Reply With QuoteGot the Xs Max and would have been happier if it was a little bigger.
Battery life appears to have improved a little bit, getting about 1.25 days per charge.
I need to buy a latest iPhone for app testing purposes, so I've decided to use it as an opportunity to experiment using iOS as a primary device (never done it before!)
I wanted opinions on how people are doing with the latest XS/XS Max. I'm coming from an S7 edge, which I've felt is close to the max size for me - and I can only really tell so much from playing around in stores.
The main questions I have - which size did you go for and have you regretted not up sizing/down sizing. Also how have you fared with battery life - no fast charging natively is a bit of a pain.....
Cheers all!
Got the Xs Max and would have been happier if it was a little bigger.
Battery life appears to have improved a little bit, getting about 1.25 days per charge.
Not got either, but the XR has been launched for preorder yesterday and is in between the two size wise so may be worth considering. I will be upgrading to the XR or XS max after I compare the two side by side
If it was purely for testing I'd get the XR, however the lack of OLED annoys me somewhat. Those OLED screens are beautiful.Originally Posted by mtagrant
Want to see them side by side. The OLED is really nice, but the extra price is a lot on top of the XR. Also the XR offers a 128Gb option at £799 and the XS max only 256Gb (aside from the rather small 64Gb) which I think is £450 more
I'm currently on the XS, and its brilliant. I did agonise on spending £1000 on a phone, but coming from an iPhone 6 it is brilliant, and I don't regret the cost for a moment. The size is good, and even in the Apple folio it is easily pocket-able. I would fine the Max too large
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I just played with both - the screen on the Max is something else, but it's a heavy phone. And I'll probably put the silicon on it which again increases size more.
How is the battery life on your XS?
Well I've decided to wait for the XR. I'm pretty set on the XS, but I can wait a week to see how good/bad the screen is, given the big price differences.
I have a 7plus, so can't comment much on performance, but can on size. The 7 plus is a little longer and wider than the XR but is 1mm thinner, the XR is a few grams heavier, so they are roughly similar in size. I put off for a while going up in size from a 6, but I'm pleased I did, that bigger screen is very welcome for web browsing, emailing and watching the Toon play live when I'm sat at a bar! The physical size is as large as I'd go for ease of fitting in pockets though, and I use a hard plastic shell that a Spigen case came in for protection when the phone goes in a rear pocket of my Camelbak cycling bag, any larger and it wouldn't fit in. I had the choice of any iPhone for a very good price a year ago after a wrangle with Vodafone over a contract balls up (I have three for me, wife and daughter) and chose the 7 plus as it has the alloy shell vs the glass of the 8 plus, and I considered the 3gb RAM to be good enough for a while yet, which made the deal even cheaper. The only real difference was the wireless charging which isn't a consideration for me. Of course on paper the 4gb RAM/A12 chip is faster but not so that I'd notice much in use. This size of device isn't for putting in the ar$e pocket of tight jeans mind you!
F.T.F.A.
Thanks for the reply Bob. The XR really is as big as I'd go I think. The Max is gorgeous, but I feel it is more appropriate for a handbag than stuffing into your pocket!
Specs are really not so much an issue - and the A12 seems to be a fantastic chipset. And I still think the additional cameras are a bit of a gimmick.
I want to know how big phones are going to go....
In the past I was laughed at by Apple users on this very forum for my first "smart" phone, a Dell, which had a 5" screen. Who would want a screen that size?, they said. Then I got an Asus Fonepad at 7", and there were hoots, hollers, snorts, giggles and the like. I'm now using a phone with a 5.3" screen (LG G5). Although it has a smallish screen, it has a removeable battery. It is one of the last phones with a removeable battery, a good idea whose day has gone.
I suspect that screens are going to get bigger, but in different ways. Clam shells with foldable screens might be the next big thing. On the inside, unfolded, a really big screen. On the outside, a screen with notifications, etc. The big question for this is where all the juice for running it is going to come from.
Best wishes,
Bob
Last edited by rfrazier; 21st October 2018 at 13:26.
Battery life has most certainly been the most difficult part for mobile devices. One reason for more upsized phones is to get more juice in them.
How that would work with bigger/more flexible screens who knows. I also don't see how we improve battery life in the short term - the focus on phone makers has been more towards efficiency of other components.
Removable batteries haven't been so much of a topic nowadays due to mobile power packs. I do see more people paying to replace batteries after a few yrs compared to changing up devices with the way prices are going.
V. small reactors would be good. :)
I get a new battery every year, and move the old to spare. A bit wasteful, but I can really notice the difference. (Did this with the Dell Streak and Samsung Note II as well.)
Powerpacks are good, but you need to have them attached to the phone. Even more wires. So, what I do if I know I'll probably run low and won't be near a plug (e.g., walking and using GPS + camera) is carry a powerpack and the combination spare battery holder and recharger. When the battery gets low, I just replace it with the spare, then recharge the low battery using the powerpack, with them in my backpack..
Best wishes,
Bob
Same experience here. The only other issue is the lack of landscape mode. Other than that, it does the job nicely.
I bought the Xs when it came out, upgrading from an iPhone 7, both the standard - rather than Plus/Max - models.
Everyone seems to have their own opinions about what the "right" size is, but given I use my phone one-handed most of the time, I can't comprehend how folk use the larger sized phones!
I've got no regrets sticking with the standard size phone - there's a _lot_ of screen real estate on the Xs and I generally use small fonts whilst my eyes can take it.
Battery life seems pretty impressive on the Xs.
One thing I've found annoying about the Xs vs even the iPhone 4/4S which also had glass backs is that the Xs has a habit of sliding off of any surface given half a chance - it's exceptionally slippy. A case might be in order.
Thanks all for the comments - coming from android, its been a known thing that cases are an absolute must with these slippery glass backs
I will see how the XR is - I do not consume so much video, so as long as the screen is 'good enough' it will satisfy me. Otherwise I'll go for the XS - wish my hands could deal with the Max, but it can't. So keeping it simple.
Only a few days left, I need one quite sharpish so hurry up Friday!
Edit to add - just read this article about the XR coming from a Apple Exec, I think overall the screen should be decent - https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/22/...ler-interview/
Last edited by crazyp; 22nd October 2018 at 16:17.
The move from plastic backs to metal was to make phones look niftier. Metal wouldn't let signals in to the antennas, so they needed to be outside the metal body. The move from metal to glass was to allow the signal in to antennas inside the body , and to look nifty. However, in order to get a grip, back to plastic, even if a case. :) (Not iphone specific.)
Best wishes,
Bob
I believe the other reason to move to glass was to allow 'wireless charging', a feature I'm not entirely sold on to be honest. Reports with iPhones still seem to suggest reception is still pants.
I personally was a big fan of the polycarbonate (plastic) bodies that Nokia were doing with their old Windows phone - and it satisfies both criteria. I do agree we could be heading back in that direction as a new feature.....
This is my understanding also. It was also one of the factors that led to me going for the 7 plus with it's 7000 series alloy body.
So an update on this - I got to check out the XR today and play with it for a bit. I'm now firmly in the camp of buying the newer phone. Honestly, the screen is fine, I didn't notice a huge difference with the regular XS. You do a little with the Max, but the bigger phone is way too big and heavy for me. I can just about get away with 1 handed operation with the XR. One downside is it is slightly thicker, but not a deal breaker. As I'm coming from Android, 3D touch isn't really an issue for me, not sure what I'll be missing!
Now to choose a colour (probably red), pick a 3rd party cover (a Spiegen of sorts) and a screen protector and I'll pick one up when I'm back in the country!
I always put my phones straight into a Griffin Survivor case. . Bizarrely I have never dropped my phone and partly I think the chunkier grippy case is the reason.
I can thoroughly endorse Spigen cases. I've had their Tough Armour on my 5,6 and now my 7plus. The quality and fit is superb and they are hard wearing. They do slimmer models, but they all add a little bulk and for a balance of protection and size this one works best for me. In fact given the glass backs Apple now use it would be a minimum requirement.
That's something I overlooked, a case will give improved grip. Also I have a tempered glass screen protector on, Home Bargains do them for @ ⅓ to ½ the cost of the main brands.
I have used Mous protecting cases on several generations now. Every phone in the house has one. Not cheap but faultless.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Vanity plays a part in choosing an XR case - you need it to be clear back to see the colour
I've used Spigen before - but as Bob points out, they all add a bit of bulk. In a fall, usually the first point of impact will be the edges - ensuring the case/cover has a good bumper is (IMO) is the most important part of a case - and Spigen do that well. It's also one reason I don't necessarily like official Apple cases, no real bumper protection (and not yet available for the XR). The point of additional grip is totally accurate - these glass back phones are a slippery nightmare!
Um so went to the store to purchase an XR and walked out with a an XS, so much for money saving
This time while playing with the screen, I did notice the difference in the OLED vs LCD quality. And secondly the Apple 2x camera is really good as its got optical stabilisation, I think I'll make use of that especially as we're no longer carrying compacts anymore - the camera GAS in me still exists
Total fail, but hey ho - the Apple store is dangerous in how it gets you to trade up. Just genius marketing.
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