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iPhone 15 Pro Held an X for the first time in 6 years…

Hobbes42

Hobbes42

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 11, 2018
80
252
West Coast
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
 
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Hobbes42 said:
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
Click to expand...
While I don't fully agree that newer phones have a lazy design I do completely agree that the X and XS is such as nicely designed device. It just feels a lot smaller than it really is. Was messin around with my fathers XS a while back and just thought to myself that this is the design they should have "reused" when releasing the new "SE" model.
 
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Yeah I regretted trading my XS for a 12. The newness of the design and the promise of 5G speeds persuaded me, but both of those things were not really any better than they were with my XS.

The round shape is harder to do but feels nicer in the hand, the 12 was probably easier to make and more sensible for packaging reasons. I feel like that is a step backwards, it's less special. I also prefer my curved M1 MacBook Air over the new square ones.

That iPhone Air model may be interesting but the large size and rumoured camera mountain range bump already sound to me like a compromised design. We'll have to wait and see how it is in the hand.
 
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I did really enjoy my X, although I felt like Apple neglected it by discontinuing almost every single case for it at the launch of the XS, as well as making battery cases for the XS/XS Max and specifically stating that the case would not work on the X (though it did work mostly ok). It felt like a slap in the face...Apple drew us in with the fancy new design and then punished us a year later for buying it by canceling anything specific to it. And then they only supported it for 6 iOS versions instead of 7 like the 6S series, and current XS/XR families. It should have at least got iOS 17.

The X was overall my most problem-free phone with a good balance of battery life and a changed design that was changed enough to make it interesting. Still only used it for 3 years though. I find they don't work well enough for me after about 3 years.

Personally I liked the 5.8" screen and I still think that is what the normal Pro size should be. Not 6.1" or 6.3". The new 6.3" Pros are almost as large as the original 6.5" Max was, and at the time of the Max launch, many people thought it was too big....I have grown to like the Max in it's 6.7" and 6.9" forms, but not everyone wants that.
 
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I guess I wouldn't know. My primary iPhone is the 11 Pro Max.

That said, for those perhaps implying that rounded edges are better then flat edges, well… All I can say is I've had rounded edges since February 2015. I'm tired of over a decade of round edges. It's not easier to grip and it doesn't feel as good as gripping the flat edges of my iPhone 5.

Just my opinion.
 
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I never realized how small my X is compared to my XS Max, 12 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max. It’s still a phone that I love besides the small size.
 
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I would say that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus and the upcoming iPhone 17 [base model] are the further refinements of the design introduced by iPhone X and XS, although they no longer have the rounded sides from the older models. I don't find the Camera control [button] useful to me and it was never available in the older models anyway.

I switched back to an iPhone 11 Pro Max despite losing Dolby Vision HDR video simply for the rounded sides and almost flat back [and bigger battery capacity than older models] compared to iPhone 12 Pro and newer models. I previously owned an iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro.
 
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Can’t agree there. I gave my X to a family member years back, I’m on the 16 now. I do help them out with handling iOS stuff every now and then.

I keep thinking it’s falling out of my hand tbh. I like the newer design better, then again I was a huge fan of the 4 and 5.

iOS-wise, 16 feels much snappier and faster.
 
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Loved my X (still have it in drawer) - and you’re right, the first time you picked it up, felt its hefty but balanced curved steel chassis, and gazed upon its sleek home button-free visage, it didn’t disappoint.

The only other model I felt that sense of a big leap forward in form and design, was the iPhone 4 (I held out for white). Everything in between and since, has been functional and emotionless.
 
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Frankly, I upgraded from an iPhone Xʀ to the 16 Plus and the only difference in terms of discomfort is size. I can no longer comfortably take a picture with one hand, it feels as if I’m trying to balance it to prevent it from falling. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same for me.

I don’t notice a difference when holding the regular iPhone 16.
 
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Hobbes42 said:
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
Click to expand...
Is there much size difference being 5,8 inch phone? Or does it just have thicker bezels? For me narrower phone is more pleasant to use.
 
sunapple said:
Yeah I regretted trading my XS for a 12. The newness of the design and the promise of 5G speeds persuaded me, but both of those things were not really any better than they were with my XS.

The round shape is harder to do but feels nicer in the hand, the 12 was probably easier to make and more sensible for packaging reasons. I feel like that is a step backwards, it's less special. I also prefer my curved M1 MacBook Air over the new square ones.

That iPhone Air model may be interesting but the large size and rumoured camera mountain range bump already sound to me like a compromised design. We'll have to wait and see how it is in the hand.
Click to expand...

Yes, I went from an XS to a 13 pro. The boxy design doesn't feel like it was tested with alternatives but just made because it looked sharp. The 4/4s/5/5s worked in the hand because of how compact they were.
 
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Product Design 101: Its very difficult to build a design that achieves instant brand recognition. This can happen with logos, products, urban design (see: US cities) and signage. Familiarity becomes a reason for people to keep buying a product, where significant change invites backlash. There is a reason Porsche let you listen to a soundbite of the engine noise when browsing their model 911 webpage and people baulked at Jaguar's tone-deaf rebrand last year.

The iPhone design slots into this category. It is not 'lazy design'; it has been conditioned that way on purpose. Indeed the image most people have of a generic smartphone is that of an iPhone. Other brands, notably Samsung and Google have actually removed their own brand character of late to align them closer to the aesthetics of the iPhone. This is not outright plagiarism but a calculated marketing move on their part. The reason EVs stick to the familiar car paradigm is to give customers an inviting, familiar aesthetic. Expect the iPhone 25 to, bar the odd nip and tuck largely resemble existing models.

The fast pace of the tech sector had created a user expectation that things should constantly change but the commoditisation of smartphones has meant that have, much like cars and laptops become an archetype. You can make them bend and twist all you like but a folding spoon is still a spoon.
 
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Ctrlos said:
Product Design 101: Its very difficult to build a design that achieves instant brand recognition. This can happen with logos, products, urban design (see: US cities) and signage. Familiarity becomes a reason for people to keep buying a product, where significant change invites backlash. There is a reason Porsche let you listen to a soundbite of the engine noise when browsing their model 911 webpage and people baulked at Jaguar's tone-deaf rebrand last year.

The iPhone design slots into this category. It is not 'lazy design'; it has been conditioned that way on purpose. Indeed the image most people have of a generic smartphone is that of an iPhone. Other brands, notably Samsung and Google have actually removed their own brand character of late to align them closer to the aesthetics of the iPhone. This is not outright plagiarism but a calculated marketing move on their part. The reason EVs stick to the familiar car paradigm is to give customers an inviting, familiar aesthetic. Expect the iPhone 25 to, bar the odd nip and tuck largely resemble existing models.

The fast pace of the tech sector had created a user expectation that things should constantly change but the commoditisation of smartphones has meant that have, much like cars and laptops become an archetype. You can make them bend and twist all you like but a folding spoon is still a spoon.
Click to expand...
Off-topic, but we "know" by now that the iPhone 17 will have this camera bar on the back. So that means Apple is willing to shake things up. And they don't appear too worried that Google has used this layout for a while now.
 
As part of AT&T’s recent upgrade offer, we could trade in most any iPhone for $350.

I dug up my wife’s iPhone 7. I had forgotten how thin and smooth (and slippery to hold) it was, with no lens projections…. It cast a definitely different vibe than the engineered, bulky, carved look of my 16 Pro.

But I thought my 12 mini was small. HOLY COW.

I like my 16 Pro, but carrying it around is like wearing shoes on the beach. It’s been a week, and holding or pocketing it takes much more “involvement” and thought on my part than the 12 mini required.

The 7 slid into my front pocket and was barely felt. I do recall at the time critiquing its slipperiness, and felt the squared edges of my 12 mini felt safer to tote around w/o as much drop risk.

But I can’t believe iPhones were once that small and sleek.

Could I give up all the functionality and battery life if Apple offered an iPhone Nano sized Iphone 17 sized like the 7? And then just keep an iPad mini in the truck for when I need more? I’d really consider that.
 
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I have been saying basically this ever since I switched from the 11 to the 13. Oh how I despise the flat sided design of the current iphones. The only good news is it is saving me money as I have no desire to buy a new iphone until the rounded sides come back.
 
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Well; I hate to say it but the newer iPhones feel the same to me as the Samsung Galaxy phones. Weird, I know. Once the phones went to almost no edge and screwing with the top glass...it seemed to me they and Samsung just became too similar. I absolutely hated the curved edges that Samsung did, useless design change to amuse the minds of its ferret minded customer base. Not that we Apple customers are not the same at times, buying shinny new baubles. :)
 
Hobbes42 said:
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The X was peak. The current design is more aesthetic's than comfort. The square edges just dont feel right in your palm. But if history repeats itself, they will cycle back to round edges soon, and then back to square 5 years later.
 
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