iPhone XS review: There's nothing excessive about Apple's latest and greatest smartphone

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Blah, blah, blah.
    A lot of opinion masquerading as fact. Sorry bro but Face ID is more secure than Touch ID, fact. You’re entitled to opinions but not to your own facts. 

    You dont even have the X but call it a gimmick. classic. 
    With only 120 views I have to wonder if his troll post was only meant to pimp his kids' YouTube video.
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 22 of 58
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    This may sound obvious/stupid (but in reality I'm just stupid): If you do opt to go the Craigslist route for a few extra bucks, don't accept Venmo — only cash. Venmo makes it look like the cash is in your account, but it's not. I learned my lesson the hard way selling a pair of of iPhone 6 units a few years ago.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/11/24/psa-dont-use-p2p-money-transfer-services-with-people-you-dont-know
  • Reply 23 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    nhughes said:
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    This may sound obvious/stupid (but in reality I'm just stupid): If you do opt to go the Craigslist route for a few extra bucks, don't accept Venmo — only cash. Venmo makes it look like the cash is in your account, but it's not. I learned my lesson the hard way selling a pair of of iPhone 6 units a few years ago.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/11/24/psa-dont-use-p2p-money-transfer-services-with-people-you-dont-know
    I don't trust anything that is associated with PayPal. For something like CL I would meet at a public place, like a Starbucks (or some other place with cameras) and only accept cash. 

    Additionally, if I was buying an iPhone I'd use an app or website to see if the device was considered stolen* and I'd do more than look at it, but I'd also turn it on and go into various apps because there are some really convincing knockoffs. And, of course, wipe the device before I use it.





    * I think Apple had a way of checking that but I seem to recall that they stopped doing that a year or two ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • Reply 24 of 58
    BebeBebe Posts: 145member

    I still think FaceID is a complete gimmick and there should be touch, even if it's just integrated into the screen.  They built 9 years of phones on TouchID and taught people how to use that as the primary interface...and then changed it.  What's next?  Introduction of a physical keyboard as the new standard?  The Blackberry people would be happy I'm sure, but the rest of us would be quite confused by Apple's idea of "progress."  

    Anyway, it's gotten so ridiculous that even an 11 year old can find plenty of ways to roast Apple and the faithful fan boys: https://youtu.be/8tmF2XAWoHg

    I liked TouchID and it  is awesome but I don't think FaceID that replaced it is a gimmick.  Removing the TouchID to give way to the "edge to edge" screen is inevitable.
    albegarc
  • Reply 25 of 58
    BebeBebe Posts: 145member
    Soli said:
    I don't trust anything that is associated with PayPal. For something like CL I would meet at a public place, like a Starbucks (or some other place with cameras) and only accept cash. 

    * I think Apple had a way of checking that but I seem to recall that they stopped doing that a year or two ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    I have that same feeling.  
  • Reply 26 of 58
    Soli said:
    I’m on the iPhone Upgrade Program, I believe the X payments are spread over two years. If I wait this one out, by this time next year my X is paid off, and I own it outright. I can then buy the Whatever ‘19, continue the same payments I’m used to, but have an extra X to do with as I please (sell, give to family, etc). Right?
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    EBay is hit or miss. After seeing other AW3's go for close to $300, I listed mine (Nike+, cellular, 42mm, still under warranty, plus two additional bands)...got 258. By the time fees are removed, it comes out to $2 *less* than the Apple trade-in value of $225! Doh....
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 27 of 58

    I tried taking a picture with the front-facing camera and noticed that it seems to be applying some kind of "beauty filter" like a lot of the Chinese Android phones have started doing. Under the wrong conditions I look like a wax figure of myself. Using third party camera apps doesn't get rid of it. Apple really needs to turn this crap off. 
    That is assuredly not what's happening.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 28 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    I’m on the iPhone Upgrade Program, I believe the X payments are spread over two years. If I wait this one out, by this time next year my X is paid off, and I own it outright. I can then buy the Whatever ‘19, continue the same payments I’m used to, but have an extra X to do with as I please (sell, give to family, etc). Right?
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    EBay is hit or miss. After seeing other AW3's go for close to $300, I listed mine (Nike+, cellular, 42mm, still under warranty, plus two additional bands)...got 258. By the time fees are removed, it comes out to $2 *less* than the Apple trade-in value of $225! Doh....
    I haven't used eBay for years to sell anything because of the fees.

    I assume they don't accept Apple Pay payments and will probably the longest holdout for major online stores the way Walmart will probably be the longest holdout for major B&M retailers (although I think Walmart takes Apple Pay in their iOS app).

    In the past several years, if I was going to sell an Apple product I would usually just do it through Apple. Not the best way to maximize your cash, but since you can do it when you're buying your new iPhone it had a convenience factor that others can't match.
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 29 of 58
    Soli said:
    Soli said:
    I’m on the iPhone Upgrade Program, I believe the X payments are spread over two years. If I wait this one out, by this time next year my X is paid off, and I own it outright. I can then buy the Whatever ‘19, continue the same payments I’m used to, but have an extra X to do with as I please (sell, give to family, etc). Right?
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    EBay is hit or miss. After seeing other AW3's go for close to $300, I listed mine (Nike+, cellular, 42mm, still under warranty, plus two additional bands)...got 258. By the time fees are removed, it comes out to $2 *less* than the Apple trade-in value of $225! Doh....
    I haven't used eBay for years to sell anything because of the fees.

    I assume they don't accept Apple Pay payments and will probably the longest holdout for major online stores the way Walmart will probably be the longest holdout for major B&M retailers (although I think Walmart takes Apple Pay in their iOS app).

    In the past several years, if I was going to sell an Apple product I would usually just do it through Apple. Not the best way to maximize your cash, but since you can do it when you're buying your new iPhone it had a convenience factor that others can't match.
    For a while eBay owned PayPal and so both sets of fees went to their same pockets. As I understand they've sold it and are moving toward a Dutch company for auction payments in order to lower fees. I don't get why they couldn't have just lowered fees when they owned the payment processor.
  • Reply 30 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    Soli said:
    I’m on the iPhone Upgrade Program, I believe the X payments are spread over two years. If I wait this one out, by this time next year my X is paid off, and I own it outright. I can then buy the Whatever ‘19, continue the same payments I’m used to, but have an extra X to do with as I please (sell, give to family, etc). Right?
    I'm still on an iPhone 7 Plus and I'm not sure I'm going to update this year even though I paid up my iUP account last month. I checked the price on Gazelle a couple weeks ago and they were willing to give me $330 for it, or  about a 1/3 of the price for a 64GB iPhone XS Max. I wouldn't sell to Gazelle, but that was easier than trying to discern an average price on eBay or Craig's List.
    EBay is hit or miss. After seeing other AW3's go for close to $300, I listed mine (Nike+, cellular, 42mm, still under warranty, plus two additional bands)...got 258. By the time fees are removed, it comes out to $2 *less* than the Apple trade-in value of $225! Doh....
    I haven't used eBay for years to sell anything because of the fees.

    I assume they don't accept Apple Pay payments and will probably the longest holdout for major online stores the way Walmart will probably be the longest holdout for major B&M retailers (although I think Walmart takes Apple Pay in their iOS app).

    In the past several years, if I was going to sell an Apple product I would usually just do it through Apple. Not the best way to maximize your cash, but since you can do it when you're buying your new iPhone it had a convenience factor that others can't match.
    For a while eBay owned PayPal and so both sets of fees went to their same pockets. As I understand they've sold it and are moving toward a Dutch company for auction payments in order to lower fees. I don't get why they couldn't have just lowered fees when they owned the payment processor.
    I had gone years without making an eBay purchase until last month when I made two. One for a pair of sunglasses because I wasn't going to be Sunglass Hut $400 for the same pair I can get for $130 on eBay. That took a CC. The other was an iTunes GC that was 15–20% off, but they only accepted PayPal—which I don't have any longer—so I had a friend make the purchase and then reimbursed them via Apple Pay Cash. No idea why that wouldn't take a CC.

    I never did check the eBay app for iOS so maybe that would allow Apple Pay. I'll have to remember that the time time I use eBay in the distant future.
  • Reply 31 of 58
    Soli said:
    Blah, blah, blah.
    A lot of opinion masquerading as fact. Sorry bro but Face ID is more secure than Touch ID, fact. You’re entitled to opinions but not to your own facts. 

    You dont even have the X but call it a gimmick. classic. 
    With only 120 views I have to wonder if his troll post was only meant to pimp his kids' YouTube video.
    There's more efficient ways to troll rather than a point by point refutation.  
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 32 of 58
    cpsro said:
    wemclaughlins said:Responses to the above: 
    1) Face ID is still slower than TouchID was and in my opinion it's still not as secure as TouchID, nor is the lack of a home button a benefit in terms of interface.  Granted, I enable the "assistive touch" function on my iPhone so as to prolong my home button and assuming this feature is available on X I could see this as a better replacement for TouchID than the new gestures required to close apps etc. 
    IMHO most of the time Face ID is much faster than Touch ID. Touch ID requires one put their thumb on the home button. Face ID unlock just happens. I merely look at my X/XS and it unlocks when a notification comes in. 1Password unlocks automatically. The phone stays unlocked just by my looking at it--I don't have to tap the display or set a long sleep time to keep it unlocked.
    Apple claims Face ID is 20X more secure than Touch ID (1:1,000,000 vs. 1:50,000 false positives). Exceptions for Face ID might mostly be identical twins, but that's not an issue for almost everyone.
    btw: The iPhone 7 and 8 models don't have physical home buttons. If you're using Assistive Touch to preserve your home button, then you've got a 6S or earlier, in which case your phone is a slug compared to the 7/8/X/XS. It might not even have the fast Touch ID of the 7/8 models.
    2) I think the phone being more responsive has little to do with A12 vs A11.  In the benchmarks the only noticeable improvement was in the metal score.  The single and multi-core scores are very similar from A12 to A11.  The likely culprit here is iOS12.  This has been by far the best release in terms of performance increase that I can remember, dating back to the first iPhone I owned (iPhone 3G).  I have a 64GB SE and did a clean install with iOS12 and it's been buttery smooth.  I know there've been some other hangups with iOS12 on other phones but in terms of speed on the device iOS12 has been fantastic. 
    I used both the X and XS under iOS 12. To me, the XS feels significantly faster.
    wemclaughlins said:
    3) 512GB means you just spent a crud ton of money to achieve laptop like storage.  While I do lots of videography and can certainly appreciate storage, for the price Apple charges, forget it.  I'm with the majority here who says baseline should be 128GB and if that was the baseline, that's exactly where my money would go.  Anything beyond that is complete excess given Apple's pricing.  Yes, it's NVME storage and it's fast and wonderful, but Apple is still gouging here for memory increase.  
    My laptop has far more than 512GB storage. If you don't have the need nor money to spend, that's not my business, nor is my business yours.
    4) I'm not sure what your premium broadband service speeds are, but I have fiber and my speeds in home are 100mbps upload and download.  Even if the XS has much better LTE capabilities I would be SHOCKED if AT&T had the service to meet it here in Central Florida...or Verizon for that matter.  I consistently get about 14-17mbps download/6-10mbps upload here and it's been that way for a long time.  Haven't seen 20mbps+ since about 3 months after the 5S came out since these networks clearly have no intention of actually improving backhaul but rather like to publish numbers that are absolutely false in the real world.  
    This is not a competition over our broadband speeds or whether fiber is faster. My point is that the XS is multiple times faster than the average home cable broadband speed.
    Well, okay, Speedtest reported 171 Mbps down, 20.1 Mbps up, my cellular provider is AT&T, and I ran the test in my basement.
    5) the big keyboard is a to each his own thing.  I went into Best Buy yesterday to handle the XS and it didn't take me 30 seconds to realize how disgustingly large it is.  
    Yes, and I appreciate the larger (not "big") keyboard on the XS Max (and Plus series iPhones). Where've you been that you've not held a Plus-sized iPhone in the past 4 years?  The XS Max is basically the same size as the 6 Plus from 2014.
    6) I'm sure web sites are fantastic on the bigger screen.  You know what though?  They're even better on an iPad. ...and a laptop is better than that ...and a TV is better than that.  As a video guy and a small business owner there's no way on earth a phone will ever replace my computer so rather than glue my head to a mini screen all day, ignoring the roses (and people) around me
    It's good to know even Luddites can survive in the video business. You must be strong to carry a big screen monitor with you all day whenever you need to do a web search.
    7) No comment on battery life other than Apple thinks good battery life is just getting through the work day.  I'd like to come home and have 50% remaining still, at least. Get me through a day and a half in case I forget to charge.  In my case I keep chargers in both cars, the office and in my house.  Good battery life would eliminate this.  
    Sounds like your SE could use a new battery, just as any old phone from any manufacturer would.
    I still think FaceID is a complete gimmick and there should be touch, even if it's just integrated into the screen.  They built 9 years of phones on TouchID and taught people how to use that as the primary interface...and then changed it.  What's next?  Introduction of a physical keyboard as the new standard?  The Blackberry people would be happy I'm sure, but the rest of us would be quite confused by Apple's idea of "progress." 
    That's fine to express your own opinion, even if IMHO it's based on naivety and inexperience.
    btw: Apple introduced Face ID after ten iPhone generations of only a home button and only 4 generations of just Touch ID being available before the iPhone X was released.
    Point taken on FaceID if it's that much more accurate.  Not sure those numbers matter in the real world but I've found TouchID to be extremely accurate and yes, I use a pre iPhone 7 phone (an SE) with a tactile touch ID/home button.  It's the "slower" of the touch ID systems but it has never felt slow to me at all.  Again at some point all these claims of speed and performance have to fall on deaf ears as life isn't measured in nano-seconds.  If the XS feels significantly faster that would certainly go against the benchmarks.  I know benchmarks aren't perfect but the only expectation I'd have of the XS being faster would be in the area of graphics.  I would also ask: did the "X" get a clean install of iOS12?  That would certainly be a difference maker as I usually had issues in the past upgrading to a major release without a clean install.  Not sure why the snakiness on the storage prices.  I'm stating a mere fact that has been discussed by many reviewers of how the profit margin as storage space increases also increases drastically.  I don't expect Apple to be a charity, but in 2018 128GB is a good baseline.  That was my only point.  You added the points about price and affluence. If you're getting 171mbps downloads on AT&T I'm jealous, frankly, though I feel like ever city I travel to outside of Orlando has faster LTE, just never that fast.  I think 35-40 is about the highest I've ever had, though I'm not even sure what the SE's broadband antenna is capable of pulling.  Nevertheless, Orlando's LTE on AT&T is not only spotty (multiple areas that they've not added backhaul to accommodate for population so even with 4-5 bars you would browse at EDGE speeds; additionally there are some major dead spots in high traffic areas here that have been that way for a long time--I'm a longtime AT&T customer FYI), but also slow compared to the claims of the carrier.  
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 33 of 58
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    ElCapitan said:
    There is one thing that is excessive; the PRICE. 
    Really?  How much does a video camera cost?  Plus an alarm clock, a measuring tape, a compass, a GPS navigation system, a pretty decent digital camera with a 6.5” display, a calculator, a phone, a spreadsheet/word processor/etc office suite, a P.O. label gaming system, a pocketable music/media player, a mobile Internet browser, am appointments calendar, a voice assistant.  Go back 11 years and all these would add up to a lot of money, and wouldn’t be very portable.  Now what would you pay?

    how much does a horse cost, to feed, shelter, maintain, shoe?  How much did a horse-drawn cart cost back in the day, in terms of hours worked to earn the money to buy one?  The automobile replaced that combination, allowing longer distances to be traveled faster, to carry move and deliver goods, serve as taxis/Ubers, entertaining us as we travel, mapping our course with GPS navigation systems, protection g us from the elements, etc, for one inclusive price.  There are inexpensive automobiles and expensive ones, that serve basically the same transportation functions.  Yet done people choose to purchase Mercedes, BMW, Porche, Audi, Acura, Lexus, And other premium models over brands catering to basic transportation needs, enough to support those premium brands for decades thus far.  And yet there’s this constant harping about the fact there exists premium smartphones at premium prices.  I get it, some folks just have a knee jerk reaction to price, without considering value. 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 34 of 58
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    nhughes said:
    tzmmtz said:
    Can someone explain what this means and how you go about it? " In fact, sometimes we find ourselves deferring to recording video and using the image capture tool in Apple's Camera app to get the best results". Is this referring to shooting in 4K 60 then somehow extracting a still from that shoot in the camera app?
    When shooting video, you'll see a white shutter button pop up in the lower corner. Tap that and it will capture still images from the video while you record.
    I use that button all the time when shooting video.  By the way, you can also pinch to zoom while recording video, and tap on the display to force focus and set exposure level.  Experiment with that to get an idea of how it reacts while doing some practice video.  
  • Reply 35 of 58

    As with the debut of the iPhone X, if you can stomach the sticker shock ...

    I don't see anything wrong with AI making reference as per above quote.

    Every AI reader has their own personal 'sticker shock threshold' for the iPhone (even if they don't know it).  Were an iPhone XS Max to cost US$5000 (still the same dinky power charger though :#), some would just see that as a bit of loose change in the pocket, but a pretty big proportion of those, who get the latest iPhone each year, would suddenly know they are on the wrong side of their 'sticker shock threshold'.

    One can see the 'sticker shock threshold' in action, to some extent, by reading the comments in the iWatch 4 Hermès article. 
  • Reply 36 of 58
    A "cheap $10 wireless charger on Amazon will juice your iPhone faster than the adapter that ships in the box." It will also likely explode in flames someday. Apple's won't. Or if you have any cash left over after buying the XS, Apple's Lightning to USB-C cable is $19, and a 61W USB-C AC adapter is $69. That'll charge the phone fast and safely.
    StrangeDaysmacseeker
  • Reply 37 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    sunman42 said:
    A "cheap $10 wireless charger on Amazon will juice your iPhone faster than the adapter that ships in the box." It will also likely explode in flames someday. Apple's won't. Or if you have any cash left over after buying the XS, Apple's Lightning to USB-C cable is $19, and a 61W USB-C AC adapter is $69. That'll charge the phone fast and safely.
    Can an iPhone take advantage of a 61(?) W MacBook charger? Wouldn't a 30W charger be more than enough?
  • Reply 38 of 58
    @Neil or @cpsro, did either of you guys create a Memoji on the X, back it up and restore it on the XS? Was the Memoji restored?
  • Reply 39 of 58
    @neil, with all the computation that goes into the photos and the fact that you can change the DoF after taking a picture, does it increase the overall size of the images? What happens when you transfer it to Photos on the Mac and then if you export the unmodified original to a folder?
  • Reply 40 of 58
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    @neil, with all the computation that goes into the photos and the fact that you can change the DoF after taking a picture, does it increase the overall size of the images? What happens when you transfer it to Photos on the Mac and then if you export the unmodified original to a folder?
    1 )I'm also curious about the raw (not RAW) imagine size. All that data has to require extra data per photograph package.

    2) I don't recall anything about that data being transferred to a Mac/WinPC so that you alter depth-of-field with another app so I assumed it was kind of like how if I drag an HEIF Live photo from Photos to my desktop it only seems to copy over a basic JPEG
    edited September 2018
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