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iPhone 11 and 11 Pro / Max owners thread (1 Viewer)

DaveF

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Continue to noodle on prospective hardware purchases. The decision tends to be framed as "is it worth $400 for screen, camera, battery?" But that ignores the relative cost. The Pro is 53% more expensive than the normal! Relatively speaking, it's over half a phone more! The step up cost is more than the trade-in value will be on a year old 11, very likely.

Two years ago, it was $800 for the 8+ and $1000 for the X, a 25% premium. But the relative costs have shifted dramatically in 2019.

This is not a critique of the Ron's and Sam's of the world. It's an appreciation that for most people -- "normal" people -- the iPhone 11 is clearly the obvious choice for an upgrade, if someone is upgrading. :)
 

Mike Frezon

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It's an appreciation that for most people -- "normal" people -- the iPhone 11 is clearly the obvious choice for an upgrade, if someone is upgrading.

That's really why I went whole hog. I had the need to upgrade from the now-unsupported-6....AND the 11 was so "reasonably" priced (relatively speaking). And I'm loving the phone so far.
 

Sam Posten

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You guys aren't putting much into the -forward- thinking as you are on the backwards.

If you are buying a phone in 2019 that you will have into 2022 you absolutely should be considering the pro over the base. That's 3 years of paying the delta in price and 3 years that the pro's upgrades over the base's will be in use.

Will you use a telephoto lens on a pro over those 3 years?
Will you appreciate an OLED screen over 3 years?
Will you appreciate the build quality difference?

Amortized over those 3 or more years it makes waaaaay more sense for me for people to get the Pro...
 

Carlo_M

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Another factor though is if Apple's A chips are starting to hit that diminishing returns point that computer CPUs have. Sure each iteration is "better/faster/more powerful" than the last, but for whatever it is that 90%+ of people do, the increase is marginal.

I remember a time when upgrading every 2 years was not optional for me because the older iPhone just felt significantly slower. My X right now, can it be measurable slower than an 11 Pro Max by a stopwatch? Sure. But in day-to-day use, I didn't feel a significant increase in the Pro Max when I was at the store, certainly nowhere near justifying $1500, but also more telling: it didn't trigger my upgraditis. Those who've known me longest know that's a super-easy thing to trigger.

So I'm guessing that for the majority of people, 3 years from now the performance of an 11 vs. a Pro/Max version will both still be very viable in terms of everyday usage.
 

Sam Posten

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DaveF

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Had a quick look-see at BestBuy (while picking up Spider-Man Far From Home blu-ray). I like the 11. Good size. In a big-box store with max screen brightness under bright lights, if anything the LED screen looks better than the OLED: better whites. The size is fine. The bezels are fine.

But...I use the 2x lens on my 8+. My wife *really* uses that telephoto lens. So as we talk about phones, it may be necessary to go to the Pro line. And so we're settling into the idea of keeping the 8+ for a third year and upgrading in 2020. (and I know that for some waiting three years is a crazy eternity and for others that's an aggressive upgrade schedule... :))

I can afford thousand-dollar smartphones. But I don't want to have to just yet. A pair of them is big money. And I've got major home project to do this year. So some toys should be delayed for now.

And if I say this out loud enough, maybe I'll convince myself to stick to this plan. :D
 

Carlo_M

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Stay strong Dave! I'm the most weak-willed tech consumerist...if I can hold off, so can you! Let's make a pledge...no iPhone upgrade until the notch is gone! :rolling-smiley:
 

Ronald Epstein

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Really enjoyed looking at the photos, Sam and Mike. These cameras really take great pictures.

The elephant butt is now seared into my memory.
 

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