iPhone XS and XS Max Reviews: Not Dramatically Better Than iPhone X, Consider Waiting for iPhone XR

[QCassidy352]

People are saying that the Xs is a good upgrade for older iPhone owners, but if we didn’t see the value in the x last year (and many of us didn’t), we’re probably not going to see the value in the Xs this year. I know that’s the boat I’m in.

Plus my 7 runs as well on iOS 12 as it did new on iOS 10... so yeah, I’m good.

 

[IndyMike]

As soon as the "Plus" models became available I fell in love. I use my phone for work every day - email, slack, answering tickets on a help desk, even sometimes live chat in a pinch. The larger screen not only allowed me to see more than I could on any iPhone prior at one time but also gave me a bigger keyboard that was easier for me to be accurate on.

I swore I'd never go back to a smaller phone and then the X came out. Larger screen in a smaller body - I was actually surprised at how comfortable it was to use but I still yearned for that larger form factor - with a screen to match - for an even better experience for me.

I'll be honest - if they didn't release the "XS Max", and I hate the way they use "Max" I much prefer "Plus", I would be waiting until next year. The XR is bigger than the X, sure, but I really enjoy the OLED display on my X and I'm happy enough with it's performance that I would have no issues waiting.

I am super excited for the XS Max. I signed up for the Apple Upgrade Program and should get ~$500 back for my X. (Yes, I know I could get more for it elsewhere as it's in pristine shape not a single scratch on it anywhere.). All in all it's a relatively cheap upgrade for a huge upgrade in usability for me as I need to use the phone.

Only thing that makes me sad is that I turned off my alarm in my sleep and didn't get one pre-ordered in time to get it on Friday. It won't deliver until the following Friday-Tuesday according to my order status. I'm hoping I get bumped up to an earlier ship date but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[GuruZac]

Hoping my 7+ will last long enough to get me through the notch phase of iPhone design, or at least until Apple masters the touchscreen fingerprint scanner. It's usually every three generations we get a redesign? So two more years maybe

The 7 Plus is not showing any signs of aging other than in design, and only the bezels because the back of the iPhone 7 Plus is perfect. The combination of the A10 being such a powerful chip, even by todays standards, 3GB of RAM, and Apple's work on iOS 12 optimization, the 7 Plus will easily last another 2 years. I love mine, but missed the boat on the Product Red iPhone 7 Plus/8 Plus so will be jumping on a PR iPhone XR next month.

 

[apolloa]

“Apple says it's working with sunglass makers to ship new kinds of sunglasses that support Face ID.”

Pffttthahahah...... so your telling me that rather then actually try to make FaceID work, Apple will tell you to buy new sunglasses....

What a joke! Last time I checked I didn’t need to change my fingers for Touch ID!!

As for the rest of the reviews, pretty much as expected, get the XR, don’t upgrade from an X unless you want an Max, and they are overpriced.
Yeap as I expected them to be, but Apple working on special sunglasses, that’s a classic..

 

[spiderman0616]

Um, that makes zero sense.

Yeah--I adjust to that by just holding the phone at the correct distance for unlocking and then bringing it in toward my face if I haven't put my glasses on yet. You don't have to have 20/20 vision to do this.

 

[Rogifan]

Camera reviews are so subjective. Nilay Patel listed the cameras as a “con”, John Gruber thought it was amazing.

I think this whole narrative around whether the XS is a worthy upgrade to the X is silly. Most people don’t buy a new phone every year or even every two years. Also if the XS was a huge leap over the X then people would be complaining about how Apple just made their year old phone obsolete and that they intentionally held back features just to get people to upgrade. It’s all nonsense. If you have an X and are happy with it and happy with the size then don’t upgrade. I doubt Apple was targeting you anyway.

 

[TigerWoodsIV]

Wow, it's almost like I've seen this article every other year for the past decade.

 

[adamjackson]

All you have to do to see your locked notifications is look at the phone. When it sees you’re looking at it, the unlocked versions of the notifications reveal themselves. You can either raise the phone or touch the screen to wake it up. Also, your sunglasses might be fine. At least try it before freaking out.

I'll try the glasses thing. I regularly ride 600 miles in a day on my bike so not being able to see messages without taking my helmet off just makes me annoyed.

 

[falainber]

I didn’t upgrade my X to a Max for performance increases. I ordered it for the screen size. In my case that will make a huge improvement. And worth the upgrade alone. Especially for ppl like me with bad eyes that could use a bigger screen.

Why did you buy X in a first place?

 

[spiderman0616]

I'll try the glasses thing. I regularly ride 600 miles in a day on my bike so not being able to see messages without taking my helmet off just makes me annoyed.

It terrifies me that you're checking text messages while riding a motorcycle.

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

Why did you buy X in a first place?

Cause everyone was talking about how much "bigger the display was than the plus size model". Which they are correct. But it seems to be taller in aspect ratio than the plus size phone. But narrower to me. I am used to the plus size wider screen size, rather than the narrow taller X if that makes sense.

 

[mi7chy]

Get rid of the annoying notch. It gets in the way of everything.

 

[OllyW]

It terrifies me that you're checking text messages while riding a motorcycle.

He said he was reading them with his helmet on, didn’t say he was reading them while he was riding.

 

[jimbobb24]

The XS is not much better than the X so wait for the XR? If I have an X the XR is a downgrade in almost every way. If I have an older phone and I am choosing what to upgrade to the XS is dramatically better in every way and better than the XR. The big problem is just price. The XR has a good price, but is a worse phone than the X, XS, and some might even argue the 8...

 

[BigDO]

Why is the XR trash? Other than the screen and optical zoom, it is an upgrade in most areas over last years flagship iphone x: faster performance, much better battery life, dual sim, faster face ID, for 250 less than the x was just a year ago... Maybe not for you if the screen or optical zoom are important but no way is it trash.

"If the screen is important"? Lol, is there anything more important than the screen? It's literally THE one component of the phone you always interact with. The XR is by no means trash, but crippling it with that resolution is definitely a calculated move by Apple.

 

[BigDO]

Um, that makes zero sense.

The whole review is garbage.

 

[jimbobb24]

I usually buy an iPhone every year, its like ritual for me... But I was sitting there Friday morning with the pre-order screen up and i just wasn't feeling it.... This is the second time I will ever skip an iPhone upgrade (first time being the 4S) Going to stick with my X and definitely get next years.

You skipped the 4S!!!! That is by far one of the best iPhones ever. Still have it and love it. If they introduced 4S form factor I would buy it in a second.

 

[BigDO]

It terrifies me that you're checking text messages while riding a motorcycle.

Me too. Think of all the children he may potentially harm that way, possibly.

 

[spiderman0616]

He said he was reading them with his helmet on, didn’t say he was reading them while he was riding.

If you're riding 600 miles a day, you're probably on the bike most of that time. And when you're off it, you probably need a break from the helmet anyway. It is not difficult to take off a helmet.

 

[MistrSynistr]

I am more than happy with my iPhone 6. how fast does your ph really need to be?

Updated apps for updated processors. Soon your stuff will be grinding to a halt.

 

[HarryWild]

The only reviews I am interested in are the want is in it and how fast it in the geekbench marks!

 

[Mtmspa]

Millions of nearsighted people have something to say about that. One of the reasons why I went from X to 8+ was when I had my X, it would not unlock for me unless I moved it far enough from my face in the morning where the screen become blurry. Many of my sunglasses wouldn't work while driving, I also had to lift the phone off my desk in order to recognize me. My 8+ has none of those problems and the touchid blows away the faceid in unlock speed.

The XR would be downgrade with the loss of the telephoto camera, lower screen rez (the 8+ is 1080P), and loss of 3d touch.

The 15% cpu speed bump is also pathetic, the worst S cycle CPU speed bump...

You have vision issues, yet you use your phone while driving? That makes no sense. Thank God that you can’t unlock it.
[doublepost=1537293830][/doublepost]

I think that's exactly what we should be doing. We need to tell Apple to **** off with their insane prices for mediocre upgrades and go elsewhere.

If they get the message, the prices drop back to only being kind of insane ($2000 Macs and $900 iPhones) instead of well beyond insane ($5000 Macs and $1500 iPhones.)

Remember the iPod and how its pricing was? It started at $500 and over the years the prices gradually came down even though it was getting better.

What is this nonsense of having marginal upgrades with massive price increases?

I do think this has come to a head. Sales are going to be shockingly low and AAPL is going to tumble.

People pay per month so the amount is minimal. Better sell your stock, buy a crap android and teach Apple a lesson.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

That’s what people said last year about the X and they made so much money. They are doing it because they know they can. Last year showed them that.

Last year did not show them that at all. The X was noticeably different and better than their prior phones, the 7 and 7+, and the 8 and 8+.

Despite being a better phone, volume fell a bit, because the price was too high.

Now they have phones that aren't clearly better than the X, and they're still more expensive. The drop in sales will be even steeper than it was last year.

 

[Mtmspa]

Just as expected. Huge upgrade for users of older phones, but for iPhone X owners quite marginal, with almost the same experience unless you want bigger screen. I’ll pass on this one.

Did you actually read about the camera improvements?

 

[yaxomoxay]

Last year did not show them that at all. The X was noticeably different and better than their prior phones, the 7 and 7+, and the 8 and 8+.

Despite being a better phone, volume fell a bit, because the price was too high.

Now they have phones that aren't clearly better than the X, and they're still more expensive. The drop in sales will be even steeper than it was last year.

Agreed. They knew that either way this phone was going to sell less than the X, hence the increased price (higher margin = higher profits at lower volume).