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KOTN91

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2017
681
554
It’s strange they kept the iPhone 11 in the lineup

While the iPhone 11 was a very limited upgrade over the XR, the difference between the 11 and 12 is far greater. Surely this leaves the 11 in a strange place in the lineup. Those wanting the latest and all the features would go for the 12, whilst the XR provides fantastic value for money. The 11 isn’t worth £100 more than the XR tbh. This leaves it in a strange place in the lineup
 

MrKennedy

macrumors 6502
Aug 8, 2011
369
320
It’s strange they kept the iPhone 11 in the lineup

While the iPhone 11 was a very limited upgrade over the XR, the difference between the 11 and 12 is far greater. Surely this leaves the 11 in a strange place in the lineup. Those wanting the latest and all the features would go for the 12, whilst the XR provides fantastic value for money. The 11 isn’t worth £100 more than the XR tbh. This leaves it in a strange place in the lineup


I think it makes sense (for Apple) to have as many options available at different price points. There’s a LOT of existing and potential customers out there. Keeping last years model and bumping the price down makes it accessible to more people. In the US the difference between the 12 and 11 is $200 (unless you go mini). In other markets the difference in price could be bigger.

I’m sure they’ll have no trouble continuing to sell the 11 going forward. Next year it’ll probably remain in the lineup with another price drop.
 
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Pilot Jones

macrumors 6502a
Oct 2, 2020
891
1,675
Not strange at all when you consider it from a financial perspective. Apple is continuing to stock the best-selling smartphone in the world from last year and are also dropping its price by $100.

Seems like a pretty smart move to me, since not everyone either has the money or desire to buy to the newest, shiniest phone even when they do want to upgrade. Most aren't enthusiasts and just want something reliable that's a tried & true success so they can buy it and forget about it. The iPhone 11 fits that bill perfectly.
 

profets

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2009
5,164
6,313
I myself would prefer a bit of a cleaner / simpler lineup, but its not hard to tell what they're doing. We have 7 iPhone options (before looking at storage options), and they're all roughly $100 apart. Not only do they hit a nice spectrum of price points for most budgets, but they're also close enough that people will probably jump to a more expensive option "well for $100 more I could get this..."
 

tt061282

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2018
367
409
Nevada
In all honesty I don’t find them keeping the 11 weird at all. If anything I believe the XR should’ve been discontinued. However, I find it smart of them to keep all of them. You literally have an iPhone at every price point starting at $399. For $399 you get a very capable phone performance wise and actually better performing than the phone you will get for $499. The difference between the SE 2 and the XR is the design and that’s honestly about it. So for $100 more you’ll get the XR that has a more “modern” design, but less performance. Not bad performance at all. The A12 is still a monster chip. However the A13 will most likely be supported for a year longer...

Just for instance ... I had a friend call me a couple of weeks ago. He had a 7 Plus since 2016. The Jet Black one actually still love that phone. Anyway the battery was down to 72% Battery Health and he wanted to upgrade his phone and was choosing between the XR and the SE. he asked me which one I would choose. Instead of that I just laid out the differences for him between the 2 phones and let him choose. Ultimately he chose the SE in white (which is gorgeous). He’s still very happy with his decision and saved $200 (at the time).

So in all honesty it’s about needs. If you want in the Apple ecosystem you can do it for $399 for 4.7” device with “flagship” performance or for $499 you can get a very capable 6.1” device with near flagship performance as well. Then for just $100 more you’ll get the iPhone 11 which does have a far superior camera over the XR or SE.

I think this is Apple’s most complete iPhone lineup to date TBH.
 

JohnnyGo

macrumors 6502a
Sep 9, 2009
957
620
I myself would prefer a bit of a cleaner / simpler lineup, but its not hard to tell what they're doing. We have 7 iPhone options (before looking at storage options), and they're all roughly $100 apart. Not only do they hit a nice spectrum of price points for most budgets, but they're also close enough that people will probably jump to a more expensive option "well for $100 more I could get this..."

Agreed.

There’s also the benefit for Apple in other countries where the price of the top line iphone is prohibitive in terms of disposable income. To continue to sell older models in the US it makes them more attractive in those countries (not discontinued models).

Because of warranties and service/repairs Apple would continue producing these phones anyway.
 

Jxdawg

macrumors 6502
Dec 17, 2019
385
396
I agree it is odd, much like Apple keeping the Series 3 in the AW lineup. At the end of the day, it is just more options for the consumer. What’s not to love?
 
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KOTN91

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2017
681
554
What I mean is that it’s difficult to see who would go for the 11, since it’s such a limited upgrade over the XR. Surely people would either get the XR or the 12
 

KOTN91

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2017
681
554
I find it weird they kept the XR; the 11 was a great upgrade over the XR in the camera department. I think they will likely get rid of both in 2021 if the rumoured SE plus happens.

Hopefully that SE plus surfboard won’t ever come to fruition, it was ridiculous enough with the 8+. How could anybody want that over a beautiful XR. FaceId and gestures are pretty much essential at this point too, going back to anything less feels archaic
 

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,136
5,664
Surprise
I just wonder if it would have made more sense to just cut the 11 by another $50 and get rid of the XR. Or what might happen is early next year the SE Plus comes out to replace the XR at that price point. I'd like that for my Mom as her 6 Plus is getting long in the tooth, the 8 Plus is now 3 years old itself and I know she would have a problem adjusting to the gestures or a virtual instead of a physical home button. She did NOT like the iPad Pro 11.
 

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,136
5,664
Surprise
Hopefully that SE plus surfboard won’t ever come to fruition, it was ridiculous enough with the 8+. How could anybody want that over a beautiful XR. FaceId and gestures are pretty much essential at this point too, going back to anything less feels archaic

There are some people who prefer the Plus design who do not like using gestures or a virtual home button.
 

Johnny907

macrumors 68020
Sep 20, 2014
2,149
3,999
Not really, they kept the Xr in the lineup last year. The 11 is a good phone, and solid choice for folks that maybe don’t want OLED screens.
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,527
26,155
Why is it strange? It’s one of the best 4G iPhones available.

Remember consumers want powerful cameras. The XR has limited camera features.
 
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JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,527
26,155
What I mean is that it’s difficult to see who would go for the 11, since it’s such a limited upgrade over the XR. Surely people would either get the XR or the 12

iPhone 11 is a big upgrade over the XR.

4GB RAM
Ultra-wide lens
Night mode
Deep Fusion
12MP front camera
Gigabit LTE
Even bigger battery

Frankly, the iPhone 11 offers much better value than the XR.

iPhone 12 starts at $829. That’s a big leap from $599.
 

oVerboost

macrumors 68000
Sep 17, 2013
1,565
1,039
United Kingdom
The 11 was kept around as they still need to produce it for the Indian market, and others with poorer economies. So they may as well offer it with a slight discount to pick up extra sales in the rest of the world.
 
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JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,527
26,155
The XR outsold the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max during March 2020. The 11 will likely outsell the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max next spring.

1603045193864.png
 
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KOTN91

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2017
681
554
iPhone 11 is a big upgrade over the XR.

4GB RAM
Ultra-wide lens
Night mode
Deep Fusion
12MP front camera
Gigabit LTE
Even bigger battery

Frankly, the iPhone 11 offers much better value than the XR.

iPhone 12 starts at $829. That’s a big leap from $599.

No it isn’t. Those things make very little difference to the average consumer. Extra gb of ram and gigabit LTE, lol. Ok the camera might be fractionally better but the camera on the XR is still very good

I feel like people are still missing the point. I don’t see who would pick the 11, when given the choicr of the XR, 11,12 and their relative capabilities and prices
 
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KOTN91

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2017
681
554
There are some people who prefer the Plus design who do not like using gestures or a virtual home button.

Surely those people are very much in the minority now. Here’s to hoping the surfboard plus never sees the light it day. The 8 plus was bad enough!
 
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