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Everyone I know who owns an iPhone XR only got it because they're in some upgrade plan that gives them a new phone every year or two. Nobody actually wants it.

by slondr 8y ago

Everyone I know who owns an iPhone XR only got it because they're in some upgrade plan that gives them a new phone every year or two. Nobody actually wants it. There's die-hards who needs the XS because it's the latest and greatest, while those who want something a little cheaper are buying an 8 Plus or original X. I really feel like the XR is a repeat of the original iPhone 7 in that it's a phone with no target audience.

king_magic 8y ago
I love my XR. The battery life is absolutely spectacular. It’s no iPhone 7 repeat by any stretch of the imagination.
- donarb 8y ago
  I upgraded to the Xr from the 7 as well, I skipped the initial release of the X last year. I was happy to pay a bit more to get a better camera and the FaceID is 100 times better and faster than TouchID.
  - zapzupnz 8y ago
    I've seen people decry Face ID as a toy in this post. The people who think Face ID is a toy are people who haven't used Face ID. Yes, it has its problems, but it's no toy.
zapzupnz 8y ago
> Everyone I know In the grand scheme of things, and in the overall market, everyone you know still comes out to a rounding error. Don't get too caught up in anecdata. > I really feel like the XR is a repeat of the original iPhone 7 in that it's a phone with no target audience You're right, there. If people want a high-end iPhone, they'd get the XS. If they want a cheaper phone in the X form factor, they'd get an X. If they don't want the X form factor yet, they'd get an 8. The XR is just… there. And yet, it's a great phone by itself. Same processor as the XS, meaning a great performance leap over the X, not to mention a vastly improved camera. But it's hard to think of it as premium when it's lacking the OLED screen and Force Touch. It feels so incomplete, like an XS wannabe than its own thing.
- npunt 8y ago
  Agree about anecdote, but you're off about the X. Apple discontinued the X, so if someone wants a cheaper phone in the X form factor, they're getting the XR. It's unusual for them to discontinue a model after just one year but the X was an anomaly in a lot of ways.
  - zapzupnz 8y ago
    Ah, I don’t buy devices directly from Apple and my telco still sold the X after the two new ones came out. My apologies.
- r00fus 8y ago
  Force touch (at least as implemented in my iPhone 7+) is horrible. I can’t reliably use Trello to move cards or delete apps in home screen. The app shortcuts are nice but I made do without them for years and now I can invoke them from Siri anyway.
  - zapzupnz 8y ago
    Re: deleting apps on the home screen. I initially had that problem. It's a question of not pushing hard when holding an app icon. Problem solved, reliable 100% once you've retrained your fingers. Not ideal, but there it is. I use 3D/Force Touch a lot, mainly previewing documents or web pages — especially on Hacker News and reddit where I don't want to keep going back and forwards, potentially polluting my history list with rubbish links. Aside from the gimmicky actions like shortcuts, it also lets art apps have a basic type of pressure sensitivity on iPhone. That's great for me because I sometimes do little touch-ups and sketches on my iPhone when my iPad+Pencil isn't near me.
- cageface 8y ago
  I always thought force touch was kind of a dumb feature so I'm happy to do without it. And the XR screen looks great IMO. I'll happily take the extra battery life over a barely perceptibly better screen. The main thing I'd change about the XR is I'd make it a bit smaller. Other than that it's a great phone.
jon-wood 8y ago
Hi there, I’m one of the people who bought an XR because they wanted one. I sacrifice a few features which, while nice to have, aren’t really essential (Force Touch, OLED display, better camera), and in exchange I get better battery life and a significantly lower price. Honestly I suspect the XR’s target audience is people who actually think about what they’re buying, while the XS is targeted at the “I must have the best” crowd, and I think as people come up on upgrading that’s going to play out.

by slondr 8y ago

king_magic 8y ago

I love my XR. The battery life is absolutely spectacular. It’s no iPhone 7 repeat by any stretch of the imagination.

donarb 8y ago
I upgraded to the Xr from the 7 as well, I skipped the initial release of the X last year. I was happy to pay a bit more to get a better camera and the FaceID is 100 times better and faster than TouchID.
- zapzupnz 8y ago
  I've seen people decry Face ID as a toy in this post. The people who think Face ID is a toy are people who haven't used Face ID. Yes, it has its problems, but it's no toy.

zapzupnz 8y ago

> Everyone I know In the grand scheme of things, and in the overall market, everyone you know still comes out to a rounding error. Don't get too caught up in anecdata. > I really feel like the XR is a repeat of the original iPhone 7 in that it's a phone with no target audience You're right, there. If people want a high-end iPhone, they'd get the XS. If they want a cheaper phone in the X form factor, they'd get an X. If they don't want the X form factor yet, they'd get an 8. The XR is just… there. And yet, it's a great phone by itself. Same processor as the XS, meaning a great performance leap over the X, not to mention a vastly improved camera. But it's hard to think of it as premium when it's lacking the OLED screen and Force Touch. It feels so incomplete, like an XS wannabe than its own thing.

npunt 8y ago
Agree about anecdote, but you're off about the X. Apple discontinued the X, so if someone wants a cheaper phone in the X form factor, they're getting the XR. It's unusual for them to discontinue a model after just one year but the X was an anomaly in a lot of ways.
- zapzupnz 8y ago
  Ah, I don’t buy devices directly from Apple and my telco still sold the X after the two new ones came out. My apologies.
r00fus 8y ago
Force touch (at least as implemented in my iPhone 7+) is horrible. I can’t reliably use Trello to move cards or delete apps in home screen. The app shortcuts are nice but I made do without them for years and now I can invoke them from Siri anyway.
- zapzupnz 8y ago
  Re: deleting apps on the home screen. I initially had that problem. It's a question of not pushing hard when holding an app icon. Problem solved, reliable 100% once you've retrained your fingers. Not ideal, but there it is. I use 3D/Force Touch a lot, mainly previewing documents or web pages — especially on Hacker News and reddit where I don't want to keep going back and forwards, potentially polluting my history list with rubbish links. Aside from the gimmicky actions like shortcuts, it also lets art apps have a basic type of pressure sensitivity on iPhone. That's great for me because I sometimes do little touch-ups and sketches on my iPhone when my iPad+Pencil isn't near me.
cageface 8y ago
I always thought force touch was kind of a dumb feature so I'm happy to do without it. And the XR screen looks great IMO. I'll happily take the extra battery life over a barely perceptibly better screen. The main thing I'd change about the XR is I'd make it a bit smaller. Other than that it's a great phone.

jon-wood 8y ago

Hi there, I’m one of the people who bought an XR because they wanted one. I sacrifice a few features which, while nice to have, aren’t really essential (Force Touch, OLED display, better camera), and in exchange I get better battery life and a significantly lower price. Honestly I suspect the XR’s target audience is people who actually think about what they’re buying, while the XS is targeted at the “I must have the best” crowd, and I think as people come up on upgrading that’s going to play out.