow and see if my opinion will change.
The XS price with less storage and less battery is plenty enough to give the XR another chance. Hopefully I’ll set my mind before end of the week.
 
Last edited:
OP, as others mentioned you should make full use of the 14 days return period, and see if you can get used to it. Sadly for me I could not and I’m 6’4 with hands to match. Loved the XR but I could not use it comfortably or securely one handed, I kept holding it in awkward ways to be able to reach the edges of the screen and I nearly dropped it quite a few times because of that.

Got the XS 256 and used both phones for a week. One handed usability between the two was night and day for me. Ended up returning the XR. I wish Apple made a smaller XR.
 
FreddyKrueger said:
Same experience. I'm sorry, but upgrading from perfect for one-hand usage iPhone 5S, after almost 2 weeks of using the XR, the experience didn't become better: so heavy and big for a one-hand usage, too big to carry on pockets, so I changed it for XS, and now I'm very happy, because is much much more comfortable! If it wasn't, then I would have changed it for iphone 8, but at the moment, all is quite fine.
Click to expand...

I went from an SE to an XR, and, in the XR, I ended up returning an iPhone for the first time. I ended playing with the XS quite a bit, and it didn’t really feel much smaller in the pocket, so I’m back to the SE.
 
I have a 6s for work and bought a XR on launch day. I got used to the size difference within a few days and I have small hands. I found I can use it with one hand even with an Otterbox case on it. I would suggest giving it some time.
 
I know the feeling, I was in love with the XR (as the X gives me eye strain) but after one week I found it too big and heavy.

Now I´m back to the 8 and it feels fantastic; I don´t understand why we need to "get used to", a phone has to fit your needs and no the other way around...

Also I found the notch pretty annoying after going back to the "notch free" 8.
 
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