Other With iOS 12’s improved performance, I am having second thoughts

[rjlawrencejr]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

 

[Feenician]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

You mention the cost, so do you want a little financial angel on your shoulder, or a devil? Angel says you can easily live with your 6+ another year. It’s fast now and will get a little faster and more refined over the course of the year and you can put that money to better use. Devil says, “But new shiny”. Can’t wait to pick mine up on Friday.

 

[EugW]

I have a 7 Plus.

Original plan was to get a Max. Then I saw the price and laughed. Then I thought to get the XR. I'd take that and then I'd give the slower 7 Plus to the wife as she wants a new bigger phone to replace her 6s. But the lack of telephoto concerned me. Also, 326 ppi is good, but if you look for it, you can see improvements with the 401 ppi of the Plus. Then I upgraded to iOS 12.

Now the plan is to keep this speedy little 7 Plus for myself, and I'm going to get the XR for the wife. Yes, with iOS 12, her 6s is plenty fast, but she wants more screen real estate, and her mom needs a new phone too. Getting her the XR kills two birds with one stone. My wife gets her bigger phone, and her mom gets a bigger one too (upgrading from SE).

This XR 128 GB purchase plan gets a new A12 endowed 414x896 point iPhone*, yet costs a whopping CAD$712 less than the Max 256 GB.

*There are currently two 414x896 point iPhones, and those are the Max and the XR. Yes, the XR displays the exact same amount of screen information as the Max, but does so with a lower ppi screen, in a slightly shrunken form factor.

 

[Ortiz83]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

Not stating my opinion. Just letting you know that I’m happy upgrading from my X to the new Max!! Can’t wait!!!’

 

[iamMacPerson]

I'm not going to try and convince you wether or not to keep your order, but I can tell you what I like about the Max vs my 7 Plus and then explain why I'm upgrading.

I've been looking forward to an OLED iPhone for years, and when it finally came out last year I was underwhelmed by the form factor, technology and other 'advancements'. Sure, it was redesign, but it didn't speak to me, especially the 64GB for $1k. The Plus phone still did more than the X, namely landscape mode. Instead, I opted to sell my slow 6s Plus (which I later found out was due to the battery, thanks Apple!) and upgrade to a used iPhone 7 Plus. I'm a technical nerd, and I love spec sheets, but I was more excited when the red iPhone (a color I had wanted for years) was released.

This year, I liked the new phone. I loved the bigger screen, I loved the better camera, but it's odd as it's not a real 'S' upgrade IMO. The S phones have taken huge steps in processing power: 3GS introduced the first new CPU, iPhone 4s added dual core CPUs, iPhone 5s brought 64-bit, iPhone 6s increased the clock speed, GPU, efficiency and RAM, but then iPhone 7 brought more cores and RAM (Plus), and iPhone 8/X brought even more RAM and cores, better GPUs and more. The iPhone Xs and the A12 had nothing left to give. Sure, it's 7nm which is groundbreaking, but the performance increase and power decrease don't look to be as great as thought. The Neural Engine is great, but the on-the-fly CPU isn't any better.

The only reason I am upgrading is because my father was dead set on it. Had it not been for him getting his Xs Max, I wouldn't have received $700 off the purchase from Verizon. I refuse to pay $1k+ for a smart phone, instead I was going to buy used like my iPhone 7 Plus, but the $700 off was too good to refuse. Originally I was going to get the 8 Plus on sale, but I know I'm going to keep this new phone for 3-4 years, and for less than half the price. I couldn't beat it.

I can comfortably say that had it not been for the $700 BOGO deal Verizon has, I would not have upgraded.

 

[HarryWild]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

I experienced that performance improvement with ios12 installed on my iPad Mini 2 that was stugglish but now it like it was brand new with ios7. Very much delighted too. But I an Apple fanboy and I always upgrade my iPhone either each year or every other year. I don't sell my Apple devices either (except for this year so my X to a friend) so I am sort of a collector too! Just could not be more happy with ios12 so far. Gone pass my expectations for an ios upgrade. Made it faster rather then the slower!
[doublepost=1537337021][/doublepost]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

I would past on the new iPhone if you can live with the new performance from ios12! It really speed things up; at least for me. If you can use the money in better ways such as a trip or just saving it up for something else like a car; thenn do it since you do not seem to need a phone anymore; why spend it if cash is tight for you? You can alway buy a new iPhone in the future too. It not a mandatory thing in other words since you 6+ is good to go still. It is up to you! How much pleasure does having brand new iPhone give you vs. something else?

 

[russelljg]

The X had the shortest life of any iPhone, the Xs is relatively the smallest ‘S’ upgrade .....keep your 6+ another year. 2019 should hopefully see a significant improvement.

 

[DNichter]

That's fair, iOS 12 is great. If you are happy with your device and don't value any of the new features, then keep what you have. I think further supporting older devices through performance enhancements was a great move on Apple's part. This will keep people buying Apple products over the competition as they know they will be supported a long time.

 

[Princejb134]

I'm not going to try and convince you wether or not to keep your order, but I can tell you what I like about the Max vs my 7 Plus and then explain why I'm upgrading.

I've been looking forward to an OLED iPhone for years, and when it finally came out last year I was underwhelmed by the form factor, technology and other 'advancements'. Sure, it was redesign, but it didn't speak to me, especially the 64GB for $1k. The Plus phone still did more than the X, namely landscape mode. Instead, I opted to sell my slow 6s Plus (which I later found out was due to the battery, thanks Apple!) and upgrade to a used iPhone 7 Plus. I'm a technical nerd, and I love spec sheets, but I was more excited when the red iPhone (a color I had wanted for years) was released.

This year, I liked the new phone. I loved the bigger screen, I loved the better camera, but it's odd as it's not a real 'S' upgrade IMO. The S phones have taken huge steps in processing power: 3GS introduced the first new CPU, iPhone 4s added dual core CPUs, iPhone 5s brought 64-bit, iPhone 6s increased the clock speed, GPU, efficiency and RAM, but then iPhone 7 brought more cores and RAM (Plus), and iPhone 8/X brought even more RAM and cores, better GPUs and more. The iPhone Xs and the A12 had nothing left to give. Sure, it's 7nm which is groundbreaking, but the performance increase and power decrease don't look to be as great as thought. The Neural Engine is great, but the on-the-fly CPU isn't any better.

The only reason I am upgrading is because my father was dead set on it. Had it not been for him getting his Xs Max, I wouldn't have received $700 off the purchase from Verizon. I refuse to pay $1k+ for a smart phone, instead I was going to buy used like my iPhone 7 Plus, but the $700 off was too good to refuse. Originally I was going to get the 8 Plus on sale, but I know I'm going to keep this new phone for 3-4 years, and for less than half the price. I couldn't beat it.

I can comfortably say that had it not been for the $700 BOGO deal Verizon has, I would not have upgraded.

if it makes you feel better the new xs and xs max has 4gb ram. Thats the main reason im upgrading. I still have my iphone 6s and its plenty fast with no lag, but i want more screen real estate and i know with 4gb ram the phone will last me 3-4 years.

 

[TedJustAdmitit]

One thing to consider, you are pushing closer and closer to the edge of that phone's battery life. I'm sure at this point your AppleCare has run out, but if it's through your Carrier and you have insurance, that can be replaced a little cheaper.

 

[Kulfon]

Wise man

I have a 7 Plus.

Original plan was to get a Max. Then I saw the price and laughed. Then I thought to get the XR. I'd take that and then I'd give the slower 7 Plus to the wife as she wants a new bigger phone to replace her 6s. But the lack of telephoto concerned me. Also, 326 ppi is good, but if you look for it, you can see improvements with the 401 ppi of the Plus. Then I upgraded to iOS 12.

Now the plan is to keep this speedy little 7 Plus for myself, and I'm going to get the XR for the wife. Yes, with iOS 12, her 6s is plenty fast, but she wants more screen real estate, and her mom needs a new phone too. Getting her the XR kills two birds with one stone. My wife gets her bigger phone, and her mom gets a bigger one too (upgrading from SE).

This XR 128 GB purchase plan gets a new A12 endowed 414x896 point iPhone*, yet costs a whopping CAD$712 less than the Max 256 GB.

*There are currently two 414x896 point iPhones, and those are the Max and the XR. Yes, the XR displays the exact same amount of screen information as the Max, but does so with a lower ppi screen, in a slightly shrunken form factor.

 

[mcorleone]

Hmmm, I never even upgraded to iOS 11. (iPhone 6+). After a few years, I refuse to adopt to a new OS since from past experience, performance would suffer considerably. I tend to keep my iPhones longer than most on here.

 

[Reach9]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

I’m in the exact same boat as you. However since I do use my phone often I know i’ll get good value from the XS Max for the next 4 years.
As fast as iOS 12 has made my 6 Plus, looking at videos of the XS Max shows me that I’m just used to the slow speed and any improvement feels big at this point. The XS Max is better in every way, and I don’t think we’ll feel the impact of it until we have it in our hands.

While iOS 12 has been a huge performance boost, I can’t help but think that there’s a catch with the older phones. What do you think?

 

[EugW]

Hmmm, I never even upgraded to iOS 11. (iPhone 6+). After a few years, I refuse to adopt to a new OS since from past experience, performance would suffer considerably. I tend to keep my iPhones longer than most on here.

I found the 6+ a touch laggy even in its first year, but FWIW a lot of people are saying iOS 12 is decent on it and noticeably better than iOS 11. What OS are you on?
[doublepost=1537362386][/doublepost]

I’m in the exact same boat as you. However since I do use my phone often I know i’ll get good value from the XS Max for the next 4 years.
As fast as iOS 12 has made my 6 Plus, looking at videos of the XS Max shows me that I’m just used to the slow speed and any improvement feels big at this point. The XS Max is better in every way, and I don’t think we’ll feel the impact of it until we have it in our hands.

While iOS 12 has been a huge performance boost, I can’t help but think that there’s a catch with the older phones. What do you think?

Yes the 6 Plus will still be much slower than modern phones and more limiting with app support. The camera is also not as good.

The question though if that actually matters to you for your usage.

 

[mcorleone]

I found the 6+ a touch laggy even in its first year, but FWIW a lot of people are saying iOS 12 is decent on it and noticeably better than iOS 11. What OS are you on?
[doublepost=1537362386][/doublepost]

Still on the latest version of iOS 10. It doesn't really matter at this point anyway since my new XS will be here in a few days...

 

[DDustiNN]

When I bought my iPhone X, I gave my mom my old iPhone 7, and she gave me her old iPhone 6, which I then gifted to a friend. During that switcharoo, I used the iPhone 6 side-by-side with the iPhone X while I did resets and setups. Everything about the 6 felt extremely dated in comparison. Like it was very noticeably old.

 

[EugW]

When I bought my iPhone X, I gave my mom my old iPhone 7, and she gave me her old iPhone 6, which I then gifted to a friend. During that switcharoo, I used the iPhone 6 side-by-side with the iPhone X while I did resets and setups. Everything about the 6 felt extremely dated in comparison. Like it was very noticeably old.

If I had the 6 I’d probably upgrade. However, with my 7 Plus the incentive to upgrade is much less.

The 7 Plus has 3X the RAM and a 50% faster CPU. It also has a noticeably better camera.

 

[Deguello]

iOS 12 isn't going to give my 6+ a bigger screen.

 

[Truefan31]

I ordered a x max. Will at least try it out for 14 days to see if I deem it worth the upgrade.

 

[Cirlonde]

Hi all,

Well, my thread title says it all. My 2014 6+ is markedly improved since updating the os last night. It’s so much better than iOS 11 that I’m starting to reconsider my decision to drop $1400 on the Max. I do use my phone heavily (it’s essentially my primary computing device) and I know I would benefit from the improvements over the past four years, but then I think about the cash I could save by not upgrading.

I am listening to all opinions. Thanks

You're not the only one! I almost wish I hadn't updated my 6s to iOS 12, haha! I also really love the rose gold color of my phone, and I will miss that. I think keeping your 6+ is a valid option, so I'm not trying to talk you out of it. However, since you asked...here are the thoughts going through my head.

I had already preordered the XS Max before I realized the difference iOS 12 would make, and I have also already promised my 6s to a coworker so I would feel awful to back out. While my 6s is now more than sufficient, I still want the better/larger screen and the better camera plus better battery life.

And last but not least...if I don't spend the money now, I will almost certainly upgrade in 2019. And at that point, my 6s would have lost even more resale value and new phone prices may have gone up even higher. So I figure I might as well pay for cutting edge today and get 4+ years out of it before I need another upgrade. It's money now or money then, and if you operate on the idea that waiting until next year will get you an even better phone, you'll never be able to pull the trigger...there will ALWAYS be something better next year!

 

[SteveOfTheStow]

I'd think about it in terms of what your phone does for you. I'm having a similar debate.

Do you just do some browsing, social networking, office-y stuff but probably nothing that uses higher end stuff e.g. Metal? I can see why your 6+ is still going strong.

But there are other things that might warrant replacing it. Do you use the camera? Newer phones have much better cameras. Is anything else wrong with the phone? (my mute switch is knackered, for example).

Is there anything you want on the newer phones? TrueTone screen? Wireless charging? Larger screen? OLED? Face ID? Live photos? IP6x sealing? Then those are things that can push towards a purchase.

(To offer a comparison - I want to keep a 4.7" phone so I'm looking at the 8)

 

[Reach9]

Holy crap i’m second guessing my purchase already. I preordered it within the first 5mins and I should be picking it up Friday morning.

But after iOS 12 I’m convincing myself that I’ll be okay with what I have and get the next year’s model. This way I’ll never get a new iPhone, help!
[doublepost=1537379993][/doublepost]

You're not the only one! I almost wish I hadn't updated my 6s to iOS 12, haha! I also really love the rose gold color of my phone, and I will miss that. I think keeping your 6+ is a valid option, so I'm not trying to talk you out of it. However, since you asked...here are the thoughts going through my head.

I had already preordered the XS Max before I realized the difference iOS 12 would make, and I have also already promised my 6s to a coworker so I would feel awful to back out. While my 6s is now more than sufficient, I still want the better/larger screen and the better camera plus better battery life.

And last but not least...if I don't spend the money now, I will almost certainly upgrade in 2019. And at that point, my 6s would have lost even more resale value and new phone prices may have gone up even higher. So I figure I might as well pay for cutting edge today and get 4+ years out of it before I need another upgrade. It's money now or money then, and if you operate on the idea that waiting until next year will get you an even better phone, you'll never be able to pull the trigger...there will ALWAYS be something better next year!

This is me right now, I’m rationalizing keeping my 6 Plus with iOS 12. I’m afraid I won’t ever buy a new iPhone until this one breaks or something.
[doublepost=1537380301][/doublepost]

I found the 6+ a touch laggy even in its first year, but FWIW a lot of people are saying iOS 12 is decent on it and noticeably better than iOS 11. What OS are you on?
[doublepost=1537362386][/doublepost]
Yes the 6 Plus will still be much slower than modern phones and more limiting with app support. The camera is also not as good.

The question though if that actually matters to you for your usage.

It does matter but I’m afraid I can always make do with what I have, and i’ll skip even next year’s phone at this rate.

 

[I7guy]

The X had the shortest life of any iPhone, the Xs is relatively the smallest ‘S’ upgrade .....keep your 6+ another year. 2019 should hopefully see a significant improvement.

To me, the Xs is to the X as the 6s is to the 6, which is to say not insignificant.