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iPhone XR Trading in an iPhone X for an iPhone XR, am I mad?
- Thread starter Stuey3D
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It sounds like you already made up your mind in terms of feature differences, and I agree with your decision there, OLED and telephoto don't seem like will be big losses for you compared to the gains the Xr has over the X.
BUT... I think what you're really trying to wrestle with is "should I spend money on a Xr when I already dropped $1000 (or whatever it is in £) a year ago." Granted you'll recoup some of that with trading in the X, but the psychology of spending $1000 is still in your head. To this, I say, life is short, a few hundred $$$ likely isn't going to break the bank in your situation, you seem like a fiscally responsible individual seeing how you're vacillating over this choice to begin with!
BUT... I think what you're really trying to wrestle with is "should I spend money on a Xr when I already dropped $1000 (or whatever it is in £) a year ago." Granted you'll recoup some of that with trading in the X, but the psychology of spending $1000 is still in your head. To this, I say, life is short, a few hundred $$$ likely isn't going to break the bank in your situation, you seem like a fiscally responsible individual seeing how you're vacillating over this choice to begin with!
Wow that is insanely good after 2 years, either you are a very light user or the batteries in those old Plus models are of far better quality.Sounds like the XR makes sense for your use. I almost preordered the Product Red 128GB XR, but ultimately the loss of 3D Touch and lack of Portrait Mode for anything other than a person has me waiting another year. The other issue I'm having is that the 7 Plus is still blazing fast with a great camera (with proper lighting). Makes the decision to move up very difficult at this point, especially to an XR.
As far as eye fatigue, I bought a pair of Felix Gray glasses that simply block blue wavelength light from all backlit devices, and being a med student, I'm on my computer and iPad all the time, and they work extremely well at minimizing part of the fatigue and eye strain. The other part causing headaches may be simply a physiological problem (which there is no getting around): our eyes focusing at such short distances for prolonged periods. We certainly never evolved looking at an object 12-18 inches away for hours a day.
[doublepost=1540307829][/doublepost]Btw, maybe it's just luck, but after 2 years of use on my 7 Plus, I'm still at 95%.
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Regarding the eye fatigue issue, I may be adding 2 and 2 and getting 5 but the only screen that has changed for me recently has been the iPhone X OLED but to be honest I it hadn't occurred to me that the X might be the cause until today. That being said the X might not be the cause and it might be a case of (to quote one of my favourite films) "I'm getting too old for this s**t"
As far as the camera goes it’s not surprising, the sort of 1/3” sensors used in the X were abandoned by most other manufacturers for flagships years ago - sensor size is a huge factor in image quality. The XR’s 1/2.5” sensor is much closer to the industry standard and you can pretty much say wothout even looking at samples it will produce much brighter, less noisy images in moderate to low light situations
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Look up PWM screen dimming - it’s how the X/S/Max dim their screens and can cause headaches in some people (I have owned oled phones before and luckily don’t personally seem to suffer, though generally I prefer LCD anyway as I find they tend to be more even and I don’t like the pentile effect)
The thing about that is I'm on a contract and I've actually only payed half of the phone off, but the contract I signed said I could upgrade after a year if I traded my phone in. If I trade my phone in for the XR I will actually be saving per month but extending it out longer.
In January I'll have 1 year left on my 2 year contract after that year the X will be mine to do as I see fit, if I go for the XR I can afford to do it over an 18 month contract and would still save money per month so in all reality its only another 6 months for a year newer device.
I'm also thinking to myself what the battery on my X will be like in another year if its already down to 92% and already having to be turned to low power mode in the evening.
I have pretty much made up my mind though and will likely go for a RED 128GB XR and I think you are right loosing OLED and telephoto I don't think will be enough of a loss compared to the battery life and base camera gains I'd get on the XR plus the bigger screen for my big hands would be slightly more comfortable I think.
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Yeah that low light capability is what I am after to be honest, a lot of my photos are taken in low light and some look down right terrible to be honest.
Took a photo of my black kitten laying on my bed the other day with the standard lens and no extra zoom and the detail of her fur looked like someone had painted it rather than an actual photo.
That being said I'm no pro photographer so any extra help with smart HDR and algorithms would be handy for me.
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Here is said photo of the cat, it doesn’t look great to be honest however black cats are notoriously difficult to photograph so I might be expecting miracles. However I imagine in that situation the XR’s camera would have done a bit of a better job due to the larger pixels and Smart HDR.
I love my iPhone X way too much to trade it in for an XR. I would only upgrade to the iPhone XS.
Maybe the XS MAX, but the only hesitation would be the size. If I could get used to the bigger size then XS MAX in gold would be good.
Maybe the XS MAX, but the only hesitation would be the size. If I could get used to the bigger size then XS MAX in gold would be good.
I would take the XR over the X for all the reasons you mentioned (and better screen performance in sunlight). You'll probably also find the XR camera system better. Most people don't use the second lens as much as they think they are. Even the 2X zoom often stays with the main lens and is performed digitally (for good reasons, but it's not what people expect to happen). And I prefer the XR color options.
Seriously, mate, ditch your ridiculously overpriced contract!
Just buy the phone outright and get a sim only contract as that will be ffaaarrrrrrr cheaper. Unless you will be upgrading in a year or two again in which case just get the 64GB as you’ll never use 128GB!
That’s if you upgrade.
Me, I’m on Tesco Mobile currently on 1500 mins, 5000 text and 6GB of data for £12.50 a month, so £799 decided by 18 is £44.38 plus 12.50 is £56.88 a month and I won’t be tied into a contract.
Now whilst this won’t suite you, O2 do a sim free 20GB plus unlimited text and calls for £21 a month for 12 months.
Seems like on contract your paying an awful lot for things you don’t use.
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I “think” the XR’s LTE hardware is different...one gen behind just like iPhone X. I don’t think they have the same problem, just speculating here!
That would require a second line. I impulsed purchased the 3310 3G this weekend, for my "home phone" usage which was on a cheap android phone. At home I don't need a smart phone, and the battery life is much better. It was a pain to transfer my nano SIM to the 3310 (with SIM adapter).
Once I realized the poster was in the UK, I vote too to keep his X. The much cheaper option. In the states, if he was on T-Mobile or wanted to change to T-Mobile I would vote for the Xr due to B71 support.
yeah but OP seemed really excited to get the XR. im not sure about the uk, but where im from (Singapore), you can pay a small 1 time fee for multisim (one mobile number across five devices) or line share, where you can add another numbers oto your plan at a very small monthly price.
I am trying to choose a new iPhone this year and been checking out this issue. In the Apple Store I noticed my eyes straining after only a few minutes playing with the XS and XS Max. You cant see the flicker but there is something going on with strains the eyes. I deliberately switched back and forwards to the 8 Plus models and immediately I could feel my eyes relaxing with the 8 Plus LCD. So for me the LCD in the XR is a big plus over OLED. I am keen to check it out on Friday. However for many other reasons I am unsure whether I am going to get an XR 128GB or an 8 Plus 256GB.
I have to admit my own stupidity over the years has left me stuck with o2 contracts to upgrade as I wrecked my credit score and I am now working to build it back up again, I think if I tried with another carrier I'd likely fail the credit check. I could pay upfront but the situation I am in would mean I'd still be paying off the X as the only reason I can trade in is because the contract I am on. I can either keep my phone for the full length of contract or trade in in January for a new device, I cannot hand it back and abandon the existing contract
In terms of device cost it only works out £97 more than purchasing direct from Apple to spread that over a 3-36 month contract which over 18 or 24 months is probably the same you'd pay if you got it on a credit card for the same time, but I have to admit the tariff costs seem to get hiked up for contract users over sim only which is a bit s**t.
If I traded in for the XR I would actually be saving money per month, and to be honest I am only considering an 18 month contract so I'd only be extending my contract for 6 months for a years newer device, hopefully in 18 months my credit score would've improved to the point where I will have more options in future.
And before anyone gets on their high horse saying I shouldn't have nice things if I don't have a good credit score or the money to buy up front, I have the money to pay every month like I have been doing since the iPhone 3G and I am happy to pay a bit more for the convenience of spreading the cost. In future I will most likely buy the device upfront and use a sim only contract, but for now this works for me.
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If you have the money for either I'd stick with the XR the 8+ doesn't feature in the list. The XR has the far superior battery, its slightly smaller for a bigger screen, its faster, it has a better camera (sans 2x lens) and potentially a years more software support.
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For me if the XS/XS Max were all that were available this year I wouldn't bother. I like the size of the XS Max but its FAR to expensive.
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We dont get that over here I'm afraid, hell my network doesnt even have the Apple watch yet as they cant do one number over multiple sims.
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Ah I see I forgot about those credit checks they do and credit scores etc.
Hmm in that case then I’d think about giving them a ring and see what they can offer if you want an XR.
I am going to get one but I have a 6S. I don’t like the XS as it lacks the zoomed screen mode and the Max is just too big for me, I played with that for about 30 mins and it’s too big to shuffle around and use.
So I’m hoping the XR will fit my needs, you can always wait till Friday and try one out first? I won’t be buying till I’ve tried it out that’s for sure!
And yes, why they hike the price on contracts compared to SIM only is beyond me, I guess it’s still what most people use to get a phone so they make their money on contracts?
O2 now offer flex contracts where you can choose how long you keep the device for and how much data you want which I think is pretty nifty. Over 18 months the device charge is £48 a month for the 128GB model which is only a couple of quid extra than you've worked out, the tariff cost is the extortionate part in this case.
Thankfully I'm not due to upgrade until January so I've got plenty of time to see an XR in person, but I have to admit I find the X slightly too small and I miss my old 6S+ so I think the Goldilocks size of the XR would be a nice fit and for me the battery would be a far better fit for my needs.
Don't get me wrong I like my X but its not worth the money I pay for it.
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Now I didnt know that 2x was often performed with the main lens, I assumed the minute I hit that 2x button it just switched the lenses. However I think far better low light of the XR will trump 2x for me, most photos I take are under sub optimal lighting conditions.
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I’ve also considered it, but only because of the colors. I’m obsessed with the orange and red colors... Which is a really bad reason to switch, especially when I’m gonna wear a case anyways. So imma stick with my x and maybe upgrade to xs if I’m able to find a cheaper unsealed online.. if not then I’ll wait for the 11
I could never go back to an LCD screen. Yucky yucky, ickity poo.
See I don’t think it would bother me, my TV is a 4K VA-LCD my laptop is a 1080p IPS-LCD and both of them look fine, in fact my TV looks bloody amazing.
My biggest concern was sacrificing daylight readability, but I’m being told the LCD would actually be better in the daylight so that was my only real concern now not a concern
With regards to resolution I am in the camp of if it’s good enough then why have more. More pixels require more processing power which requires more battery, it also means I can get away with lower quality video which means lower bandwidth usage and more data savings.
Samsung phones provide these high resolution displays but out of the box they come set to a lower resolution to save power and I am the sort of person who would leave it at the lower resolution for battery gains.
As long as the LCD is accurate colour and looks nice then it’s good enough for me, and traditionally Apple LCD’s have been very good in that respect and the tests carried out on the XR screen seem to confirm that this indeed is another good screen.
I really don’t understand this mantality, the single objective benefit of oled is that it has higher contrast with near-perfect black levels. Considering iOS is mostly white, when are you really going to benefit from that, other than perhaps watching video? Considering it’s a tiny screen it’s probably not going to be your go-to device for video either, so I can’t really see the massive benefit there?
By contrast LCD will generally be more power efficient under conditions like iOS where you will be displaying mostly white screens; generally better off axis viewing angles; RGB stripe sub pixels; no PWM screen dimming; and better colour uniformity.
IMHO at this point LCD is still the better tech for mobile phones, particularly when you strive for the best available panel qualities as Apple does.
Yeah I think I am going to, I mean the trade and upgrade option isn’t available until January anyway so it gives me plenty of time to see it in person, read reviews to see just how good the battery and camera are (early indications say very good) and plenty of time for any “insert problem here” gates to have passed.
I rely on 3D Touch features that the Xr doesn't allow yet. I know they are going to expand it with more options soon. I'm not a big camera guy, so going down to an Xr wouldn't be a big deal to me. I may replace my X with an Xr next year, provided the long press options expand to what I use 3D Touch for. If you go to the store and like it, then go for it.
Photos also look much better on an oled screen. Infinite contrast produces much greater depth. Actually OLED screens are more energy efficient compared to LCD, so the result is better battery life. OLED also has a wider viewing axis. If you own an OLED tv, it’s quite obvious just how much better it looks compared to LCD. You also missed the Verge article about how the color shifts on the Xr when viewing off axis compared to the 8 plus.
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