iPhone Xs/Max bags the top ratings from DisplayMate, DxOMark, Anandtech for Display, Camera and Silicon

[D13H4RD]

7 minutes ago, ZacoAttaco said:

That's something I don't agree with, if there is ever a more serious issue, Apple support are hesitant to repair a product that's already been DIY fixed. So if I were to do something wrong, then I'm am fully reliant on third party and we've seen recently with the T2 chip on Macbooks that they don't want you using third parties.

 

It's not that they just 'don't want you to' it's more that they'll refuse to repair products, look at the whole LTT iMac Pro fiasco, so that is one thing I don't like about their products.

That I find ironic.

 

Apple doesn't want you to mess about inside their devices but they make a battery replacement relatively easy as sealed phones go

[DrMacintosh]

2 minutes ago, ZacoAttaco said:

iFixIt has it as moderate with 33 steps using their toolkit

I mean, that's 33 steps according to iFixit. To me, its more like 11 and it takes 5min  

[Curufinwe_wins]

10 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

That I find ironic.

 

Apple doesn't want you to mess about inside their devices but they make a battery replacement relatively easy as sealed phones go

That is primarily true for the 6s and previous, which lacked the glues for waterproofing that later ones used.

 

Having done both, a 7/8 replacement is of similar difficulty as a Sammy s7 and later, while taking a little bit longer cause Apple screws... The primary issue for Samsung in particular is that their battery glue is insane, which makes you have to pry and heat the thing like crazy. Like absolutely unequivocally insane. Removing the panel is basically the same idea on both brands.

 

Either way... it is one of those repairs that is trivial when you just do it, but daunting enough to make most people not want to try.

[ZacoAttaco]

7 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

That I find ironic.

 

Apple doesn't want you to mess about inside their devices but they make a battery replacement relatively easy as sealed phones go

The first point is objective, they clearly don't want you DIY repairing their devices, the second is subjective, I'll admit it, I've had little experience with phone repairs, maybe it is easy, maybe it's hard, it's not for me to say.

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

I mean, that's 33 steps according to iFixit. To me, its more like 11 and it takes 5min  

I can't argue with that 

[vanished]

2 hours ago, Belgarathian said:

Awwwwh, c'mon @Ryan_Vickers I typically enjoy your contributions, but did you even read (the admittedly long and detailed) review? It's based on single thread performance in one test. 

 

From Anandtech using SPEC2006:

  Reveal hidden contents

Overall the new A12 Vortex cores and the architectural improvements on the SoC’s memory subsystem give Apple’s new piece of silicon a much higher performance advantage than Apple’s marketing materials promote. The contrast to the best Android SoCs have to offer is extremely stark – both in terms of performance as well as in power efficiency. Apple’s SoCs have better energy efficiency than all recent Android SoCs while having a nearly 2x performance advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised that if we were to normalise for energy used, Apple would have a 3x performance lead.

 

This also gives us a great piece of context for Samsung’s M3 core, which was released this year: the argument that higher power consumption brings higher performance only makes sense when the total energy is kept within check. Here the Exynos 9810 uses twice the energy over last year’s A11 – at a 55% performance deficit.

 

Meanwhile Arm’s Cortex A76 is scheduled to arrive inside the Kirin 980 as part of the Huawei Mate 20 in just a couple of weeks – and I’ll be making sure we’re giving the new flagship a proper examination and placing among current SoCs in our performance and efficiency graph.

 

What is quite astonishing, is just how close Apple’s A11 and A12 are to current desktop CPUs. I haven’t had the opportunity to run things in a more comparable manner, but taking our server editor, Johan De Gelas’ recent figures from earlier this summer, we see that the A12 outperforms a moderately-clocked Skylake CPU in single-threaded performance. Of course there’s compiler considerations and various frequency concerns to take into account, but still we’re now talking about very small margins until Apple’s mobile SoCs outperform the fastest desktop CPUs in terms of ST performance. It will be interesting to get more accurate figures on this topic later on in the coming months.

 

 I'm not at all ashamed to confess that no I did not, because if I had, my comment would not have been any different.  That statement stands on its own, and is simply ridiculous.  As you and others have said, it's based on one test against an old and slow CPU fighting in enemy territory (a high core count server CPU being run in single threaded).  That's clearly an absurd comparison to base any results off of, and that's assuming they're even valid, which I very much doubt.  That of course is all bad enough on it's own, but then for them to have made that comment based on it is not only flat out wrong but also terrible journalism.

[schwellmo92]

2 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

My 6s Plus has about 401ppi I think. I've seen Galaxy S9 displays and could not care less. High PPI is nice, but retina ppi and a more energy efficient LCD panel is enough and better battery life is a nice result of that. 

 

 

Resolution/PPI is all that matters, literally no other display properties matter

[DrMacintosh]

3 minutes ago, schwellmo92 said:

Resolution/PPI is all that matters, literally no other display properties matter

You might have quoted the wrong person. 

[D13H4RD]

13 minutes ago, schwellmo92 said:

Resolution/PPI is all that matters, literally no other display properties matter

I really hope you're being sarcastic 

[strajk-]

I rarely ever comment, but really?

Margins off the best Desktop CPUs?

Even though ARM Processors have a completely different instruction set?

Even though the best ARM Processor in the market right now is slower than a Pentium 4 in pure IPC?

 

And the camera isn't that great either, it has default Beauty mode that you can't turn off, and isn't as crisp and detailed as the one the S9 and Pixel uses...

I would believe if they talked about the display itself, because I always liked LCDs, even though I favor QLED and mLED far more due to the Vibrant colors they present.

 

Feels bad man, these headlines and reviews just scream bias, either paid by Apple, or reviewers scared they might not get Apple Favoritism if they don't write an article praising them all the way through with bullshit...

[RedRound2]

7 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

"chargegate" rendered a significant proportion (not like 1%... not like 10%... ) of devices non-functional without hardware workarounds (non-standard charging). Which is disappointing, but what really really pisses me off is that it sat un-recognized, un-fixed for two weeks. How the hell does that even get out? And it takes you more than 2 weeks to fix it? Apple's own staff didn't know how to handle it and replaced faulty devices with other faulty devices.

God, the fix just rolled out today. I mentioned it in the OP. And it wasn't significant because none of my friends and none of my devices with iOS 12 had this issue. Plus it was all around the Web that not everyone had this issue

7 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

Beautygate is an issue for the sole reason that you can't turn the damn thing off.

Did you even watch the video I linked. It's not an effect Apple is intentionally applying like the beauty modes in Android devices. It's a corner case consequences of denoising filter they add since they take multiple exposures shots

7 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

The display is great ofc. Buying the best Samsung can make, and putting it on the tightest OS on the market, well yes full integration certainly has benefits.

Except according to the results, it beats Samsung itself. They don't just buy and strap on components from the market. They do add their own colour calibration and optimisations that make it better. Again credit is due where credit is due

6 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

Yeah so take Apple's slow charger on more than 10% of devices (Lew had 7 of 8 devices with the issue), and sit near the wall tapping the phone every two minutes to make sure it charges. That's reasonable. 

 

It's a very easily fixable issue, but that doesnt mean it wasn't a serious one.

It's fixed in today's iOS 12.0.1 update. And it's not as widespread as you think. Check MKBHD, TLD today and none of my friends or my devices had the same issue. It's not scientific but it was all over online that not everyone had this issue too

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I'm trying not to be rude, but it kind of comes off as pathetic and desperate when people think it's worth shouting about how awesome something is, when the test results shows it is less than 2% ahead of the competition. I mean, is 105 vs 103 really such a big difference that it warrants a thread and celebration?

That was definitely a shot at me. No, this for those people who for some reason still think iPhones come with sub par components. If this wasn't posted, I'm pretty sure there would be people claiming Pixel 2 has a better camera and Note 9 has a better display when both of those are trsted out to be untrue. As for the A12, Apple deserves credit for designing it as Apples Silicon has consistently been 1-2 years ahead of the Android counterparts and its shaping out be a viable competitor with Intel's low power CPU within the next 5 years

[D13H4RD]

7 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

Did you even watch the video I linked. It's not an effect Apple is intentionally applying like the beauty modes in Android devices. It's a corner case consequences of denoising filter they add since they take multiple exposures shots

They didn't need to. Pixel 2 uses a combination of image stacking and pixel re-alignment and averaging to reduce noise without resorting to a denoise filter. It looks noisier in comparison but retains more fine detail.

 

9 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

 there would be people claiming Pixel 2 has a better camera and Note 9 has a better display when both of those are trsted out to be untrue.

Will they even notice though? 

[mr moose]

10 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

 No, this for those people who for some reason still think iPhones come with sub par components. If this wasn't posted, I'm pretty sure there would be people claiming Pixel 2 has a better camera and Note 9 has a better display when both of those are trsted out to be untrue.

I'm posting this fucking awesome news of how good edge browser is and how it shits all over safari just in case someone tries to say safari is better:

 

http://time.com/3961142/microsoft-edge-browser-fast/

 

 

[D13H4RD]

6 minutes ago, mr moose said:

I'm posting this fucking awesome news of how good edge browser is and how it shits all over safari just in case someone tries to say safari is better

I just find that retarded.

 

You can't change the mindset of haters so easily...

[RedRound2]

1 hour ago, strajk- said:

And the camera isn't that great either, it has default Beauty mode that you can't turn off, and isn't as crisp and detailed as the one the S9 and Pixel uses...

Can you please not make I'll informed comments. It's not a beauty mode but a side effect of the denoising algorithm for low light situations. Watch the video I linked in the OP. Is it ideal? Not, and Apple is probably working on something better right now to reduce the effects on an upcoming update. 

 

Also citation for Pixel and SO claims? I have one from DxOmark that says otherwise.

1 hour ago, strajk- said:

I would believe if they talked about the display itself, because I always liked LCDs, even though I favor QLED and mLED far more due to the Vibrant colors they present.

It's an OLED display. So they do have vibrant colours.

1 hour ago, strajk- said:

Feels bad man, these headlines and reviews just scream bias, either paid by Apple, or reviewers scared they might not get Apple Favoritism if they don't write an article praising them all the way through with bullshit...

And that's a pure speculative and a typical apple hater statement with no proofs or solid foundation whatsoever. Please don't ruin yourself here.

4 hours ago, wuod said:

Apple lost its magic in my opinion.

1,450$ for the XS Max.

750$ for the 800p XR.

 

Seriously though, 750$ for the budget model and only 800p

Now I see why the chinese phone market has greatly increased.

 

And most people don't care. No one in the real world complains about the lack of ppi on the iPhone 8. In fact, it objectively is better than pretty much all LCD screens because Apple has always used the best ones. And the XR won't be an exception.

3 hours ago, Dabombinable said:

• 432 - 2014 Galaxy S5

Thing is, even the iPhone 8 is poor value compared to older phones such as the S5. And the iPhone XR has the same problem.
https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8573&idPhone2=6033&idPhone3=9320

No one reaosnable woudl ever compare that. Heck I'd prefer getting an iPhone 8 over S8, just for the reason that iPhones, have always, especially compared to Samsung aged better. Seriously S5? 

3 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

If you want to compare... for now, the s7 and iPhone 7 are contemporaries (ish... the s7 being 6 months older), and the s7 is a much better value atm (not because it is better, but simply because it is so much cheaper). Both (for now) run the up-to-date software. 

And the S7 is on its last unoptimized software while the iPhone 7 will continue to get updates for atleast 2-3 years. So the cost difference would be offsetted there itself.

3 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

 

 

3 hours ago, wasab said:

Why don't I see Android phone randomly shut off then? And gasp, some of them have removable battery so ease to replace. 

Because Android phones usually never last as long as iPhones do. iPhone 5s and 6 from 2013 and 2014 run perfectly fine on the latest update while the LG Nexus 5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 are pretty much non existent at this point

3 hours ago, wasab said:

iPhone design is now seriously old fashion. It is the same looking piece of shiny metal every year. 

Wow. Ultimate butthurt comment of the thread. Have you seen the iPhone 8 and iPhone X anywhere? Like on posters or something?

[RedRound2]

9 minutes ago, mr moose said:

I'm posting this fucking awesome news of how good edge browser is and how it shits all over safari just in case someone tries to say safari is better:

 

http://time.com/3961142/microsoft-edge-browser-fast/

 

 

And did my post quote Apple's numbers and claims? No it was verified by independent parties and some say that Apple's been underselling some of the stuff.

[mr moose]

3 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

I just find that retarded.

 

You can't change the mindset of haters so easily...

You can't change the mindset of anyone that easily. 9 times out of 10 if someone is rational and can be swayed with logic they don't really need preemptive strikes.

[RedRound2]

13 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

They didn't need to. Pixel 2 uses a combination of image stacking and pixel re-alignment and averaging to reduce noise without resorting to a denoise filter. It looks noisier in comparison but retains more fine detail.

I don't have the expertise to explain this properly, so I suggest you watch the video where he explains how exactly Apple's been going about tackling this problem. 

13 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Will they even notice though? 

Apple haters will definitely notice. They'll say it's a night and day difference. Look at Jonathan Morrison's video and you'll see for yourself

[D13H4RD]

3 minutes ago, mr moose said:

You can't change the mindset of anyone that easily. 9 times out of 10 if someone is rational and can be swayed with logic they don't really need preemptive strikes.

And that's the thing. If you're rational, do you even need to do this?

 

6 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

Because Android phones usually never last as long as iPhones do. iPhone 5s and 6 from 2013 and 2014 run perfectly fine on the latest update while the LG Nexus 5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 are pretty much non existent at this point

Also, please don't confuse software with battery degradation. Furthermore, these were the phones I talked about which had poor battery life

[mr moose]

Just now, RedRound2 said:

And did my post quote Apple's numbers and claims? No it was verified by independent parties and some say that Apple's been underselling some of the stuff.

It doesn't matter who judges what as great or poor, I am illustrating how screaming about something being so good will not stop the stupid from being stupid or the rest from forming their own opinions.  

 

You have essentially claimed your reasoning for this thread is to preempt people saying they think other phones are better than apple.  Good luck with that, you may as well post about the glories of pepsi or dr pepper in hopes to convert a few coke addicts.

 

[RedRound2]

1 minute ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Also, please don't confuse software with battery degradation

What is your point? Just because you too pictures of two old phones with their screen on does not in any capacity say how well it works under everyday use. While the iPhone 5s? You can find tones of YouTube videos where iPhone 5s is running perfectly fine with iOS 12, which can't be said for any of the other flagships

[RedRound2]

1 minute ago, mr moose said:

It doesn't matter who judges what as great or poor, I am illustrating how screaming about something being so good will not stop the stupid from being stupid or the rest from forming their own opinions.  

 

You have essentially claimed your reasoning for this thread is to preempt people saying they think other phones are better than apple.  Good luck with that, you may as well post about the glories of pepsi or dr pepper in hopes to convert a few coke addicts.

 

It's not for those people. It's for people who get the wrong idea due to fanboys. Haters are going to claim everything shit about Apple and then the regular folks come to me and say that I heard the the new iPhones aren't that great at all.

[mr moose]

3 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

I don't have the expertise to explain this properly, so I suggest you watch the video where he explains how exactly Apple's been going about tackling this problem. 

Apple haters will definitely notice. They'll say it's a night and day difference. Look at Jonathan Morrison's video and you'll see for yourself

you are not going to change the mind of anyone who hates for the sake of hating,  and those who have reason to hate will need more evidence than a few percent on a questionable benchmark and the ranting of a fanboy. 

[D13H4RD]

2 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

What is your point? Just because you too pictures of two old phones with their screen on does not in any capacity say how well it works under everyday use. 

Because I was responding to your point where Android phones of that age are non-existent.

 

They still are and both phones received new batteries, so they still work perfectly fine. Not as well as my Note8 or any newer phone mind you, but still perfectly usable daily material.

 

A lot of Galaxy S4s are still out there for whichever reason

[LAwLz]

2 hours ago, ZacoAttaco said:

I think the core issue is that, while Apple might not admit it, it's never been about the specs. It's about getting the most out of the specs with great software. No one should argue that an iPhone is superior on a purely hardware side.

People might think that, but in reality iOS isn't magic. Hell, in some ways it is very much not optimized at all.

The reason why iOS devices have always felt really fast and snappy is because they have always had really high end hardware.

I really don't get where this notion that iPhones aren't about specs from. Apple has always been boasting about how much faster their newer iPhone is. At a few points they have even shown slides with transistor counts during their keynotes.

 

This notion that iPhones are low-end hardware but super optimized software needs to stop. Not just because it is wrong, but also because it gives credit to the wrong team at Apple. Their software department doesn't deserve even half the credit they get. It's the hardware team that deserves the praise, because they are doing an amazing job.

 

 

2 hours ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Would you rather have a fast phone that could shut down at any time due to a severely degraded battery or a phone which has to slow down to prevent shutting down at a possible critical situation?

 

They're both bad situations but what would you have? And assume there's no option to switch (current iPhones now have the option to switch, thank God) 

You make it sound like Apple didn't have any choice, but they did.

1) They should not have kept it a secret. I am fairly sure they didn't even include it in the patch notes.

2) They should have displayed a warning and made it optional to turn it off.

 

How do you think this forum would react if Intel started slowing down older processors through Windows update without telling anyone?

All the hate Apple got for that was deserved, and anyone who defended them were in my eyes being a fanboy who wasn't thinking straight.

 

Also, since there have been so many lies for justifying poor decisions from companies these days (just look at OnePlus trying to say they had to remove the headphone jack to make room for the fingerprint scanner, which turned out to be complete horseshit), I'd personally want to see some statistics for iPhones actually shutting down because of a lack of voltage, before blindly repeating Apple's PR statement.

 

 

 

25 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

That was definitely a shot at me. No, this for those people who for some reason still think iPhones come with sub par components. If this wasn't posted, I'm pretty sure there would be people claiming Pixel 2 has a better camera and Note 9 has a better display when both of those are trsted out to be untrue. As for the A12, Apple deserves credit for designing it as Apples Silicon has consistently been 1-2 years ahead of the Android counterparts and its shaping out be a viable competitor with Intel's low power CPU within the next 5 years

If I were you, I'd question why you feel the need to proactively tell everyone how super awesome the iPhone is, instead of maybe correcting inaccurate information if it appears later?

[mr moose]

Just now, RedRound2 said:

It's not for those people. It's for people who get the wrong idea due to fanboys. Haters are going to claim everything shit about Apple and then the regular folks come to me and say that I heard the the new iPhones aren't that great at all.

As I said before, anyone who approaches these things with are rational mindset does not need such threads to counter said fanboys.  The fact you feel the need to preempt something and that can easily be countered ( and is countered regularly, I often have debates both for and against apple/products) only demonstrates you are the type of person you are trying to counter.