All of the comments from people stating "I am keeping my iPhone 7, 6, etc as it works great, especially after new battery", is the best endorsement for my buying the X Max. I mentioned earlier that I'm "lining up" for the first time, and one reason I'm doing it is that I get the feeling that it's a phone I can run for a long time. So many other iPhone owners do, and I'm sure I could too. If I had an X, or to consider trading the iPhone 8 plus for a new X (to end up with two new Xs) doesn't seem worth it.
But in hindsight, my 8 Plus was worth it, and I suspect the X Max will be too. And we'll run 'em both as long as they are operationally and security wise (updated with Apple software) viable. So it's the "I'm keeping mine" that reinforces this purchase as much as my positive iPhone 8 Plus experience did.
I think Apple CRUSHES with this lineup.