iPhone XR Hard to leave the XR/11 - One of Apple’s Best

[PBz]

I have always upgraded almost annually, 2 years at the most. Most of the time I would get the top phone with the latest features... iPhone.

Last year I left the 8 Plus (an AWESOME phone) for the XS. I wanted the ‘premium’ iPhone with the new cameras and screen. I prefer the screen real estate of the Plus phones but the XS is the perfect sized phone in the hand IMO.

Remember that the XR release lagged the release of the XS. I was in the Apple Store when the XR came out and mentioned to an employee (my guy at our local store) that I should have gotten the XR. Long story short they let me return the XS for the XR. I know the screen of the XS was ‘premium’ but I found that for editing photos the LCD was very consistent. Interesting how many people use the glorious screen of the IPP for editing photos but that XR LCD just isn’t worthy...

The XR has been amazing. My wife, who has the X, switched to it mainly for $ savings and also fo the battery life. She is brutal on phones and it has held up well. She loves the wider selfie camera because she can get our boys in the shot. I think I have hit the 10% battery warning with the XR once in a year. I have not babied the XR and it has held up very well for me. I have the small hairline screen marks but I stopped sweating those.. just enjoy the phone.

FF to the new iPhones. I ‘want’ the crazy battery life and screen of the 11PM. The 11P would likely be fine with excellent battery life. I don’t love the colors of the 11. I have had the 11PM and 11P in my ‘cart’ so many times but just haven’t been able to pull the trigger. I can afford it but just seeing the price of the 11PM versus the 11 and what you get..

Kudos to Apple for making this decision so hard. Kudos to Apple for putting so much into the ‘base’ model iPhone. I stil don’t know which way I am going but with the lineup I don’t think I could go wrong.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I did the same thing with the 11 and 11 Pro. Had them both in my cart on the Verizon app and the Apple Store app several times trying to figure out where I could get the best deal but worried that I wouldn't get the quoted trade-in price for my XS because of the crack on the back and being blindsided by an extremely low counter offer or all-out refusal.

Eventually I was able to eliminate the 11 by recalling how I felt about the bezels and overall size when I used the XR for a few days last year. Come launch day, the wife was at the gym and I was bored (had originally taken the day off and reserved a Pro for pickup at my local Apple Store) so I went to Verizon just to have a peek at the new phones. Well long story short the rep was able to get me the full $510 trade-in value despite the crack and I walked out with my space gray Pro. All said and done I paid $516 for a 64GB.

 

[Freakonomics101]

I have to agree they did a great job with the 11. $699 for that is a great deal. I think it’s two steps ahead of the Xʀ, IMO.

It took me awhile to decide between the 11 and 11 Pro. Went with the Pro because of the camera and OLED but would been fine with the LCD as well. Colors just aren’t great though. The silver on the 11 Pro pops out because it’s not the silver color they used to use. It’s almost white and I love it!

 

[swandy]

I had the X and then the XS and was sure I would again. Was pre-ordering the 11 (to replace my wife's 8 Plus) and decided to go to the apple store near us. Sat comparing my XS to the XR (this was before the new iPhones were on display) and yes, the XS had a VERY slightly better screen - even holding them right next to each other. Would have liked to compare exact pictures, but my iPhone had mine and Apple's had theirs - as well - but really could not see significant differences. Perhaps if you watch a lot of videos you might care - but for general, every day use, I don't think the differences are significant. And as far as the "telephoto lens", well IMHO 2X of a their "normal" lens (which is actually a slight wide angle to begin with) is not very impressive. If the optical zoom was more like 4x or 5x, then perhaps I would have thought differently. And for me and the way I like to take photographs, the ultra wide was more interesting than the "telephoto" lens.

 

[newellj]

Lots of great points in the OP. I never got as far as putting an 11 in the cart, but updating the Xr in all the ways they did, and lowering the price $50, is very impressive, and the 11 is a very impressive phone.

 

[PBz]

Went to the Apple Store today and spent about an hour trying them all. The 11PM is just too big. I also read some actual usage reviews (Tom’s) that say the 11 still beats the 11P when you do real-world use (LTE web/video/etc). The 11PM doesn’t beat the 11 by much in these tests.

I really like the size of the 11P but it leaves me wanting just a TAD more.

I pulled the trigger on the 11 today. The fact that Apple now FINALLY sells a silicone case for it is very nice. I love those cases. As a family, we have the $ to buy the Pro but I just can’t get it to make sense for me. It’s a LOT more $ for specs that, for me, aren’t that important.

I know I love the XR. I love the consistency of the LCD and I don’t do movies on my phone. .. so do Pro users now hate watching movies on an iPad Pro? I don’t want the 52mm lens.. I have a Nikon and Fuji for that. The XR has been so good to me I just can’t spend the extra $ when it’s for things I don’t really need or want. I do want the upgraded cameras and HDR.. the 11 gives me the new stuff I want. Yes, I will be picking up an 18W adapter.