Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I am hoping the light bleed issues are resolved and don't creep back up. An LCD in this form factor makes me a little nervous, but I trust Apple when it comes to hardware.
 
Huh very interesting! More data showing the XR is the one to get. XS Max real estate in a smaller package!

Because it's better - two cameras and a super HD screen (vs. 720p). Picture quality and display quality mean a lot to some.

While you can compare them objectively, I think the differences between them will be more important depending on the person.

I absolutely love the stainless steel build and OLED display @ 458ppi, but I think most consumers won’t even notice the absence of those particulars with the XR. Couple that with the colour options, better price and nearly identical camera features, I think it’ll end up being the most popular option.
 
While you can compare them objectively, I think the differences between them will be more important depending on the person.

I absolutely love the stainless steel build and OLED display @ 458ppi, but I think most consumers won’t even notice the absence of those particulars with the XR. Couple that with the colour options, better price and nearly identical camera features, I think it’ll end up being the most popular option.
We shall see...love how we all try to compare phones no one has even seen yet. I'm not buying the same real estate thing just because they can squeeze the same thing on the Xr and make it smaller.
 
And even then, it has the same point-width resolution as the previous Plus iPhones, and the same overall point-resolution of the XS Max.

The difference between the XR and XS Max is that the XR draws the UI @2x retina while the XS Max draws it @3x retina. They both have the same screen 'real estate' though the XR with the screen being a bit smaller physically will have all the same UI elements looking slightly smaller.

View attachment 781716
I'm confused. According to that picture, the font sizes are the same for all of the models, which would mean that the XR has less screen real estate than the XS Max.

EDIT:

Oh wait. That picture is misleading, because it has scaled up the XR's screen to be the same size as the XS Max for some reason.
 
Went for Max because:

- Larger screen size
- Dual lens camera
- 3D Touch
- OLED screen
- Aesthetically more pleasing (hate the XR bezels and aluminum)
- Build quality
- Better water resistance

Why do I feel like people make these threads because they're unhappy that they can't purchase the Xs and feel the need to shame others? As outlined, there are tons of reasons to go for the Xs, and as explained by Apple, the XR's purpose is to bring the "vision of the future" to the masses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: karmamule
Went for Max because:

- Larger screen size
- Dual lens camera
- 3D Touch
- OLED screen
- Aesthetically more pleasing (hate the XR bezels and aluminum)
- Build quality
- Better water resistance

Why do I feel like people make these threads because they're unhappy that they can't purchase the Xs and feel the need to shame others? As outlined, there are tons of reasons to go for the Xs, and as explained by Apple, the XR's purpose is to bring the "vision of the future" to the masses.

For some reason, people like to associate phones as a social status rather than a common utility/interest. After all, aren't most of us here iOS or Mac OS X fans? That's a common ground to discuss things from an objective standpoint.

Buying an XS or XS Max doesn't necessarily mean you're super wealthy. Same thing, except vice versa, if you elect to go with the XR.

I say enjoy your XS Max. Feel free to share your thoughts, good and bad, about it next week. I am excited to read about the new FaceID 2nd gen since the XR won't be available for another month.
 
both fones have identical:
- same mimo capability
- same dual SIM capability
- same wireless charging
- same world-wide NFC (both NFC A/B, and Japan Felica)

Xs has these "better" features over the Xr:
- lighter in weight
- gigabit LTE
- better water resistance
- more pixels per inch display
- 3D Touch
- 2x Optical Zoom camera (Xr has only digital zoom)

Xs also has these features versus the Xr, which may be "better" in some people's choices:
- narrower than the Xr
- up to 528 GB storage
- camera completely different (most would say better than the Xr)

Xr has better than Xs:
- Xr has much better (longer) battery times than the Xs
- colors

The Xr does not support dual sim.

Check out Apple's support article. Nowhere does it mention dual sim for the Xr. Only the Xs and Xs Max.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044
 
We shall see...love how we all try to compare phones no one has even seen yet. I'm not buying the same real estate thing just because they can squeeze the same thing on the Xr and make it smaller.

What? We're mainly making objective comparisons based on the released info. We also have an excellent idea of how these phones feel in the hand based on previous phones (steel build of the iPhone X, aluminum + glass build of the iPhone 8 Plus).

And the real estate is the same. That's not something made up. Of course the screen on the XR is a bit smaller than the XS Max, and has a lower DPI, but in terms of the point resolution (elements that are actually drawn on the screen) they're identical.

I'm confused. According to that picture, the font sizes are the same for all of the models, which would mean that the XR has less screen real estate than the XS Max.

EDIT:

Oh wait. That picture is misleading, because it has scaled up the XR's screen to be the same size as the XS Max for some reason.

Yeah - the picture isn't to show the physical size per se, but more how the point resolutions compare across the older and new iPhones. Would have been cool if the XR was shrunk in that photo a bit to show the physical comparison as well.
 
And even then, it has the same point-width resolution as the previous Plus iPhones, and the same overall point-resolution of the XS Max.

The difference between the XR and XS Max is that the XR draws the UI @2x retina while the XS Max draws it @3x retina. They both have the same screen 'real estate' though the XR with the screen being a bit smaller physically will have all the same UI elements looking slightly smaller.

View attachment 781716
https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

So, basically, it would appear that the default font sizing of the 6.1" XR would be the same as the iPhone 8.

Width of the phones' screens are as follows:

XS Max 69 mm, with 414 points = 6.0 points per mm
8 Plus 68 mm, with 414 points = 6.1 points per mm
XR 65 mm, with 414 points = 6.4 points per mm
XS 62 mm, with 375 points = 6.0 points per mm
8 59 mm, with 375 points = 6.4 points per mm

The more points per mm, the smaller the font size.

I was hoping the default font sizing of the 6.1" XR would be the same as the Max (which has bigger fonts), but in retrospect, that wouldn't make sense in terms of the math. Instead, the XR's 6.1" screen is just a shrunk down version of the Max's 6.5" so everything will be slightly smaller on the XR. However, one can just use Display Zoom mode.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: profets
Okey, they're pretty similar to me.
Personally, I don't think the lack of 3D Touch/OLED screen on the XR are deal-breakers. And the XR can handle bokeh even with a single camera...
So, what am I missing here?

I’m sure someone has already said this but the biggest deal for me is the screen resolution. The screen is the single most important part of the device and the screens on the Xs models are just objectively better. The XR screen will be decent. But I want the best screen. And yes you can tell a difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PBz and profets
https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

So, basically, it would appear that the default font sizing of the 6.1" XR would be the same as the iPhone 8.

Width of the phones' screens are as follows:

XS Max 69 mm, with 414 points = 6.0 points per mm
8 Plus 68 mm, with 414 points = 6.1 points per mm
XR 65 mm, with 414 points = 6.4 points per mm
XS 62 mm, with 375 points = 6.0 points per mm
8 59 mm, with 375 points = 6.4 points per mm

The more points per mm, the smaller the font size.

I was hoping the default font sizing of the 6.1" XR would be the same as the Max (which has bigger fonts), but in retrospect, that wouldn't make sense in terms of the math. Instead, the XR's 6.1" screen is just a shrunk down version of the Max's 6.5" so everything will be slightly smaller on the XR. However, one just use Zoom mode.

That's a beautiful site to show and compare sizes and resolutions of all the phones. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty crazy how much larger the drawn resolution looks on the XS phones because they're at 3x. Especially XS Max next to XR.

Also cool to compare the XS Max to the 5.5" Plus phones. Rendered UI has the same width, though the Plus always downsampled back to 1080p for that physical screen.
 
That's a beautiful site to show and compare sizes and resolutions of all the phones. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty crazy how much larger the drawn resolution looks on the XS phones because they're at 3x. Especially XS Max next to XR.

Also cool to compare the XS Max to the 5.5" Plus phones. Rendered UI has the same width, though the Plus always downsampled back to 1080p for that physical screen.
I guess this also means that for pure on-screen GPU benchmarketing, the XR will be the fastest of the three new models, since it has the least pixels to push.
 
  • Like
Reactions: profets
Of course all that is true, you will never get true blacks with LCD. All my points are valid, not my fault you believe all the marketing tripe that they release. They’re not going to say it’s a lot worse than the one in the Xs.

Well...color accuracy and black levels are typically measured as two independent measurements.

So the xr should have greasy accuracy, while falling short of black levels and high dynamic range.

Not my fault you don’t understand the terminology.
 
For some reason, people like to associate phones as a social status rather than a common utility/interest. After all, aren't most of us here iOS or Mac OS X fans? That's a common ground to discuss things from an objective standpoint.

Buying an XS or XS Max doesn't necessarily mean you're super wealthy. Same thing, except vice versa, if you elect to go with the XR.

I say enjoy your XS Max. Feel free to share your thoughts, good and bad, about it next week. I am excited to read about the new FaceID 2nd gen since the XR won't be available for another month.

Totally, what I'm saying that the XR is significantly more affordable than the Xs/Max (which is great!) Because of this, people sometimes try to shame or put down the Xs as if it's inferior in some way. Imo it can stem from their desire/need to purchase the XR and save some coin, and also make themselves feel better about not having the maxed out, top of the line, most expensive flagship phone. OP was saying that OLED and 3D Touch "don't matter," but that's not the case for some people, those are reasons for upgrading.

If you like/want/need the XR, good on you! But it's unnecessary and downright idiotic to belittle the Xs when it's more feature-rich and luxe. And the same goes for people shaming the XR, there's a need and a demand for both.
 
. Imo it can stem from their desire/need to purchase the XR and save some coin, and also make themselves feel better about not having the maxed out, top of the line, most expensive flagship phone. OP was saying that OLED and 3D Touch "don't matter," but that's not the case for some people, those are reasons for upgrading.

Don't forget that "flagship" iPhone buyers have been belittling the "other" phone in the lineup ever since the 5C was announced. Happened with the 8/8+ as well.

I can afford a XS Max many times over, but I am strongly considering the XR instead. Really the only reason I would consider the Max would be the Dual Camera... which may be enough to make me buy it. I use 2x zoom a lot on my 8+.
 
Don't forget that "flagship" iPhone buyers have been belittling the "other" phone in the lineup ever since the 5C was announced. Happened with the 8/8+ as well.

I can afford a XS Max many times over, but I am strongly considering the XR instead. Really the only reason I would consider the Max would be the Dual Camera... which may be enough to make me buy it. I use 2x zoom a lot on my 8+.

Of course, there are those people as well. But all of the phones serve a purpose. The XR is enticing with a lower price point and a lot of the same features. But you can't try to argue that the Xs is inferior as the OP did, it simply serves a different user. And I understand you can afford both, but some people can't, and the shaming quickly follows.

For me, I went Max for the size. I miss the form factor of the Plus, and how big it felt. And I actually do use Force Touch daily (esp. in the Music app) and prefer the OLED screen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yashz
Honestly, it could be a tough call and I wouldn't blame anyone for either choice.

The upsides of the XS over the XR are screen type and resolution, true 3D touch (which most people don't use), nicer bezel materials, and the dual camera lens.

I actually really like the case colors on the XR though. They are really fun.

Most people will be fine with the XR, but $250 is worth it for those who really like the OLED screens and SS band.
 
Totally, what I'm saying that the XR is significantly more affordable than the Xs/Max (which is great!) Because of this, people sometimes try to shame or put down the Xs as if it's inferior in some way. Imo it can stem from their desire/need to purchase the XR and save some coin, and also make themselves feel better about not having the maxed out, top of the line, most expensive flagship phone. OP was saying that OLED and 3D Touch "don't matter," but that's not the case for some people, those are reasons for upgrading.

If you like/want/need the XR, good on you! But it's unnecessary and downright idiotic to belittle the Xs when it's more feature-rich and luxe. And the same goes for people shaming the XR, there's a need and a demand for both.
Honestly, it could be a tough call and I wouldn't blame anyone for either choice.

The upsides of the XS over the XR are screen type and resolution, true 3D touch (which most people don't use), nicer bezel materials, and the dual camera lens.

I actually really like the case colors on the XR though. They are really fun.

Most people will be fine with the XR, but $250 is worth it for those who really like the OLED screens and SS band.
For me, while I like SS, it's not a major consideration. For me, the #1 feature that the XS has that the XR doesn't, is telephoto lens. Number 2 would be the OLED.

I think much of the criticism of the XS stems from the cost differential. I was actually predicting a $799 price point for the XR and an $899 price point for the XS, with a $999 XS price point for more storage.

Instead, it's $749 and $999 respectively, which is a $250 difference. Furthermore, to go beyond 64 MB means an even bigger differential, at $799 vs $1149, which is a $350 difference. This is especially notable considering that the XR has the same screen real estate as the XS Max, and despite missing a lens, still has Portrait Mode. So it becomes not only a feature comparison, but a value comparison.

Obviously I'm not advocating belittling anybody, but I think in 2018 more people are having a harder time stomaching the cost of the X given its feature set compared to the XR.
 
Don't forget that "flagship" iPhone buyers have been belittling the "other" phone in the lineup ever since the 5C was announced. Happened with the 8/8+ as well.

I can afford a XS Max many times over, but I am strongly considering the XR instead. Really the only reason I would consider the Max would be the Dual Camera... which may be enough to make me buy it. I use 2x zoom a lot on my 8+.
It boils down to a small number of people who arrogantly believe their judgement and rationale is superior to that of others. Because they've made a choice to opt for one model, anybody who made the opposing choice must be wrong.

I wouldn't sneer at anybody's choice between the XS and the XR. 3D Touch and camera don't come into it for me - I'm happy to pay the extra just for the OLED, the sweet-spot screen size and the beautiful stainless steel design.
 
  • Like
Reactions: profets and yashz
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.