iPhone 8/Plus You'll have to pry my 8 Plus from my cold dead hands

[The-Real-Deal82]

We can pick a different adjective if 'budget' doesn't sit right, but out of the three models launched in 2018, the XR is definitely the least expensive and most feature starved phone of the three. My point is that when someone is making a claim that a year old phone (the 8 Plus) is the best iPhone ever, there's not a lot of validity in comparing it to the least capable 2018 phone to make a point.

The discussion can arguably change if someone was talking 'value' (which is entirely subjective, of course), but the discussion wasn't around value, it was around quality.

I class the XR as the mainstream iPhone aimed at the mass market and the XS is more niche due to its premium. The XR is far from budget despite being cheaper than the XS line and is more the standard I would say or mid tier.

I am uncomfortable claiming any particular model is the ‘best ever’ as I know it’s purely subjective. Lots of people I know would say the iPhone 4 is the ‘best ever’ due to what it offered at the time, which had far more of an impact than any of the recent offerings. The 8+ is the best iPhone I’ve personally owned but I’d never expect everyone to share the same view. This year for me it was the best iPhone for my needs due to its spec, and price. It keeps up with 2018 models even if the fashionistas don’t think it looks ‘as cool’.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

When I see an 8 or below or use it, i can’t believe I ever had a phone with a home button and those giant bezels on the top and bottom.

OLD TECHNOLOGY

No worries on prying it out of your hands. It’s all yours. Trading in all my families old 8s for the XR. Preordering 4 of them.

LOL. This is great. You create an all-caps statement of old technology and in the next sentence state your pre-ordering 4 phones with the same 326 ppi LCD screens as 2011 iPhones? Looks like the kiddos are trading in their Razors for, well, Razors lmao

 

[digitalexplr]

Also guilty...if you have a dark interior, it can definitely happen.

So glad I have a beige interior. It should be much easier to find my black XR!

 

[eoblaed]

I class the XR as the mainstream iPhone aimed at the mass market and the XS is more niche due to its premium. The XR is far from budget despite being cheaper than the XS line and is more the standard I would say or mid tier.

People said the same thing about the 5C and the SE, but the iPhone consumer base has repeatedly opted to shy away from the less capable models in favor of the high end versions.

I think this will be especially true with the XR vs the XS[Max]. Given that the XR is a reduction in camera capability, display resolution, 3D Touch, etc, over previous generations of phones, I have a hard time seeing it as a core target-audience type of device.

I guess we'll all see once the numbers start coming out.

 

[Five_Oh]

Also guilty...if you have a dark interior, it can definitely happen.

I guess I don't understand this. I get forgetting your phone, but are you missing it because it's "camouflaged" in the dark or something?

 

[pdp1]

People said the same thing about the 5C and the SE, but the iPhone consumer base has repeatedly opted to shy away from the less capable models in favor of the high end versions.

I think this will be especially true with the XR vs the XS[Max]. Given that the XR is a reduction in camera capability, display resolution, 3D Touch, etc, over previous generations of phones, I have a hard time seeing it as a core target-audience type of device.

I guess we'll all see once the numbers start coming out.

There are reports that Apple ramped up their production of the Xr to 20 million per month, which will account for over 50% of new iPhones starting in October. Xs Max production is around 4-5 million and the rest iPhone Xs (by my calculations that would be at most 13-14 million). Based on that alone, I'd be convinced the Xr was made for a core target audience.

But digging into it deeper, I think the Xr is a much different beast than the 5c and SE. The 5c and SE were improvements/rehashes of previously released phones while the Xr is brand new.

The 5c was NOTHING new for its time, it was a repackaged version of a phone that came out one year earlier. The chassis was the only "new" thing about it but it was plastic.

The SE was a bit better for its time as it had the most current CPU, rear camera, and 2GB of RAM, all courtesy of the 6s release 6 months earlier. But everything else, touch id, front camera, screen, chassis, etc.. was at least one year old in terms of technology used.

Aside from the its screen's DPI, everything about the Xr is new: CPU, LCD resolution and size, rear camera, front camera/face id, battery, chassis, etc. It may be MISSING the features you mentioned, but it's not recycling any old technology like the 5c and SE did (again, DPI excluded).

This to me says that Apple dropped a lot of R&D into the Xr and definitely had a large target audience in mind when they designed it. Not so for the 5c and SE.

 

[DJ_Smith]

The 8+ is the best iPhone I’ve personally owned but I’d never expect everyone to share the same view. This year for me it was the best iPhone for my needs due to its spec, and price. It keeps up with 2018 models even if the fashionistas don’t think it looks ‘as cool’.

I think iPhone 8 Plus is far from best(IMHO) Max has to be the best iPhone till date. The reason being it’s has the best spec a phone can offer. It’s just the price you nee to justify.

It keeps up with 2018 models even if the fashionistas don’t think it looks ‘as cool’.

I don’t think So. If 8 Plus “keeps up with Max” people won’t be upgrading than, The biggest reason people chose the Max is 6.5 large display. It’s a perfect upgrade from last years 5.5 inch model. A lot of people skipped X last year due to it’s small form factor including me. I went for the 8 Plus last year hoping that Apple will introduce the plus version of X.

 

[sdwaltz]

I guess I don't understand this. I get forgetting your phone, but are you missing it because it's "camouflaged" in the dark or something?

Precisely. If you have a black phone and set it in your black passenger seat, sometimes you don’t think to pick it up when you get out because you don’t see it out in your peripheral vision like you would a white phone.

Don’t get me wrong it’s only happened to me like, 3 times...but it’s happened.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

People said the same thing about the 5C and the SE, but the iPhone consumer base has repeatedly opted to shy away from the less capable models in favor of the high end versions.

I think this will be especially true with the XR vs the XS[Max]. Given that the XR is a reduction in camera capability, display resolution, 3D Touch, etc, over previous generations of phones, I have a hard time seeing it as a core target-audience type of device.

I guess we'll all see once the numbers start coming out.

I can’t see that seeing how high the price is for the XS And Max. I don’t know many people who deeply compare specs and pay hundreds more for some slightly superior details. It may depend on the country too as the iPhone X struggled in parts of Western Europe due to its high price point but sold very well in the US due to low handset costs. I think the XR will be the most popular iPhone this year as it’s got the new form factor and is at a price that is open to a lot more users.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I think iPhone 8 Plus is far from best(IMHO) Max has to be the best iPhone till date. The reason being it’s has the best spec a phone can offer. It’s just the price you nee to justify.

You evidently didn’t read what you quoted there as I’ve never claimed to have owned the Max? I was clearly clarifying it from my own perspective and giving the reasons why I didn’t need anything more. I also never said what iPhone I thought was the ‘best ever’.

I don’t think So. If 8 Plus “keeps up with Max” people won’t be upgrading than, The biggest reason people chose the Max is 6.5 large display. It’s a perfect upgrade from last years 5.5 inch model. A lot of people skipped X last year due to it’s small form factor including me. I went for the 8 Plus last year hoping that Apple will introduce the plus version of X.

Not sure how screen size relates to keeping up in terms of speed and performance? What’s that got to do with the price of fish?

 

[HarryWild]

Soon or later you will convert to an X type iPhone or Android smartphone that copies the notch and face id. You just not keen on new technologies!

 

[eoblaed]

I don’t know many people who deeply compare specs and pay hundreds more for some slightly superior details.

The differences between the XR and the XS[/Max] are not 'slight'. They may not be important to some folks, granted, but they're pretty significant.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The differences between the XR and the XS[/Max] are not 'slight'. They may not be important to some folks, granted, but they're pretty significant.

I have the Xs Max and on a tech enthusiast forum like here the difference will be significant. However for the majority of consumers the differences won’t be worth the extra cost and they will just go with the Xr.
[doublepost=1539847567][/doublepost]

People said the same thing about the 5C and the SE, but the iPhone consumer base has repeatedly opted to shy away from the less capable models in favor of the high end versions.

I think this will be especially true with the XR vs the XS[Max]. Given that the XR is a reduction in camera capability, display resolution, 3D Touch, etc, over previous generations of phones, I have a hard time seeing it as a core target-audience type of device.

I guess we'll all see once the numbers start coming out.

The 5C was a completely different scenario.

It was using the internals from a year older phone (iPhone 5). It didn’t have Touch ID, it was made of plastic, it didn’t come in a sexy new gold Color. It didn’t have the camera of the 5S. It only cost £100 less than the 5S. The 5S was reasonably priced at the time.

This time the Xr has the same chip as the Xs. It has a big screen at a cheaper price. It has the same design as the Xs, is made of high quality materials (aluminium and glass), it has Face ID, it can still do portrait pictures with depth control and has a pseudo 3D Touch. It’s significantly cheaper than the Xs and has a bigger screen and is also a lot cheaper than the max and still has a relatively big screen. It’s reasonably priced in comparison to the Xs/max which are exorbitant.

For a techie the Xs is better but for the average consumer you won’t really be able to see much difference between the more expensive Xs and the Xr. The fact that it’s bigger and cheaper than the Xs will help it a lot.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The differences between the XR and the XS[/Max] are not 'slight'. They may not be important to some folks, granted, but they're pretty significant.

Oh I’m aware of that from our stand point, but I doubt the average consumer is going to pay hundreds of pounds more for a phone that looks like an XR now a cheaper new form factor device is hitting the market. I’ve heard so many people complain about the prices lately and half my office have bought iPhone 8’s this year. I’m aware 3 year contracts are being pushed this year to bring prices down for us but I still think the XR is going to steal the show for those wanting the new look and it comes in a range of aesthetically pleasing colours.

The smartphone market is shrinking and has been for nearly 3 1/2 years now. The more expensive handsets may be better but in a time of unstable markets and people looking to save money I think cheaper devices will be more attractive to the wider market for obvious reasons. In the UK over the last 12 months the most popularly sold iPhone has been the iPhone 7. The X was 8th most popular. This has been the case in a lot of countries and the new iPhones have been mostly popular in North America. No doubt Apple will be pleased regardless as they offer now at multiple price points.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I think iPhone 8 Plus is far from best(IMHO) Max has to be the best iPhone till date. The reason being it’s has the best spec a phone can offer. It’s just the price you nee to justify.

Nah. Apart front the longer battery life, camera and improved speakers the Max performs the same with no notable difference. It's still an iPhone running iOS, credit to Apple for making older iPhones run just as well as new ones.

The larger display on the Max is not justified as iOS is blown up/magnified for some bizarre reason? People tout how the larger display is great for video but the aspect ratio is not. When you pinch to fill to use all of the screen you've paid top dollar for, the top and bottom of videos are cut off. I hate this. I can ignore the notch.

It's a weighty and very breakable/fragile phone. At least when I've knocked or dropped my 7+ it's survived with only a few paint knicks making it more utilitarian than the all glass Max. One drop with that and I fully expect it to be shattered. Great i'm carry £1250 in my hand which I could lose any minute. Along with the panel lottery it really made me think about why I would want such a device.

 

[44267547]

I can’t see that seeing how high the price is for the XS And Max. I don’t know many people who deeply compare specs and pay hundreds more for some slightly superior details. It may depend on the country too as the iPhone X struggled in parts of Western Europe due to its high price point but sold very well in the US due to low handset costs. I think the XR will be the most popular iPhone this year as it’s got the new form factor and is at a price that is open to a lot more users.

The iPhone X is cheaper in North America than it is in other countries, but by far it’s ‘not a Low handset cost’. Not when the brink of thousand dollar smart phones are on the rise in general. The X was the first of its kind to breach over $1000 for the base model for an iPhone, there’s nothing remotely ‘low’ about that, Even in North America.

 

[Momof2.1107]

I can’t see that seeing how high the price is for the XS And Max. I don’t know many people who deeply compare specs and pay hundreds more for some slightly superior details. It may depend on the country too as the iPhone X struggled in parts of Western Europe due to its high price point but sold very well in the US due to low handset costs. I think the XR will be the most popular iPhone this year as it’s got the new form factor and is at a price that is open to a lot more users.

Yes the X in the US wasn’t cheap by a long shot. I have the 256GB Space Gray and the retail price is $1149.99 on T-Mobile. If I upgrade to the XS Max 256GB, it’s only $100 more. I put a large down payment down reducing my monthly equipment fee to $17.92 before the promo credit kicks in. If I had upgraded this year, my monthly equipment fee would jump to $41 a month which I don’t feel like paying at the moment.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The iPhone X is cheaper in North America than it is in other countries, but by far it’s ‘not a Low handset cost’. Not when the brink of thousand dollar smart phones are on the rise in general. The X was the first of its kind to breach over $1000 for the base model for an iPhone, there’s nothing remotely ‘low’ about that, Even in North America.

Yes the X in the US wasn’t cheap by a long shot. I have the 256GB Space Gray and the retail price is $1149.99 on T-Mobile. If I upgrade to the XS Max 256GB, it’s only $100 more. I put a large down payment down reducing my monthly equipment fee to $17.92 before the promo credit kicks in. If I had upgraded this year, my monthly equipment fee would jump to $41 a month which I don’t feel like paying at the moment.

Sorry guys when I said low I meant in relation to other countries. In the UK the price is the same in pound sterling as it is in dollars so the £999 we pay for the base price XS works out as $1311 as a direct exchange rate. I understand it’s not cheap in any country. If I was to buy the 256GB XS here at £1149, it would be the equivalent of $1508. I understand you guys get massively stung on cellular contracts though whereas it’s much cheaper in Europe.

If we paid the equivalent in pounds as you do in dollars the XS would only be £11 more expensive than what we are about to pay for the XR! lol ($761).

 

[LarryJoe33]

LOL. This is great. You create an all-caps statement of old technology and in the next sentence state your pre-ordering 4 phones with the same 326 ppi LCD screens as 2011 iPhones? Looks like the kiddos are trading in their Razors for, well, Razors lmao

Bigger screen, Face-ID, no home button, edge to edge, .....

Sorry, 8 plus is a dinosaur and should never have been made. The whole "8" line was marketing to get people to buy an old phone with a new name to minimize the sticker shock of the X.

Mic dropped.............

 

[Shanghaichica]

Bigger screen, Face-ID, no home button, edge to edge, .....

Sorry, 8 plus is a dinosaur and should never have been made. The whole "8" line was marketing to get people to buy an old phone with a new name to minimize the sticker shock of the X.

Mic dropped.............

How is Touch ID dinosaur technology when every android phone still has a FPS and android has a 70-80 % market share worldwide.

 

[LarryJoe33]

How is Touch ID dinosaur technology when every android phone still has a FPS and android has a 70-80 % market share worldwide.

Your being selective. I’m talking about Apple. I don’t care about android phones. In terms of apples product lines and direction, the 8 was a dead man walking when it was released.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Your being selective. I’m talking about Apple. I don’t care about android phones. In terms of apples product lines and direction, the 8 was a dead man walking when it was released.

Well in Apple’s mind it was dead but not in the minds of their consumers. The 8/8 plus outsold the X overall last year and most iPhone users are still using an older phone with Touch ID.

I have the Xs Max and has the X before that but I don’t consider the 8 + to be dinosaur technology especially when it’s put into perspective.

 

[Momof2.1107]

Sorry guys when I said low I meant in relation to other countries. In the UK the price is the same in pound sterling as it is in dollars so the £999 we pay for the base price XS works out as $1311 as a direct exchange rate. I understand it’s not cheap in any country. If I was to buy the 256GB XS here at £1149, it would be the equivalent of $1508. I understand you guys get massively stung on cellular contracts though whereas it’s much cheaper in Europe.

If we paid the equivalent in pounds as you do in dollars the XS would only be £11 more expensive than what we are about to pay for the XR! lol ($761).

I wish my carrier would have 36 month agreements instead of 24. That way I would start out paying less and then eventually pay the rest off.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Well in Apple’s mind it was dead but not in the minds of their consumers. The 8/8 plus outsold the X overall last year and most iPhone users are still using an older phone with Touch ID.

I have the Xs Max and has the X before that but I don’t consider the 8 + to be dinosaur technology especially when it’s put into perspective.

Fine, semantics, it is a form factor and product line that is being replaced one year after launch. The XR is the new budget phone. There will be no Apple phones with borders. Ok, it’s not a “dinosaur “ but why would you buy one now that the XR is close to out? No Apple phones will have home buttons, Touch ID or bezels in a year. The 8 will be the shortest product cycle ever.

 

[jamezr]

Well in Apple’s mind it was dead but not in the minds of their consumers. The 8/8 plus outsold the X overall last year and most iPhone users are still using an older phone with Touch ID.

I have the Xs Max and has the X before that but I don’t consider the 8 + to be dinosaur technology especially when it’s put into perspective.

Yep...the sales were surprising! I would wager that if given a choice....most would pick a iphone with TouchID.