iPhone XR Thinking of switching from Pixel to iPhone XR. I have questions

[bvz]

Hi there,

I'm considering switching from my first generation Google Pixel to an iPhone XR. I've done a bunch of research and have a fairly good grasp of the differences. I'm not really looking for persuasion (I generally prefer Android to iOS having used both, but Google's terrible update policy might be pushing me towards the iPhone).

My question has to do with the updates to the camera. As terrible as Google's updates are after three years, one thing they do very well is keep the functionality of individual apps up. Specifically, my first generation Pixel has nearly all the same camera features as the latest model. I'm mostly thinking about night sight which is simply amazing.

Will the iPhone XR get updated to have night mode camera? My googling so far seems to suggest it will not which is a shame and might keep me on Android.

Does Apple generally keep their older phones updated with the same camera functionality as the newer ones? Or will I miss out on the new features because they are reserved for the new phones? I know some features are always going to be hardware related, but I'm curious as to what features have not made the backwards jump to older models in past updates.

Not looking for an iPhone vs Android war. Mostly just looking for additional info that I can use together with my other metrics. Thanks so much for any info

 

[JPack]

Apple has a history of feature rationing. Old devices will almost never receive new features for the camera. Apple promises security and iOS updates for existing phones but don’t expect major features.

 

[nfl46]

No, Apple won’t give you updates to include those camera features.

 

[bvz]

Hmmm. That's interesting to know. Not sure if it is a deal breaker, but it will definitely be another consideration.

Thanks for the replies.

It might push me to the iPhone 11 right off the bat (five years of updates is really compelling). Or maybe I stick with a pixel 3a which only has another 30 months of updates but will probably get app updates longer than the iPhone.

Nuts. Was hoping for a slam dunk with the XR.

(I also have to think whether the existing camera features might be adequate. Other than night sight, there haven't really been any other compelling upgrades to the pixel cameras so that I couldn't live without).

 

[m0sher]

To answer one of your questions: NO the XR will not be getting night mode. It requires the new A13 bionic chip in order to process the pictures which previous chips do not have the capability.

Get the 11.

The difference from 11 to 11 Pro. The 11 can go from 0.5x ultra wide to 1x wide, the iPhone 11 Pro can go from 0.5x to 2x to telephoto.

 

[bvz]

To answer one of your questions: NO the XR will not be getting night mode. It requires the new A13 bionic chip in order to process the pictures which previous chips do not have the capability.

Get the 11.

The difference from 11 to 11 Pro. The 11 can go from 0.5x ultra wide to 1x wide, the iPhone 11 Pro can go from 0.5x to 2x to telephoto.

I think you are right about the 11 vs. the 11 pro. I'm afraid I'm just not in the tax bracket that would allow me to purchase an 11 pro. It'd be nice, but I can't justify that kind of expense.

My current Pixel cost me $250 (used) two years ago and, except for the fact that Google has abandoned it (security updates wise), is still perfectly good for my needs. I'm pretty happy with mid grade specs. I have kind of fallen in love with night sight though (and I got it for free when Google updated the camera app) and would hate to lose that.

The iPhone does seem to have much much better video recording.

The main reason I would get an iPhone vs. a pixel 3a is that the life of an iPhone is much longer. But if I'm going to be missing out on some nice features that I might otherwise get via updates on a Pixel, I might be less inclined to keep the iPhone as long. In that case the longevity is less of a feature.

Still haven't decided though.

Edit: and it isn't all roses in the pixel world either. Portrait mode never made the leap back to my first gen pixel (though you can side load it apparently - something I'm not super excited about doing).

Ugh. Why isn't anything ever easy.

 

[brucemr]

I think you are right about the 11 vs. the 11 pro. I'm afraid I'm just not in the tax bracket that would allow me to purchase an 11 pro. It'd be nice, but I can't justify that kind of expense.

My current Pixel cost me $250 (used) two years ago and, except for the fact that Google has abandoned it (security updates wise), is still perfectly good for my needs. I'm pretty happy with mid grade specs. I have kind of fallen in love with night sight though (and I got it for free when Google updated the camera app) and would hate to lose that.

The iPhone does seem to have much much better video recording.

The main reason I would get an iPhone vs. a pixel 3a is that the life of an iPhone is much longer. But if I'm going to be missing out on some nice features that I might otherwise get via updates on a Pixel, I might be less inclined to keep the iPhone as long. In that case the longevity is less of a feature.

Still haven't decided though.

Edit: and it isn't all roses in the pixel world either. Portrait mode never made the leap back to my first gen pixel (though you can side load it apparently - something I'm not super excited about doing).

Ugh. Why isn't anything ever easy.

Android updates only 3 years...didn’t know it was that bad. iOS updates are often for 6 years.

A few camera updates appearing with some new models over the iPhone years might appear to be only done with software...HDR, Live Photos, Portrait Mode, Night Mode, Auto Adjustments. But I suspect there was new hardware involved with at least some of them, necessary to deliver that feature with quality results.

Most camera upgrades on new models over the years, have obviously involved hardware advances. Hardware advances will happen regardless of the phone you buy. And not just with the camera.

But, if you want night mode, you need to get iPhone 11.

 

[bvz]

Yeah, and three years is considered the gold standard. Though there are some mitigating factors...

I put up with it because the phones were way way cheaper. I could buy a new phone every two and a half years and still not spend as much as an iPhone would have cost me. But those days are behind us now The pixel phones aren't cheaper by all that much anymore (and in some cases, even more expensive). The pixel 3a is a fair bit cheaper and still sports a camera that is as good as the iPhone 11 (for photos, less so for video). But it is less capable in some other significant ways (that I personally could care less about, but they are there).

Of course, if you swap phones every two years then the math swings in favor of the pixel line again. But if you like to hang on to your phones longer it isn't as easy a choice.

The mitigating factor I mentioned above is that even after the core OS stops getting updates, the individual components and apps still get updated via the play store. So while the iPhone may get stuck with no new features on many of the apps (reserved for new phones) Android phones continue to get updated features because these features are not part of the core OS.

Still, three years (from first release) is almost criminal and one of the reasons I am (reluctantly) considering an iPhone.
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For what it is worth, I'm compiling a spreadsheet to compare various phones I'm considering. Any suggestions anyone has about the accuracy or categories I may be missing is appreciated.

Next Phone 2019

docs.google.com

 

[FlyingDutch]

I would make a little sacrifice and buy an iPhone 11.
A better product, even if iPhone XR is still a valid smartphone.
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I think you are right about the 11 vs. the 11 pro. I'm afraid I'm just not in the tax bracket that would allow me to purchase an 11 pro. It'd be nice, but I can't justify that kind of expense.

My current Pixel cost me $250 (used) two years ago and, except for the fact that Google has abandoned it (security updates wise), is still perfectly good for my needs. I'm pretty happy with mid grade specs. I have kind of fallen in love with night sight though (and I got it for free when Google updated the camera app) and would hate to lose that.

The iPhone does seem to have much much better video recording.

The main reason I would get an iPhone vs. a pixel 3a is that the life of an iPhone is much longer. But if I'm going to be missing out on some nice features that I might otherwise get via updates on a Pixel, I might be less inclined to keep the iPhone as long. In that case the longevity is less of a feature.

Still haven't decided though.

Edit: and it isn't all roses in the pixel world either. Portrait mode never made the leap back to my first gen pixel (though you can side load it apparently - something I'm not super excited about doing).

Ugh. Why isn't anything ever easy.

since you are planning to keep the phone for 3 years, I would insist on iPhone 11.

 

[Puppuccino]

It sounds like you should stick with Android if you prefer it to iOS.

iOS apps have a history of better support and more, consistent updates but when a new phone comes out, it won't have the same feature like the camera stuff, but often that's down to the chips and other bits of hardware the new phone will have.

It's comes down to personal preference and ultimately if you're struggling to justify making the switch then it doesn't seem like it's really for you.

 

[bvz]

I'm pretty sure that once I was used to iOS that I would probably then have the opposite reaction and not want to switch to Android. My preference is mostly down to familiarity since each OS has its strengths and weakness's.

The bigger question for me is how long would I keep the phone. Looking at my spreadsheet, I would have to keep the iPhone 11 for about 5 years to have it be financially viable. The XR, obviously, would only have to be good for 4 years since it is now discounted. I'm also open to used phones so I'll be looking at that as well.

I wished the XR would get the night mode camera. That is the only thing that would bump me up to the 11 (or keep me on a pixel). If I didn't have experience with it on my current phone I wouldn't even be thinking about it, but now that I have used it, it would be hard to downgrade that particular feature.
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I would make a little sacrifice and buy an iPhone 11.
A better product, even if iPhone XR is still a valid smartphone.
[automerge]1574083027[/automerge]

since you are planning to keep the phone for 3 years, I would insist on iPhone 11.

I'm a pretty low power user of my phones. From a performance metric, my original Pixel is still plenty good for me (three years after it was released) and it originally wasn't as powerful as the iPhone 7 at the time.

With the exception of the night mode, I'm quite sure the XR has way more power than needed to get me through at least four years of usage given my history.

But thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely consider it.

 

[JPack]

The XR is a good choice if night mode is not an absolute necessity. We're on the verge of 5G so spending too much on a new smartphone today may not be a good idea

It seems your choices are:

• Pixel 3a - lower cost, 1 year less of OS updates, has night mode
• iPhone XR - higher cost, 1 year more of OS updates

You may also want to consider TCO including battery replacement costs. The battery for the 3a is significantly less expensive than XR.

 

[retta283]

The XR is a good choice if night mode is not an absolute necessity. We're on the verge of 5G so spending too much on a new smartphone today may not be a good idea

It seems your choices are:

• Pixel 3a - lower cost, 1 year less of OS updates, has night mode
• iPhone XR - higher cost, 1 year more of OS updates

You may also want to consider TCO including battery replacement costs. The battery for the 3a is significantly less expensive than XR.

You must take into account that some people will not see 5G for years. Some rural areas in the US still are without 4G, and their 3G isn't even great either.

 

[JPack]

You must take into account that some people will not see 5G for years. Some rural areas in the US still are without 4G, and their 3G isn't even great either.

I agree that's true, especially in countries where 5G deployment is slow.

At the same time, we're expecting some big changes next year. This year is the tail end of the iPhone X generation of devices. The 6.1" model will get OLED and 5G next year. And perhaps in-display fingerprint and a third rear camera.

 

[m0sher]

Delete

 

[bvz]

The XR is a good choice if night mode is not an absolute necessity. We're on the verge of 5G so spending too much on a new smartphone today may not be a good idea

It seems your choices are:

• Pixel 3a - lower cost, 1 year less of OS updates, has night mode
• iPhone XR - higher cost, 1 year more of OS updates

You may also want to consider TCO including battery replacement costs. The battery for the 3a is significantly less expensive than XR.

I'm getting closer to making a decision. Based on my spreadsheet it looks like the 3a is the most affordable phone with one big caveat (discussed below).

Somewhat surprisingly, the next most affordable phone is the iPhone XR, followed closely by the iPhone 11.

Even the pixel 3a XL is way more expensive than the iPhones over a four year period. And the regular Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 4 XL are both way way more expensive (almost double). All of this is down to Google's terrible update schedule.

On the surface it seems that the regular Pixel 3a is the way to go, budget wise (assuming the extra features on the iPhones are not worth the extra money - something I'm ok with). But there is one hidden, potential "gotcha". This spreadsheet assumes that when the pixel 3a is no longer supported that there will be an equally cheap (but supported) phone available to replace it (the 5a maybe?). If not, then the total cost of ownership over these 4 years is different because the last 1.5 years the cost of owning a phone will have gone up. On the flip side, replacing the phone in 2.5 years does mean that the performance and feature set of a mid range phone will probably outpace even the iPhone 11. So if there IS a suitably cheap replacement, you might wind up with a better phone for the last 1.5 years of this time frame than if you had stuck with the iPhone. But it's a crap shoot one way or the other.

Anyway, thanks all for your input and letting me think out loud on this forum. I'll be buying the new phone around black Friday, so decision time is coming up soon.

 

[Rodneyp]

Here is something to add that might be of interest. I bought the first version of the pixel and had several hardware issues after 2 replacements in the 1st 60 days I dumped it before it lost its value. I bought a 7+ my wife still has it and it will get updated for at least the next couple years if Apple’s track record continues. Both were the current flagship phones at the time.

So initial cost of ownership is more, but long term ownership is much cheaper with the iPhone.

 

[faraine]

Don't forget to consider the value of the iphone after 5 years. Pretty sure you can still make some money selling it.

 

[bvz]

Here is something to add that might be of interest. I bought the first version of the pixel and had several hardware issues after 2 replacements in the 1st 60 days I dumped it before it lost its value. I bought a 7+ my wife still has it and it will get updated for at least the next couple years if Apple’s track record continues. Both were the current flagship phones at the time.

So initial cost of ownership is more, but long term ownership is much cheaper with the iPhone.

Yeah, that's what my spreadsheet shows too. Only the Pixel 3a (not the XL) can compete - and only when it is on sale for $300 like it is now.
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Don't forget to consider the value of the iphone after 5 years. Pretty sure you can still make some money selling it.

I considered that, but it turns out that the resale value is kind of a wash. An iPhone that is five years old is worth about the same as a pixel that is three years old. iPhones hold their value better given the same age, but once you factor in their longer life (which significantly contributes to reducing their "cost per month") the resale gets eaten up by that.

 

[AustinIllini]

Don't forget to consider the value of the iphone after 5 years. Pretty sure you can still make some money selling it.

Yup. Google Pixels are worthless after 18 months.

 

[44267547]

Don't forget to consider the value of the iphone after 5 years. Pretty sure you can still make some money selling it.

Pretty sure the iPhone has the best resale value of over any smart phone on the market.😁 But I agree, the reason being, Apples iOS/software is supported for so long, that it continues to not add to the value, but retain some value because of how long the support is and of course the quality of construction has _always_ been very good.

 

[MacDevil7334]

One other thought that I don’t think has been mentioned here: owners of older iPhones can often get camera features that are “exclusive” to newer devices via a 3rd party app, even if Apple chooses not to allow it in the stock camera app. A good example is Focos, which allows users of iPhone 7+, 8+, and X to adjust the amount of background blur in portrait images after the fact, even though that was an “exclusive” feature on the XS/XR models. There are also 3rd party apps that offer an experience to the night mode on the 11 models. Others are correct that Apple likely will not enable new camera features on older models in the default app. But, the rich landscape of 3rd party apps out there means you likely won’t be totally out of luck.

 

[bvz]

One other thought that I don’t think has been mentioned here: owners of older iPhones can often get camera features that are “exclusive” to newer devices via a 3rd party app, even if Apple chooses not to allow it in the stock camera app. A good example is Focos, which allows users of iPhone 7+, 8+, and X to adjust the amount of background blur in portrait images after the fact, even though that was an “exclusive” feature on the XS/XR models. There are also 3rd party apps that offer an experience to the night mode on the 11 models. Others are correct that Apple likely will not enable new camera features on older models in the default app. But, the rich landscape of 3rd party apps out there means you likely won’t be totally out of luck.

I looked at that and that is certainly a plus. Unfortunately the best of the night mode third party apps (at the moment) is neural cam, and it's performance versus night mode or Google's night sight isn't up to par. That isn't too say they're there won't be improvements in time, but right now if you want the best night photography you have to get an iPhone 11 or a pixel (any generation).

 

[bvz]

So... after a LOT of deliberation and hemming and hawing it came down to the Pixel 3a or the iPhone 11 (The night mode is something I like enough that it knocked the XR out of the running).

I really couldn't make a decision because there were some really compelling arguments for each phone. Really compelling.

So it came down to more or less just a coin toss. Not really, but just about...

I actually wrote up two arguments - one arguing as hard as I could for the iPhone and one arguing as hard as I could for the Pixel - and handed them to my wife and asked her which one she preferred. I told her I would happily go along with whichever decision she made because while I am good at research, I trust her instincts on these things far more than my own.

She struggled with it as well but finally felt the iPhone had, like, a 5% better argument so... The iPhone won.

I'll be ordering two of them (my wife needs a new phone as well) sometime in the next month or so. If I had gone with the Pixel it would have had to have been this weekend to make use of the Black Friday sale. But since the iPhone does not have any deals for unlocked models without activating a new line, the rush isn't as great.

Now that I have made the decision, I'm excited to see what owning a flagship phone feels like. I'll probably mourn Android because there are bits of it that are really fantastic, but I expect I'll also really appreciate the areas where iOS has the advantage.

Anyway, thanks all for you input. It was quite helpful.

 

[mlody]

So... after a LOT of deliberation and hemming and hawing it came down to the Pixel 3a or the iPhone 11 (The night mode is something I like enough that it knocked the XR out of the running).

I really couldn't make a decision because there were some really compelling arguments for each phone. Really compelling.

So it came down to more or less just a coin toss. Not really, but just about...

I actually wrote up two arguments - one arguing as hard as I could for the iPhone and one arguing as hard as I could for the Pixel - and handed them to my wife and asked her which one she preferred. I told her I would happily go along with whichever decision she made because while I am good at research, I trust her instincts on these things far more than my own.

She struggled with it as well but finally felt the iPhone had, like, a 5% better argument so... The iPhone won.

I'll be ordering two of them (my wife needs a new phone as well) sometime in the next month or so. If I had gone with the Pixel it would have had to have been this weekend to make use of the Black Friday sale. But since the iPhone does not have any deals for unlocked models without activating a new line, the rush isn't as great.

Now that I have made the decision, I'm excited to see what owning a flagship phone feels like. I'll probably mourn Android because there are bits of it that are really fantastic, but I expect I'll also really appreciate the areas where iOS has the advantage.

Anyway, thanks all for you input. It was quite helpful.

Target is giving $200 for each new phone activation (Verizon and ATT) on a spot. No trade in required, no new line.