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Love my XR too but FaceID is not much of an improvement. You still have to swipe to get to the home screen and it only works if you stare to it in the right angle. TouchID trough the display like some Android phones would be much more effective....

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You missed the $300 price difference and the difference in battery life...

Face ID works fine for me. Already used apple pay on it twice with no issues. However one thing I may miss is 3D Touch which is gone.
 
You missed the $300 price difference and the difference in battery life...

I’d argue @Wide opeN nailed the primary tech’ specs between both phones, a price difference should be common sense, being the OP is likely already aware of that. The difference of battery life obviously is greater to the XR, but of course is variable for everyone depending how they’re using their phone/settings.
 
I moved from 8+ to XR a couple weeks ago when I decided to give my daughter a phone. For me, Face ID’s superiority comes during use, not in unlocking the phone. Specifically, I use stored passwords all the time, and I love how seamless that is.
(And, yes, Apple Watch is definitely the best Apple Pay! I do it that way even if i have my phone in my hand.)
 
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I do this daily and it literally takes a half a second. 'Deal breaker'? LMAO. I cannot comprehend people that think like this.
It is when you have a pass ready and you can’t double tap to bring up apple pay. You have to lock the phone then double tap the lock button. Completely useless.
 
It is when you have a pass ready and you can’t double tap to bring up apple pay. You have to lock the phone then double tap the lock button. Completely useless.

You don't need to have a 'pass ready'. You just double click the side button on a locked phone and it brings up Apple Pay automatically which is set to the card you used last. Glance at the phone for FaceID, and that's it. It takes a second and not 'completely useless'. It works flawlessly every time for me although I use the same card for most things so am not fumbling to change it. If necessary, I would be sure that was done before I was actually ready to pay.
 
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You don't need to have a 'pass ready'. You just double click the side button on a locked phone and it brings up Apple Pay automatically which is set to the card you used last. Glance at the phone for FaceID, and that's it. It takes a second and not 'completely useless'. It works flawlessly every time for me although I use the same card for most things so am not fumbling to change it. If necessary, I would be sure that was done before I was actually ready to pay.

You don’t get what im saying.
After the person at checkout has scanned my pass ,i have to either lock my phone or press “done” to then be able to bring up apple pay to scan my face.
I use apple pay and passes a lot and its too much messing around.
 
You don’t get what im saying.
After the person at checkout has scanned my pass ,i have to either lock my phone or press “done” to then be able to bring up apple pay to scan my face.
I use apple pay and passes a lot and its too much messing around.

I don't fly so I've never dealt with boarding passes or movie passes and I've never had a person at checkout scan anything before paying for my items. I double click the side button, glance down at it, and that's it. I only use it at stores to pay for things and I see no inconvenience at all for that purpose. Even if I did use it for other things, I would consider that a minor inconvenience at worst and certainly not a deal breaker. I guess I'm not that anal.
 
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To be honest I don’t think Apple Pay is a particularly drawn out process whether you are using TouchID or FaceID to be honest. It’s a button press or a swipe and both were designed with a heavy emphasis on convenience. If you want something that beats using an iPhone, use it on an Apple Watch. It’s nearly 3 years since I last paid through an iPhone.
 
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I don't fly so I've never dealt with boarding passes or movie passes and I've never had a person at checkout scan anything before paying for my items. I double click the side button, glance down at it, and that's it. I only use it at stores to pay for things and I see no inconvenience at all for that purpose. Even if I did use it for other things, I would consider that a minor inconvenience at worst and certainly not a deal breaker. I guess I'm not that anal.
Even using it to fly, you scan it yourself. I’ve gotten through an entire trip... tsa... boarding... buying snacks... with just my watch. Fun!
 
XR is an amazing device. It stinks it's so big and there isn't an available smaller version.

I would have purchased an XR instead of the 8 if it were smaller. I became tired of carrying around a large phone which is why I no longer have my 7+. I also liked the XS because of its size but could not see paying the extra $$ for it.
 
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I would have purchased an XR instead of the 8 if it were smaller. I became tired of carrying around a large phone which is why I no longer have my 7+. I also liked the XS because of its size but could not see paying the extra $$ for it.

I also would like to have the option for a smaller XR but I think that nearly nobody would buy the XS any more if that happens....
 
To me, the added swiping of the new X series reminds me of the 1st few iPhones- I absolutely hated having to "swipe to open". It's just not as natural as a "button" press even if it's a simulated (haptic)"button press".
 
Xs vs. Xr
OLED vs. LCD
Stainless Steel vs. Aluminum
4GB RAM vs. 3GB RAM
Dual Camera vs. Single
4x4 MIMO vs. 2x2 MIMO
Portrait mode on all things vs. Portrait on people only
Thinner Bezels vs. Thicker Bezels
512GB Max Storage vs. 256GB Max Storage
IP68 vs. IP67

That’s about it...

You forgot screen size & weight (ok just kidding), but also the modem and haptic vs 3D Touch.
 
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I waited for the XR to come out when I was due an upgrade. I went with an 8 Plus and never looked back. The XR is bulky and the screen actually has less useful UI real estate than the 8 Plus. It feels narrow to me compared to the 8 Plus which makes the keyboard awkward to use ( i have big hands) The 8 Plus is a phone you can actual do some productive work on. I notice text being less sharp on the XR as well due to the lower resolution. The 8 Plus with it's 1080p True Tone display and pleasing ratio is great to use. I also get a dual lens rear camera setup with optical 2x zoom and proper portrait mode. Also for some wierd reason mail on the XR does not have a landscape mode but messages does. I like how apps take advantage of the 8 Plus screen. Again makes it more productive.

Also still have touch ID and a nice 16:9 display with no notch!

I suppose the XR has some better battery life buts that's the only advantage. Get an 8 Plus.
 
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I moved from 8+ to XR a couple weeks ago when I decided to give my daughter a phone. For me, Face ID’s superiority comes during use, not in unlocking the phone. Specifically, I use stored passwords all the time, and I love how seamless that is.
(And, yes, Apple Watch is definitely the best Apple Pay! I do it that way even if i have my phone in my hand.)

FaceId is superior than touch ID (particularly) in the following two unlocking scenarios; well at least for me:

> When the phone is docked in the dash of the car, unlocking with faceId is a breeze whereas with touch Id you all know the procedures.

> TouchID can be a major annoyance in light drizzle or bit of sweat /moisture on your finger/ftouch pad - no such issues with FAceID

These two are very good quality of life improvements for me when using the phone.

That said, I own both the 8+ and XR.
 
I waited for the XR to come out when I was due an upgrade. I went with an 8 Plus and never looked back. The XR is bulky and the screen actually has less useful UI real estate than the 8 Plus. It feels narrow to me compared to the 8 Plus which makes the keyboard awkward to use ( i have big hands) The 8 Plus is a phone you can actual do some productive work on. I notice text being less sharp on the XR as well due to the lower resolution. The 8 Plus with it's 1080p True Tone display and pleasing ratio is great to use. I also get a dual lens rear camera setup with optical 2x zoom and proper portrait mode. Also for some wierd reason mail on the XR does not have a landscape mode but messages does. I like how apps take advantage of the 8 Plus screen. Again makes it more productive.

Also still have touch ID and a nice 16:9 display with no notch!

I suppose the XR has some better battery life buts that's the only advantage. Get an 8 Plus.


Such terrible advice. The 8 plus is legacy tech, dated and old old old. It’s also almost nearly 2 years old, based on a 3 year old design when it came out and was pretty much dead on arrival
 
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The 8 plus is legacy tech, dated and old old old. It’s also almost nearly 2 years old, based on a 3 year old design when it came out and was pretty much dead on arrival

How many consumers do you know that care about a phone that virtually looks the same as the iPhone 8 as it does the iPhone XS? I doubt you know very many people that would. Keep in mind, the iPhone 8 shares many same features as the iPhone XR/XS with two-tone, wireless charging, stereo speakers, dual camera, etc. In terms of design for smart phones, they’re all really the same, it’s the features that separate the phones that consumers want to see, look at Apples marketing for example, it’s about the camera, Animoji, etc. Those are the things that they want to consumer to see.
 
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