Besides the notch, what is it that bothers you about FaceID. I did not like it at first either but it worked so well that you forget it is even working. It is near transparent to me. The only time I now realize what it is doing is if my ha d occasionally gets in the way on the iPad in landscape. Not really an issue.
Most, like me, who had doubts found they liked FaceID after using it.
It's simple... The minor convenience of face ID is offset by wasting screen space on the notch. I would much rather have a 3mm bezel on top, which is like 1/10 the size of the top bezel that every iPhone had for 9 years and have the screen look uniform and not have stupid wasteful bunny ears.
My entire argument has been against the approach of form over function. Everyone is like BEZEL BEZEL BEZEL because until Apple told them they needed it, nobody cared. Now its all about the bezel, even if it means having to put stupid rabbit ears on the viewing screen...
I tolerate it, but I really don't like it. I was fine with finger readers and things like that. They work, and you can place them on the back. Other makes do that, put it right where your finger naturally rests... Another use of having it there, is that it allows you to hold it one handed, naturally, and use that finger reader to scroll up and down, whatever you are looking at on the screen, without having to switch your grip or use your other hand.
There are lots of little things like that, that other makers thing of, because they put functionality first, and form second.
Apple wants to create this beautiful work of art, and I feel like sometimes they forget that for some of us, it's a tool, not a piece of jewelry or a faux status symbol... Yeah, we want it to look nice, but it working, and working well, is the primary concern for a lot of people, and that right there is probably the biggest differentiator between the iOS and Android platforms...
Apple used to be "it just works", but I can list out an extensive list, historically and even current, where Apple is way less intuitive, more limited, and much harder to do simple tasks with... I have gone down that path before, and while my points will be well documented, the average Apple fan will claim they don't matter, or that not having that feature it or taking 5 steps of workarounds is acceptable, etc... And then 3 years from now when Apple catches up in those areas, they will claim how awesome and innovative it is, as I face palm myself into incoherence... Been there, done that, got the damned tshirt several times now.
So let's just leave it at that. I love the XR so far, despite the lame notch. The Apple watch, is the only smartwatch really worth buying... My iPad Pro is awesome, wouldn't consider another tablet other than a MS Surface, and that's only so that I can run the proper software to plug it in to my truck or my motorcycle's ECU to flash the programming or tune it... Other than that, Apple has watches and tablets locked, nobody can touch them there...
The phones? They are good enough. They aren't the best, they haven't been since maybe the iPhone 3G, possibly the first iteration of the iPhone 4 series. Since then they have taken a back seat to what Android has to offer and they have been playing catch up ever since.
But the iPhones have gotten better, as iOS has, as it adopts more of Android's features as time goes on, so it's good enough for me now, despite a list of shortcomings... but it allows me to make use of the Apple Watch, so I feel like it's a good trade off.
Cheers.
