New iPhone questions

[Chicago Sandy]

My husband & I need new iPhones—he has a 6, I a 6S. I’m not getting great battery life on mine any more; and in my car (regardless of port, charger or cable), sometimes it even drains when plugged in and the “charging” indicator appears on screen. He needs to change carriers—his hospital system insists on Verizon, he has Sprint (which has iffy signal and put some stupid overlay on the interface); and the LifeProof case he uses (he’s afraid of rain damage) both causes an occasional “howl” and muffles the sound so much he often has to put it on speaker to hear it in a moderately-noisy restaurant.

Price isn’t a consideration. Android’s out of the question: I’ve used and hate it (had both a Samsung & HTC which froze like crazy), and I like iOS’ uniformity across my Apple devices. The fact that different mfrs. & models run different iterations of Android and not all can be updated was also an irritant. He would be lost learning a new OS and all that comes with it.

I’m torn between the 8 and 8+: the latter because of the better photo features and battery life, and since I carry a purse, size doesn’t matter (insert double entendre here). I use my phone for calls, mail, music, photography, navigation on foot or in a rental car, internet apps (e.g., Uber/Lyft, banks, airlines, patient portals, etc.) and a game or two. I learn new gestures & interfaces relatively quickly. And 64GB is a mobile device “sweet spot” for me. (32 is a bit confining)

For him, though, the question’s a bit thornier: he doesn’t use his phone for much beyond communication (calls & paging) & photography. Doesn’t even use it for music (he uses sat. radio & CDs in his car). He receives texts (his hospital system converts pages to texts) but his fingers are too large to comfortably send them. A 7 or 7+ would be an improvement over his 6, especially since it’d have 2 hrs. better battery life and is water resistance. Lack of a headphone jack doesn’t bother him, and I’ll get used to it (and I already Bluetooth my 6S to my wireless headphones and my watch). But it doesn’t seem worth it to move up just a notch, especially since the 7 line doesn’t offer a 64GB option—just 32 or 128. Besides, since his practice would pay for it, it would be in pre-tax dollars. So I think the 8 line would be a better path for both of us.

But here’s the dilemma: the 8+ would be far easier for him (with his large hands & long fatter fingers) to use—especially for texting. I think his reluctance to text (or even set up his e-mail!) on his 6 is due to his trouble using a smaller onscreen keyboard. I bought him a stylus, but it’s a PITA for him to use. But he carries his phone in either a shirt or inner jacket pocket. (Never in his pants—that’s how our son keeps losing or crushing his own phone). I’ve watched a video showing that though a + series fits into a shirt pocket horizontally, it does stick out vertically. Not sure if the latter would bother him, because any of the iPhones to which he’d upgrade would be water-resistant. (And that LifeProof case on his 6 sticks out too).

Anyone here carry a 6+, 7+ or a comparably-sized Android (the latter for reference’s sake) in a shirt or inner sport coat pocket?

The iPhoneX is not an option—I don’t want to wait till Nov. and he can’t wait past this weekend—the hospital wants him switching carriers “yesterday." Moreover, though it wouldn’t bother me, the lack of a Home button, relocated other buttons, and the need to learn new gestures would drive him nuts. He’s enough of a technophobe that he’s still nostalgic for his old flip “dumb phone” or even brick phone. But the dealbreaker for both of us is the X’s Facial Recognition ID. I don’t see how Apple can claim it’s more secure than fingerprint ID. I often take urban public transit, and one of his hospitals is in a dicey, gang-infested South Side neighborhood. No need for a mugger to put a gun to our head and make us unlock the phone with our fingerprint. All a mugger would have to do is point the phone at our face and it’d be unlocked.

[ManyMartinMan]

Not in a shirt pocked but jacket, pants... yes. My iPhone 6S + it not too big for me but provides half the size of a iPad Mini. I've had mine since they came out and have never had an issue.

[imwjl]

I'm among the many who ate earlier words on larger screens because the Plus phones are skinny.

The Plus models are very popular. Everyone loves the battery life and easier reading. Dual cameras have been frosting on the cake.

Tips:

1 Considering a semi gloss plastic screen protector vs the glass so popular these days. It makes your reading more Kindle-like and it's nicer than a thick hunk of glass.
2 Don't get a silly fat or ugly case. The really nice Apple leather cases are great but consider wear and dirt if you get a bright one.
3. Apply your savings from the X to an Apple Watch if you don't have one. Far more fun his 'n hers gifts or items or toys than average. Life changing for some.

[BrunoBlack]

Sandy, Apple acknowledged having a battery problem with their 6 phones and replaced them free of charge for the affected phones. My wife and I both checked if our 6S phones were covered and they were. We went to the Apple Store and they put in a new battery in 15 minutes.

[Chicago Sandy]

The Apple Store “Genius” (or whatever they’re called these days) ran a diagnostic program and said the battery should be able to charge to capacity. I’m beginning to think the reason my car’s ports drain or at best trickle-charge (maybe 1-2% worth over 15 min.) is the ports’ circuitry, as my phone charges just fine when plugged into wall power. But there’s a mechanics’ strike (7 weeks & counting) at Chi. area dealerships, and if it’s a warranty issue it’s covered only if repaired at a Subaru dealership. I belong to the AFoM, my best friend is shop steward for her Newspaper Guild local, and my parents were shop stewards of their union locals—so unless I need an emergency repair I’m not crossing a picket line.

I have a matte-glass screen protector on my 6S and it works nicely—probably get one for the front and a plastic one for the back on my next iPhone. I actually have a five-dollar polka-dot snap-on case from the bargain bin at Best Buy. (My old clear silicone one was too thick to fit the Lightning connector on my bedroom charging dock).

When my Fitbit Blaze’s battery went blooey in June (and we were on vacation in NYC for his 50th HS reunion), after we’d walked the High Line Bob let me get an Apple Watch 2 at the 14th St. Apple Store. Took forever to sync with my phone, but he and his friends sat downstairs and recharged their own phones while conversing. Fitbit wrote me back that it was indeed a defective battery issue with the Blaze and actually sent me a new one (the whole enchilada). Bob might use it if I set up the app to sync with it. (But he’s such a technophobe I doubt he’d use the app).

[M19]

I carry my 7 in my shirt pocket 75% of the time. Sticks up about 1/2". Only issue is bending over too far, and "plonk," it hits the floor.

[Chicago Sandy]

He’s not worried about the 7, as it’s the same size as his 6. He was wondering if the 7+ or 8+ is “shirt-pocketable.” At our age, bending over is not an option.

[1neeto]

Would he consider a case with a holster? I have a pelican case with holster and I'll never go back to try and stuff a phone in my pocket or shirt pocket. The fact that the holster also serves as a stand for watching media is a nice plus.

[Chicago Sandy]

Nah, my husband never liked holsters, even when I bought them for his flip phones—he hates anything hanging off his belt or waistband. He doesn’t watch media on his phone anyway. He’s a dress-shirt kinda guy, even when not at work (he just takes off the tie and opens his collar—that and maybe a patterned shirt is as casual as it gets for him). He usually wears a long “consult coat” at work—he usually has a pen or two and maybe a penlight in his pocket. I think a clear thin silicone case for the back of the phone, plus a screen protector, would be all he needs to make it break-resistant if it falls out of his pocket.

I’m going to measure our son’s Galaxy S7, which may be the size of the 8+. Either that or I’ll make a cardboard cutout of the 8+’s dimensions and see how far it sticks out of his pocket. That stupid LifeProof case (which adds >1/4” all around and with its bezel is nearly 3x the thickness of the iPhone 6) sticks up out of his shirt pocket about as much as a nearly-naked Plus (6+, 7+, or 8+) would.

We talked tonight and he’s psyched for the 8+ and wants me to order a pair of them for us on 9/15. But I think he should first pop into at least a Best Buy and see for himself not just if a Plus would fit in his pocket but also has a less “fat-finger-proof” onscreen keyboard. Perhaps if it’s just as “fat-finger”-prone and he can live with a single rather than dual cameras and no Portrait mode or custom lighting, the 64GB 8 would be a better fit and $100 cheaper.

[Scootch]

7+ here. It's big. I don't notice it, but at first I had to adjust how I held it.

Also it has feature where you can lightly tap the control button and the screen condenses to half the space, helping one reach stuff with their thumb.

I have big hands, size 14 ring. Fwiw, the 7+ seem easier to see. My eyes seem to be getting worse by the day.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Chicago Sandy

Nah, my husband never liked holsters, even when I bought them for his flip phones—he hates anything hanging off his belt or waistband. He doesn’t watch media on his phone anyway. He’s a dress-shirt kinda guy, even when not at work (he just takes off the tie and opens his collar—that and maybe a patterned shirt is as casual as it gets for him). He usually wears a long “consult coat” at work—he usually has a pen or two and maybe a penlight in his pocket. I think a clear thin silicone case for the back of the phone, plus a screen protector, would be all he needs to make it break-resistant if it falls out of his pocket.

I’m going to measure our son’s Galaxy S7, which may be the size of the 8+. Either that or I’ll make a cardboard cutout of the 8+’s dimensions and see how far it sticks out of his pocket. That stupid LifeProof case (which adds >1/4” all around and with its bezel is nearly 3x the thickness of the iPhone 6) sticks up out of his shirt pocket about as much as a nearly-naked Plus (6+, 7+, or 8+) would.

We talked tonight and he’s psyched for the 8+ and wants me to order a pair of them for us on 9/15. But I think he should first pop into at least a Best Buy and see for himself not just if a Plus would fit in his pocket but also has a less “fat-finger-proof” onscreen keyboard. Perhaps if it’s just as “fat-finger”-prone and he can live with a single rather than dual cameras and no Portrait mode or custom lighting, the 64GB 8 would be a better fit and $100 cheaper.

Consider Microsoft's Flow keyboard. It has the "Swype" style, other good features, straight forward privacy and stability. Know this type of keyboard does some learning at first. It gets better. Swype itself is also good and includes a numeric keyboard.

Remember getting a 7 series or newer is a much faster phone so 3rd party keyboards might respond better than your testing now. There are other good keyboards but my work requires watching privacy and delivering reliability so I've stuck with those well regarded keyboards.

Part of my liking the Apple leather case is how fast and easy you can also remove the phone.

My wife's use is a strong argument for more storage. She's always been a minimal user but the dual camera phone and all the media changed things. You'll probably have a better camcorder than you've ever owned and maybe even a better camera if not among the best. There are some wonderful reference apps that will take 1 GB of storage. Our getting 7 Plus phones last fall really changed use. The Kindles don't get touched anymore. My wife only touches her laptop for significant typing.

Even as a power user I use Office 365 and Excel on the phone more than I thought would ever be the case. Microsoft is so changed and good that many benefit from an Office 365 subscription across the phone, work and home.

As said earlier and a bunch in the past year, the large screen skinny and powerful phone changes a lot. Sure for someone with my IT director work but it did the same for my wife. When I did my last overseas trip I probably had the phone loaded with 20+ GB of reference material, books from the library, and more podcasts than usual.

I also say give that watch another try. Only sync a reasonable number of apps. Contact me off line for help. We have 750+ employees and I care for the c suite personal tech more than I wish so I'm pretty good at setups that work and keep people happy.

[Jeremy]

I have a 7 Plus and it is a pretty large phone. Not one that would go well in a shirt or jacket pocket in my opinion unless it was a deep pocket.

It would however give him more real estate for comfortable typing especially if he used the Zoomed option of the Display Zoom setting.

[AmericanEagle]

I just heard the latest iPhone coming out will be $999
Who in their right mind would spend a grand on a phone?

[jhmulkey]

Originally Posted by AmericanEagle

I just heard the latest iPhone coming out will be $999
Who in their right mind would spend a grand on a phone?

As you surely know, they're not just "phones" anymore, and it's been that way for a while. It's a full-blown, hand-held computer and now with cameras rivaling the quality of some DSLRs to boot. This is just like people (even fellow guitarists) asking, "Who in their right mind would spend $10k (or even $5k) on a guitar?" Answer: people who find the guitar (or phone) worth the price. Pretty simple. Insinuating that these people are crazy is certainly not nice.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by AmericanEagle

I just heard the latest iPhone coming out will be $999
Who in their right mind would spend a grand on a phone?

I will predict many millions of people. Just consider the needs, interests and demographics. Consider all the late model top tier phones do beyond an old school phone call.

For a moment let's forget about those with new toy syndrome or gottahaveit syndrome.

A friend who's a pilot and still in the reserves said he's interested in the increased screen real estate relative to overall physical size along with his always wanting to travel light with best camera, camcorder and lots of reference material. A few I know who are product managers and engineers in a firm that does business all over the world are looking forward to it.

As said earlier, my frugal wife uses her 7 Plus as a laptop replacement.

I'll add the above to my phone having Cisco, Microsoft, EMC and VMware apps that replace what used to be sitting at a desk in front of a heavy glass screen. An alarm I got after breakfast used to be a phone call or pager beep that meant a road trip to hurry and not idle employees or inconvenience customers. I fixed it all with a phone at the breakfast table.

We compete with Amazon, Wal-Mart and many local firms. We have to be fast, smart and lean. My $900 phone really helps. I've been putting together training material that used to require a lot of people, time. Now my phone is a few departments and staff. We have a delivery division where top tier phones are super tools.

While typing this I got a Microsoft Teams call from an exec 90 miles away. A pair of 7 Plus phones combined voice, cameras and file transfer, sending documentation and then the calendar for follow up. It was barely more than a year ago when the same problem would have meant the day's plans killed and the utter stupidity of sitting in a car for 180 miles.

My octogenarian mother still does hospice work. She uses the features of a top tier phone to connect terminally ill people to family and things outside of their last stop in life.

All that has some I know eager to upgrade. I'm not planning to upgrade a not year old phone but if one of my kids' phones dies soon I'm sure it will be replaced with another top tier model.

Competing with Amazon and Wal-Mart isn't always fun. The top tier tech also helps me get some freedom. I take calls from my wrist watch to not stop a hike or bike ride.