The 4,7" phones should be shrunk to 90% and have screens similar to the X-range. Then we are talking.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone XR iPhone Xr is too big
- Thread starter ahostmadsen
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The 4,7" phones should be shrunk to 90% and have screens similar to the X-range. Then we are talking.
Yep, I think there are a lot of us hoping for either either an XR or an XS that is smaller (but with the bigger screen) than the iPhone 6. At least for me the cost isn’t the factor, it is the size.
In reading this thread it looks like the people who think the Xr is too big actually like smaller phones. I can respect that. I'm just so used to bigger phones. 5"+ screens. But my cutoff is when they get as big as the Note.
I have small hands but can handle the Xr one handed easily. It is thick enough and balanced to where it just feels good in my hand. And narrow enough that I can reach the width on the lower part of the screen. But with the fact of having smaller hands and preferring bigger screens I have become acustommed to using my other hand for anything that involves the upper part of the screen. It's just natural to me now.
I have small hands but can handle the Xr one handed easily. It is thick enough and balanced to where it just feels good in my hand. And narrow enough that I can reach the width on the lower part of the screen. But with the fact of having smaller hands and preferring bigger screens I have become acustommed to using my other hand for anything that involves the upper part of the screen. It's just natural to me now.
Waiting also. I’d love a 5” Xr. Apple is Phablets only at this time. And that means they don’t get a sale from me because they aren’t offering anything I want.
Thank you for recognising that.
All too often people who are more comfortable with smaller phones get derided and ridiculed here on MacRomours.
For some of us smaller is just better.
Nonsense! Not everyone thinks like you!! Some of us spend our money wisely. Thank God!!
Thank you for recognising that.
All too often people who are more comfortable with smaller phones get derided and ridiculed here on MacRomours.
For some of us smaller is just better.
I'm sorry but there are more pressing issues in this world than worrying about what kind of phone others prefer. Or that they don't need to have the most premium device.
Get what you like. What works for you. And what you will be happy using on a day to day basis. Buying a phone is not a big d**k contest. Though you would think it was with some of the attitudes people have. Guess if you don't have anything else important in your life, ridiculing people for their phone choices makes you happy.
Yes, I like a small phone. When I need a bigger screen, I use my iPad.
I don’t understand how you can use the Xr one-handed. I tried it in the store, and my problem was I could not reach the bottom of the screen with my thumb, and therefore was unable to go to the home screen with one hand. If I hold the phone so low that I can reach the bottom of the screen, it becomes very unbalanced.
they claim they can use it one handed but no they cannot no matter your size of hands; what they actually mean is they can hold it in one hand (sure I can hold a laptop in one hand) but they have to use second hand to actually perform functions except simple scroll up page...with SE size I can use it 'comfortably' one handed and perform anything I need/want (or nothing at all) with my other hand...I am not going into daily inconvenience of larger screen when everything else is a negative of having large brick size phone....
Well thank you for that. Here I have been thinking I was being successful in using the XR. You have helped me realize I have been deceiving myself!
Sure some of us can use it for many things with one hand. I can text on it very easily with one hand. There are some things that it does require two hands, but it would be no different for the XS Max. Some people like smaller phones I don't think anyone has an issue with that, but boy some of you sure seem to have an issue that some of us can use this larger phone with one hand for some things. The thing is those us that are doing it, sure don't have to prove anything to you. Get what works for you.. pretty simple concept! No one cares what phone anyone else prefers. I can afford any phone I want and I picked the Xr. I think for some coming from smaller phones the Xr is a big phone. For someone like myself that has had Plus phones I find it just fine and in fact pretty well balanced to use. Some will get the bigger phone and discover they can make it work for them and some will return it because it just won't work for them. Whatever people decide it should be whatever works for them and makes them happy. To listen to some of you OMG you need a wheel barrel to carry this thing around.
Last edited:
I have an (honest) question: can you go to the home screen with one hand? That was my big issue when I tried the Xr. I cannot reach down with my thumb and slide up. So, I cannot switch between apps with one hand. I can do it on the Xs.
Not a problem doing that for me! I do understand this phone like other phones may or may not work. I think the deal for me is that I've been using larger phones going way back to Galaxy Note 2, then came to iPhone when iPhone 6+ So I've learned to balance and use these bigger phones. I know some people struggle with it and would much prefer a smaller phone. I just don't see Apple going that direction right now unfortunately for those of you than want the smaller phones.
I have pretty small hands and I don’t have a problem doing this. Of course, I use a Loopy case, and I swear that thing is amazing. It allows me to reach really far with my thumb, but keep from dropping my phone. I’ve been using one on my + phones for a while, and I had one here on release day for my XR. Love it!
Maybe I should try again in the Apple store. I just couldn’t make it work when I tried. If I hold to phone low enough to reach at the bottom with my thumb, the phone seems very unbalanced and ready to drop out of my hand.
I've had an SE for 3 years and love the size but I'm in the mood for a new phone and picked up a red Xr yesterday. I'm a fairly light user mostly texting, email, reading the news and using apps that are useful for my job. I can use 2 hands if necessary so that's not a big deal for me. It's a beauty to look at!
I am surprised at how heavy the phone is compared to the SE. And bulky. I have to say that after using it for a day I'm loving the camera, the big screen, wireless charging, face ID and I'm pretty sure that in a few days the size won't be much of an issue.
It's slippery though and not as easy to grasp as the SE is. I got a cheap clear plastic case last night and it's slippery too. Just ordered a Mujjo leather case and I'm sure that will take care of the issue.
I am surprised at how heavy the phone is compared to the SE. And bulky. I have to say that after using it for a day I'm loving the camera, the big screen, wireless charging, face ID and I'm pretty sure that in a few days the size won't be much of an issue.
It's slippery though and not as easy to grasp as the SE is. I got a cheap clear plastic case last night and it's slippery too. Just ordered a Mujjo leather case and I'm sure that will take care of the issue.
I see the potential trade-off is worth it, because the battery is absolutely crucial in today’s smart phone experience. Especially being how demanding applications, Max screen brightness, LTE reception, those are all things that make the smart phone a better experience. Eventually _most_ adjust to the size of a phone, but the battery life is always a long time complaint with most users, even though I manage my settings accordingly for sufficiency.
My XR is to be delivered tomorrow, so I’ll see for myself whether it’s too big. I’m perfectly fine using two hands, since I often use my 6s with two hands just because I like doing that. I think I’ll find the size perfectly acceptable.
What I don’t understand is people making blanket statements as to why people buy whatever, especially the “cash starved” silliness. My wife and I own our house (mortgage is paid off) and have no debt whatsoever. We do live on a budget in order to manage our money. I’ve wanted a larger screen for the past couple of years, and I can’t wrap my mind around paying over $1K for an iPhone—hence the XR. If you want to spend more, then good for you.
Besides being easier for me to justify financially, the thing that sold me on the XR rather than a last-year’s X is zoomed display. I’m approaching 65 and find a larger print easier to read.
My daughter and son-in-law each have an SE, and they love them. The 4” size is just too small for me with its smaller fonts. I hope you guys who want the smaller size find Apple providing it down the road, but I suspect it’s going to take a change in technology and form factor from what we have now—just my guess.
And I agree with the poster who said let’s just enjoy our phones and not denigrate others who differ. Size is certainly a personal preference, as well as how much one desires to spend. The sophomorically superior attitudes need to take a rest, though. Prefacing statements with “for me” or “you may think differently, and that’s fine” along with a little grace will make the forum less contentious.
What I don’t understand is people making blanket statements as to why people buy whatever, especially the “cash starved” silliness. My wife and I own our house (mortgage is paid off) and have no debt whatsoever. We do live on a budget in order to manage our money. I’ve wanted a larger screen for the past couple of years, and I can’t wrap my mind around paying over $1K for an iPhone—hence the XR. If you want to spend more, then good for you.
Besides being easier for me to justify financially, the thing that sold me on the XR rather than a last-year’s X is zoomed display. I’m approaching 65 and find a larger print easier to read.
My daughter and son-in-law each have an SE, and they love them. The 4” size is just too small for me with its smaller fonts. I hope you guys who want the smaller size find Apple providing it down the road, but I suspect it’s going to take a change in technology and form factor from what we have now—just my guess.
And I agree with the poster who said let’s just enjoy our phones and not denigrate others who differ. Size is certainly a personal preference, as well as how much one desires to spend. The sophomorically superior attitudes need to take a rest, though. Prefacing statements with “for me” or “you may think differently, and that’s fine” along with a little grace will make the forum less contentious.
This is simply not true, unless I have no clue what using a phone one-handed means. I’m 5’3 with small hands and with my phone in my Loopy case, I can reach everywhere except the upper left corner between the notch and the phone’s edge with my thumb. I can also text with my thumb while holding it in one hand. Just typed this response like that. Never touched it once with my left hand.
[doublepost=1540780157][/doublepost]
I can do it, and I have small hands. It I think my case (Loopy) makes using the phone one-handed very doable. I’ve had one on my last two plus phones and almost always used them one-handed.
[doublepost=1540780459][/doublepost]
Like I said, I use a Loopy case and it gives me lots of freedom to shift my thumb, but since my middle finger stays in the loop, I never drop my phone. It’s the best case I’ve ever had.
Chances are, you'll love the XR. The battery life alone is just spectacular, I've been using it all day today since I woke up early, including about an hour of calls, and it's now almost bedtime and I'm at 58% battery left. I've never owned a phone with this kind of battery life except for maybe old non-smart phones. The screen is great and so is the camera. The 128GB is the perfect capacity for my use. I don't miss 3D Touch at all except for some reason you can't long-tap lock screen notifications but I think that might be an oversight on Apple's part, I hope they fix this in a software update.
For me, coming from the 7, the XR's weight and size increase are quite substantial but I'm gonna give it a good try in the coming week to see if I can really get used to it. If not, an XS will be ordered. If that happens, I sure will miss the battery life.