To answer the question in a single word, no. If my 6+ hadn't been stolen in June of 2018, I would have waited to buy the XS Max, but since I needed to replace my phone prematurely my best option was sadly, the X.
Indeed. I’ve owned an iPad Mini and a plus sized iPhone at the same time. There’s a huge difference between a big phone and a small tablet. One is not a substitute for the other.