Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
On occasion, I’ve considered switching to Android because I think all of the current iPhones are overpriced, and the XS and Max, with having to jump to 256GB if 64GB isn’t enough, are even more so than the XR. Still, the integratedness of Apple devices keeps me here. Plus, I don’t upgrade often (4S in 2011, 6s in 2015, and XR in 2018), so that takes some of the sting out of the prices.

Having said that, what mid-priced Androids, say a couple hundred dollars cheaper, would you consider being on par with the XR?


That's a hard one because the XR is a good phone, I'd rather compare to an XS MAX. In terms of quality and support I would say the only phones that come close are the Note 9, the S9/+ and the Pixel 3/XL. The Chinese phones are for a another discussion. Be careful of Google's Pixel lineup. They used to be called Nexus and I've owned a few. The problem is a double edged sword. The Pixel lineup runs pure Android, aka Vanilla Android. Sounds great and it can be great, but experience has taught me that that Pixel lineup is more like an engineering sample, than a regular phone. Since you're on the latest Android, you get a lot of bugs and their products sometimes have software/hardware problems like the wifi modem, it just feels like you're using something that still belongs in a lab. Last Pixel device I got was the Pixel C with the nVidia chipset. Fast as heck, but buggier than shi* with wifi problems..
 
I didn’t buy into the complaints about the resolution before trying the XR as I have always given Apple the benefit of the doubt, but after using it for myself I do have to say that I think it looks blurry compared to an 8+ — more so than I expected. I would strongly recommend anyone who isn’t sensitive to the PWM implementation to upgrade to the iPhone XS, but the average consumer will probably be happy with the XR.
 
I didn’t buy into the complaints about the resolution before trying the XR as I have always given Apple the benefit of the doubt, but after using it for myself I do have to say that I think it looks blurry compared to an 8+ — more so than I expected. I would strongly recommend anyone who isn’t sensitive to the PWM implementation to upgrade to the iPhone XS, but the average consumer will probably be happy with the XR.

Keen to find out if I can see that too when I get home (new XR is about to arrive). Didn't notice anything blurry in the store.

And BTW, for me, XS wouldn't be a great upgrade from my 7 Plus, so that would be the Max which is even more expensive.. XR is the only new model with a reasonable price IMO.
 
Keen to find out if I can see that too when I get home (new XR is about to arrive). Didn't notice anything blurry in the store.

And BTW, for me, XS wouldn't be a great upgrade from my 7 Plus, so that would be the Max which is even more expensive.. XR is the only new model with a reasonable price IMO.

It’s perfectly fine on its own after taking some time to adjust to the display, but you might notice the difference if you switch back and forth between devices. The color and contrast are impressive, a bit better than the 7 Plus in that regard which was already impressive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus
You forgot that small little bit of info. ;)

That extra $250 for the XS (or $350 for those of us stepping up from 64GB) is the crucial thing that doesn’t get enough space. We’ve been duped into saying, “Well this phone is only _ dollars a month more.” It’s pretty slick the way Apple and the carriers have played this.

I simply refuse to pay $1000 in today’s money for a smartphone. Having to do so would be the nudge to push me out of the Apple ecosystem.
 
Last edited:
It’s perfectly fine on its own after taking some time to adjust to the display, but you might notice the difference if you switch back and forth between devices. The color and contrast are impressive, a bit better than the 7 Plus in that regard which was already impressive.

From your original comment, a more than expected blurriness compared to 8 Plus, I am expecting to notice something at least in the first minutes...

But yeah, I don't expect any real issues. It's 326 ppi vs 401 and my 261 ppi iPad looks fine as well. The bright blue color might distract me anyway.
 
From your original comment, a more than expected blurriness compared to 8 Plus, I am expecting to notice something at least in the first minutes...

But yeah, I don't expect any real issues. It's 326 ppi vs 401 and my 261 ppi iPad looks fine as well. The bright blue color might distract me anyway.

If you’re set on the XR my recommendation is just to spend some time getting accustomed to the display (text in particular will look different) and avoid using the 7 Plus for a while.

Once you get used to the improved color and contrast you’ll probably be happy with the XR’s display. Text looks less sharp but also arguably more natural.
 
Last edited:
From your original comment, a more than expected blurriness compared to 8 Plus, I am expecting to notice something at least in the first minutes...

But yeah, I don't expect any real issues. It's 326 ppi vs 401 and my 261 ppi iPad looks fine as well. The bright blue color might distract me anyway.
If you’ve already seen the phone and are happy with the screen then just go for it and don’t dwell on it too much.
 
If you’re set on the XR my recommendation is just to spend some time getting accustomed to the display (text in particular will look different) and avoid using the 7 Plus for a while.

Once you get used to the improved color and contrast you’ll probably be happy with the XR’s display. Text looks less sharp but also arguably more natural.

Just got my XR; there’s absolutely no difference as far as I’m concerned. No adjustment or anything needed, except for the slightly smaller screen.

I already sold my 7 Plus so can’t really compare. But I used that phone for well over year.

Really happy with the XR!
 
Just got my XR; there’s absolutely no difference as far as I’m concerned. No adjustment or anything needed, except for the slightly smaller screen.

I already sold my 7 Plus so can’t really compare. But I used that phone for well over year.

Really happy with the XR!
That is impossible! The screen is absolutely, noticeably inferior. You're just not looking hard enough. ;)
 
Just got my XR; there’s absolutely no difference as far as I’m concerned. No adjustment or anything needed, except for the slightly smaller screen.

I already sold my 7 Plus so can’t really compare. But I used that phone for well over year.

Really happy with the XR!


Sorry, I don't believe you. Get your eyes checked. People report that it's significantly noticeable. There are reports that you can't watch youtube or netflix because it's not 1080p. Don't even get started on the blurry text. There are reports people can't read the blurry letters that the Xr produces. Remember, 720p is 10 year old tech. It doesn't work anymore because it's old technology. Even $100 phones offer 1080p resolution. What was Apple thinking?

/sarcasm
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Goompa and sunapple
Sorry, I don't believe you. Get your eyes checked. People report that it's significantly noticeable. There are reports that you can't watch youtube or netflix because it's not 1080p. Don't even get started on the blurry text. There are reports people can't read the blurry letters that the Xr produces. Remember, 720p is 10 year old tech. It doesn't work anymore because it's old technology. What was Apple thinking?

-There are tons of reports saying they can't notice the difference. They're all lying?

--If someone can't watch Youtube because it's 720p on a tiny screen, it sounds more like a personal problem than a real problem. 720p looks fine on a tiny screen.

--I don't think people know what 'blurry' really means. I've never seen anything blurry on an Apple screen or any screen for that matter. If something appears blurry, they should consider glasses or put the booze down.

--Remember, it's not really 720p regardless of the title of this thread. And their current LCDs are not '10 year old tech'.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: coachingguy
-There are tons of reports saying they can't notice the difference. They're all lying?

--If someone can't watch Youtube because it's 720p on a tiny screen, it sounds more like a personal problem than a real problem 720p looks fine on a tiny screen.

--I don't think people know what 'blurry' really means.

--Remember, it's not really 720p regardless of the title of this thread. And their current LCDs are not '10 year old tech'.

sorry i had to edit my post. i was being sarcastic.
 
upload_2018-10-23_16-38-15-png.797830


If you don't use your iPhone like the guy in the bottom pane, you won't have problems with the XR.
 
upload_2018-10-23_16-38-15-png.797830


If you don't use your iPhone like the guy in the bottom pane, you won't have problems with the XR.

You don't need to do that for some to notice, but the fonts aren't "blurry", IMHO on the XR.

Viewing 12 inches away caps out at 952 PPI apparently on a 3.5 inch screen. None of these screens are at maximum true retina resolution (for all eyes). I think 952 PPI is probably overkill, but knock off even 200 PPI from those numbers, and we still aren't achieving that. People can see the difference on a mobile screen between 1080p and 1440p when they adjust the Youtube or streaming (on mobile screens that fully support those resolutions).
[doublepost=1547678054][/doublepost]
You forgot that small little bit of info. ;)
That and I'm sure plenty have bought the XR even if they have the extra cash cause they like it for whatever reason more, they don't care or find the added expense justifiable.
 
Last edited:
You don't need to do that for some to notice, but the fonts aren't "blurry", IMHO on the XR.

Viewing 12 inches away caps out at 952 PPI apparently on a 3.5 inch screen. None of these screens are at maximum true retina resolution (for all eyes). I think 952 PPI is probably overkill, but knock off even 200 PPI from those numbers, and we still aren't achieving that. People can see the difference on a mobile screen between 1080p and 1440p when they adjust the Youtube or streaming (on mobile screens that fully support those resolutions).
[doublepost=1547678054][/doublepost]
I'm sure plenty have bought the XR even if they have the extra cash cause they like it for whatever reason more, they don't care or find the added expense justifiable.

Those tests aren't for smartphones. They test eyes using content that is far smaller than what is typically displayed on a smartphone.

Apple doesn't recommend fonts smaller than 10pt on iPhone. Text in iOS is typically displayed at 13-17pt.

If you have Chinese or Japanese characters displaying at 4pt, then you will notice a difference. But that's not how smartphones display content. And that's why most people won't see a difference beyond 300 PPI on a smartphone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus
The display really is perfectly fine. There is an adjustment period after being used to the higher pixel density of the Plus phones. It is a Retina Display in that you won’t see the pixels, but that doesn’t mean that a higher PPI wouldn’t have been noticeable. Still it is surprisingly sharp and I don’t think the display will be an issue for most people. It is less sharp than the 8+ though.
 
Last edited:
Those tests aren't for smartphones. They test eyes using content that is far smaller than what is typically displayed on a smartphone.

Apple doesn't recommend fonts smaller than 10pt on iPhone. Text in iOS is typically displayed at 13-17pt.

If you have Chinese or Japanese characters displaying at 4pt, then you will notice a difference. But that's not how smartphones display content. And that's why most people won't see a difference beyond 300 PPI on a smartphone.

It's for sure used in the context of mobile displays, the graph is shown in the article. "For the iPhone 4S to have a true Retina display, it needs 65% smaller pixels":

https://www.cultofmac.com/173702/why-retina-isnt-enough-feature/

Detroitborg from YT was showing an example of it being mostly noticed under certain fonts and sizes.

Any time in the past when I switched from the 6 to the Plus, I noticed a difference. Mainly in smaller text fonts (especially in iMessage), but none of them were blurry to my eyes. I could notice a difference in perceived sharpness, but it wasn't a gigantic difference. iP3GS->4 was the biggest leap.
 
Last edited:
upload_2018-10-23_16-38-15-png.797830


If you don't use your iPhone like the guy in the bottom pane, you won't have problems with the XR.

Not really, you can easily tell the different with the first pic normal viewing distance. 720p is a ten years old tech, just accept it if you want a "budget" iphone. Apple needs to earn your money and they only provide 720p quality for this price, it is the deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iSilas and Goompa
Not really, you can easily tell the different with the first pic normal viewing distance. 720p is a ten years old tech, just accept it if you want a "budget" iphone. Apple needs to earn your money and they only provide 720p quality for this price, it is the deal.
Phone calls are tech that's more than a century old. It's just crazy that Apple and all these other phone manufacturers put "old tech" and "budget" phone calling capabilities into their devices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus
Regardless how many times that is noted, he still writes 720p. Now, why is that?
There's quite a few members that are on the "Apple Degradation" warpath around here. I reply to this type of stuff only to limit the spread of misinformation to other members that may not have happened upon it yet. I'm sure there's plenty of people that come here to research which phone they will end up buying.

I'd be interested in his answer to your question, though.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.