General Apple Megathread

[gasman]

Originally Posted by Mccree

http://imobilecalgary.ca/

dude comes to your location. I have had him replace 5s charging port and 6s Screen, no problems.

+1, used him for screen replacement.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Mccree

http://imobilecalgary.ca/

dude comes to your location. I have had him replace 5s charging port and 6s Screen, no problems.

Wow that's a decent price. My battery is fried on my 6 and he's almost half the price of apple.

I'm still kind of leery after hearing some horror story of non-apple stores replacing screens and such on the newer models though, but I might give iMobile a shot.

[Wormius]

Played around the the X at the Apple store, it’s nice. I don’t think the change in controls is too much of a chore to get used to. I played a bit with the camera, and the images when zoomed in don’t look really great though. Anybody else have experiences with the camera?

[photon]

The zoom is still just going to be a digital zoom beyond the normal level of the telephoto lens, which looks worse the more you zoom.

The lens specs for the iPhone X are 28mm @ f/1.8 and 52mm @ f/2.4 (previously, the Plus was 56mm at f/2.8.) This little tweak means the lens is half a stop faster and can let light in more quickly in low light scenarios, reducing motion blur and minimizing noise.

http://austinmann.com/trek/iphone-x-...view-guatemala

[Bill Bumface]

Yeah the optical 2x zoom is fantastic. I never use digital zoom, I'd rather just crop after.

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Wow that's a decent price. My battery is fried on my 6 and he's almost half the price of apple.

I'm still kind of leery after hearing some horror story of non-apple stores replacing screens and such on the newer models though, but I might give iMobile a shot.

Just had him come by my office (based on this thread) to replace my iPhone 6 battery. Texted him around 9:30 AM. Prompt response to my text. Got here about noon. Really friendly guy. I would recommend him.

[Aegypticus]

I have a bit of a dilemma. I’ve been holding out on getting a new phone for a long time, so up until this last week I was still using an iPhone 5 for everything. Despite its battery being shot and pushing out the screen, the camera no longer working, and the phone only working on speaker, I still loved it for daily use.

I finally upgraded to an iPhone 8 this past week, and... I completely hate it. I was so ready for a huge leap forward, but instead I don’t even want to use it. I find it to be way too big, the battery life is terrible, and it gets hot doing everyday stuff. The size is the biggest issue for me. I don’t get why everyone wants such a huge screen. I’m utterly dismayed that the 8 seems to be on the smaller end of phones today.

So now I’m pretty sure I’m going to return the 8, and I have no idea what to get instead. It seems like the SE is one of the only phones that is smaller than the 8 these days, but I’m reluctant to pay well over 400 bucks for a 2 year old phone. I’ve never owned an android, but it’s on the table for me now for the first time in a decade. I’m primarily looking for a phone in the 4-4.5 inch range with killer battery life and a modern feature set. Am I dreaming?

Any help would be appreciated. I was so sure that I was going to love the 8, and it’s driving me nuts that it fell so woefully short of what I was hoping for.

[MrDJZak]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

I have a bit of a dilemma. I’ve been holding out on getting a new phone for a long time, so up until this last week I was still using an iPhone 5 for everything. Despite its battery being shot and pushing out the screen, the camera no longer working, and the phone only working on speaker, I still loved it for daily use.

I finally upgraded to an iPhone 8 this past week, and... I completely hate it. I was so ready for a huge leap forward, but instead I don’t even want to use it. I find it to be way too big, the battery life is terrible, and it gets hot doing everyday stuff. The size is the biggest issue for me. I don’t get why everyone wants such a huge screen. I’m utterly dismayed that the 8 seems to be on the smaller end of phones today.

So now I’m pretty sure I’m going to return the 8, and I have no idea what to get instead. It seems like the SE is one of the only phones that is smaller than the 8 these days, but I’m reluctant to pay well over 400 bucks for a 2 year old phone. I’ve never owned an android, but it’s on the table for me now for the first time in a decade. I’m primarily looking for a phone in the 4-4.5 inch range with killer battery life and a modern feature set. Am I dreaming?

Any help would be appreciated. I was so sure that I was going to love the 8, and it’s driving me nuts that it fell so woefully short of what I was hoping for.

So a few easy questions and why I'm asking them:

1. What eco system (Android, Apple, etc) are you used to using the most?

If the answer is Apple then stick with Apple. If you've used both then you can move into Android with little to no headache.


2. Is the iPhone X a consideration? Great physical form and practically all screen. It wasn't for me, but I did enjoy using it.


3. My top picks for Android devices right now would include the Pixel 2 (regular size), Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5T.

All these devices have a great physical form that isn't too big but also maximizes the screen to the fullest. They also have some of the best cameras.
I was using the Galaxy S8 as my daily driver since March and recently switched to the Pixel 2 simply because of the better camera and clean operating system (no extra layer of software like LG, Samsung and other brands put on).


4. If you're considering the iPhone SE (because of the small form factor) you should wait for the spring, if you can. Apple will be releasing a refresh with the current iPhone X as the inspiration. No bezel, all screen, no home button and face-ID.

[calgarywinning]

iPhone X is great because screen size is very large, but form factor is so much more manageable and battery life is there.

The camera is that good.

The speed of this phone is outstanding.

Face ID functions. There are a few false starts, but i had this with the iPhone 7Plus and it's haptic sensor more then face ID.

I am looking forward to the wireless charger apple releases next month and also that you can charge this thing from USB-C to thunderbolt in a very short time period. Gonna get a cable in the next day or so.

[Calgary14]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

I have a bit of a dilemma. I’ve been holding out on getting a new phone for a long time, so up until this last week I was still using an iPhone 5 for everything. Despite its battery being shot and pushing out the screen, the camera no longer working, and the phone only working on speaker, I still loved it for daily use.

I finally upgraded to an iPhone 8 this past week, and... I completely hate it. I was so ready for a huge leap forward, but instead I don’t even want to use it. I find it to be way too big, the battery life is terrible, and it gets hot doing everyday stuff. The size is the biggest issue for me. I don’t get why everyone wants such a huge screen. I’m utterly dismayed that the 8 seems to be on the smaller end of phones today.

So now I’m pretty sure I’m going to return the 8, and I have no idea what to get instead. It seems like the SE is one of the only phones that is smaller than the 8 these days, but I’m reluctant to pay well over 400 bucks for a 2 year old phone. I’ve never owned an android, but it’s on the table for me now for the first time in a decade. I’m primarily looking for a phone in the 4-4.5 inch range with killer battery life and a modern feature set. Am I dreaming?

Any help would be appreciated. I was so sure that I was going to love the 8, and it’s driving me nuts that it fell so woefully short of what I was hoping for.

I'd recommend taking it back to the store and asking if you can swap it for an iPhone SE. Assuming it hasn't been long they might let you do it. Same happened to friend of mine, he was so excited for the iPhone 8 and got one when they came out but hated how big it was so swapped it out for an iPhone SE which he likes. The iPhone SE is the same size as an iPhone 4 so much smaller.

[photon]

The iPhone X is bigger than the 8, so I doubt that'll be the way he wants to go.

I felt similarly about the size when I switched from a 4 to a 6, and it took some getting used to, but I'm fine with it now, so there is the option of just waiting it out until you get used to it.

And yeah, hoping for a small screened phone that competes feature wise was a pipe dream years ago when I had a similar desire, it's even moreso now. There's ones like the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact or Samsung Galaxy A3, top of the line "small" phones, but they're the same screen size as the iPhone 8.

At 4", the only option really is the iPhone SE.

I think getting used to it is the better option as the options for phones with a screen smaller than 5" is going to continue to dwindle.

[psyang]

Originally Posted by photon

The iPhone X is bigger than the 8, so I doubt that'll be the way he wants to go.

I felt similarly about the size when I switched from a 4 to a 6, and it took some getting used to, but I'm fine with it now, so there is the option of just waiting it out until you get used to it.

And yeah, hoping for a small screened phone that competes feature wise was a pipe dream years ago when I had a similar desire, it's even moreso now. There's ones like the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact or Samsung Galaxy A3, top of the line "small" phones, but they're the same screen size as the iPhone 8.

At 4", the only option really is the iPhone SE.

I think getting used to it is the better option as the options for phones with a screen smaller than 5" is going to continue to dwindle.

I was going to mention the Xperia xz1 compact for Android as well. It is half an inch shorter than the iPhone 8, about a quarter inch taller than the iPhone 5, but with the same internals as the flagship xz1. Unfortunately, I don't know where you can go and physically look at one since the Sony store closed.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

The iPhone SE is the same size as an iPhone 4 so much smaller.

Just to clarify, the SE is the same size as the 5 and 5s. Both of which are slightly bigger than the 4.

[Sliver]

Yeah you'd think with all of the different Android manufacturers out there one of them would make a super small flagship phone, but I haven't been able to find one, either. If I were to go back to Apple I'd definitely get the SE. The smaller the better. I miss the size of phones from the early 2000s when smaller and thinner was the goal and batteries lasted three days.

[Aegypticus]

Originally Posted by MrDJZak

So a few easy questions and why I'm asking them:

1. What eco system (Android, Apple, etc) are you used to using the most?

I’ve only ever used iOS. I consider myself to be tech-savvy, but just having everything mostly work as expected with little fuss is what kept me away from Android all this time, although my experience is that iOS has gotten significantly less seamless over the years. Mostly, I just don’t want to deal with a change like that if I can help it.

Originally Posted by MrDJZak

2. Is the iPhone X a consideration? Great physical form and practically all screen. It wasn't for me, but I did enjoy using it.

I can afford the X, but there are too many things about it that I’m not a fan of to move that direction. Again, size is top of the list. I’ve heard that heat is a significant issue in several of my use cases, and that it performs poorly in the cold, which is also a problem for me.

Originally Posted by MrDJZak

3. My top picks for Android devices right now would include the Pixel 2 (regular size), Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5T.

Again, size is an issue. I strongly feel like the iPhone 5 form factor nails the perfect size for a phone.

Originally Posted by MrDJZak

4. If you're considering the iPhone SE (because of the small form factor) you should wait for the spring, if you can. Apple will be releasing a refresh with the current iPhone X as the inspiration. No bezel, all screen, no home button and face-ID.

This is interesting to me. Where have you heard the rumours about an SE refresh? I’d like to read that myself. It sounds like March is the likely release date for it.

I am patient enough to wait, but my problem is that I’m not sure my current (old) phone will make it that long. It’s literally falling apart. A bunch of stuff doesn’t work anymore, and the screen is coming apart from the body and gets pushed out whenever the battery gets warm. It’s definitely been on its last legs for several months already.

A further complication is that it’s locked to Rogers. As I understand it, they will have to unlock it for me for free starting on December 1st, correct? Previously they wanted 50 bucks to do it.

Originally Posted by photon

The iPhone X is bigger than the 8, so I doubt that'll be the way he wants to go.

I felt similarly about the size when I switched from a 4 to a 6, and it took some getting used to, but I'm fine with it now, so there is the option of just waiting it out until you get used to it.

And yeah, hoping for a small screened phone that competes feature wise was a pipe dream years ago when I had a similar desire, it's even moreso now. There's ones like the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact or Samsung Galaxy A3, top of the line "small" phones, but they're the same screen size as the iPhone 8.

At 4", the only option really is the iPhone SE.

I think getting used to it is the better option as the options for phones with a screen smaller than 5" is going to continue to dwindle.

This was my fear. I don’t understand the desire for enormous screens on a pocket device. I’ve tried some else’s 6s plus, and it just made me feel like I was holding a crappy iPad. Far too large to be useful as a phone, far too small to do literally any extended work or viewing. What purpose does it serve?

I still remember the first cell phone I ever got. It was a Nokia 8390, and it was tiny. I miss phones like that.

Originally Posted by psyang

I was going to mention the Xperia xz1 compact for Android as well. It is half an inch shorter than the iPhone 8, about a quarter inch taller than the iPhone 5, but with the same internals as the flagship xz1. Unfortunately, I don't know where you can go and physically look at one since the Sony store closed.

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check out some reviews.



I guess, in the end, the iPhone 8 is something I could learn to live with. I hate the size, but I could adjust. The sticking point is really price. My brain just does not accept that I’d be getting $1000 of value out of something I could learn to accept given enough time.

My best bet seems to be to find a filler phone until the new SE comes out and hope they don’t #### it up somehow. I’d be perfectly willing to stick it out with my 5, but it might literally explode before March. I’d hate to spend almost $500 on a phone I plan to replace in a few months, so a temporary SE doesn’t seem like a great option. Maybe one of my parents will upgrade one of their 5s’s soon and I can nab that for a while, or maybe there’s another temporary option someone can suggest.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

My best bet seems to be to find a filler phone until the new SE comes out and hope they don’t #### it up somehow. I’d be perfectly willing to stick it out with my 5, but it might literally explode before March. I’d hate to spend almost $500 on a phone I plan to replace in a few months, so a temporary SE doesn’t seem like a great option. Maybe one of my parents will upgrade one of their 5s’s soon and I can nab that for a while, or maybe there’s another temporary option someone can suggest.

You could always buy a used iPhone 5S to tie you over. Looks like they're going for about $200 on Kijiji. Looks like a bit more for a used SE.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

This was my fear. I don’t understand the desire for enormous screens on a pocket device. I’ve tried some else’s 6s plus, and it just made me feel like I was holding a crappy iPad. Far too large to be useful as a phone, far too small to do literally any extended work or viewing. What purpose does it serve?

I still remember the first cell phone I ever got. It was a Nokia 8390, and it was tiny. I miss phones like that.

Yeah the pluses are still way too big for me, I've adapted to the size of the 6/7/8's and the X is close enough I'd expect no issue, but the pluses and the other top Android phones are still too big for me.

There's a crappy Lenovo one with a 4" screen:

https://www3.lenovo.com/ke/en/smart-.../p/PPIPPIA1000

Or go the other way and get a flip phone!

http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-UN540-wine-4

But of course you'll miss out on most of the smartphone type features.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by photon

Or go the other way and get a flip phone!

http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-UN540-wine-4

But of course you'll miss out on most of the smartphone type features.

That one isn't bad with a 5 MP camera. I'm surprised somebody hasn't come out with a full function flip phone. Have it run Android so you can install apps. Might be right for a lot of people.

[MrDJZak]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

This is interesting to me. Where have you heard the rumours about an SE refresh? I’d like to read that myself. It sounds like March is the likely release date for it.

There are a few articles floating around. I'll see if I can find them again. However, I do work in the industry and we've been hearing the same thing from very reliable sources. At the same time a few of our most popular case brands (can't mention whom) have already started making the molds for the iPhone SE refresh. I would say there is a 99% chance of an iPhone SE refresh in the style of an iPhone X. Form factor of SE with the no bezels, notch, etc of the X.

[photon]

The rumours I'd read was that the lower cost non-OLED screened phone that would presumably replace the SE would be a bigger phone rather than a phone the same physical size as the 4 or 5 but with a full screen.

I guess the question is do people get an SE for the form factor? Or do they get it because of the price?