iPhone XS Max What’s the reason for the thickness ?

[DJTaurus]

All other manufactures except Apple still produce thin and light smartphones even on the bigger ones. Why iPhones after iPhone6/7/8 era became so heavy,thick and bulky? Seriously what’s the technically reason? I so miss the old iPhone 7 Plus form factor with its perfect weight distribution. It was a joy to hold it despite being so tall.....

 

[Shanghaichica]

All other manufactures except Apple still produce thin and light smartphones even on the bigger ones. Why iPhones after iPhone6/7/8 era became so heavy,thick and bulky? Seriously what’s the technically reason? I so miss the old iPhone 7 Plus form factor with its perfect weight distribution. It was a joy to hold it despite being so tall.....

It’s because of the stainless steel.

 

[DJTaurus]

It’s because of the stainless steel.

And the thickness ??

 

[Newtons Apple]

“Perfect weight distribution” is very subjective.

 

[Ebok]

iPhone 7 series is way too thin. Impossible to hold naked and I have had a case since day 1.

 

[44267547]

And the thickness ??

I doubt the majority complain about the thickness with the iPhone. If anything, they are substantially heavier due to the glass design and stainless steel bands, but generally speaking, The iPhone is still extremely thin phone for everything it’s offering in terms of technology. If you look at the XR for example, that is a thicker iPhone, but easily makes up for the larger battery that’s inside of it, given I think consumers would rather have the added battery life versus complaining about millimeters of thickness in addition.

 

[pika2000]

All other manufactures except Apple still produce thin and light smartphones even on the bigger ones. Why iPhones after iPhone6/7/8 era became so heavy,thick and bulky? Seriously what’s the technically reason? I so miss the old iPhone 7 Plus form factor with its perfect weight distribution. It was a joy to hold it despite being so tall.....

LOL what? Everybody has been complaining about the iPhone being too thin, and now Apple makes things thicker and you are complaining?

Go look at iFixit and see how dense the inside of an iPhone. The bulk of it is battery. Add on double sided glass and stainless steel structure, it is obvious that the X/XS/XS Max will be heavier than phones with aluminum body.

 

[willmtaylor]

Please someone say something offensive to derail the thread and get it locked and buried! /s

The LAST thing I need is a THINNER iPhone. I’d MUCH rather have one slightly thicker with no camera bump and longer battery life.

 

[eyoungren]

All other manufactures except Apple still produce thin and light smartphones even on the bigger ones. Why iPhones after iPhone6/7/8 era became so heavy,thick and bulky? Seriously what’s the technically reason? I so miss the old iPhone 7 Plus form factor with its perfect weight distribution. It was a joy to hold it despite being so tall.....

And the thickness ??

Well…I guess you are one of the very few who has not heard my screed about the camera bump on the back of the iPhone?

Go ahead. Make it thinner like you want. And you can continue to hear me whine about how the fugly camera bump is ruining the look of the phone - because it's so damn thin Apple can't fit it inside the case.

Too thick my butt!

 

[willmtaylor]

Well…I guess you are one of the very few who has not heard my screed about the camera bump on the back of the iPhone?

Go ahead. Make it thinner like you want. And you can continue to hear me whine about how the fugly camera bump is ruining the look of the phone - because it's so damn thin Apple can't fit it inside the case.

Too thick my butt!

Reported. The thickness of your butt is off-topic.

 

[EM2013]

LOL what? Everybody has been complaining about the iPhone being too thin, and now Apple makes things thicker and you are complaining?

Was about to say the same thing but you beat me to it.

 

[timeconsumer]

I doubt the majority complain about the thickness with the iPhone. If anything, they are substantially heavier due to the glass design and stainless steel bands, but generally speaking, The iPhone is still extremely thin phone for everything it’s offering in terms of technology. If you look at the XR for example, that is a thicker iPhone, but easily makes up for the larger battery that’s inside of it, given I think consumers would rather have the added battery life versus complaining about millimeters of thickness in addition.

I feel like the XR is a brick but I have no issues with the 8 Plus which is bigger/heavier. I think the extra depth is the issue for me as well as the new X-style form factor. I hold the phone lower than I would the classic/older design. So the weight distribution seems off to me.

 

[trifid]

I held the Galaxy s10 the other day and was surprised at how light it felt compared to my iPhone 8. I think the glass back in iPhones is what’s making them heavier.

 

[DJTaurus]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

 

[willmtaylor]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

Everyone knows that Americans, in general, are more obese than any other country; that includes Korea & China.

 

[timeconsumer]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

I have not, but I have used a Pixel 3 which was thin and light. If the screen didn’t give me headaches I would probably be using that phone now.

 

[pika2000]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

And probably neither have you.
Galaxy S10 uses aluminum frame. It is obvious that it will be lighter than stainless steel that are used in iPhone XS/XS Max.
Huawei? Check the P30 with its camera bump.

 

[C DM]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

So what sort of actual differences in terms of actual numbers are we talking about?

 

[FFR]

So all the posters in here have never hold a Galaxy or a Huawei....thin and light smartphones without huge camera bumps.

The iPhones flagships are are thinner than the galaxy and Huawei phones.


The Xs is 7.7 mm thin.

New flagship iPhones are heavier because they use a stainless steel frame where as the others use a cheaper aluminium frame.


If you want cheaper, Samsung and Huawei have you covered, in both prices and components compared to the iPhones.

 

[GhettoMrBob]

The iPhones flagships are are thinner than the galaxy and Huawei phones.


The Xs is 7.7 mm thin.

Can we stop saying something is Xmm "thin". That's how thick it is. Thickness. This always comes off as one of the stupid things Apple have started a trend with, saying something is so-and-so "thin". Stop it. End rant.

 

[44267547]

Can we stop saying something is Xmm "thin". That's how thick it is. Thickness. This always comes off as one of the stupid things Apple have started a trend with, saying something is so-and-so "thin". Stop it. End rant.

But what @FFR posted was correct. There’s no real wrong interpretation of how somebody uses a measurement to determine how thin or thick something is, especially in the context depending how they’re describing the phone (I.e Thin, Thick, overall depth...). It’s the same difference.

 

[GhettoMrBob]

But what @FFR posted was correct. There’s no real wrong interpretation of how somebody uses a measurement to determine how thin or thick something is, especially in the context depending how they’re describing the phone (I.e Thin, Thick, overall depth...). It’s the same difference.

When, in the real world, have you ever heard someone describe something in this way? I've not heard it. Not once. It only seems to exist in tech products that are trying to seem "thin & light!".

If you were describing a wall, would you say it's 6" thin? How about a steak, 1" thin? I doubt it.

My point isn't that it's necessarily wrong, it's just that it sounds so ridiculous and pretentious when people use it to describe something's thickness.

 

[phatAsianboi]

Cuz it feels good in the hand, giggitty.

 

[NJHitmen]

So what sort of actual differences in terms of actual numbers are we talking about?

I was wondering the same thing. Without those numbers, everything in this thread is speculation. So, with that in mind, here are the thicknesses of a few different phones mentioned above:

iPhone 7: 7.1mm
iPhone XS: 7.7mm
iPhone XS Max: 7.7mm
iPhone XR: 8.3mm
Samsung S10: 7.8mm
Huawei P20: 7.7mm

With respect to the preceding discussion: yes, iPhones have gotten thicker. Not insignificantly. But aside from the XR, they're not appreciably thicker than the competition.

EDIT: XS Max thickness corrected

 

[willmtaylor]

I was wondering the same thing. Without those numbers, everything in this thread is speculation. So, with that in mind, here are the thicknesses of a few different phones mentioned above:

iPhone 7: 7.1mm
iPhone XS: 7.7mm
iPhone XS Max: 7.9mm
iPhone XR: 8.3mm
Samsung S10: 7.8mm
Huawei P20: 7.7mm

With respect to the preceding discussion: yes, iPhones have gotten thicker. Not insignificantly. But aside from the XR, they're not appreciably thicker than the competition.

Apple iPhone 3G S - 12.3mm