iPhone XR XR or XS?

[44267547]

I'm just defending the XR itself which is getting a lot of hate.

No, it’s not getting a lot of hate. Nor do I account for any ‘hate’ on tech sites for a smart phone, where others dissect every thing they believe is wrong with the XR. That doesn’t transcend to the real world how people actually generally are very content with their phones on a day-to-day basis. The XR from everyone I have talked to, doesn’t complain about useless things like ‘Bezels’, ‘thickness’, and the other frivolous complaints that goes with it.

 

[sunapple]

No, it’s not getting a lot of hate. Nor do account for any ‘hate’ on tech sites for a smart phone, where others dissect every thing they believe is wrong with the XR. That doesn’t transcend to the real world how people actually generally are very content with their phones on a day-to-day basis. The XR from everyone I have talked to, doesn’t complain about useless things like ‘Bezels’, ‘thickness’, and the other frivolous complaints that goes with it.

I knew the word would set someone off when I wrote it but couldn’t think of anything better right away. ‘Misunderstood’ maybe. On tech sites primarily which is where the discussion is taking place.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I used a 7 Plus for over a year and switched to XR which I’ve been using for two weeks now. I don’t notice the difference in PPI.

I’ve compared the XR to my 8+ and an XS Max and I have to admit I couldn’t see a vast difference either. I was in the market for the XR myself but the only real reasons I didn’t get it were the lack of dual camera and 3DTouch. Apart from that for me it’s an excellent phone and the best of the current releases. I’ll most probably get an XR variant at my next upgrade in 2020.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I will go in on next XR for sure if they up resolution. It ticks all other boxes. But if the rumor that they will go all OLED across the range then I'll probably be ditching iphone. Despite using Samsung OLED who have no problems to my eye in the Note 9 for example, Apple don't seem to know how to do a consistent calibration or deal with PWM. I'm very happy with Apples LCDs but dislike their use of OLED. Too yellow + shimmery colour shift to either blue or red. And true tone is a mess.

 

[sunapple]

I’ve compared the XR to my 8+ and an XS Max and I have to admit I couldn’t see a vast difference either. I was in the market for the XR myself but the only real reasons I didn’t get it were the lack of dual camera and 3DTouch. Apart from that for me it’s an excellent phone and the best of the current releases. I’ll most probably get an XR variant at my next upgrade in 2020.

I didn’t want to lose my dual cameras initially but then I learned that because the telephoto is worse in low-light situations, the system often chooses the main camera anyway. I figured the actual times I used that lens didn’t outweigh the other factors.
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I will go in on next XR for sure if they up resolution. It ticks all other boxes. But if the rumor that they will go all OLED across the range then I'll probably be ditching iphone. Despite using Samsung OLED who have no problems to my eye in the Note 9 for example, Apple don't seem to know how to do a consistent calibration or deal with PWM. I'm very happy with Apples LCDs but dislike their use of OLED. Too yellow + shimmery colour shift to either blue or red. And true tone is a mess.

So you have used XR?

 

[The Oak]

How many pictures do you take? The dual cameras on the XS could make a difference.

The fact that you would like to keep the phone 3 years the 4x4 MIMO and gigabit LTE could have an impact. Do you tether a a lot?

Again keeping the phone longer the extra gig of RAM On the XS could come into play as apps potentially use more and more resources.

Coming from Samsung your eyes may like the XS OLED better. The larger XR screen though may be more your liking.

In hopes of a little more longevity I rationalized the XS

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I didn’t want to lose my dual cameras initially but then I learned that because the telephoto is worse in low-light situations, the system often chooses the main camera anyway. I figured the actual times I used that lens didn’t outweigh the other factors.

This is the good thing about the options currently, we can choose an iPhone that best fits our use cases. I’m on my first iPhone with a dual camera system and I’m finding it incredibly useful, especially in my job. I really hope the next XR offers it or I may be looking for an older model again to take advantage.

 

[sunapple]

This is the good thing about the options currently, we can choose an iPhone that best fits our use cases. I’m on my first iPhone with a dual camera system and I’m finding it incredibly useful, especially in my job. I really hope the next XR offers it or I may be looking for an older model again to take advantage.

It's not that I never used it, the Max would be a better phone really but not at twice the price... It's one of those features that's understandably a way for Apple to differentiate the XR and XS, or 8 and 8 Plus in the past. For most people it's not essential, but more of a luxury option. For that reason, maybe the dual-camera system won't make it to XR...

 

[torqueflight]

I will go in on next XR for sure if they up resolution. It ticks all other boxes. But if the rumor that they will go all OLED across the range then I'll probably be ditching iphone. Despite using Samsung OLED who have no problems to my eye in the Note 9 for example, Apple don't seem to know how to do a consistent calibration or deal with PWM. I'm very happy with Apples LCDs but dislike their use of OLED. Too yellow + shimmery colour shift to either blue or red. And true tone is a mess.

Agree. My X has annoying tint shift to the point where I’m probably going to hand it down or sell it and get the current XR. Still trying to figure out if I’m sensitive to the PWM in the meantime.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It's not that I never used it, the Max would be a better phone really but not at twice the price... It's one of those features that's understandably a way for Apple to differentiate the XR and XS, or 8 and 8 Plus in the past. For most people it's not essential, but more of a luxury option. For that reason, maybe the dual-camera system won't make it to XR...

I wouldn’t pay for a Max either as I don’t really see what it offers that’s crucial over other iPhones. The only way I’d buy it is if it was last years model with a decent discount. However going forward I will want a dual camera system on my iPhone so i’ll judge in the future based on that.

The way the industry is going though it’s demanding dual, and triple camera options even on cheaper devices so Apple may be have to react or lose business going forward. Apple have had many years now where they’ve sold phones just on brand alone but those days are gone really. This year we’ve seen discounts on new iPhones after the first quarter and carriers offering incentives etc. I’ve never known that before and it’s clear all phone companies are feeling the pinch with fewer people upgrading or buying older devices. We’ll see.

 

[sunapple]

I wouldn’t pay for a Max either as I don’t really see what it offers that’s crucial over other iPhones. The only way I’d buy it is if it was last years model with a decent discount. However going forward I will want a dual camera system on my iPhone so i’ll judge in the future based on that.

The way the industry is going though it’s demanding dual, and triple camera options even on cheaper devices so Apple may be have to react or lose business going forward. Apple have had many years now where they’ve sold phones just on brand alone but those days are gone really. This year we’ve seen discounts on new iPhones after the first quarter and carriers offering incentives etc. I’ve never known that before and it’s clear all phone companies are feeling the pinch with fewer people upgrading or buying older devices. We’ll see.

I don't know if Apple would really be influenced by other companies like that or they would've already put that second camera in XR. And with some phones, a second camera is not actually a great telephoto lens like the iPhone has. XR does portrait with one lens which is also a great work-around.

 

[balaplus]

The way the industry is going though it’s demanding dual, and triple camera options even on cheaper devices so Apple may be have to react or lose business going forward.

Ultimately this is the risk facing Apple. They are a 'premium' brand alright but cannot sustain the pricing without innovating and maintaining desirability. Their last true innovation was Touch ID

 

[BritishApple]

And that is the point - the specs are a compromise to reduce costs and then what happens? They price it at 750. In the end, the value proposition is just not there.
For those who say it is a fair price, Apple wouldn't be dropping the prices if they did not need to..

Sorry, in what way do you mean the specs are a compromise? It’s got the same chip and 1GB less RAM, but pushes less pixels so the RAM is negligible. Both the XR and XS benchmark identically on Geekbench.
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I can see how an SE, 6, 7 or 8 user would be happy but as a plus user the drop in resolution is noticeable to me. Everything else is great on XR. Well maybe not that bezel compared to XS but I'm fussy.

The bezels aren’t even THAT much bigger being honest. Bigger, yes ... but I’ve seen the words “huge” and “massive” used to describe the bezels on the XR.

In reality:

 

[mikehalloran]

I used a 7 Plus for over a year and switched to XR which I’ve been using for two weeks now. I don’t notice the difference in PPI.

I used a 7 Plus over two years. Had the XR camera camera worked the same way, I would have bought it but it was pinch-zoom.

The XR display was nice and the portrait mode, though not quite the same, is pretty good.

The issue is not dual-lens vs single-lens but the way that Apple adjusts the framing. The dual lets you touch a dot and slide—why won’t Apple let the single do that or make it a preference? Yea, the touch does shift from one lens to the other but that’s not necessary as the slide to frame works either way. The point is that touch-slide can be done with your thumb while holding the phone with the same hand. Pinch-zoom can’t—you need two hands or must put it in your lap to frame the shot if doing it one-handed. Or have only one working hand.

I have large hands so the 7 Plus, while awkward, was workable for me. The XS is smaller which makes it better. The 7 Plus has been converted to a iPod with truly decent battery life.

Had Apple offered the X at a nice discount when the XS was offered, I might have considered it. They didn’t and there were some performance and storage enhancements for the same price so...

I expect the XS to last me till 5G is a thing. Had I bought an XR, I’d expect the same thing. 2021 perhaps or 2022? I can wait.

I’ve seen the rumors that the next iPhone (XI?) may have 3 lenses or whatnot. Ehhhh... I’ll hold out for 5G.

 

[sunapple]

I used a 7 Plus over two years. Had the XR camera camera worked the same way, I would have bought it but it was pinch-zoom.

The XR display was nice and the portrait mode, though not quite the same, is pretty good.

The issue is not dual-lens vs single-lens but the way that Apple adjusts the framing. The dual lets you touch a dot and slide—why won’t Apple let the single do that or make it a preference? Yea, the touch does shift from one lens to the other but that’s not necessary as the slide to frame works either way. The point is that touch-slide can be done with your thumb while holding the phone with the same hand. Pinch-zoom can’t—you need two hands or must put it in your lap to frame the shot if doing it one-handed. Or have only one working hand.

I have large hands so the 7 Plus, while awkward, was workable for me. The XS is smaller which makes it better. The 7 Plus has been converted to a iPod with truly decent battery life.

Had Apple offered the X at a nice discount when the XS was offered, I might have considered it. They didn’t and there were some performance and storage enhancements for the same price so...

I expect the XS to last me till 5G is a thing. Had I bought an XR, I’d expect the same thing. 2021 perhaps or 2022? I can wait.

I’ve seen the rumors that the next iPhone (XI?) may have 3 lenses or whatnot. Ehhhh... I’ll hold out for 5G.

That zooming thing would have been a nice feature. Not really as relevant to me as having a larger screen and saving hundreds of dollars, but just nice.

 

[44267547]

Ultimately this is the risk facing Apple. They are a 'premium' brand alright but cannot sustain the pricing without innovating and maintaining desirability. Their last true innovation was Touch ID

So what you’re saying is, is because Apple doesn’t ‘innovate’ something new every year, they’re losing desirability? I doubt that. I would say _if_ they’re losing desirability, it’s not because of Innovation, it’s because of their rising price points. Those are two different things. Smart phones in general, don’t change drastically every year, it’s incremental and that’s how it should be. Apple has a very strong history of rationing features on a year-to-year basis with iPhone releases. New hardware features are only superficial for some, generally the consumer wants to see the price point first before making the purchase.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

So what you’re saying is, is because Apple doesn’t ‘innovate’ something new every year, they’re losing desirability? I doubt that. I would say _if_ they’re losing desirability, it’s not because of Innovation, it’s because of their rising price points. Those are two different things. Smart phones in general, don’t change drastically every year, it’s incremental and that’s how it should be. Apple has a very strong history of rationing features on a year-to-year basis with iPhone releases. New hardware features are only superficial for some, generally the consumer wants to see the price point first before making the purchase.

Yeah I don’t think Apple need to innovate in order to justify the high pricing, they just need to use a sensible pricing strategy going forward. The product itself is fine but the XS line lacks desirability to the mainstream consumer because it’s priced too high. A lot of people are of the mindset that they don’t need to buy the most expensive iPhone anymore because they can do everything they need with an older or cheaper iPhone option. This is what happens what technology reaches a plateau and people lose interest in having the latest and greatest simply because they can.

Apple are not the only ones struggling against this trend. People are still buying iPhones and trust the brand, it’s just the XS isn’t necessarily the most desirable option right now. If it were the price of the XR then I think it would have greater appeal but nothing like the days of the iPhone 6. Just my observation anyway lol.

 

[balaplus]

I doubt that. I would say _if_ they’re losing desirability, it’s not because of Innovation, it’s because of their rising price points. Those are two different things. Smart phones in general, don’t change drastically every year, it’s incremental and that’s how it should be. Apple has a very strong history of rationing features on a year-to-year basis with iPhone releases. New hardware features are only superficial for some, generally the consumer wants to see the price point first before making the purchase.

I appreciate that smartphones cannot change drastically every year. But it doesn't all have to be physical design changes either. Touch ID / Apple Pay were good additions to functionality. But you can't pass off a 3rd camera lens as innovation.

In my view, innovation and price are related. People won't mind paying a premium if there is something new and exciting in terms of design or functionality. What is happening is Apple is increasing prices without adding anything new. Hence the view that the prices are not worth it!

 

[KOTN91]

The fact of the matter is that you can’t differentiate above 300ppi. Therefore I couldn’t give a toss about the display specs. The XR is crazy, sexy, cool, fun and cheap. It is the spiritual successor to the awesome 5C but an absolute beast as well

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I appreciate that smartphones cannot change drastically every year. But it doesn't all have to be physical design changes either. Touch ID / Apple Pay were good additions to functionality. But you can't pass off a 3rd camera lens as innovation.

In my view, innovation and price are related. People won't mind paying a premium if there is something new and exciting in terms of design or functionality. What is happening is Apple is increasing prices without adding anything new. Hence the view that the prices are not worth it!

I don’t know many people at all who are willing to pay £1k+ for a phone regardless of what it has on it. Very wealthy people will buy whatever costs more and tech enthusiasts will stretch to the cost but the average consumer which is the biggest market are not so convinced in my view.

I think we’ve got to a point where the common tasks needed in a smartphone are available on pretty much every device. Once upon a time we had one iPhone coming out each year and the innovation race was in full swing. Now there is more choice from Apple and phones change very little year on year. I could afford to buy an XS Max like most people I know, but I don’t need to and would be so the same things on it that I currently do on an 8+. That’s the snag and unless something ground breaking comes out and they lower the retail price, consumers will not be rushing out to buy the latest and greatest in the numbers they used to.

 

[cics]

I used a 7 Plus over two years. Had the XR camera camera worked the same way, I would have bought it but it was pinch-zoom.

The XR display was nice and the portrait mode, though not quite the same, is pretty good.

The issue is not dual-lens vs single-lens but the way that Apple adjusts the framing. The dual lets you touch a dot and slide—why won’t Apple let the single do that or make it a preference? Yea, the touch does shift from one lens to the other but that’s not necessary as the slide to frame works either way. The point is that touch-slide can be done with your thumb while holding the phone with the same hand. Pinch-zoom can’t—you need two hands or must put it in your lap to frame the shot if doing it one-handed. Or have only one working hand.

I have large hands so the 7 Plus, while awkward, was workable for me. The XS is smaller which makes it better. The 7 Plus has been converted to a iPod with truly decent battery life.

Had Apple offered the X at a nice discount when the XS was offered, I might have considered it. They didn’t and there were some performance and storage enhancements for the same price so...

I expect the XS to last me till 5G is a thing. Had I bought an XR, I’d expect the same thing. 2021 perhaps or 2022? I can wait.

I’ve seen the rumors that the next iPhone (XI?) may have 3 lenses or whatnot. Ehhhh... I’ll hold out for 5G.

Same here, from 7plus to XS (with a brief love story with the XR).

Black levels and viewing angles on OLED screens are a no-brainer for me. Resolution is not that important to me, but dang those icons on the XS screen seem painted, with virtually no space between the panel and the glass. I cannot say anything about battery life as I am using the XS since yesterday. For now seems in par with my 7 Plus (with a brand new battery) and it's still indexing all its stuff. Very promising.

I do believe the XR is a fantastic phone anyway, perfect size, awesome battery life. With an OLED screen (even 720p) and portrait mode unlocked for subjects other than people... it would have been my iPhone of choice.

3D touch... well, I think long-press on XR can work the same, I use it only for previewing notifications, links and icons on control center.

 

[mikehalloran]

I don’t know many people at all who are willing to pay £1k+ for a phone regardless of what it has on it. Very wealthy people will buy whatever costs more and tech enthusiasts will stretch to the cost but the average consumer which is the biggest market are not so convinced in my view.

And yet millions and millions are sold to average consumers. 18 million a month before Apple stopped publishing those numbers. BTW, in that last report, only 5,400 were SE/6/6S combined. That's .03% and my decimal point is correct. With renewed effort in the Asian market, I expect that the low end numbers have gone up in the last year; there are reports that the XS isn't selling as well as hoped ... but the X sold for the same price the year before and the XS is (marginally) better. It ain't the price.

The iPhone, like most Apple products, has never been about price alone. Never. Apple needs to hit targets to please shareholders like any publicly held company. If they fail in that, the market will let them know—and successful companies do adjust or go under.

Likewise, your view is based on us buying some absurd notion that you don't know people willing to pay the price... Absurd because you do know such people. We all do. Pay attention when someone answers a phone call to what gets pulled out of the pocket.

 

[44267547]

The iPhone, like most Apple products, has never been about price alone. Never.

This a dated statement, because if you see what’s happening now, it _is_ all about the price about the iPhone and exactly why consumers are not willing to spend that type of money for $1000 device anymore. Aside from those who have taken advantage of the battery replacement program and iOS 12 has helped maintain order devices, consumers are not seeing the value in a smart phone with that price point. At one point, the iPhone was not necessarily about the price, but about the experience, but now that hardware is primarily equally just as good amongst competitors, (which Apple is fully aware of this), they need to rethink their strategy moving forward, even as Tim Cook commented, utilizing services and trade-in programs moving forward for the iPhone future. Also, china’s commerce is somewhat affecting Apple, but it’s also affecting other smart phone manufacturers as well.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

And yet millions and millions are sold to average consumers. 18 million a month before Apple stopped publishing those numbers. BTW, in that last report, only 5,400 were SE/6/6S combined. That's .03% and my decimal point is correct. With renewed effort in the Asian market, I expect that the low end numbers have gone up in the last year; there are reports that the XS isn't selling as well as hoped ... but the X sold for the same price the year before and the XS is (marginally) better. It ain't the price.

The iPhone, like most Apple products, has never been about price alone. Never. Apple needs to hit targets to please shareholders like any publicly held company. If they fail in that, the market will let them know—and successful companies do adjust or go under.

Likewise, your view is based on us buying some absurd notion that you don't know people willing to pay the price... Absurd because you do know such people. We all do. Pay attention when someone answers a phone call to what gets pulled out of the pocket.

Those figures are very watered down when viewed globally. Sure it’s a lot of iPhones, but it’s also probably why I’m not seeing them in huge numbers where I am. I do pay attention to the devices people use around me and tend to look around cafes, restaurants, conferences, meetings, airports, train stations etc through a simple interest. The newer X devices are surprisingly absent.

Times have changed and the demand by the mainstream consumer for the latest and greatest iPhone is over. The market is split into more categories now and more affordable phones are now more desirable overall. That much is obvious.

 

[davedvdy]

Those figures are very watered down when viewed globally. Sure it’s a lot of iPhones, but it’s also probably why I’m not seeing them in huge numbers where I am. I do pay attention to the devices people use around me and tend to look around cafes, restaurants, conferences, meetings, airports, train stations etc through a simple interest. The newer X devices are surprisingly absent.

Times have changed and the demand by the mainstream consumer for the latest and greatest iPhone is over. The market is split into more categories now and more affordable phones are now more desirable overall. That much is obvious.

Here in the U.S. I see a lot of them, but our prices and structure are different than there....