I hear you. Maybe try re-training FaceID again to learn your facial features? I was really surprised that in a dark room, laying on my side, with a blanket covering half my head that FaceID could recognize me. Maybe I was just lucky in the first scan. I know with TouchID I had to add the same fingerprint twice to get to a place where 90% of the time it accepted my print. With only 1 scan FaceID recognizes me almost in any situation unless I'm wearing sunglasses.
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Picked up an iP XS yesterday...
- Thread starter Brahmzy
- Start date
I hear you. Maybe try re-training FaceID again to learn your facial features? I was really surprised that in a dark room, laying on my side, with a blanket covering half my head that FaceID could recognize me. Maybe I was just lucky in the first scan. I know with TouchID I had to add the same fingerprint twice to get to a place where 90% of the time it accepted my print. With only 1 scan FaceID recognizes me almost in any situation unless I'm wearing sunglasses.
I think it just comes down to giving it a chance. It took me almost 8 years off iOS (been on android since) to come back and give it a chance. It actually ain’t that bad at all. I’ve been enjoying it.
Mad Maxx
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I'd gladly give the iPhone another try if they still had the fingerprint ID system on their top phones. My last iPhone was the 7 Plus. Face ID sucked for me on the X I tried... or, maybe my face just sux.
I’ve been taking quite a few photos now with my iPhone XS Max in all types of environments and lighting conditions. It is truly remarkable how much of an improvement the larger pixel size and SmartHDR makes.
I’ve also watched several camera comparisons against several other flagships (including the Pixel 3). The XS manages to not only keep up, but also easily trades blows with them which was not the case with the regular X last year. And when it comes to videos, I don’t think there is a better phone.
Short to say, the iPhone XS camera is nothing short of spectacular. Apple definitely undersold the camera improvements during their presentation.
I’ve also watched several camera comparisons against several other flagships (including the Pixel 3). The XS manages to not only keep up, but also easily trades blows with them which was not the case with the regular X last year. And when it comes to videos, I don’t think there is a better phone.
Short to say, the iPhone XS camera is nothing short of spectacular. Apple definitely undersold the camera improvements during their presentation.
Curious any [H]ardcore phone nerds here, with both the iPhone XS Max and Pixel 3 XL ? Apple's best phone, and Google's stock phone.
Most people wouldn't need two flagship phones, buy some people have a work and personal phone, I could see doing it that way. Your work pays for the one, and you pay for the other.
Unless your Mr. Moneybags, and just like popping a SIM into different phones every few days for fun.
Most people wouldn't need two flagship phones, buy some people have a work and personal phone, I could see doing it that way. Your work pays for the one, and you pay for the other.
Unless your Mr. Moneybags, and just like popping a SIM into different phones every few days for fun.
I have a XS Max and was very close in purchasing the base Pixel 3 to replace my Essential phone as my secondary personal work phone. But the $150 price increase and inability to trade in my Essential phone made it a no go. As a result, I will probably convert to one phone once the dual SIM is activated on my XS. Only reason I was going to get the Pixel 3 was for the camera (I travel a lot) but since the XS camera is so greatly improved and competes neck and neck with the Pixel 3 - I don't really need it.
This was another thing blown way out of proportion much like the "batterygate" scandal, which required a damn benchmark to notice and it STILL wasn't even all that evident!
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/08/iphone-xs-beautygate-test/
This just shows how publishers blow things out of proportion to a degree in order to make something seem more legitimate.
I think that link just shows you that blind fanboys are still out in full force. While I agree beautygate was overblown - the selfies from the XS’ front facing camera were often less sharp than even the previous generation’s iPhone X based on side by side comparisons. It’s still nice to see that the selfies will become better in the next software update.
I can’t comment on batterygate as I haven’t kept an iPhone longer than a couple years tops (I usually upgrade every year). But people had been complaining about reduced performance long before the benchmarks came out. The benchmarks just confirmed their claims.
And of course publishers blow “_____gate”s out of proportion since they generate traffic. The majority of the time they aren’t even that bad, but if anything it pushes companies to fix the problem faster than they would otherwise.
The performance in regards to the battery performance was not as a result of the battery-power issue, but due to OS upgrades. The stuttering that people claimed (afterwards) that was their reason for being forced to upgrade was actually either untrue or in relationship to outdated apps on a new iOS version. Apple found less than 1% (or some low number) of the phones returned actually as a result of the battery power issue.
The de-noising was in effect, that's very true, but blown out of proportion much like how people blew FaceID out of proportion. I don't really care if Apple fixes it or not, I saw it in effect and never thought it was going to affect my decision to purchase the device. Seeing a writer describe it as making him look like a cartoon, yea never going back there...
On a different note, the XR reviews are out! It looks like a flagship phone without the new flagship pricing. I'm most likely getting next years version of this:
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-iphone-xr/
AltTabbins
Fully [H]
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Things with the iPhone tend to get blown out of proportion since it gets a LOT of clicks and views. Youtube channels like Unbox Therapy rely on the iPhone controversies. Go look at their video views, they average about 2 million per video. Anything iPhone related gets at least double that. Bitching about the iPhone (even when you have to make shit up) is a huge source of revenue.
Heres a list of his current videos.
Bitching about phones in general - 1.3m
Which smartphone is best - 1.3m
Chinese android phone - 2.9m
Razer 2 - 2m
Pixel 3 XL switch video - 2.2m
Lets bitch about the iPhone XS - 4.3m
Lets bitch about the Pixel - 2.2m
Lets make up shit about iPhone and try and create a gate - 7.1m
Lets find some extremely minor shit about the iPhone and bitch about it - 6m
His highest viewed video of all time.
Iphone 6 bend test - 71m
Heres a list of his current videos.
Bitching about phones in general - 1.3m
Which smartphone is best - 1.3m
Chinese android phone - 2.9m
Razer 2 - 2m
Pixel 3 XL switch video - 2.2m
Lets bitch about the iPhone XS - 4.3m
Lets bitch about the Pixel - 2.2m
Lets make up shit about iPhone and try and create a gate - 7.1m
Lets find some extremely minor shit about the iPhone and bitch about it - 6m
His highest viewed video of all time.
Iphone 6 bend test - 71m
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Digital Viper-X-
[H]F Junkie
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I have an s9+ and my wife is using an Xs (not max)
I like both, they're both fantastic phones, both have insanely good cameras, I like the ultra-wide aspect on the s9+ a bit more though.
I do like my Pixel 3 XL, but thinking of seriously looking at the iPhone XS Max.
I still have my Pixel 2 XL, and to be honest, as cool and nice as my 3 XL is, it's not a massive upgrade from my 2 XL ( which I knew going into this ). But every time I'm at Best Buy and play with the XS Max, I'm just blown away by it.
I don't know why ? The full screen, near bezeless and no chin is a big factor. It just looks so darn good. And iOS just feels do fluid and smooth. And the gesture navigation seems neat and better than Android 9's pill.
When I hold the XS Max, it looks and feels like a future phone. When I'm on my Pixel 3 XL, it's nice, but doesn't feel very futuristic, seems like last year's phone with a big notch.
My only beef would be iOS. Can I get comfortable ? No themes, no customization. Will it be fast and lag free like stock Android ?
I still have my Pixel 2 XL, and to be honest, as cool and nice as my 3 XL is, it's not a massive upgrade from my 2 XL ( which I knew going into this ). But every time I'm at Best Buy and play with the XS Max, I'm just blown away by it.
I don't know why ? The full screen, near bezeless and no chin is a big factor. It just looks so darn good. And iOS just feels do fluid and smooth. And the gesture navigation seems neat and better than Android 9's pill.
When I hold the XS Max, it looks and feels like a future phone. When I'm on my Pixel 3 XL, it's nice, but doesn't feel very futuristic, seems like last year's phone with a big notch.
My only beef would be iOS. Can I get comfortable ? No themes, no customization. Will it be fast and lag free like stock Android ?
Mad Maxx
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I can tell you this, every time I use my 2017 iPad Pro with iOS 12 it feels sluggish compared to Android Pie on my 2XL. I think gesture navigation is clumsy on both platforms, but much more so on my iPad. I don't know if I could be full time on iOS anymore. I'm sure I could adapt over time, but it's not something I'd enjoy.
Really? I have a same-generation iPad Pro and it feels smooth as glass. The gestures aren't as seamless as they are on the iPhone X/XS/XR, but they work.
Mad Maxx
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Well, I dislike gesture navigation altogether. I just think it's worse on iOS. I'm sure there are plenty of others who really like it.
The gestures implementation on iOS for the iPhone X/XS/XR is seamless and extremely well done. It honestly feels second nature. Haven’t tried it on iPad so I can’t comment on that.
The gesture navigation in Android Pie is terrible in comparison. I constantly kept opening the app drawer when I didn’t mean to and couldn’t always open the app drawer when I wanted to. I returned to the navigation buttons after trying the “pill” for about a couple hours. Google still needs to put in a lot of work to refine it.
The gesture navigation in Android Pie is terrible in comparison. I constantly kept opening the app drawer when I didn’t mean to and couldn’t always open the app drawer when I wanted to. I returned to the navigation buttons after trying the “pill” for about a couple hours. Google still needs to put in a lot of work to refine it.
Mad Maxx
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Prediction: Z will buy an XS Max and quickly declare it the greatest smartphone ever created.
One week later: Z will declare his surprising satisfaction with the performance of iOS.
One week later: Z will begin to wax longingly for the freedom and customization of Android.
One week later: Z will muse about the OnePlus 6T.
One week later: Z will buy an OP 6T and quickly declare it the greatest smartphone ever created, along with the thrill of being back on Android.
One week later: Z will muse about liking the OP 6T, but wanting the "pure" Android experience.
One week later: Z will return to his Pixel 3XL and quickly declare it the greatest smartphone ever created, along with the thrill of being back on "pure" Android.
One week later: Z will muse about whether the 2019 iPhone and iOS 13 will incorporate some of the best features of Android, thus presenting us with the greatest smartphone ever created.
One week later: Z will post advanced speculation on the new phones on the horizon for 2019.
You have to give credit to Zorachus. The Zorachus of yesteryear would have purchased a Razer Phone 2 already.
I have an iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB from 2016. It matches my Essential Phone in performance. The biggest issue with my iPad is that when I travel and download enough shows/movies to last the length of my trip, I run out of space. When not traveling, finding opportunities to use it is sparse. iPads aren't professional enough to take notes at meetings with a keyboard... But with an Apple Pencil (which I refuse to get) is fine?!?
I have an iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB from 2016. It matches my Essential Phone in performance. The biggest issue with my iPad is that when I travel and download enough shows/movies to last the length of my trip, I run out of space. When not traveling, finding opportunities to use it is sparse. iPads aren't professional enough to take notes at meetings with a keyboard... But with an Apple Pencil (which I refuse to get) is fine?!?
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I'm not that same phone whore lately.
Phones have gotten to be like PC's, you don't need the latest and greatest each year anymore.
Really, year to year upgrades are hard to notice the difference. My Pixel 2 XL was and is great, and now my 3 XL is better, yes. But really not much. Sure the display is much nicer, and speakers sound a hair louder.
And the last couple years that's been the case with smartphones. Not a massive upgrade like the old days, unless your talking 2 years or 3 years apart. Like a Nexus 6P to a Pixel 3 XL is a sweet and noticable upgrade. Or a iPhone 7 Plus to a iPhone XS Max is a nice upgrade.
But year to year upgrades, not worth it.
I'm not buying the OnePlus 6T, I have the Pixel 2 XL and 3 XL.
and of course it was a lot easier being a phone whore a few years ago when Flagship smartphones were around $650 now when they're over $1,000 that gets pretty expensive to keep upgrading every 6 months
Phones have gotten to be like PC's, you don't need the latest and greatest each year anymore.
Really, year to year upgrades are hard to notice the difference. My Pixel 2 XL was and is great, and now my 3 XL is better, yes. But really not much. Sure the display is much nicer, and speakers sound a hair louder.
And the last couple years that's been the case with smartphones. Not a massive upgrade like the old days, unless your talking 2 years or 3 years apart. Like a Nexus 6P to a Pixel 3 XL is a sweet and noticable upgrade. Or a iPhone 7 Plus to a iPhone XS Max is a nice upgrade.
But year to year upgrades, not worth it.
I'm not buying the OnePlus 6T, I have the Pixel 2 XL and 3 XL.
and of course it was a lot easier being a phone whore a few years ago when Flagship smartphones were around $650 now when they're over $1,000 that gets pretty expensive to keep upgrading every 6 months
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BigJayDogg3
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Apple's OLED implementation is leagues better than Samsung's or Motorola's though, even discounting color saturation.
I'm late to the party, but I had one of the first major Android phones with an OLED screen (Samsung Captivate), and have used several since then. Even in period I thought the screen was trash. Coming from my LCD iPhone, it was a downgrade in my opinion. Colors were brighter, blacks were blacker, but it looked low res in comparison.
Moved to the Infuse 4G, Galaxy Nexus, then an iPhone 5. I quite enjoyed the screen there, but switched back to Android with the OnePlus One (another LCD screen I was fine with, even at 1080!!), and upon breaking that, the Galaxy S 5, finally settling on the Nexus 6 shortly after. Years later I swapped to the 8 Plus and now I have the XS. I've used my girlfriend's Note 4 quite extensively as well.
I always chalked up the poor image quality in OLEDs to the pentile sub-pixel arrangement and learned to live with it. I have none of those issues with my XS, even with the same pentile arrangement at a lower resolution than some of those Android phones. The only times I really notice is here is when I'm looking for it with white text on a black background. I don't know if Apple has somehow made a better panel, or if they did something in firmware that Samsung and Motorola aren't, but this is easily the best screen I've used in a long time.
I'll absolutely agree with this. The only reason I went 8 Plus to XS is because I wanted the smaller screen and didn't want to sacrifice on the camera front. Were it not for both of those being true, I'd have kept my 8+.
You were doomed to dislike iOS then as that’s sort the them behind the iOS, baked in gestures as the primary means of navigating.
I used to be a 6 month upgrader as Swappa was so easy to buy and sell that the itch never stopped. I was on the latest iPhone then Nexus/Pixel, throw in a OnePlus release, wash and repeat.
Put in a Pre-order for the iPhone X last year as the AT&T version was still available with no shipping delay when I got up the morning after and I figured it must be a sign.
I'm still using the X which is far and away the longest I have used a phone. Gave my Oneplus 5 to my oldest son and he loves it but I had no desire to use it.
The X really was the first phone I used that felt like a new phone and not just a spec upgrade.
I keep telling myself I don't need the Max as I kind of miss the larger screen but the X does everything I need, does it well and the size is nice for most of the things I use my phone for so I may just wait for next year unless I find a nice deal on Swappa later this year.
Mad Maxx
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Dead wrong. I've owned every iteration of iPhones from the 3GS to 8 Plus. Never had a problem using iOS. Gesture navigation in iOS changed in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X and the elimination of the home button. I don't care for it, but understand that this new method is here to stay. Android already is joining the party with the new Pixel 3/3XL phones and I expect Samsung, LG and OnePlus won't be far behind. It'll be up to me to adapt.
Except for the fact that Android 9.0 Pie on my Pixel 2 XL (Been using the gesture controls since beta) isn't even close to as smooth as how iOS has it.
Mad Maxx
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I think gestures navigation is clumsy on both platforms. You may think otherwise, but that's irrelevant to me. I know I'm in the minority on this one.
The gesture navigation is amazing. It took me about two days to begin doing it on my Android work phone and missing it. It's completely intuitive.
I love it.
I've owned my Xs for a month now. I love it. First iPhone since 2008.
All the customization talk is just illusion. If you need a phone to just work well, these phones are it. I used to think about customization too and at first missed certain things like home screen layouts. It's just useless stuff that distracts you from actual productivity. I don't know why I ever cared.
I love it.
I've owned my Xs for a month now. I love it. First iPhone since 2008.
All the customization talk is just illusion. If you need a phone to just work well, these phones are it. I used to think about customization too and at first missed certain things like home screen layouts. It's just useless stuff that distracts you from actual productivity. I don't know why I ever cared.
I'd say Samsung's newer displays (certainly from the S8 onward) are pretty good... but having said that, Apple's influence on these panels is pretty clear between the ability to eliminate the chin, the minimal color shifting, and just the overall fine-tuning. It's clearly built for the iPhone rather than just what Apple had access to.
I'll say this: customization is nice, but the problem is when it becomes more important than getting things done quickly. I'd say app defaults would be more important than home screen layouts, and even then, they're not usually that problematic.
I agree with this.
I couldn't care less about home screen customization. Seriously, when I'm on my phone I'm on the home screen likely less than 1% of the time before I open an app and use it the vast majority of the time. Setting app defaults is about the only thing I wish iOS would finally pick-up from Android.
I vote for usability every time of gimmicks. I don't have much in terms of widgets on my screen; just a clock, weather, calendar widget that HTC got me accustomed to. The most beautiful thing is also that, with an app drawer with a search functionality, I get to keep my "desktop" free of clutter and junk. On Android, not only do you not need to put apps on the desktop, you also don't need to remember where you put the app; just swipe up and search. Or just look for it; it's alphabetical. I have more than 200 hundred apps installed and Apple wants me to what? Organize it and memorize? If not, open Appstore or swipe all the way left and search for it while still not knowing where it's located?
So even at keeping things navigationally simple, Android's "more complicated" customizations still win. Locating a frigging app on the iPhone takes too many steps or more brain power than it is necessary for a smartphone with this much power.
So even at keeping things navigationally simple, Android's "more complicated" customizations still win. Locating a frigging app on the iPhone takes too many steps or more brain power than it is necessary for a smartphone with this much power.
If you're not on the "home screen" on the iPhone you just swipe up/press the home button which automatically brings you to the home screen then swipe left once for the search bar. It's literally one extra small step compared to Android's?
I do wish you could sort alphabetically though, but I've never had any issue finding any of my 150 apps now with folders and the search functionality.
l already mentioned doing just that; but the issue is you still don't know it is.
On Android, you swipe up (1), search and found (2), and optionally drag and drop the app onto wherever you want it (3). You can drag it from the search result and the listing is alphabetical.
On Apple, you go home (1), swipe left (2), search and found (3), and spend X more time looking for it if you want to put it where you want it (X). You can't drag it from the search result! Solve for X as it reaches infinity...
Just swipe down on a home screen from in the middle and the the search comes up. It's like Windows 10 as it populates with apps, etc as type. Pick what you want to use and move on.
I don't think y'all get the part about being able to put the app icon anywhere you like... (On Android you can also put it in any dockable position on the screen, but I digress.) I repeat you can't drag the icon from the search result. So that icon you can't locate is still missing in the clutter of apps.
I have an iPad, as well as iPhone 6, 6S, 7, and currently setting up my elderly mothers new iPhone XR from an iPhone 8. Arranging icons so she can find things she uses quickly is a bitch. Uninstalling-reinstalling-relogging in method is quicker than searching through the sea of shopping and traveling apps. It took me over 5 minutes to find the Gogo Entertainment app that she needs for traveling overseas. It is much tougher than it needs to be.
The app drawer makes Android the more simple to navigation despite it's more complicated customizations.
I'm not a frigging elitist Apple user. After years of using iOS as well as still toting around a MacBook Pro, I totally have no idea how to use the iOS device that I'm currently typing on, huh? This is why people hate Apple snobs.
I have an iPad, as well as iPhone 6, 6S, 7, and currently setting up my elderly mothers new iPhone XR from an iPhone 8. Arranging icons so she can find things she uses quickly is a bitch. Uninstalling-reinstalling-relogging in method is quicker than searching through the sea of shopping and traveling apps. It took me over 5 minutes to find the Gogo Entertainment app that she needs for traveling overseas. It is much tougher than it needs to be.
The app drawer makes Android the more simple to navigation despite it's more complicated customizations.
I'm not a frigging elitist Apple user. After years of using iOS as well as still toting around a MacBook Pro, I totally have no idea how to use the iOS device that I'm currently typing on, huh? This is why people hate Apple snobs.
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Swipe down brings up app search ? That's a strange function. Swiping down on the screen should lower the notification shade for easier access to missed texts or calls.
iOS works in such a weird way.
How do you apply a dark theme to get rid of the blinding white everywhere in iOS ?
No Back key is still my biggest gripe on iOS, it just works so well in Windows Phone and Android. And no software home key either.
So in new iOS you need to swipe that bottom flat line up to go home? That seems a bit harder than just tapping a home key in Android.
And to go back in iOS it's swipe gestures ? Or sometimes a very tiny back key usually way up in some top corner of an app ? Swiping instead of a dedicated back key, to me, never works as well. A real software back key is always there, and always works 100%. Swiping to go back seems to usually work, but can missed or not swiped properly and you need to do it a couple times. I'd rather have a back key always there.
iOS works in such a weird way.
How do you apply a dark theme to get rid of the blinding white everywhere in iOS ?
No Back key is still my biggest gripe on iOS, it just works so well in Windows Phone and Android. And no software home key either.
So in new iOS you need to swipe that bottom flat line up to go home? That seems a bit harder than just tapping a home key in Android.
And to go back in iOS it's swipe gestures ? Or sometimes a very tiny back key usually way up in some top corner of an app ? Swiping instead of a dedicated back key, to me, never works as well. A real software back key is always there, and always works 100%. Swiping to go back seems to usually work, but can missed or not swiped properly and you need to do it a couple times. I'd rather have a back key always there.
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Incoming phone call in iOS ? If you're currently typing a text and a phone call comes in, does it still come at you screaming in full screen, kicking you out of your text, and taking up the entire display ?
I mean really ? In 2018. An incoming call should come in as a banner across the top only, with options to accept or decline, when your already in an app.
No T9 disker either in iOS ? Really ?
I mean really ? In 2018. An incoming call should come in as a banner across the top only, with options to accept or decline, when your already in an app.
No T9 disker either in iOS ? Really ?