iPhone X So Xr’s screen is only 720p...

[stafil]

It's all relative in the context of its existence bacially. This year it's the "budget" version out of all the new/latest versions that have been released.

The word you are looking is maybe “low-end”. Definitely not “budget”.

 

[C DM]

The word you are looking is maybe “low-end”. Definitely not “budget”.

Out of the 3 new options, it is essentially both.

 

[haruhiko]

A point to remember is that you always lose more than what you save if you try to save a little bit and buy the lower model for a product. Apple designed the XR to reach a price point so corners are cut here and there. The screen and the camera are two of the most expensive components.

 

[Scott G.]

It’s 828p.

Oh, well that's better! /s

 

[ZEEN0j]

But wouldn't it be larger so same PPI wouldn't be the same as on a smaller screen?

It doesn’t have the same resolution as those devices. It’s bigger and has an increase in resolution to keep the same 326 ppi.

Edit: Also as it’s bigger you might use it a little bit further from your face. So it could be perceived as sharper.

 

[ghsDUDE]

It doesn’t have the same resolution as those devices. It’s bigger and has an increase in resolution to keep the same 326 ppi.

Edit: Also as it’s bigger you might use it a little bit further from your face. So it could be perceived as sharper.

The screen on the XR is larger than the 8 Plus....yet the XR PPI is worse.

Apple very easily could have put the 8 Plus PPI in the XR If they weren’t cutting corners.

 

[gelie]

The screen on the XR is larger than the 8 Plus....yet the XR PPI is worse.

Apple very easily could have put the 8 Plus PPI in the XR If they weren’t cutting corners.

Yes easily. And raise the price $200. Oh wait they did that already its called a XS Max

 

[icemantx]

Yes easily. And raise the price $200. Oh wait they did that already its called a XS Max

Try about 50% more expensive when comparing the XS Max to the XR, not $200 more.

Is the XS Max 50% better? Depends on the buyer and what’s important to them.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The word you are looking is maybe “low-end”. Definitely not “budget”.

£749 is not budget.

 

[Jimmy James]

Oh, well that's better! /s

15% better.

 

[profets]

The screen on the XR is larger than the 8 Plus....yet the XR PPI is worse.

Apple very easily could have put the 8 Plus PPI in the XR If they weren’t cutting corners.

I get it. But in all honesty, it always seemed weird how the Plus iPhone had the UI scaled to 3x and then downsampled to fit the 1080x1920 screen.

Having the UI drawn at 2x and matching the exact screen resolution will probably result in excellent performance as well. Next step would have been like the Max (drawing the same UI at 3x which matches the exact physical resolution of the device).

 

[rnbarg]

It's not calculated. It's the actual resolution posted right on Apple's XR webpage.


It's actually not that difficult for some people to tell the difference between an 8 and 8 Plus, myself included, and I wear glasses (see below).


For 16:9 1080p video in landscape mode, you will get no top and bottom black bars on the XR. The aspect ratio is exactly the same as the X, XS, and XS Max. None of those models will have top and bottom black bars in this context. The 8 and 8 Plus won't have top and bottom black bars either in this context.

The time you will have top and bottom black bars in landscape mode is if you're watching something like 2.35:1 content, so perhaps that is what you were seeing in the demo videos, but phones like the XR are actually more suited to this type of content than the 8 and 8 Plus. The top and bottom black bars would be even bigger on the 8 and 8 Plus for 2.35:1 content.


Ppi is one spec which is very important to some users, because if you can see the image degradation on the 8 from the lower pixel density, you will also see the image degradation on the XR. Text quality doesn't look any different on say the iPhone 6 as the iPhone 8 despite the advancements in LCD technology in the intervening 3 years.

The main thing is to determine if 1) If you can see it in the first place, and/or 2) If it matters to you.

1) Many people with 20/20 vision won't notice much difference, but people should remember, that 20/20 vision isn't actually great vision. It's average vision for older eyes. People who are younger often have better vision than 20/20, and people who use corrective lenses (ie. many with glasses or contacts esp. if their prescriptions aren't several years out of date) will have better than 20/20 vision.

Furthermore, the 20/20 number refers to to the ability to resolve individual pixels. This is not the only criterion with which to assess text clarity. There are others such as edge crispness one small fonts and even text colour. Very small text on an 8 can sometimes look soft on the edges, and may even show up as a less intense black (more greyish) because of the way the text is rendered.

2) Some people just won't care much, even if they do just occasionally see the difference.

[doublepost=1539013265][/doublepost]Re: “There are others such as edge crispness one small fonts and even text colour. Very small text on an 8 can sometimes look soft on the edges, and may even show up as a less intense black (more greyish) because of the way the text is rendered.”

If you enable the Zoom Display Mode on IOS 12 on the XR, it will have the screen real estate of the XS with an increased the font size. I believe its 148 Points zoomed display vs 163 points. The screen real estate on the XS has been calculated, allowing for the notch and rounded corners, to be 97% of the screen real estate of the 8 Plus. By increasing the font size by using ZDM on the XR, might this improve the soft edges on small text and blackness of text, narrowing the gap between perceived quality of the 8 Plus vs XR display, conceding it won’t change the PPI. Other than reducing screen real estate, are there any drawbacks to using Zoom Display Mode. Is the emulation free of distortion? I assume this is not like changing the default scaled resolution on the MBP which will cause text, icons and screen elements to appear qualitatively with fuzzy edges.

 

[ghsDUDE]

Yes easily. And raise the price $200. Oh wait they did that already its called a XS Max

Really? Boy, I wonder how the pricing for the 8 Plus was determined...since it’s pretty much the same as the XR.

Except it has 3D Touch, Higher PPI, and Dual Lense Camera.

 

[ZEEN0j]

I get it. But in all honesty, it always seemed weird how the Plus iPhone had the UI scaled to 3x and then downsampled to fit the 1080x1920 screen.

Having the UI drawn at 2x and matching the exact screen resolution will probably result in excellent performance as well. Next step would have been like the Max (drawing the same UI at 3x which matches the exact physical resolution of the device).

Exactly. Plus phones had aliasing issues with single pixel lines because of this. With the XR you get native internal and external resolution.

Really? Boy, I wonder how the pricing for the 8 Plus was determined...since it’s pretty much the same as the XR.

Except it has 3D Touch, Higher PPI, and Dual Lense Camera.

Best guess is Face ID and the new edge to edge display is what's pushing the price on the XR

 

[Mackinjosh]

Exactly. Plus phones had aliasing issues with single pixel lines because of this. With the XR you get native internal and external resolution.



Best guess is Face ID and the new edge to edge display is what's pushing the price on the XR

As well as using the same chip that's in the XS models.

 

[rnbarg]

[doublepost=1539013265][/doublepost]Re: “There are others such as edge crispness one small fonts and even text colour. Very small text on an 8 can sometimes look soft on the edges, and may even show up as a less intense black (more greyish) because of the way the text is rendered.”

If you enable the Zoom Display Mode on IOS 12 on the XR, it will have the screen real estate of the XS with an increased the font size. I believe its 148 Points zoomed display vs 163 points. The screen real estate on the XS has been calculated, allowing for the notch and rounded corners, to be 97% of the screen real estate of the 8 Plus. By increasing the font size by using ZDM on the XR, might this improve the soft edges on small text and blackness of text, narrowing the gap between perceived quality of the 8 Plus vs XR display, conceding it won’t change the PPI. Other than reducing screen real estate, are there any drawbacks to using Zoom Display Mode. Is the emulation free of distortion? I assume this is not like changing the default scaled resolution on the MBP which will cause text, icons and screen elements to appear qualitatively with fuzzy edges.

I rewrote the above comment because it was unclear.
[doublepost=1539023749][/doublepost]

Exactly. Plus phones had aliasing issues with single pixel lines because of this. With the XR you get native internal and external resolution.



Best guess is Face ID and the new edge to edge display is what's pushing the price on the XR

How did the aliasing issues with singe pixel lines impact the display of content on the 8 plus?

 

[ghsDUDE]

Exactly. Plus phones had aliasing issues with single pixel lines because of this. With the XR you get native internal and external resolution.



Best guess is Face ID and the new edge to edge display is what's pushing the price on the XR

I would hardly call it edge to edge display...the bezels are a lot thicker than the XS/XS Max. The 8 Plus also has Touch ID, which is a hard cost they were able to get rid of in place of Face ID.

All I’m saying is their new “budget” phone is the same price as the 8 Plus and it’s missing a few key features...and what’s the point of having a larger screen if the text isn’t going to look as crisp as it’s predecessor?

I would consider the 8 Plus a closer relative to the XR instead of the 8...so please don’t say the 8 has the same PPI.

 

[44267547]

All I’m saying is their new “budget” phone is the same price as the 8.

I don’t mean to be overly critical, but there is nothing ‘budget’ about the XR, it’s Apples entry level iPhone offering face ID in a new form factor, that’s really what the consumer is purchasing with a more affordable price point. Even the SE when that was offered at one point, wasn’t even considered or remotely to be ‘budget’, it was just their entry-level iPhone.

 

[Lankyman]

Some of these posts are hilarious. I suspect in real world use most people will struggle to see any difference (apart from colour temperature) between the Xs and the XR. I'm pretty sure I won't see any difference. Some people get so hung up on specs they lose sight of the product and as a consequence pay more than is necessary.

 

[ghsDUDE]

Some of these posts are hilarious. I suspect in real world use most people will struggle to see any difference (apart from colour temperature) between the Xs and the XR. I'm pretty sure I won't see any difference. Some people get so hung up on specs they lose sight of the product and as a consequence pay more than is necessary.

I could tell the difference between the 8 and 8 Plus very easily.

I’m sure anyone coming from a Plus iPhone or X will notice the text looking a little more “soft” in comparison.

Anyone upgrading from an SE/5/6/7/8 won’t notice a difference with the text.

 

[rnbarg]

I could tell the difference between the 8 and 8 Plus very easily.

I’m sure anyone coming from a Plus iPhone or X will notice the text looking a little more “soft” in comparison.

Anyone upgrading from an SE/5/6/7/8 won’t notice a difference with the text.

I guess we'll see when the XR comes out. I have gotten a new plus phone for each of the past 4 years. I like it. If what you're saying turns out to be true, I guess I will have to pass on a new phone for the first time since the original iPhone shipped. I returned the XS Max because I found the screen to be uncomfortable to look at for very long.

 

[ghsDUDE]

I guess we'll see when the XR comes out. I have gotten a new plus phone for each of the past 4 years. I like it. If what you're saying turns out to be true, I guess I will have to pass on a new phone for the first time since the original iPhone shipped. I returned the XS Max because I found the screen to be uncomfortable to look at for very long.

I returned my XS Max due to the PWM implementation of the OLED. It caused eye-aches and headaches.

Downgraded to an 8 Plus simply because I went into the store to look at an 8...and couldn’t believe how soft the text looked.

Go look at an 8 in person and use it for a few minutes...if it doesn’t bother you the XR will be a great choice.

Unfortunately, I could tell and reluctantly got the 8 Plus. The bezels on it suck, but the text is crisp and my headaches from PWM implementation is gone!

 

[Smoothie]

I must be immune because I've use my XS Max extensively in various lighting conditions and haven't experienced any discomfort from the OLED screen.

 

[rnbarg]

I returned my XS Max due to the PWM implementation of the OLED. It caused eye-aches and headaches.

Downgraded to an 8 Plus simply because I went into the store to look at an 8...and couldn’t believe how soft the text looked.

Go look at an 8 in person and use it for a few minutes...if it doesn’t bother you the XR will be a great choice.

Unfortunately, I could tell and reluctantly got the 8 Plus. The bezels on it suck, but the text is crisp and my headaches from PWM implementation is gone!

Not a bad idea if you intend to buy site unseen on preorder day. And I might do that anyway. The acid test is comparing the 8 Plus (what I have) and the XR side by side. Although it seems like Apple is using mostly the same screen specs for the XR as the display on the iPhone 8, ie. 326 ppi, True Tone, same contrast ratio, same brightness, P3 Wide color gamut and pitching it as liquid retina and the "the best LCD ever", perhaps Apple has added some secret ingredients we don't know about.
[doublepost=1539039981][/doublepost]

I must be immune because I've use my XS Max extensively in various lighting conditions and haven't experienced any discomfort from the OLED screen.

Believe me, it's a real problem, but only affects a small minority of users (that are vocal about it anyway). There is a thread on this forum that runs 65 pages long of people who have issues w/the XS and XS Plus. I really wanted to like the phone, but the experience was just too unpleasant.

 

[Mackinjosh]

Wait, now the text on an iPhone 8 is soft? Hooboy.