Anybody upgraded an iPhone lately?

[Kerbie]

I'm contemplating an upgrade; I'm looking at the Xs and 11s. It's like being in a chocolate store... there are too many choices! I was impressed to see the 11 Pros have OLED displays... wow, those are pretty!

Some of you guys are iPhone genuises, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Xs and 11s. Thanks.

[CoffeeFan]

I got my Xr just about a year ago. With accessories and what not it was a bout $900.

The only iPhone 11 I would upgrade to would be $1,449. That's just ridiculous...

[KevWind]

I got the smaller of the X series , (but that was before the 11's) because I still try to carry it the front pocket of my jeans.
The new iOS with the "swipe over to text" feature (as opposed having to tap on each letter) is pretty slick , if a bit frightening as to how smart it is getting

[raysachs]

I just got my wife an XR for her birthday - she was coming from an iPhone 6 that had a cracked screen, not enough memory and she was having trouble every time there was a new system upgrade. The 11's are too expensive and back ordered to around Thanksgiving at least. I have a 7 plus and the XR is a big step up in terms of display and the whole facial recognition business and moving on from having a home button. I was curious to see how she'd adapt to no home button because those types of adjustments are not always the easiest thing for her. But she appeared to have it down as second nature after a couple hours, so not a problem. I still like the portrait length lens in my 7 plus, which the XR doesn't have, but other than that the camera is significantly better in the XR.

When I upgraded to my 7 plus, it was from a 6 plus that died way too young, but out of warranty. I felt a BIG difference between the 6 plus and 7 plus just in general operations - it was smoother, faster, just generally more usable. The jump from the 7+ through the 8 series, to the XR doesn't feel like as big a jump in performance as the 6 to 7, but the new interface and larger screen (her phone is smaller than mine but the screen is notably larger) are real pluses.

Also, the color of the phone is irrelevant now if you use a case, because the screen is wall to wall. She didn't want a black one but it was all our carrier had with the memory she wanted and when she saw that the color would be completely invisible with a case, she was fine with it.

I'm happy with the 7+, so I'll probably wait at least until the next update and then maybe get one of the bigger 11's, which by then should have come down a lot in price. Or, if my 7+ is still going strong, I may wait another update beyond that and then reassess. These phones have gotten so good that they're only gonna get better in pretty small increments going forward I think.

What are you upgrading from?

[Kerbie]

Thanks for the opinions. I agree the prices are outrageous. Oh well... I try to remind myself how many toys this thing replaces.

I'm upgrading from a 6, although one with a lot of memory. My first 6 died prematurely, but this one has worked flawlessly for years... probably the best phone I've ever had.

I hate that they're getting bigger and bigger. If I wanted to carry around a laptop, I'd just carry around my laptop.

I haven't decided between the X and 11. I keep going back and forth.

[PorkPieGuy]

If I could do anything, I'd go back to my iPhone 4. It was my favorite.

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by PorkPieGuy

If I could do anything, I'd go back to my iPhone 4. It was my favorite.

Well, for that matter, I loved my first Galaxy. But I think they're a thing of the past.

[Jeremy]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Thanks for the opinions. I agree the prices are outrageous. Oh well... I try to remind myself how many toys this thing replaces.

I'm upgrading from a 6, although one with a lot of memory. My first 6 died prematurely, but this one has worked flawlessly for years... probably the best phone I've ever had.

I hate that they're getting bigger and bigger. If I wanted to carry around a laptop, I'd just carry around my laptop.

I haven't decided between the X and 11. I keep going back and forth.

If you plan to keep it as long as you kept your iPhone 6, I would suggest getting the latest model as it will age better.

I would personally suggest the 11 Pro over the 11. The 11 Pro has a bettter camera system, a higher resolution OLED display (the 11 has a lower resolution LCD display), better antenna system (4x4 MIMO vs 2x2 MIMO) for faster data speeds, and better battery life.

Or you may want to wait until next year (if you can) when supposedly the first 5G capable iPhones will be released, and should see the return of Qualcomm modems to the lineup which are superior to the Intel chips used in the current and previous generation iPhones.

[Gitfiddlemann]

I'm facing a similar situation, and currently have an iPhone 7.
Value for the money, it's hard to beat the 11. (I'm just guessing that Apple's margins on the 11 are less than for the others, so better value for the bucks.)
I've already eliminated the X. (still expensive, older chip, much less battery life).
It's down to the 11 or 11pro.
I like that the 11pro is relatively smaller. Whether or not the OLED screen and telephoto capability is worth the extra 3 Benjamins, that I'm not so sure about.
I don't really need that much memory capacity, so I'm leaning towards the 11.
Not yet decided though.
If I were you, between the X and 11, I would go with the 11. With the faster chip and better battery life. The 11 screen is still very, very nice. It says here you won't regret it.
(Good luck with your choice!)

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

I'm contemplating an upgrade; I'm looking at the Xs and 11s. It's like being in a chocolate store... there are too many choices! I was impressed to see the 11 Pros have OLED displays... wow, those are pretty!

Some of you guys are iPhone genuises, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Xs and 11s. Thanks.

Yes and no. I'm holding off personally but my IT admin seat is doing a lot of upgrades, setups and helping associates. My advice, observations or decision tree stuff....

1. Consider dual rear facing cameras. Improved zoom for single cameras is still not the same. If the camera is not important XR model is a great upgrade for a 6 owner.
2. The 11 is really hard to beat when you consider the dual camera, all screen design and battery life.
3. The Pro cameras are fantastic and will only get better in days or weeks with the 13.2 software release.
4. On occasion I must admin the OLED displays and stainless steel outer construction REALLY are nice but it's like musical instruments and sports toys. Diminishing returns as you spend.

My daughter's getting a new phone and with that I noticed there are used X, and XS models out there worth considering. Craigslist always has some desperate sellers where for safety you can meet at Verizon or ATT stores. I've bought used phones that way. A criminal's not generally going to meet you under their security cameras and you know if you can activate the phone. I've handed over the cash when the used phone activates.

The colors are nice or fun but white and black are seem more desirable in the used market. A white back phone has metal finish stainless that is like a wristwatch or tool made of stainless. You don't see scratches like the colored metal.

Finally, I was totally surprised by a few I know who don't tend to get fancier stuff who got 11 Pros totally in love with them. Especially the larger models. They are appreciating the cameras and like my purchase of XS Max last year they've found them to be devices they use for reading and use their laptops and tablets less.

I suggest AirPods if you don't already have them. Also a case that's easy to remove and clean. The fat cases are overrated or at least my IT admin experience. I wash my phone often and like it out of a case for all the news reading I do and for some apps I depend on.

[Jaden]

I’ll have to upgrade sooner or later, but having paid $800 CDN plus tax on a newer model fairly recently, I began receiving consistent complaints and difficulty communicating over the phone with customers (I use it at work) who described the sound of my voice being akin to speaking through a 16ft length of 3/4” PVC pipe. Considering I only use probably about 2% of the features of what these phones are capable of, I’m having serious doubts about the basic function of these hand held devices going forward in the future - a *telephone* to speak and be heard/ communicate with real people.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I’ll have to upgrade sooner or later, but having paid $800 CDN plus tax on a newer model fairly recently, I began receiving consistent complaints and difficulty communicating over the phone with customers (I use it at work) who described the sound of my voice being akin to speaking through a 16ft length of 3/4” PVC pipe. Considering I only use probably about 2% of the features of what these phones are capable of, I’m having serious doubts about the basic function of these hand held devices going forward in the future - a *telephone* to speak and by heard/ communicate with real people.

Many newer phones require better mic to mouth aim. This lets the person on the other end hear you vs what surrounds you. It's an important feature for many and for wireless generally replacing phones as a lot of us have known them.

I don't know what phone you have but first tier phones are generally all good. A few who give me grief about this feature have found happiness with AirPods or other good earphones.

For your last comment, you're on your own unless I have a misunderstanding. Smartphones are how most do and will communicate with telephones now. This has been even more obvious when I travel outside of the us or work with homeless, people with special needs and some elderly. The wideband audio most phones and carriers have had for a while sounds better than old phones.

There are and I believe will be more basic phones for newer generation wireless networks. We have a family member who had to get a new phone for network compatibility and that cost more than if she would have gone with a basic smartphone and plan.

[FLRon]

My college age daughter just got an iPhone 11 to replace her aging HTC something or other Android phone. She’s over the moon about it, and for some reason doesn’t want me to play with it. 😁

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I’ll have to upgrade sooner or later, but having paid $800 CDN plus tax on a newer model fairly recently, I began receiving consistent complaints and difficulty communicating over the phone with customers (I use it at work) who described the sound of my voice being akin to speaking through a 16ft length of 3/4” PVC pipe. Considering I only use probably about 2% of the features of what these phones are capable of, I’m having serious doubts about the basic function of these hand held devices going forward in the future - a *telephone* to speak and by heard/ communicate with real people.

It's funny you mention this as I noticed how much better my wife's newer iphone sounded during a call. I'm not sure what model it is but it's a year or two old. Maybe they've gotten worse after they got better?

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by RedJoker

It's funny you mention this as I noticed how much better my wife's newer iphone sounded during a call. I'm not sure what model it is but it's a year or two old. Maybe they've gotten worse after they got better?

I appreciate reading reassurances about the quality not going down recently with newer model audio phone calls. I remember my iPhone 4 (first one I purchased) had strong reception and transmission and seemingly impervious to call drop. I’m guessing cell tower transmission is the key component here but I have read that the increasingly recycled metals used in the newer phones is leading to weaker reception/ transmission. I hope I’m wrong about this. In any case, in the future when I upgrade I’ll be looking at very basic models if they are still offered stripped of any unnecessary complexity for my purposes of communication.