• After more than 15 years covering everything Apple, it’s with a heavy heart we announce that we will no longer be publishing new content on iMore and the iMore forums will be closing as of November 1st, 2024.

Why are some people viewing the iPhone XR as an illegitimate iPhone?

Shawn Schrader

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2014
489
0
0
Visit site
Because when you compare it side-by-side with the display on the iPhone Xs Max, the display on the XR is inferior. It appears grainy and the colors aren't as vibrant. Don't get me wrong, the XR is a great alternative for the budged-minded iPhone fans, but I wouldn't get one, not when there's better out there.

Lol so I’m supposed say ya let’s justify the cost of something like a new gaming system just for better display on a cellphone? 😂
 

Shawn Schrader

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2014
489
0
0
Visit site
Lol this entire thread states what’s wrong with apples users and the stereo typical fan boy/girl. This thread is more toxic then a political one I’m out lol ??????
 

Just_Me_D

Ambassador Team Leader, Senior Moderator
Moderator
Jan 8, 2012
60,414
887
113
Visit site
Lol this entire thread states what’s wrong with apples users and the stereo typical fan boy/girl. This thread is more toxic then a political one I’m out lol í ½í¸‚

Nah, the views are a reflection of who we are and how we see things. If the subject matter was a car, many of the expressed views would still be the same.
 

nikkisharif

Ambassador
Jun 2, 2011
8,607
97
48
Visit site
Lol this entire thread states what’s wrong with apples users and the stereo typical fan boy/girl. This thread is more toxic then a political one I’m out lol í ½í¸‚

LOL...We don’t want you to leave!!! There are definitely lots of opinions here, which is why I just lurk in certain threads and not comment I think my aggravation level is happier sometimes when I say nothing🤷🏾*♀️
 

SABRIAN70

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2015
541
0
16
Visit site
The big thing to keep in mind is that we all have different needs. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for anyone else. That’s why there are so many options out there. While I like the screen on the XS, I didn’t like the battery life or how difficult it was to swipe down from the top of the screen or up from the bottom with the case I like to use on my phones. For me, the better battery life and bigger bezels (I know, nobody else sees them as a plus) made the XR the best choice for me, a person who normally only buys the most expensive option because it MUST be the best. In this case, that wasn’t true.

As a Verizon Wireless Solutions Specialist (18 years and counting), I whole heartedly applaud you and wish there were more people that can rationally think of value over status.
 

SABRIAN70

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2015
541
0
16
Visit site
I don’t think it’s apple users that are doing most of the complaining....I believe that’s coming from android users.

Most apple users are upgrading to the Xr,Xs/Xs Max, or 8. Those users don’t post much in the forums.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I believe the iPhone Xr is meant for price conscious midrange android users to switch to the iPhone....it seems to be working.

I agree
 

Alex Rodriguez Jr.

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
372
0
16
Visit site
It's not for me and I've said that I don't want an inferior phone to the one I already own (XS Max). But in no way am I insinuating that it's illegitimate. I honestly haven't read anyone point that out here or even a toxic place like reddit.

That said, if it was the only new phone available from Apple in 2018 I'd most likely enjoy the ever living life out of it.

We literally had a user in this very thread say the Xs Max is the only true iPhone lol that would render the others illegitimate.
 

metllicamilitia

Ambassador
Dec 25, 2011
5,294
4
38
Visit site
They’re all good iPhones. Screen debate aside, the XR removes features I use like the telephoto lens and 3D Touch. If you want a new iPhone and the XR works for you, great, enjoy it. If like me you like large screens, watch a lot of video, and use the other features, get a XS Max. Otherwise the XS is probably your choice, for those that have issues reaching up for control center, the XS is the smallest offering. I haven’t touched the XR yet but every reviewer says it feels larger than the XS Max. None of them is inferior to the other, not if it suits your use case.
 

FFR

Well-known member
Nov 7, 2012
3,724
554
113
Visit site
I didn’t realize the bands on the 4/4s were stainless. Learned something new. Heck I had even changed a screen on one of those way back in the day. My point is though since the 5 aluminum has been fine but now that they went back to stainless aluminum is cheap junk now to the people who only worry about specs. Most spec conscious people won’t keep a phone long enough for either to even matter anyway.

Thing is from bom view point, aluminum is cheaper than steel. Can’t escape that. In one point in time aluminum was more valuable than gold, not anymore though.

I believe your mistaking spec conscious with price conscious. It depends entirely on how much disposable income consumers have to spend on mobile phones.

I would rather pay less and get more “phone” than have stainless steel any day, but I’m glad it’s offered for the people who care. Choices are always best and competition between companies are always best. Android has made Apple stronger and vise versa. Being that I like Apple (and android as well, literally my whole family has iPhones or I would be on android)

Well that depends on the consumer. Some pay less, some pay more, value on the other hand is dependent on other factors, such as demand outpacing supply.

If you were to resell the xr you would for much less than an Xs could, another way to put it, the xr will never be worth more than an Xs or x, because of bom, with steel commanding a higher price than aluminum. I won’t bring android into this simply because they don’t have much value after initial sales, almost none after a year. Apple products and iPhones are another matter entirely.

I’m glad that the android OEMs have stepped their game up in their flagship and mid range phones making Apple also have to have a “mid range” Xr for people like me that just don’t care to spend $1k plus for a phone. The iPhone 5c was a good exhibit of what Apple used to consider a mid range phone before android OEMs stepped up their game.

Yeah, I believe we disagree here. The xr is not a midrange phone, not even close.

3d biometrics, nvme storage, a 7nm processor, 8core npu, 4K @ 60fps.....it’s a rather long list. Apple is offering the xr at a midrange price but it is by no means a midrange phone, not according to its hardware, in fact it’s hardware outperforms 2018 flagship devices, and apple is offering it at a price point below what flagship android handsets currently retail for.

Android oems still have not stepped up their game, maybe in 2019 or 2020, but currently their hardware is severely lacking, throwing some extra ram or some extra pixels to the display is far from upping their game.

In fact most android oems high end smartphones have completely collapsed due to weak sales and weak demand. Samsung, HTC, lg, pixels, Sony, all have collapsed in the passed two years.
Samsung has a particularly bad year this year, their quarterly results were released yesterday and they are particularly disappointing, perhaps they will have better luck next year or not.

I feel like Motorola is probably a big reason the Xr is as good as it is. The G6 is an all glass and aluminum phone for less than $300. While the specs aren’t as good as the Xr, the G series phones sell way more for Motorola than any of their other phones because they are good quality for a good budget. Samsung and lg are starting to make better mid range but most are still all plastic and cheaply built.

Sorry but this is complete gibberish.
Motorola hasn’t fully recovered since google bought them ran the business into the ground, gutted them, and sold the name for scrap to Lenovo.

What you interpret as good value actually destroyed the company, google was subsiding phone costs pushing Motorola into lower price point hoping to gain market share, thereby destroying brand value that was once associated with the company.

Over the past year Lenovo sales have collapsed as well in India and China, Motorola are not faring any better under its stewardship. Once again due to weak sales and weak demand for their products.

Samsung and Lg midrange phone are not doing well either, they are in a decline fending off cheaper handsets from Chinese companies with almost no overhead or legacy software to contend with.


While the Xr is 3x the price of the G6 I still think you get enough of the iPhone X/Xs/Xs max experience that a lot of mid/older flag ship android people would think its a good enough value to maybe jump ship and I think Apple thinks that as well.

That’s the thing the xr is not a midrange device given its hardware, as I listed above. There will be a huge influx of android users switching over the next year to apple and iOS due to the Xr/x/Xs/Xs max offering hardware and software that simply currently cannot be matched by anything android or its oems offer.
 

phlamethrowre

Well-known member
Feb 5, 2014
1,126
72
38
Visit site
There will be a huge influx of android users switching over the next year to apple and iOS due to the Xr/x/Xs/Xs max offering hardware and software that simply currently cannot be matched by anything android or its oems offer.

You say that as if it’s more than your opinion based on zero real data.
 

FFR

Well-known member
Nov 7, 2012
3,724
554
113
Visit site

Actually it wasn’t, it was stainless steel.

02183f27c849af8afa5825c286168fcf.jpg


http://www.intomobile.com/2010/06/0...-antenna-for-wifi-gps-bluetooth-gsm3g-badass/
 

Spencerdl

Apple Watch Champion
Moderator
Jan 10, 2013
41,139
207
63
Visit site
With the exception of the camera and OLED screen, will it not perform like the other models. People love to complain about battery life and numerous tests thus far shows the battery life of the XR be better than the other iPhone models. Unless you want the OLED screen and a few more photography options, where's the advantage of getting an XS or XS Max. I'm ignoring the size options.

Well it's almost like, and I'm going to use your car manufacture as an example...laughing, It comes in many different colors and variations but some models have better options (which those options cost more), they will perform the same, and it's still a Cadillac...LOL
 
Last edited:

FFR

Well-known member
Nov 7, 2012
3,724
554
113
Visit site
You say that as if it’s more than your opinion based on zero real data.
By zero data, do you mean the current state of android devices priced 800 and up, because that market has completely collapsed taking HTC, Sony mobile, and lg mobile with it. Samsung galaxy s9 and note 9 sales have completely cratered as well. So many data points to choose from.

It’s actually not just my opinion but the consensus in the industry. The iPhone XR just launched, you can come back to my post after the Christmas period and discuss it further.
 

Tpence2177

Trusted Member
Nov 2, 2011
792
0
0
Visit site
Thing is from bom view point, aluminum is cheaper than steel. Can’t escape that. In one point in time aluminum was more valuable than gold, not anymore though.

I believe your mistaking spec conscious with price conscious. It depends entirely on how much disposable income consumers have to spend on mobile phones.



Well that depends on the consumer. Some pay less, some pay more, value on the other hand is dependent on other factors, such as demand outpacing supply.

If you were to resell the xr you would for much less than an Xs could, another way to put it, the xr will never be worth more than an Xs or x, because of bom, with steel commanding a higher price than aluminum. I won’t bring android into this simply because they don’t have much value after initial sales, almost none after a year. Apple products and iPhones are another matter entirely.



Yeah, I believe we disagree here. The xr is not a midrange phone, not even close.

3d biometrics, nvme storage, a 7nm processor, 8core npu, 4K @ 60fps.....it’s a rather long list. Apple is offering the xr at a midrange price but it is by no means a midrange phone, not according to its hardware, in fact it’s hardware outperforms 2018 flagship devices, and apple is offering it at a price point below what flagship android handsets currently retail for.

Android oems still have not stepped up their game, maybe in 2019 or 2020, but currently their hardware is severely lacking, throwing some extra ram or some extra pixels to the display is far from upping their game.

In fact most android oems high end smartphones have completely collapsed due to weak sales and weak demand. Samsung, HTC, lg, pixels, Sony, all have collapsed in the passed two years.
Samsung has a particularly bad year this year, their quarterly results were released yesterday and they are particularly disappointing, perhaps they will have better luck next year or not.



Sorry but this is complete gibberish.
Motorola hasn’t fully recovered since google bought them ran the business into the ground, gutted them, and sold the name for scrap to Lenovo.

What you interpret as good value actually destroyed the company, google was subsiding phone costs pushing Motorola into lower price point hoping to gain market share, thereby destroying brand value that was once associated with the company.

Over the past year Lenovo sales have collapsed as well in India and China, Motorola are not faring any better under its stewardship. Once again due to weak sales and weak demand for their products.

Samsung and Lg midrange phone are not doing well either, they are in a decline fending off cheaper handsets from Chinese companies with almost no overhead or legacy software to contend with.




That’s the thing the xr is not a midrange device given its hardware, as I listed above. There will be a huge influx of android users switching over the next year to apple and iOS due to the Xr/x/Xs/Xs max offering hardware and software that simply currently cannot be matched by anything android or its oems offer.

Yes I’m fully aware that stainless steel cost more than aluminum. My point was that aluminum was premium and perfectly fine until Apple brought stainless back. I agree on a lot of your points except I do feel like androids push for midrange phones has more than likely lead to the Xr development. If mid range/ lower price phones were successful then there would only be the note 9/gs9/ lg g series/etc and apples premium phones. You mentioned the other companies not doing so great, but Apples stocks are no where near where they were a few years ago and it seems like they are trying everything they can in whatever ways they can to get back that way themselves.
 

nikkisharif

Ambassador
Jun 2, 2011
8,607
97
48
Visit site
Well it almost like, and I'm going to use your car manufacture as an example...laughing, It comes in many different colors and variations but some models have better options (which those options cost more), they will perform the same, but it's still a Cadillac...LOL

I just LOL’d on the train🤣🤣
 

Trending Posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
262,070
Messages
1,773,551
Members
441,382
Latest member
Mohammadreza