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I have had every iPhone since the 3G. Upgraded every single year without fail.

this is the first time I am keeping my previous gen and will be keeping my XS Max. I just can’t justify it with so little to upgrade to. Getting bored if the same design since 2014. Can’t wait for a design refresh next year, hopefully.
 
Phones have gotten so powerful, it's really not necessary to upgrade every year. Sounds like you failed to do basic research before you made an expensive purchase. All on you. I'm still loving my XS Max and won't upgrade for a few more years now. But I do extensive research before I spend my money. Hopefully you've learned. Good on ya.
 
The 11 Pro Max is a solid upgrade over the XS Max. My XS Max was buggy the entire time I owned it. The Pro Max has been flawless.
 
Everyone will be here next year with exactly the same statements with how the 12pro eats the 11 pro for breakfast. It’s the same old same old every year. Just like 11pro owners now class the Xs/max an old hasbeen, 12 pro adopters will be here in ten short months from now referring to the 11 pro as an old hasbeen. Swings & Roundabouts
 
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Everyone will be here next year with exactly the same statements with how the 12pro eats the 11 pro for breakfast. It’s the same old same old every year. Just like 11pro owners now class the Xs/max an old hasbeen, 12 pro adopters will be here in ten short months from now referring to the 11 pro as an old hasbeen. Swings & Roundabouts
This somehow annoys you?
 
This somehow annoys you?
Absolutely not. Casual observation is all. Reading through the posts, I had a sense of dejavu and how it felt like only yesterday this discussion was playing out here with regards to X/Xs max.
 
The iPhone 11 generation phones are 'useless' for anyone with an iphone x or xs generation phone because this is the 'S-model' of those phones.

in hardware microarchitecture:
TickTock
iPhone 3giPhone 3gs
iPhone 4iPhone 4s
iPhone 5iPhone 5s
iPhone 6iPhone 6s
iPhone 7iPhone 8

ProcessArchitectureOptimization
iPhone XiPhone XsiPhone 11
iPhone 2020iPhone 2021iPhone 2022
 
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The iPhone 11 generation phones are 'useless' for anyone with an iphone x or xs generation phone because this is the 'S-model' of those phones.

in hardware microarchitecture:
TickTock
iPhone 3giPhone 3gs
iPhone 4iPhone 4s
iPhone 5iPhone 5s
iPhone 6iPhone 6s
iPhone 7iPhone 8
ProcessArchitectureOptimization
iPhone XiPhone XsiPhone 11
iPhone 2020iPhone 2021iPhone 2022

I guess if you meant a far better camera and much better battery life are "useless"

Okay...
 
The iPhone 11 generation phones are 'useless' for anyone with an iphone x or xs generation phone because this is the 'S-model' of those phones.

in hardware microarchitecture:
TickTock
iPhone 3giPhone 3gs
iPhone 4iPhone 4s
iPhone 5iPhone 5s
iPhone 6iPhone 6s
iPhone 7iPhone 8

ProcessArchitectureOptimization
iPhone XiPhone XsiPhone 11
iPhone 2020iPhone 2021iPhone 2022
I guess if you meant a far better camera and much better battery life are "useless"

Okay...

"Useless," really? Sure, if you say so. Actually, the 4S, 5S and 6S were much better phones than their predecessors. The XS, not so much. AustinIllini got the two big points. The 11 Pro, especially the Max with its dramatically increased battery, is a much better phone than the XS. The display on the 11 Pro is also noticeably better, and from using both side by side recently I can say that FaceID actually is noticeably better than the XS in terms of the angles at which it will unlock.

At some point, every iPhone since the 4 might be a "useless" upgrade. Actually, 4G wasn't a big deal, right? We could be using a 3 or 3GS.
 
thinking of upgrading? Use the cash as toilet paper for better use.
It shames me to say it, but this is the rate of ‘innovation’ we’ve been seeing at Apple. It’s an absolute embarrassment that I shelled out another $1500 for the 11 Pro Max after 12 months of shelling out the same for the XS Max.
I managed to sell my XS MAX on eBay for $900, so I rationalized the splurge. But it is far from a needed upgrade.
Let’s say it as it is: The 11 has an extra camera. That’s it. The very fact that you need to see side-by-side photos to notice the enhanced camera quality shows you that you don’t %#*ing need it. But me being the schmuck I am had to buy it anyways.

Obvious differences are obvious:
  • The ultra wide is not something you have to see side-by-side to see a difference. It's an entirely new photo format for the iPhone.
  • Night mode on the 11 Pro series is amazing, not available on anything prior (including the XS Max) and, again, doesn't require a side by side to see the difference.
  • Huge, HUGE battery performance increase.
  • Very cool textured glass finish that basically makes fingerprint smears a thing of the past.
  • There are definitely some shots where the enhanced HDR, Deep Fusion, etc, make a big quality difference on the photos.
I'm very satisfied with the upgrade from my XS Max to the 11 Pro Max.
 
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I guess if you meant a far better camera and much better battery life are "useless"

Okay...
They are definitely a significant upgrade for many. Both upgrades are completely useless to me personally. I very rarely use the camera and my battery never dropped below 40-50% in daily use. By end of night my phone is plugged in with half battery still remaining
 
I guess if you meant a far better camera and much better battery life are "useless"

Okay...

You're arguing on very irrelevant different points.

The camera technology is the same as the Xs gen except for the addition of an added ultra-wide lens. One could argue the selfie camera upgrade is the actual hardware upgrade because it is the only true hardware upgrade they made. The reason you're taking better pictures and videos on your rear facing camera isn't hardware, it's software optimization through computational algorithms calculated by a microprocessor. The iPhone Xs gen hardware-wise should make the exact same pictures as the iPhone 11 gen (except for zoom). The only reason it doesn't is because Apple essentially locked the software features to the iPhone 11 gen.

The battery life is even less of a point since battery technology is literally the slowest improving technology on the planet with a year of year gain of single digit performance gains. The reason you're getting better battery-life is once again due to micro-architecture optimization (even more than camera tech).

tldr; You're essentially buying into the same hardware generation (with insanely small margins) which is why it's essentially'useless' to buy an 11 if you already any phone in that same gen.

The point is not that this phone isn't fricking awesome because it is. The point is; it simply wasn't made for people that already bought into the X or Xs gen technology.
 
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You're arguing on very irrelevant different points.

The camera technology is the same as the Xs gen except for the addition of an added ultra-wide lens. One could argue the selfie camera upgrade is the actual hardware upgrade because it is the only true hardware upgrade they made. The reason you're taking better pictures and videos on your rear facing camera isn't hardware, it's software optimization through computational algorithms calculated by a microprocessor. The iPhone Xs gen hardware-wise should make the exact same pictures as the iPhone 11 gen (except for zoom). The only reason it doesn't is because Apple essentially locked the software features to the iPhone 11 gen.

The battery life is even less of a point since battery technology is literally the slowest improving technology on the planet with a year of year gain of single digit performance gains. The reason you're getting better battery-life is once again due to micro-architecture optimization (even more than camera tech).

tldr; You're essentially buying into the same hardware generation (with insanely small margins) which is why it's essentially'useless' to buy an 11 if you already any phone in that same gen.

The point is not that this phone isn't fricking awesome because it is. The point is; it simply wasn't made for people that already bought into the X or Xs gen technology.
You have no proof to suggest Apple has somehow "locked" the software.

The battery is physically bigger on the 11 Pro

TLDR; everything you said was wrong and you don't support your thesis at all.
 
The point is not that this phone isn't fricking awesome because it is. The point is; it simply wasn't made for people that already bought into the X or Xs gen technology.
Strongly disagree, especially at a 4 cent increase per month on Next program. And dividing the taxes by year amounts to 16.4 cents per day. So brand new 11 Pro iphone cost the enormous sum of $61 for the year over the XS.

The way I see it, I would be nuts not to upgrade.
 
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You have no proof to suggest Apple has somehow "locked" the software.

The battery is physically bigger on the 11 Pro

TLDR; everything you said was wrong and you don't support your thesis at all.
It not lost on me the 11 pro has a bigger battery and better camera tweaking. They’re great additions but they are honestly so similar in every other way to previous generation that if battery and/or camera are irrelevant to a user then the upgrade is less interesting. Almost pointless. It’s literally splitting hairs at this point. Especially for those who could give two hoots for cameras and already content with battery life.
 
It not lost on me the 11 pro has a bigger battery and better camera tweaking. They’re great additions but they are honestly so similar in every other way to previous generation that if battery and/or camera are irrelevant to a user then the upgrade is less interesting. Almost pointless. It’s literally splitting hairs at this point. Especially for those who could give two hoots for cameras and already content with battery life.
Based on reviews, you are strongly downplaying the improvements on iPhone 11 Pro.
 
The hostility in this thread is hilarious. If you don’t feel the features are worth it, don’t buy it. The same holds true for an SE. for some people’s need/want that is perfect.. For others the 11 is worth it, so buy it and be happy. It’s not a competition.

Pretty much this. Sometimes I think you have those who ‘downplay’ the features of the 11 that are saying ‘it’s not worth it’, probably because they can’t afford it or they have buyers remorse, it’s kind of weird, but it’s how tech forums seem to work. Some people have to put down a certain phone to make themselves feel better about a purchase they either regret or a purchase they couldn’t afford to begin with.
 
Pretty much this. Sometimes I think you have those who ‘downplay’ the features of the 11 that are saying ‘it’s not worth it’, probably because they can’t afford it or they have buyers remorse, it’s kind of weird, but it’s how tech forums seem to work. Some people have to put down a certain phone to make themselves feel better about a purchase they either regret or a purchase they couldn’t afford to begin with.

There are some users who after demoing the newest model just don’t feel the benefit of the few added upgrades are of no interest or not worth the extra cost for them at the moment. As an Xs max user myself who took all of 20 minutes at the Apple store to deduce that aside from the camera, which incidentally is of no interest to me personally, and the better battery life..side by side and system wide I was looking at practically the same device. In 20 minutes I was completely content with my Xs max and my impulse to splurge on the 11 pro max had gone, only to be replaced with a hankering and anticipation for what the 12 pro is likely to offer.

I simply am not wowed by what the 11 pro offers. It didn’t feel I was gaining in the sense that I’m not a camera person and already happy with the battery on my xsm any other improvements were not at all obvious to me. I’m most definitely not “downplaying” the new features. They are great if that is important to the user. It’s just that there are many, just like me who aside from these two obvious upgrades appreciate that, in use, the 11 pro max is mostly identical to using my xsm and it would be silly to shell out on this upgrade in particular when the upcoming 12 pro makes makes a lot more sense.

This thread is titled “Xs Max to 11 pro Max” and these are just my thoughts/observations. I’m not downplaying anybody’s purchase and am confused by people here getting upset tbh. I don’t quite get the sensitivity regarding phone choices. They’re just temporary pocket devices when all’s said & done.
 
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I, and many others, knew the differences between the two phones, evaluated them then decided the upgrades were worth it. I, and many others, are very happy with our purchase.
 
There are a few notable improvements over the Xs Max. The screen on the 11 Pro Max is the first iPhone I have been able to read in direct sunlight and on the beach. Colors and black appear to pop more than the Xs Max. The frosted glass back is more grippier for me than the glossy Xs Max, and allows me to use it without a case. I'm not a "camera" person but there's no denying that the new camera system lives up to the hype and takes amazing pictures.

Battery life is IMO probably the best feature when comparing the 11 Pro Max to the Xs Max. Not having to even think about charging throughout the day is liberating :)
 
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