Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Caspavio

macrumors regular
Apr 18, 2018
241
110
On the question of whether it is still inferior to the Pixel, reviews are inconsistent. Some do give the edge to the XS though, especially in complicated shooting conditions.

well, pixel 3 is not out yet, but judging from the leaks, the phone looks ugly as hell. personally, while i have been intrigued by the pixel 2, im certainly not switching if that's how the new pixel 3 looks

If photography is important you’re not just using a smart phone to take pictures.

even when travelling, i take a lot of shots with my phone. i like to do selfies using the back camera, which is certainly not something i can do with my fuji mirrorless.

and what about 3d touch? it seems to me majority of people don't care about it, even here

i have friends who didnt even know that feature existed until i told them. they thought the function was really cool, and then they forgot all about it the minute after. for now, it probably at best serves as a shortcut function for some apps
 

DomW25

macrumors member
Aug 5, 2018
30
24
The XR is the better buy in my opinion. The specs are similar to the XS, so much so that on paper it sounds like a baby XS, other than the screen.

I can't find a retailer selling the X brand new for a price that's competitive with the XR.

Yes, it doesn't have a fancy OLED. Battery life, speed and the camera are more important for me though, but everyone is different in terms of what they want when it comes to a phone. I rarely watch lots of video on a phone, and I would rather put the money I would save towards a S4 watch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus

CrazyForCashews

macrumors 65816
Apr 1, 2018
1,048
2,759
I can't find a retailer selling the X brand new for a price that's competitive with the XR.

I'm sure you can find retailers selling brand new X's but the used market is flooded with people trying to sell theirs so that's always an option. You can find some great deals.
 

Personal Jesus

macrumors newbie
Apr 27, 2015
17
1
I would like to revive this discussion, now that the release of iPhone XR is coming closer. I still lean heavily towards the iPhone XR, but I'm also interested in hearing from people who, in the meantime, perhaps bought a discounted X after the announcement of the iPhone XR.
 

Mackinjosh

Suspended
Aug 21, 2014
1,181
1,697
Pixel peep? LOL, no way. Maybe with a magnifying glass, or VR headset. Otherwise, the screen is retina, and pixels are indistinguishable at normal viewing distance, even less.
Yep, and watching all the hands-on videos from the Apple event I never once heard someone comment on how bad the or degraded the screen is. In fact I heard the opposite.
 

austyn23

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2017
620
709
I´ll wait up to the XR hit the stores to see it live... the X gaves me eye strain so I send it back... that´s the only reason I´ll preffer the XR.

But is also bigger and heavier.. maybe next year the XR2? lighter? thinner? who knows...
 

Broadus

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2011
1,108
649
Upstate SC
I´ll wait up to the XR hit the stores to see it live... the X gaves me eye strain so I send it back... that´s the only reason I´ll preffer the XR.

But is also bigger and heavier.. maybe next year the XR2? lighter? thinner? who knows...

My guess is that there will be little change in the XR for two or three years. Apple has probably found a popular niche market that will generate a lot of sales, and for good reason. There are trade offs, but the difference in price from the XS and XS Max is very attractive.

I’m going to wait till I can see it in a store. If the fonts for reading are crisp enough, I’ll probably go with it. If not, I’m not sure what I’ll do. The reception issues with the XS are dispiriting, and the X lacks band 71, which I would want if switching to T-Mobile.
 

Knowlege Bomb

macrumors G4
Feb 14, 2008
10,280
8,963
US
I'm happy I finally made it to the end of this thread and that it has been revived as I've been wanting to say this the whole time:

For reference, I have 25/20 vision (which I guess for my age is pretty rare). I have my personal X and my work 6s sitting here in front of me and at the distance I hold my phone for regular use, the difference in the screens is negligible. Without pulling the 6s closer to my face, there is no pixilation.

If I didn't have a X already, this would be a veeeery tough decision for me. I never use portrait mode or zoom and rarely take pictures so the loss of the second lens wouldn't be a factor. I love the size of the X but I'm sure I would adjust to the larger screen quickly. There's nothing I do with my phone that takes advantage of the crazy speeds possible so the jump in processor wouldn't be a factor. Couldn't care less about 3D Touch as the only time I use that is for cursor placement.

I think what it would eventually come down to for me would be price. That factor being equal, I honestly can't say which way I would go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus

digitalexplr

macrumors 65816
Dec 13, 2016
1,335
876
Central Missouri
For reference, I have 25/20 vision (which I guess for my age is pretty rare). I have my personal X and my work 6s sitting here in front of me and at the distance I hold my phone for regular use, the difference in the screens is negligible. Without pulling the 6s closer to my face, there is no pixilation.

This is what most tend to miss. At the distance people use their devices the vast majority will not be able to tell which display is which. But, since perception tends to be ones reality, if one perceives a particular display is superior, that is what they will believe and thus reject anyone else's opinion/perception. Hence the back-and-forth we see in this tread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus

Knowlege Bomb

macrumors G4
Feb 14, 2008
10,280
8,963
US
This is what most tend to miss. At the distance people use their devices the vast majority will not be able to tell which display is which. But, since perception tends to be ones reality, if one perceives a particular display is superior, that is what they will believe and thus reject anyone else's opinion/perception. Hence the back-and-forth we see in this tread.
More often than not it seems like others' opinions/presented facts are worth more than one's own perception around here. Also, people will argue until they're blue in the face without having even seen/used what they're arguing.

The notch on the X is a prime example. If you look at pre-release threads from last year, members that sing it's praises nowadays swore up and down it was an abomination and they'd never touch it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus

Woodcrest64

macrumors 65816
Aug 14, 2006
1,310
526
I think Apple executed the color choices really well for the XR, and I was surprised to see six colors. Product red is a stellar color, especially for the XR, it’s very much like a Ferrari red. I Expect that color to be a huge seller come October.

Yeah I love the colors! I’m hoping we see bright colors for the iPhone XI or 11 next year.
 

Alphazoid

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2014
1,012
862
I would like to revive this discussion, now that the release of iPhone XR is coming closer. I still lean heavily towards the iPhone XR, but I'm also interested in hearing from people who, in the meantime, perhaps bought a discounted X after the announcement of the iPhone XR.

Picked up a brand new discounted X and got a good trade in for my 3yr old 6S Plus. Happy with the 'upgrade' and have zero regrets. Mine was manufactured back in July 2018 and everything works great. Screen is gorgeous, good reception, and it is quick especially with iOS 12. Of course camera is an upgrade over my 6S Plus too.

Its also nice to have a pocketable phone again that easily fits in my pocket without looking odd when sat down.
 
Last edited:

ajm222

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2012
968
171
Picked up a brand new discounted X and got a good trade in for my 3yr old 6S Plus. Happy with the 'upgrade' and have zero regrets. Mine was manufactured back in July 2018 and everything works great. Screen is gorgeous, good reception, and it is quick especially with iOS 12. Of course camera is an upgrade over my 6S Plus too.

Its also nice to have a pocketable phone again that easily fits in my pocket without looking odd when sat down.

where'd you do the trade-in?
 

Alphazoid

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2014
1,012
862
UK site called musicmagpie. They were doing an extra 10% valuation on trade-ins last month when the new iPhones came out.
 

nordique

macrumors 68000
Oct 12, 2014
1,997
1,607
For me it's the X, purely due to the build quality

The XR is fantastic though . But if today I was offered both for the same price, for me the X edges it because the screen is the difference maker as is the general metal construction

For others the XR might do it due to battery life and newer chipset
 
  • Like
Reactions: m0sher

Vivian125

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2017
392
94
Is the OLED on the X not a major thing then? vs the XR's LCD.
OLED not really a huge upgrade because. Even i do have iPhone XS Max i still prefer iPad or Macbook to watch movies. Nobody watch a 40-45 Minute per episode of movie on a Tiny iPhone.

Oled is noticeable for someone who has clear eyesight like 20/15 vision like me, or other Americans as other Asians don't care that much they aren't that PICKY unlike OTHERS (Americans) who are perfectionist and demands that is why westerners develop wrinkle quickly.

So definitely, at the same price i'd still pick Used X, if you dont use your phone that much just bring a 15000 Mah powerbank and you're good. XR doesn't even need powerbank though because of 2 days battery life vs 5 hour battery life of an X
 

m0sher

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2018
815
783
OLED not really a huge upgrade because. Even i do have iPhone XS Max i still prefer iPad or Macbook to watch movies. Nobody watch a 40-45 Minute per episode of movie on a Tiny iPhone.

Oled is noticeable for someone who has clear eyesight like 20/15 vision like me, or other Americans as other Asians don't care that much they aren't that PICKY unlike OTHERS (Americans) who are perfectionist and demands that is why westerners develop wrinkle quickly.

So definitely, at the same price i'd still pick Used X, if you dont use your phone that much just bring a 15000 Mah powerbank and you're good. XR doesn't even need powerbank though because of 2 days battery life vs 5 hour battery life of an X

Your misinformed on X battery life and spreading misinformation.

If you read threads on it right here from owners, you’d see they get 8-12 hours even with heavy users.

I personally go from 7am to 9pm, with even a few hours of Hulu/Netflix streaming and heavy internet usage in a day on one charge with my X.

This is also confirmed on a technical level where the X battery actually beat the XS by a smidge.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-iphone-xs-max-battery-life,review-5773.html

Average battery life of X is 9 mins shy of 10 hours.

Your welcome :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Drogba11

davedvdy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2011
803
589
Your misinformed on X battery life and spreading misinformation.

If you read threads on it right here from owners, you’d see they get 8-12 hours even with heavy users.

I personally go from 7am to 9pm, with even a few hours of Hulu/Netflix streaming and heavy internet usage in a day on one charge with my X.

This is also confirmed on a technical level where the X battery actually beat the XS by a smidge.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-iphone-xs-max-battery-life,review-5773.html

Average battery life of X is 9 mins shy of 10 hours.

Your welcome :D

I think this depends on who's test you are looking at.

According to Consumer Reports: "In our testing, the iPhone XS lasted 24.5 hours, and the Max made it to 26 hours. That’s a big step up from the iPhone X’s 19.5-hour performance and puts the new iPhones up there with this year’s marathon-running Samsung phones in our ratings."

https://www.consumerreports.org/smartphones/final-test-results-iphone-xs-and-xs-max/
 

ftaok

macrumors 603
Jan 23, 2002
6,491
1,573
East Coast
I think this depends on who's test you are looking at.

According to Consumer Reports: "In our testing, the iPhone XS lasted 24.5 hours, and the Max made it to 26 hours. That’s a big step up from the iPhone X’s 19.5-hour performance and puts the new iPhones up there with this year’s marathon-running Samsung phones in our ratings."

https://www.consumerreports.org/smartphones/final-test-results-iphone-xs-and-xs-max/
I think you may have missed the part of the post that he/she was responding to. That poster indicated that the Xr had 2 day battery life compared to the 5-hour battery life of the X.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Drogba11

Drogba11

macrumors 6502
Jan 29, 2018
346
878
OLED not really a huge upgrade because. Even i do have iPhone XS Max i still prefer iPad or Macbook to watch movies. Nobody watch a 40-45 Minute per episode of movie on a Tiny iPhone.

Oled is noticeable for someone who has clear eyesight like 20/15 vision like me, or other Americans as other Asians don't care that much they aren't that PICKY unlike OTHERS (Americans) who are perfectionist and demands that is why westerners develop wrinkle quickly.

So definitely, at the same price i'd still pick Used X, if you dont use your phone that much just bring a 15000 Mah powerbank and you're good. XR doesn't even need powerbank though because of 2 days battery life vs 5 hour battery life of an X
5 hours? Try more like 10
 

davedvdy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2011
803
589
I think you may have missed the part of the post that he/she was responding to. That poster indicated that the Xr had 2 day battery life compared to the 5-hour battery life of the X.
I'm addressing the part where he says the X beat the XS: "This is also confirmed on a technical level where the X battery actually beat the XS by a smidge." It's in the quote I referenced.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.