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The Best iPhone

notes.ghed.in

101–110 of 484 posts

Re: The Best iPhone

#101
> The single camera, by the way, is very close to the main one on the top models. Apple’s marketing gives the impression that every year the new iPhone cameras leave the old ones in the dust. The truth is, I’m having a hard time distinguishing between the photos of the iPhone SE, those from my girlfriend’s iPhone 11 and my iPhone 8

Probably true, but the 11 is not exactly the newest iPhone out there. The 13 has noticeably better low-light performance, when I compare it to my old 11 Pro. L

Re: The Best iPhone

#102

> It is a crazy strategy of Apple to put the “brains” of its most expensive phone, the iPhone 13 Pro Max (+USD 1.099), in its entry model, low cost (USD 429). No other company does this. The $449 Pixel 6a, which was released today, has the same Tensor chip as the $899 Pixel 6 Pro. This is advertised prominently on the product page: https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_6a

But that chip is not as good as the apple one. In fact not even close.

The battery life on that one is atrocious compared to the apple one.

Re: The Best iPhone

#103
I upgraded to the 13 Pro Max from the 8 Plus and I’m still annoyed several times a day by interactions that are strictly worse without the touch sensor. Today it was because you used to be able to unlock just by holding your phone with your thumb on the sensor. But now you have to raise it to your face, hope it works after a couple of goes with your sunglasses on, and then even when it does you have to swipe up to see what you were last looking at. It made checking a map on a webpage repeatedly feel like torture. It’s a tax on every single interaction with my phone and while I love the storage and the screen I have thought about ditching it.

Re: The Best iPhone

#104
post #25

I have had my iPhone 6S for six years now, and it’s still going strong. I’ve replaced the battery a couple of times and the screen more than a couple. I can do everything I need with it, and it’s the perfect size. So I have no desire to upgrade until I must.

Just wondering, how much did it cost to get the battery and screen replaced? And did you do it via Apple or a third-party repair shop?

I actually did it myself with instructions online. The screen is a bit of a pain because everything sits on top of the screen, so every component need to be removed and then reinstalled on the new screen. Battery is only 10 minutes.

As for how much, I think $20 for battery, $50 for screen (iirc)

Re: The Best iPhone

#105

I have had my iPhone 6S for six years now, and it’s still going strong. I’ve replaced the battery a couple of times and the screen more than a couple. I can do everything I need with it, and it’s the perfect size. So I have no desire to upgrade until I must.

i have a 6S and only had 1 battery change, and that was on apple, since mine was recalled for a defective battery problem. as noted in my other comment, i'd be ok with a full screen version of this phone if they put the home button on the side and keep the fingerprint scanner (in button or in screen) and leave off the front facing camera (pinhole camera is acceptable too, but not a notch). i'd prefer to keep the head…

> i'd prefer to keep the headphone jack, but that's probably asking too much of apple.

Yeah the headphone jack being removed pissed me off too. However the lighting to 3.5mm adaptor isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Sure it was an extra £9 I wish I didn't have to spend, but was also a figure that I didn't lose any sleep over when ordering it.

The adaptor just lives on my headphones as I use a differnt pair at my desk. The only reservation about it now is "Will it fray like all other apple cables do with time?"

EDIT: Also had a 6s. Had 2 battery changes and the phone was due for a 3rd before recently just swapping the phone. First was done by Apple for free (excluding the cost of travelling to the Apple store and turning it into a shopping day :-P), the other I did myself at home with a 3rd party battery.

Re: The Best iPhone

#106
post #7

The (actual) perfect phone is the gen 1 SE. I literally just returned my gen 3 and ordered two new sealed in the box gen 1 SE’s on eBay for $150 a piece. I’ve been using this model for 8 years. I’m set on phones for the next decade. I’m hoping and praying that Apple will someday make a modern 5G phone with the dimensions and features of a gen 1. But until then this is my phone. It is literally perfect and there’s not…

I 100% agree, the iPhone 5 form factor was and still remains the closest to the perfect phone.

> I’m hoping and praying that Apple will someday make a modern 5G phone with the dimensions and features of a gen 1. But until then this is my phone. It is literally perfect and there’s nothing on the market remotely similar.

That's probably not going to happen realistically; the mini and iPhone 8-form factor SEs are still pretty good phones.

I bet in the future though the current mini iPhones will probably end up being a future generation SE.

Re: The Best iPhone

#107

I bought a Mini with great excitement, thinking that it would take me back to the glory of the "my phone fits my my pocket and I can type with one hand" days. I kept it for 3 months, and then traded it in for a Pro. It turns out that the world has moved on. Web pages are getting harder to read on small screens. I had to squint a lot. The phone's short height means that it often doesn't charge "vertically" in Qi charg…

I have the 13 mini and love it - I’m sad it’ll be the last one for a long time. The 12 was great too, but the battery life hit was noticeable- the 13 fixed that. I would prefer the telephoto lens to the the warped wide angle (which I find useless). I also miss out on the high refresh rate display (for the 12 year none of the phones had it). The mini is probably my favorite iPhone design of all time. It’s basically a…

if apple would have moved to usb-c, I would have jumped ship to the iphone 13 mini when I needed a phone. Sad that they won't be making them for a while.

Re: The Best iPhone

#108
post #23

I knew I wasn't the only one fond of small, cheap-but-great phones! :) Btw, this is my first post in English. I cover tech here in Brazil for +10 years and run a +9 years old independent, self-sustainable publication written in Portuguese. Now, I decided to give it a shot in another language, despite still feeling uncomfortable with my English. (I hope I haven't misspelled anything!) If you enjoyed this brief iPhone…

I had no idea. Your English is better than a lot of Web posts from Americans, who can't even spell "too."

While I agree that the SE is Apple's best offering for the money, the new one fails hard in one main way: ergonomics. While the original SE (which I still use) has flat sides, the current SE went back to the dumb rounded slippery edges. This is a vestige of Jony Ive stupidity: make the phone ever-thinner, then round the edges so it wants to flip sideways out of your grip at all times. Oh, and make sure the screen isn't recessed at all, so when it does flip out of your grip it is sure to break.

Notice that Apple returned to the flat sides on all of its current phones except the SE. It's almost as if they wanted make the SE less appealing.

The lack of a Home button on the new iPhones is a massive pain in the ass and a stupid regression, mainly for the lack of Touch ID but also for app-switching.

Re: The Best iPhone

#109
post #92

I have this phone and my only gripe with it is the button. It isn't as tactile as previous models so it doesn't feel like you've actually clicked it. I'm assuming this has to do with water resistance but I'm not certain.

It isn’t a real button for like three versions now (since iphone 8 or so) - it’s a haptic sensor which i think also plays fake sound through the speaker. Since it’s the only iphone that even has center “button” now it’s still the best phone imo

Re: The Best iPhone

#110
post #97

A large phone makes consuming lots of content quite comfortable, from social media to general reading to watching videos. Which means you'll use it a lot. You'll normalize it and won't even bother to move to a larger screen. Therefore, intentionally buy a sucky phone that adds friction. You'll use it less, in moderation, only for things of some importance. Plus it costs less. Big quality of life improvement. Remove a…

I don't think phones are bad. I don't think having it with you all the time is bad. I think what's bad is letting it draw you in constantly. Install all your dumb apps, but also turn off notifications for anything but direct messages. You'll feel better.

But speaking of "dumb apps"... I specifically resist using my phone as content consumption. Even with a big screen, it kinda sucks compared to a laptop or tablet. Fidelity matters to me.

But also... I like having a small phone because it fits nicely in my pocket. I like having a small phone because I can use it with one hand. It's not even about friction, just ergonomics and getting the hell out of my way.

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