I finally saw an Xr in person today and I’d have to agree with your screen assessment. The Xr screen is noticeably more clear and vivid than the 8. I could immediately tell the difference between the 8 and Xs screen but it was harder to tell a difference between the Xr and Xs. I then compared the Xr to 8 and the 8 just looked more “dull” for the lack of better wording. It’s as if the Xr has an extra coating on its LCD to make colors and picture quality “smoother”, kind of like how glossy computer monitors do, but without the excessive reflection of a glossy coating. No doubt the Xs screen pops more than either Xr and 8, and yes it is immediately noticeable, but after seeing the Xr in person, I can honestly say it’s negligible. I do recognize that this was in the brightly lit Apple store so black levels didn’t really show, so I admit it may be a bigger difference in a dimly lit setting.
As for the size difference between 6 and Xr, no doubt, Xr is pretty big compared, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much one handed stuff I could do with the Xr. I think it is mostly due to the swipe up for home vs the button on the 6. If there was a home button on the Xr, I think I’d have more problems with one handed operation. I also got a chance to compare one hand operation of the Xr to Xs. I will admit, the Xs felt more secure in my hand, due to its smaller form factor, but I could do almost everything on the Xr that I could do on the Xs. The only notable thing I couldn’t do on the Xr that I could on the Xs one handed-wise was reach the lower right corner without feeling like I’d drop the phone (I use my left hand mostly for one hand use).
I’m sold on upgrading to the Xr instead of the Xs from my 6... just as soon as I save a couple more hundred bucks!
