It’s all opinions buddy because we all have different eyes. I suppose we should be greatful for Apple giving us 3 iPhones this year.
If I don’t like the XR, I only have one choice and that’s the XS as the Max is just too big for me.
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iPhone XR iPhone XR mini review - Gorgeous phone overall, but text somewhat blurrier than Plus/XS/Max
- Thread starter EugW
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It’s all opinions buddy because we all have different eyes. I suppose we should be greatful for Apple giving us 3 iPhones this year.
If I don’t like the XR, I only have one choice and that’s the XS as the Max is just too big for me.
Always liked 3D Touch. The argument it’s useless puzzles me given it’s a quicker way to access content/perform actions. Don’t mean to be snarky, but it’s always seemed to be a feature dismissed by some out of ignorance of what it can do.
Also, it just got a LOT more useful with the Shortcuts app, surprised this has got so little play.
The Shortcuts app is on my home screen and using it to toggle/play/pause/activate various functions of my own choosing without leaving the home screen is excellent, especially given Apples stubbornness regarding Android style widgets anywhere but Notification Centre. Admittedly, the XR-only long press feature probably replicates this (does it?), but still. If someone really didn’t like 3D Touch they’ve always been able to disable it anyway.
I hope it continues as a technology, but I’m troubled by Apples willingness to regress certain aspects of their product over time.
Also, it just got a LOT more useful with the Shortcuts app, surprised this has got so little play.
The Shortcuts app is on my home screen and using it to toggle/play/pause/activate various functions of my own choosing without leaving the home screen is excellent, especially given Apples stubbornness regarding Android style widgets anywhere but Notification Centre. Admittedly, the XR-only long press feature probably replicates this (does it?), but still. If someone really didn’t like 3D Touch they’ve always been able to disable it anyway.
I hope it continues as a technology, but I’m troubled by Apples willingness to regress certain aspects of their product over time.
Here’s the thing, vision isn’t just eyes and glasses, it involves the brain, too. When I first looked at the Xr display after being on my 8 Plus all day, text looked a bit smeared. Within a few seconds it resolved into clarity for me and that’s all I’ve seen since, so far. Unfortunately it’s the only favor my brain has ever done for me on these displays.
That’s not to say I’m going to be free of issues on this device. Only time will tell. Years ago I got an iPad and the display gave me eye strain and migraine just like the pwm flicker of the X/XS/Max displays do. I found the ppi just low enough to mess my vision up.
I traded it in for a Mini which had higher ppi at that time and did fine.
Some displays simply make your eyes and brain work harder than is perfectly comfortable. It’s not a matter of anyone being a display snob. In fact some people become very particular by necessity rather than desire. But not everyone’s vision works the same way. This is definitely a case where it would be smart to take advantage of Apple’s generous return policy and try it for yourself.
That’s not to say I’m going to be free of issues on this device. Only time will tell. Years ago I got an iPad and the display gave me eye strain and migraine just like the pwm flicker of the X/XS/Max displays do. I found the ppi just low enough to mess my vision up.
I traded it in for a Mini which had higher ppi at that time and did fine.
Some displays simply make your eyes and brain work harder than is perfectly comfortable. It’s not a matter of anyone being a display snob. In fact some people become very particular by necessity rather than desire. But not everyone’s vision works the same way. This is definitely a case where it would be smart to take advantage of Apple’s generous return policy and try it for yourself.
I must have bad eye sight because I’ve looked at all the photos posted in this thread and nothing looks blurry to me and I don’t see individual pixels. I don’t when I zoom in on my 12.9” iPad screen either. I wouldn’t suggest that people aren’t seeing what they’re seeing but I do wonder if some people think the screen is worse than what they’re actually seeing because there has been a focus on the screen not being 1080p or higher. If people didn’t know what the resolution was would they think it was a fantastic screen?
That’s because the brain is adjusting how it interprets what your eyes see, we don’t know for instance if a colour is actually that colour, it’s just what our brain has been trained to think it is!
It’s a fascinating topic when you see documentaries on perception and what’s been learnt about the brain and eyes. It also shows again how powerful and perfect the design is!
It’s the same with glasses.
It’s the same with TVs, if someone asked me which one to buy, I ALWAYS tell them to go and look for yourself because the pictures and tastes can vary so much. Everyone’s preference is different.
For a very minute percentage of forum members, there is a slight difference due to physical anomalies. I believe the largest percentage of replies to the forum as a whole, are from regulars who have oversaturated themselves with posts, reviews and articles. As such, they have consciously or subconsciously convinced themselves (due to bias or whatever reason) that the phone shows and operates as X, when it really operates as Y.
The forum has a very strong beehive affect for many members.
The text would be better on it if it was scaled to display the same amount of info as the X/XS. I tend to read a lot of news on my phone during the day, and the blurry text is the one thing I noticed about the XR when I got to try it out in the store yesterday. There's really very little the XR doesn't have going for it otherwise.
3D Touch is useful and also the tech behind it.. the reason why it didn't caught is because there is no indication to which icons/buttons/menus have 3D Touch and which don't, so sometimes you end up doing tap.. tap hard and nothing pops up, so you tend to stop doing that except where you know 3D Touch works and becomes your habit. Same will be for long press and haptic feedback. What it needs is some kind of visual indicator which icons have 3D Touch/long press and which don't
[doublepost=1540646891][/doublepost]That screen protector looks nice covering almost entire screen including the notch except for the speaker grill. How does FaceID work with this screen protector on? Some say screen protector can interfere with FaceID so curious to know
Since you're on a Plus, you should probably start with Zoomed Display mode first.
Basically, that turns your Plus into a non-Plus phone, but physically bigger with bigger fonts. This works with everything, including Safari and third party apps. At that point you can decide if you need to further adjust the font sizing. That setting can be found in the Display settings (not the Accessibility settings).
The way you've done it now not only does not work for 3rd party apps, it also screws up the screen formatting in some cases.
And yes, the bigger the fonts, the less the blurriness. In fact, I only notice it on fairly small fonts. Anything bigger and it looks crisp. I don't notice any blurriness at all with the fonts in the Settings menu, since those fonts are fairly big.
In Safari it also has to do with the specific web page and font used. For example, I sometimes seem to notice it more with small fonts with serifs (eg. something like Times New Roman) on some webpages.
Face ID works perfectly with that screen protector on. Mind you, we've only had the XR one day, so we shall see.
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Played around with the XS and XR yesterday.
Side-by-side, I couldn’t really distinguish much of a difference in terms of text quality and/or sharpness. The XS was perhaps a tiny bit sharper.
What was very evident however was the black levels on the XS. Switched to a black dynamic background on both devices and the XS looked fantastic. The App icons looked as if they were floating over the completely black surface. Really impressive, whereas the XR showed a distinctive edge between the background and the black bezel of the device.
I have to say though that the XR is a very appealing offer, you get so much more screen real estate than the XS and you really don’t notice the trade-offs. It was also easier to hold than the Max for sure.
In the end, I still think the XS is the best phone for me. I prefer the size as it fits very nicely in the hand. An XR or XS Max still couldn’t replace an iPad, so I prefer a smaller phone when out and an iPad at home.
Side-by-side, I couldn’t really distinguish much of a difference in terms of text quality and/or sharpness. The XS was perhaps a tiny bit sharper.
What was very evident however was the black levels on the XS. Switched to a black dynamic background on both devices and the XS looked fantastic. The App icons looked as if they were floating over the completely black surface. Really impressive, whereas the XR showed a distinctive edge between the background and the black bezel of the device.
I have to say though that the XR is a very appealing offer, you get so much more screen real estate than the XS and you really don’t notice the trade-offs. It was also easier to hold than the Max for sure.
In the end, I still think the XS is the best phone for me. I prefer the size as it fits very nicely in the hand. An XR or XS Max still couldn’t replace an iPad, so I prefer a smaller phone when out and an iPad at home.
Fair enough argument, but generally with reviews like this, they are right on the money with my vision. Plus, @EugW is rather fair in his assessments. He did not bash the XR, nor am I. My schedule does not allow me to see them at the store.
I appreciate the discussion in this thread. I am one of those folks with aging/myopic vision, I hold my 7+ and 2018 iPad rather close to my face. Perhaps, I will think differently when I eventually see the screen.
Cannot speak for others, I do not want to upgrade if I do not have to. My 7+ is fine and I’d rather put that money into a Mac. 7+ is the only iDevice I’ve purchased since 2014 that has been rock solid.
I hope everyone enjoys their XR.
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If you read his review you’ll see he’s not talking about larger fonts, as seen in your pic. Need to do a comparison shot with a small font, and even then it’s hard to grasp sharpness via photography.You guys must have a hell of a lot better eyesight than me. Ive been using my X and XR all day, I cant tell any difference in text sharpness.
Ok so I’ve had a brief play with one, I compare it to a 5.1” XS next to it, I saw ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE between the text, so for ME it’s a none issue, I much preferred the XR screen when True Tone was on, and the home screen looked better to me on the XR too, much brighter.
I set it to zoomed screen mode and both to bold text, how I have them setup, and the XR screen look absolutely fine, the home screen didn’t seem to benefit much from zoomed mode but in Safari it was MUCH better for me.
Unfortunately I couldn’t test anything else, the damn alarm thing was so sensitive, probably due to the shop people not connecting it up properly, you couldn’t wrap your hand around the XR without setting it off!
So I’ll have to wait till Wednesday when I go to the Apple store to have a proper play and see how it fits my hands, although it was better then the XS Max that’s for sure! I also want to play with the camera.
As for those bezels, did not bother me in the slightest and actually made the screen a little thinner and better looking.
So far I’m sold, so I just need to choose a colour and order one. In my mind their are pluses and minuses with the XS and XR screen, but overall I prefer Apples LCD screen over its OLED ones.
But yeah, the XR should be quite the upgrade from my 6S and I won’t feel quite as stupid for spending £800 as opposed to £999 on a phone, that’s for the 128GB version which will also help soften the blow.
I set it to zoomed screen mode and both to bold text, how I have them setup, and the XR screen look absolutely fine, the home screen didn’t seem to benefit much from zoomed mode but in Safari it was MUCH better for me.
Unfortunately I couldn’t test anything else, the damn alarm thing was so sensitive, probably due to the shop people not connecting it up properly, you couldn’t wrap your hand around the XR without setting it off!
So I’ll have to wait till Wednesday when I go to the Apple store to have a proper play and see how it fits my hands, although it was better then the XS Max that’s for sure! I also want to play with the camera.
As for those bezels, did not bother me in the slightest and actually made the screen a little thinner and better looking.
So far I’m sold, so I just need to choose a colour and order one. In my mind their are pluses and minuses with the XS and XR screen, but overall I prefer Apples LCD screen over its OLED ones.
But yeah, the XR should be quite the upgrade from my 6S and I won’t feel quite as stupid for spending £800 as opposed to £999 on a phone, that’s for the 128GB version which will also help soften the blow.
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It took me half a second to be a able to tell the difference. Interesting that you dont see it.Even in Safari in very small text- I cant tell.
Thanks for review. I pretty much agree with what you said and your observations, bolded above, are spot on. I have used various iterations of the Plus phones for 4 years. 6+/6S+/7+/8+. On launch day, I received a Jump on Demand upgrade from T-Mobile for the XS Max. The OLED screen looked staggeringly good. Unfortunately, it was like one of those Greek (Be Careful What You Wish For) myths. I felt a lot of discomfort looking at the screen and reading text. I'm not alone. Here's an 86 page thread of users who could not get used to the XS Max plus for innumerable reasons, none of which are provable as direct causation, but there is clearly strength in numbers.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/eye-strain-while-using-iphone-x.2085427/
Most of these XSMax-ophobic users have held out hope that the XR would be their answer, creating an immediate debate for the Plus users whether they could be getting a downgrade of their text quality vs. their current phones. Many took comfort in Apple advertising the XR LCD as the "best LCD ever" and giving it a fancy name "liquid retina", that somehow all of these changes at the margin (pardon the pun), would elevate the display to the point that you wouldn't care about the lower resolution in comparison to the Plus phones.
I received the XR on launch day and it took me less than an hour to realize that I was able to process the information I was seeing on the screen with a greater level of comfort on the 8 Plus vs the XR. I then called T-Mobile and arranged a return. Then someone on the forum above, suggested, since I was also complaining about the smaller font, that I try the Zoomed display mode. I ripped the box back open and did just that. I was not impressed. Whether the text on the XR was smaller (standard display) or larger )Zoomed display, I could easily discern the difference between the sharper clearer text on the 8 Plus and the less clearer text on the XR.
Someone on another thread made the following observation:
"I can’t imagine Apple putting out a new phone that is noticeably inferior in day to day usage."
My response: "Think again and focus on the word "noticeably". Of course if you are used to a 326 ppi, you are not going to notice. But once you become conditioned to the sharper text at 401 ppi, there is no going back. Ask yourself why Apple went w/a higher PPI on the Plus phones. For no reason? Because it had had a larger form factor - 5' 5"? Well, the 6.1" XR has an even larger form factor? No, Apple offered the Plus phones as their premium product, a superior product with a higher resolution and various other goodies. Now it seems, Apple is saying it never mattered all in the first place - 326 is good enough and the XR is "likable enough". Oh, well."
In considering why Apple put a 1080/1920 display not he Plus phones, the following is instructive, https://medium.com/we-are-appcepted/the-curious-case-of-iphone-6-1080p-display-b33dac5bbcb6
It's pretty evident to me that Apple could have easily endowed the XR w/a higher resolution screen, but that would have had the unfortunate effect of reducing its ASP (average selling price) by creating to much of an incentive for users to upgrade to the XR vs. upgrading to the far more expensive XS Max.
The display on the iPhone XR also has a narrower aspect ratio and if you are holding the phone in portrait mode as most everyone does for reading text, there is some extra word wrapping on the XR vs the Plus, particularly if the phone is in Zoomed display mode. It might be a small difference, but a significant one that’s not immediately obvious when looking at the difference in display size on paper.
I'm 65, wear corrective progressive lenses and have a pair of reading glasses. I always have used the Plus phones with two hands and usually when I'm out and about. I consume content primarily on a 12.9" iPad Pro. I noticed that with my progressive lenses on I could easily read even very small text in the 8 plus fine, but I strained to do so on the XR. Likewise, when not using glasses at all that I sometimes do when I wake up in the morning or don't have glasses nearby, the same held true. I simply could not read text in comfort the way I have been used to on the Plus phones.
I have never dropped one of the plus iPhones. I have kept an Apple silicone case on each of them, and because the form factor is larger and use the phone two-handed, holding that phone in one hand is like a vice grip. A smaller phone even w/the case on, is more likely to slip away. And since I walk an hour every night listening to podcasts on the phone and need to fast forward (scrub) thru the interminable commercial breaks, I am continually pulling the phone out of my pocket.
The plus size phone offer a larger keyboard than the XR in any mode, standard or zoomed. It's simply a matter of physics. The side bezels on the phones are almost exactly the same, and holding that constant, the Plus phones are considerably wider than the XR. Having additional spaces between the keys greatly reduces errors.
Last night, when I went walking, I watched the last three innings of World Series on my 8 plus iphone, using Fox's app. It was a beautiful display sized exactly to the form factor of the Plus. With the XR, the landscape display would clearly have been smaller and most likely the video would have been less sharp.
To me the display is the most important part of the phone. All of these other features, bells and whistles, pale in comparison. Yes, I'd like to be rid of the home button, have the A12 processor, a better camera (although in truth the feature I use the most is the telephone lens for 2X optical zoom which the XS does not have), etc. but not with a dumbed down display compared to what I have now.
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I finally had my brief hands on today at a local Apple store. Overall it is a very well made device and i can see why people love/will love it. Decent heft and solid build. Its bigger than you think yet smaller than the Max/plus models
I purposely did not do a side by side comparison with my X and just went purely on my eyes. The screen is actually better than i expected. Good colours, brightness, contrast. But the bezel was noticeable and i could immediately tell it wasn't a hi-res display. At first glance you wouldn't notice, and if you're not used to 'better' screens you'd miss it completely.
That said text were just not as crisp...especially with smaller fonts. And as soon as i zoomed in i noticed the rougher edges. Colour shift was minimal on the unit i tested and it wasn't yellow unlike some others i've seen.
Overall i came away not loving it, but respecting what it is. And as soon as i fired up my X after leaving the store, the difference became palpable.
If it (Xr) came with 401 PPI i'd be first in line to get one but as it stands...not for me. Also the Max is definitely not for me either.
I purposely did not do a side by side comparison with my X and just went purely on my eyes. The screen is actually better than i expected. Good colours, brightness, contrast. But the bezel was noticeable and i could immediately tell it wasn't a hi-res display. At first glance you wouldn't notice, and if you're not used to 'better' screens you'd miss it completely.
That said text were just not as crisp...especially with smaller fonts. And as soon as i zoomed in i noticed the rougher edges. Colour shift was minimal on the unit i tested and it wasn't yellow unlike some others i've seen.
Overall i came away not loving it, but respecting what it is. And as soon as i fired up my X after leaving the store, the difference became palpable.
If it (Xr) came with 401 PPI i'd be first in line to get one but as it stands...not for me. Also the Max is definitely not for me either.
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Thanks to @Broadus for reminding about the somewhat different effect of Zoomed Display mode on the XR.
For all the phones that support Zoomed Display mode, all of them --- except the XR --- provide about the same font size. That means it doesn't matter if it's the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, 8, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7 Plus, 8 Plus, or XS Max, all of them have about the same size text in Zoomed Display mode.
But not the XR. In Zoomed Display mode it has smaller fonts than all of the above phones in Zoomed Display mode. OTOH, the XR in Zoomed Display mode has bigger fonts than all iPhones in Standard Display mode. IOW, font size of the XR in Zoomed Display mode is kind of medium sized. This makes sense, since the phone is effectively a smaller XS Max, so it stands to reason its Standard and Zoomed fonts are also smaller than the XS Max in the same modes.
Here is my post, but I'll repost it below to illustrate the math:
The iPhone 6s' Zoomed Display mode turns it into a giant iPhone 5.
The iPhone 6s Plus Zoomed Display mode turns it into a giant iPhone 6s.
The iPhone XR Zoomed Display mode turns it into a big iPhone XS.
The iPhone XS Max Zoomed Display mode turns it into a giant iPhone XS.
Remember, the smaller the points per inch, the bigger the fonts:
Screen height of 6s is 4.1". iPhone 5 vertical screen points is 568, so Zoomed Display is 138 points per inch.
Screen height of Plus is 4.8". iPhone 6s vertical screen points is 667, so Zoomed Display is 139 points per inch.
Screen height of XR is 5.5". iPhone XS vertical screen points is 812, so Zoomed Display is 148 points per inch.
Screen height of XS Max is 5.9". iPhone XS vertical screen points is 812, so Zoomed Display is 138 points per inch.
So for Zoomed Display mode:
5/SE: No Zoomed Display
6/7/8: 138
Plus: 139
XR: 148
XS: No Zoomed Display
XS Max: 138
For Standard Display mode:
5/SE: 163
6/7/8: 163
XR: 163
Plus: 154
XS: 153
XS Max: 153
This means that the 6/7/8, Plus, and Max all have about the same font sizes in Zoomed Display mode with the points per inch at about 138-139.
In native mode, the 5, 6/7/8, and XR are all the same at 163, and the Plus, XS, and XS Max are all about the same at 153-154.
The XR's Zoomed Display Mode is the odd one out at 148, a medium font size. This actually works out well for my wife. She wants bigger than native 163, but doesn't really need as big as 138, so 148 is good. In truth, that's only a little bit bigger than the native font sizes of the Plus, XS, and Max.
Thanks for all the info EugW. Now I understand the difference between the 8+ and Xr when in standard and/or zoom mode.
Thanks for this: i was seeing the same dingy yellow screen on my Xr next to my Max, and I wondered if it was the lighting or just my unit. At first, I thought that Night Shift was on because the Xr screen was so excessively (to my eye) warm. I did have True Tone on in both phones sitting next to each other, though, but the Max looked much better: warm, but a much more pleasing tone than the Xr.