iPhone XS Max Anybody getting tired of these big phones?

[The-Real-Deal82]

i shouldn't have to spend $1000 to get a smaller phone than the $750 iPhone XR.

There should absolutely be a smaller, affordable upgrade for an iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 user. There just isn't now.

Yeah this is the odd situation this year and I’m not sure why Apple chose to satisfy Plus users with a XR rather than those with standard iPhone 7 size devices. I’m a plus user myself but still see far more smaller iPhones in use in the wild.

My wife had the same issue as yours in that she was due an upgrade recently. Coming from an SE she really wasn’t going to go for the XR and had to settle for the iPhone 8. Short sighted of Apple to only cater for some of their market this year I think. Maybe we’ll see 2 variants in 2019?

 

[bluecoast]

It’s really tough debating this as we all just don’t know the:

• Sales figures of each iPhone line
• Cost of keeping the production lines of each model open
• Cost of procuring older components
• Cost of supporting and repairing iPhones with older tech that Apple is moving away from

Presumably the SE was discontinued for a combination of the above.

I suspect that at some point we’ll see a Touch ID iPhone that’s aimed at users of the standard 4.7 inch screen iPhones which will have a body size slightly smaller than the current 4.7 iPhones & slightly bigger than the SE.

Then hopefully most of us will be happy

Personally, even though I love big screened phones, I value even more the ability to use them one handed (on the London tube) and in the summer, to be able to put my phone in my front jeans pocket and barely even realise that it’s there.

 

[I7guy]

No the infinite blacks make a huge difference in videos and games. Text is sharper as well. I can easily tell the difference.

As I said, depending on the viewing conditions. Trying to play a game in direct sunlight with sunglasses probably will render any advantage of oled a moot point.
[doublepost=1546182701][/doublepost]

Yeah this is the odd situation this year and I’m not sure why Apple chose to satisfy Plus users with a XR rather than those with standard iPhone 7 size devices. I’m a plus user myself but still see far more smaller iPhones in use in the wild.

My wife had the same issue as yours in that she was due an upgrade recently. Coming from an SE she really wasn’t going to go for the XR and had to settle for the iPhone 8. Short sighted of Apple to only cater for some of their market this year I think. Maybe we’ll see 2 variants in 2019?

I think apple did their homework and decided they would lose some revenue to those looking for a smaller phone factor with current internals, but that would be offset by the gains of an XR type phablet phone, priced at the right price point.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I think apple did their homework and decided they would lose some revenue to those looking for a smaller phone factor with current internals, but that would be offset by the gains of an XR type phablet phone, priced at the right price point.

They may well have done but I can’t help but think it’s a rather defeatist approach knowing they are not attempting to cater for such a huge part of their customer base by not offering a standard size device. Pushing upgraders towards a cheaper iPhone 8 seems silly when it’s there for the taking. I suppose they still get your money if you do choose to upgrade and stick with the iPhone but still.

 

[bluecoast]

Tried the 6 for a year until the SE came out. Recently believed my SE was broken, ordered a 7, then thankfully discovered the SE was fine. Sent the 7 back. Did not like the size and weight of either the 6 or the 7. Would never get an even bigger phone.

So, yes, Apple doesn’t make a phone for me right now. Hope that changes. Maybe it can be called the iPhone Mini, but please, no bigger than the SE, if smaller, great!

Really agree.

Apple doesn’t offer a clear upgrade path for 4.7 & 4 inch iPhone users to Face ID who want a reasonably priced phone (ie not the iPhone X and XR) at the near equivalent screen size to their current iPhone.

That just seems crazy & leaving money on the table.

There must be a reason for it.

Perhaps the thickness of the XR doesn’t look great at a smaller size.

Perhaps Apple are trying to get everyone to upgrade to the more expensive X class phones before releasing a cheaper smaller sized Face ID iPhone.

Who knows?

 

[AustinIllini]

The best option in that case would be the iPhone 8. It still has the same processor as the X (A11).

That's not a great option if she already has iPhone 7. Plus, she really wanted the camera. I can't get a smaller phone with an up to date camera for $750 or less. Terrible.

 

[azentropy]

Because they are just a little bit bigger, You might want to check the dimensions again. The 6 is much closer in size to the X in height/width than the 5s is to the 6. It's not even really that close.

The X is only 5.3 mm taller than an iPhone 6, while the 6 is about 13 mm taller than a 5s.
The X is less than 4 mm wider than a 6, while the 6 is about 10 mm wider than a 5s.

As you can see, the difference is considerable. I don't think depth or weight matter much to most people as they really don't affect handling or pocketability (much).

You can't just ignore the measurements you don't think matter! The 6 is 15.8% larger by volume than the 5s and 15.2% heavier. The X is 22.8% larger by volume than the 6 and a whopping 34.9% heavier.

 

[subjonas]

I suspect that at some point we’ll see a Touch ID iPhone that’s aimed at users of the standard 4.7 inch screen iPhones which will have a body size slightly smaller than the current 4.7 iPhones & slightly bigger than the SE.

Then hopefully most of us will be happy

I think more likely both 4.7” phone and 4” phone groups will be disgruntled haha.
But I do think this is a decent possibility.

 

[Jimmy James]

iPhone physical sizes haven't increased since 2014 with the release of the Plus phones, so I'm not sure why this would be a new phenomenon for discussion.

I haven't had any issues pocketing a Plus or XS Max (always in a front pocket). The extra screen real estate has been something I really enjoy, however.

Minimum size has increased drastically with the discontinuation of the 8 and SE.

 

[JBGoode]

You can't just ignore the measurements you don't think matter! The 6 is 15.8% larger by volume than the 5s and 15.2% heavier. The X is 22.8% larger by volume than the 6 and a whopping 34.9% heavier.

They don't . Who the hell measures volume on a phone? Most people care how long and wide they are and the X and 6 are much closer in size than the 6 and 5s. As far as weight, when you're talking about a couple of ounces, unless one is severely disabled I'm going to guess not many people care. It's not as if either of them are heavy.

 

[davedvdy]

Minimum size has increased drastically with the discontinuation of the 8 and SE.

The 8 is still available to purchase new, but if you mean "discontinued" as in not refreshed, yes.

That post mainly addresses the OP, who has gone for the 6 Plus and the Max, smaller phones still exist than either of those phones.

 

[Arei]

I think I would’ve gone with a Max had they been in stock when I went in to upgrade my phone. I ended up with a 256 GB XS. I have Max envy, but really the XS is the perfect size for me.

I upgraded from a 6S Plus, which didn’t fit in my pocket very well (women’s pants need real pockets!!!) I only have one pair of pants that phone would fit in.

So a phone with a slightly bigger screen that actually fits in my jeans’ pockets?? Hell yeah. As much as I want the biggest screen, I know a Max would constantly fall out of my pocket when I crouch or bend over.

I have big hands, and this phone is comfortable to use one handed.

I work with someone who has a SE and, I don’t have vision problems but, holy ****. When they show me something on their phone, it’s too tiny.

If I didn’t have an iPad, I’d probably want a much bigger phone, but I’m content with what I have now. This is a good size phone for me. If I want to do something on a bigger screen, I get my iPad out.

Though next time, I really shouldn’t pay what I spent for this phone. I spent $1,100 on my 128 GB 6S Plus, and I just paid $1,100 again for this phone. I can’t really justify spending that much on a phone. I got 3 years of wonderful use out of the 6S Plus, I’d have stayed with it if the camera hadn’t died. XS has been going strong for me for almost 3 months now, so I hope I get as much or more use out of it.

 

[Fthree]

crazy how my XMax doesn't even feel like a big phone. anything smaller and it would seem less useful

 

[azentropy]

They don't . Who the hell measures volume on a phone? Most people care how long and wide they are and the X and 6 are much closer in size than the 6 and 5s. As far as weight, when you're talking about a couple of ounces, unless one is severely disabled I'm going to guess not many people care. It's not as if either of them are heavy.

Lol... Size is volume unless you live in a 2 dimensional world. So if the phone was an inch thick it wouldn’t matter? Come on... And again you can’t just ignore the 2 of the 4 physical measurements you don’t care about (now weight and depth).

 

[JBGoode]

Lol... Size is volume unless you live in a 2 dimensional world. So if the phone was an inch thick it wouldn’t matter? Come on... And again you can’t just ignore the 2 of the 4 physical measurements you don’t care about (now weight and depth).

This whole thing started because for some baffling reason you couldn't figure out why people say that the X and 6 are comparable in size and I explained that people only take height/width into consideration when saying this. People don't think in terms of volume when visually comparing phones. If you were to place all 3 on a table and ask random people which two were more similar in size, they would pick the X and the 6 simply because the 5s is considerably shorter and less wide than both even though as you say the 6 is closer to the 5s in volume. I also imagine that the X and 6 would feel more similar in the hand than the 6 and SE due to the closer width dimension and rounded edges.

 

[I7guy]

They may well have done but I can’t help but think it’s a rather defeatist approach knowing they are not attempting to cater for such a huge part of their customer base by not offering a standard size device. Pushing upgraders towards a cheaper iPhone 8 seems silly when it’s there for the taking. I suppose they still get your money if you do choose to upgrade and stick with the iPhone but still.

The handwriting has been on the walls for bigger phones (and bigger screens). If you like the old style phones apple will gladly sell you a 7/8 or 7+/8+. Apple has chosen not to have a 4.7 inch screen in this years lineup and the 4 inch screen has been killed off.

I agree Apple is leaving some money on the table, and I'm sure they've done their homework as to how much.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The handwriting has been on the walls for bigger phones (and bigger screens). If you like the old style phones apple will gladly sell you a 7/8 or 7+/8+. Apple has chosen not to have a 4.7 inch screen in this years lineup and the 4 inch screen has been killed off.

I agree Apple is leaving some money on the table, and I'm sure they've done their homework as to how much.

If they can produce the XS then I think they could have offered an XR variant in the same size for their mainstream consumer. Unless they think by not offering it then it will force people to spend considerably more just to get a smaller phone?

 

[I7guy]

If they can produce the XS then I think they could have offered an XR variant in the same size for their mainstream consumer. Unless they think by not offering it then it will force people to spend considerably more just to get a smaller phone?

What my opinion on what apple wanted was an affordable phablet sized phone. Hence the Xr.

The Xs was the X upgrade, while the max represented an all-screen version of the plus phones, with prices to match the screen size.

I do not think they considered an all-screen lcd form factor of a phone the size of the X/Xs. That would be a confusing line-up. (Not that the current lineup isn't any less confusing)

 

[Elwots]

If they can produce the XS then I think they could have offered an XR variant in the same size for their mainstream consumer. Unless they think by not offering it then it will force people to spend considerably more just to get a smaller phone?

I’m thinking it was a design decision and that’s the size that looked the best with the larger bezels.

 

[puma1552]

If they can produce the XS then I think they could have offered an XR variant in the same size for their mainstream consumer. Unless they think by not offering it then it will force people to spend considerably more just to get a smaller phone?

They could've, but didn't. Probably the big save/reveal for 2019, just like we could all tell from day 1 when the X was released that they of course were sitting on the Max to be 2018's big boring release a whole year later. Probably same crap here - "Look, now we can finally bring a smaller Xr to market OMGEMPTYYOURWALLETAGAIN!!!!!"

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yeah this is the odd situation this year and I’m not sure why Apple chose to satisfy Plus users with a XR rather than those with standard iPhone 7 size devices. I’m a plus user myself but still see far more smaller iPhones in use in the wild.

My wife had the same issue as yours in that she was due an upgrade recently. Coming from an SE she really wasn’t going to go for the XR and had to settle for the iPhone 8. Short sighted of Apple to only cater for some of their market this year I think. Maybe we’ll see 2 variants in 2019?

Apparently the Xr was made with the Chinese market in mind.
[doublepost=1546234095][/doublepost]

They could've, but didn't. Probably the big save/reveal for 2019, just like we could all tell from day 1 when the X was released that they of course were sitting on the Max to be 2018's big boring release a whole year later. Probably same crap here - "Look, now we can finally bring a smaller Xr to market OMGEMPTYYOURWALLETAGAIN!!!!!"

They could have made the X, Xr and max last year but it’s typical Apple fashion to drip feed features over years to generate sales.

Samsung were able to release the S8 plus and note 8 with larger displays in 2017.

 

[I7guy]

Apparently the Xr was made with the Chinese market in mind.
[doublepost=1546234095][/doublepost]
They could have made the X, Xr and max last year but it’s typical Apple fashion to drip feed features over years to generate sales.

Samsung were able to release the S8 plus and note 8 with larger displays in 2017.

I think apple was constrained with oled panel supplies last year. Hence no max.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

What my opinion on what apple wanted was an affordable phablet sized phone. Hence the Xr.

The Xs was the X upgrade, while the max represented an all-screen version of the plus phones, with prices to match the screen size.

I do not think they considered an all-screen lcd form factor of a phone the size of the X/Xs. That would be a confusing line-up. (Not that the current lineup isn't any less confusing)

I don’t think it would be confusing at all. The iPhone 7 and 8 is still the best selling iPhone through much of Europe so the demand for that size is still there. I think it’s a rather arrogant approach to try and force a more expensive device on the mainstream and to me it looks like it’s backfired somewhat. There is certainly a lot of people buying cheaper iPhone 8’s when the XR really should be the go to iPhone.

 

[Radon87000]

As I said, depending on the viewing conditions. Trying to play a game in direct sunlight with sunglasses probably will render any advantage of oled a moot point.
[doublepost=1546182701][/doublepost]
I think apple did their homework and decided they would lose some revenue to those looking for a smaller phone factor with current internals, but that would be offset by the gains of an XR type phablet phone, priced at the right price point.

It does not depend on viewing conditions. The colours are richer in any viewing condition. The text is sharper and darker. If you are viewing in sunlight, the oled has an advantage as it gets much much brighter than lcd and because of the infinite blacks the contrast is better. Once you use OLED, trying to use an lcd is jarring. As an analogy, 120hz on iPad is a gimmick to some but once you get used to that refresh rate the normal iPad screen is complete crap in comparison.

If you have never ever used an oled in your life, you may find the lcd fine but once you use it, lcd is utter garbage. I am talking only about Samsung’s oleds. Apple’s lcds are better tHan LG’s oleds.
[doublepost=1546250580][/doublepost]

What my opinion on what apple wanted was an affordable phablet sized phone. Hence the Xr.

The Xs was the X upgrade, while the max represented an all-screen version of the plus phones, with prices to match the screen size.

I do not think they considered an all-screen lcd form factor of a phone the size of the X/Xs. That would be a confusing line-up. (Not that the current lineup isn't any less confusing)

They should come up with a XR Plus with a proper high resolution lcd like the Plus phones along with dual cameras as it would be cheaper to manufacture over the XS. But that would absolutely stomp the smaller XS sales.
[doublepost=1546250697][/doublepost]

The handwriting has been on the walls for bigger phones (and bigger screens). If you like the old style phones apple will gladly sell you a 7/8 or 7+/8+. Apple has chosen not to have a 4.7 inch screen in this years lineup and the 4 inch screen has been killed off.

I agree Apple is leaving some money on the table, and I'm sure they've done their homework as to how much.

The 7 is getting discontinued in 2019 and the 8 in 2020. The days of that form factor are numbered.
[doublepost=1546250827][/doublepost]

They could've, but didn't. Probably the big save/reveal for 2019, just like we could all tell from day 1 when the X was released that they of course were sitting on the Max to be 2018's big boring release a whole year later. Probably same crap here - "Look, now we can finally bring a smaller Xr to market OMGEMPTYYOURWALLETAGAIN!!!!!"

The lineup is predictable. Next step for Apple is to compete with the Note series by releasing a 6.8inch iPhone XS Pro with Apple pencil support starting at only $1499 64GB storage. The year after that, add ProMotion support and jack up the price another $100. The days of a $2000 iphone are not far

 

[azentropy]

This whole thing started because for some baffling reason you couldn't figure out why people say that the X and 6 are comparable in size and I explained that people only take height/width into consideration when saying this. People don't think in terms of volume when visually comparing phones. If you were to place all 3 on a table and ask random people which two were more similar in size, they would pick the X and the 6 simply because the 5s is considerably shorter and less wide than both even though as you say the 6 is closer to the 5s in volume. I also imagine that the X and 6 would feel more similar in the hand than the 6 and SE due to the closer width dimension and rounded edges.

No, re-read my original post. You proved my point exactly! People think they are about the same size because just by physically looking at them since they have a similar shape (which is what they are doing by only counting two dimensions and excluding weight). I was pointing out that if you actually compare ALL the dimensions and weight there is a bigger difference 6->X than there was 5s->6. So thank you for that even though you apparently still don't get it.