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7 Owners: Did you upgrade from a 7?

  • Yes

    Votes: 37 56.9%
  • No

    Votes: 25 38.5%
  • Other (post in comments)

    Votes: 3 4.6%

  • Total voters
    65

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
Has anyone upgraded from their iPhone 7? I have my X delivery sitting on my desk and I'm debating if it's worth it (price). Are you happy with your upgrade?

My main draw for upgrading is camera. I'm a photographer and sometimes I just can't haul my DSLR around. I don't care much about animoji and that stuff. FaceID does have a draw since I work in extremely cold conditions often and wear gloves. I also typically like to resell my unlocked phone every year or two while it still has a decent battery.

Thanks!
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,492
Has anyone upgraded from their iPhone 7? I have my X delivery sitting on my desk and I'm debating if it's worth it (price). Are you happy with your upgrade?

My main draw for upgrading is camera. I'm a photographer and sometimes I just can't haul my DSLR around. I don't care much about animoji and that stuff. FaceID does have a draw since I work in extremely cold conditions often and wear gloves. I also typically like to resell my unlocked phone every year or two while it still has a decent battery.

Thanks!

I think the new form factor alone is a significant upgrade over the iPhone 7 with larger display in a smaller casing. The iPhone X takes really nice pictures. But with Face ID, you might appreciate that more because it will unlock if you're wearing a hat and you don't have to worry about taking your gloves off as you would with touch ID.
 
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CharlesShaw

macrumors 65816
May 8, 2015
1,489
2,308
Has anyone upgraded from their iPhone 7?
I have my X delivery sitting on my desk and I'm debating if it's worth it (price).
Are you happy with your upgrade?
My main draw for upgrading is camera.
Thanks!

Yes.
Open it. You've got lots of time to return it if you don't want it.
YES!
X camera is big upgrade from 7.
You're welcome. :)
 
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Reno Raines

macrumors 65816
Jul 19, 2015
1,473
777
I upgraded from a 7 to an 8. Not a huge jump forward but I love the A11 Bionic processor as it is blazingly fast plus I really like the glass back and wireless charging. Unlike OP I am not a photographer so the camera was not that important to me.
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
I upgraded from a 7 to an 8. Not a huge jump forward but I love the A11 Bionic processor as it is blazingly fast plus I really like the glass back and wireless charging. Unlike OP I am not a photographer so the camera was not that important to me.

Thanks. I may consider an 8 for my wife. She is not into FaceID. Though I'll bet $20 once she tries mine, she will change her mind. :rolleyes:
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
Anyone know if I can simply swap the SIM from my iPhone 7 to iPhone X? Or do I have to go into TMobile?
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,127
3,030
East of Eden
Has anyone upgraded from their iPhone 7? I have my X delivery sitting on my desk and I'm debating if it's worth it (price). Are you happy with your upgrade?

My main draw for upgrading is camera. I'm a photographer and sometimes I just can't haul my DSLR around. I don't care much about animoji and that stuff. FaceID does have a draw since I work in extremely cold conditions often and wear gloves. I also typically like to resell my unlocked phone every year or two while it still has a decent battery.

Thanks!

I'm on the fence. I've got my 7 here still, but I bought and have been using an X for about three weeks.

As a piece of hardware, it's both beautiful and brilliant. Very fast, great battery life.

I have two general categories of reservations.

As far as UI/UX goes, I think iOS 11 has a number of places where things could be better on the X. Control center feels awkward and is a two hand effort unless you invoke reachability, which is a fairly high-miss gesture, at least for me, because it's not really clear when you need to start from, and if you bobble the gesture you launch dock apps. I would like a numerical battery percentage display rather than going back to the old iPod Touch graphic-only display. Unlocking feels a little awkward because it requires a screen tap and correct orientation of the phone - for example, it doesn't work on a desk or table or in most vehicles. These are examples...

FaceID, which I initially thought was amazing, is...amazing but also amazingly limited. As mentioned, it doesn't work on a desk or in a vehicle unless you move the phone to the right place and angle to scan your face. It has proven to be a giant handicap with ApplePay, which I use frequently. TouchID was simple: grab the phone by the Home button and jab it at the reader - done. FaceID is a PITA: double-click the side button; make sure the phone is at the right distance and in the correct orientation to scan your face, then move it to the reader. I get it right the first time no more than maybe 60% of the time. The phone is prone to unlocking at times when I don't want it to, and discrete checks of notifications on the lock screen don't seem to work very well.

The OLED display is absolutely gorgeous, so good I am not sure I am actually willing to go back to my 7, which I used to think had a great display. However, dimming is achieved digitally with PWM (pulse width modulation), which basically means rapidly reading power to the display (240Hz). The means the display flickers, and it gives a fair number of users headaches.

It's hard. There's a lot I really love and would be really reluctant to give up. But overall, I feel there are some real limitations, especially with FaceID. My current feeling is that FaceID is making me work for the phone, rather than the other way around. I am tilting slightly toward returning it. Fortunately, because I bought it on the 19th of November, I have about another month before the return period is up.

The only thing I can really tell you is that Apple's return policy is very generous. They WANT you to try their products. Take them up on it and see what you think!
[doublepost=1512850478][/doublepost]
Anyone know if I can simply swap the SIM from my iPhone 7 to iPhone X? Or do I have to go into TMobile?

I did this with my VZW iPhone 7 sim.
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
I'm on the fence. I've got my 7 here still, but I bought and have been using an X for about three weeks.

As a piece of hardware, it's both beautiful and brilliant. Very fast, great battery life.

I have two general categories of reservations.

As far as UI/UX goes, I think iOS 11 has a number of places where things could be better on the X. Control center feels awkward and is a two hand effort unless you invoke reachability, which is a fairly high-miss gesture, at least for me, because it's not really clear when you need to start from, and if you bobble the gesture you launch dock apps. I would like a numerical battery percentage display rather than going back to the old iPod Touch graphic-only display. Unlocking feels a little awkward because it requires a screen tap and correct orientation of the phone - for example, it doesn't work on a desk or table or in most vehicles. These are examples...

FaceID, which I initially thought was amazing, is...amazing but also amazingly limited. As mentioned, it doesn't work on a desk or in a vehicle unless you move the phone to the right place and angle to scan your face. It has proven to be a giant handicap with ApplePay, which I use frequently. TouchID was simple: grab the phone by the Home button and jab it at the reader - done. FaceID is a PITA: double-click the side button; make sure the phone is at the right distance and in the correct orientation to scan your face, then move it to the reader. I get it right the first time no more than maybe 60% of the time. The phone is prone to unlocking at times when I don't want it to, and discrete checks of notifications on the lock screen don't seem to work very well.

The OLED display is absolutely gorgeous, so good I am not sure I am actually willing to go back to my 7, which I used to think had a great display. However, dimming is achieved digitally with PWM (pulse width modulation), which basically means rapidly reading power to the display (240Hz). The means the display flickers, and it gives a fair number of users headaches.

It's hard. There's a lot I really love and would be really reluctant to give up. But overall, I feel there are some real limitations, especially with FaceID. My current feeling is that FaceID is making me work for the phone, rather than the other way around. I am tilting slightly toward returning it. Fortunately, because I bought it on the 19th of November, I have about another month before the return period is up.

The only thing I can really tell you is that Apple's return policy is very generous. They WANT you to try their products. Take them up on it and see what you think!

Thanks. This was very helpful. I thought the return policy was only 14 days?
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,127
3,030
East of Eden
Thanks. This was very helpful. I thought the return policy was only 14 days?

For iPhones purchased from Apple and not under a carrier contract - in other words, if you paid full price at the Apple Store - after [I believe the magic date is November 15, 2017], you can return through January 8, 2018.

The X is so different from the prior phones that I think it's hard to really know without trying it yourself. There is a lot that is different. Eliminating the Home button really ripples through the entire use pattern for the phone. And there's the PWM issue. If it affects you, and you may have never had any reason to encounter this before, you'll get a headache every time you use the phone for any period of time.
 
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BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
For iPhones purchased from Apple and not under a carrier contract - in other words, if you paid full price at the Apple Store - after [I believe the magic date is November 15, 2017], you can return through January 8, 2018.

The X is so different from the prior phones that I think it's hard to really know without trying it yourself. There is a lot that is different. Eliminating the Home button really ripples through the entire use pattern for the phone. And there's the PWM issue. If it affects you, and you may have never had any reason to encounter this before, you'll get a headache every time you use the phone for any period of time.

That's interesting. I've never been prone to headaches but I'll have to try it out and see for myself.
 

jdclifford

macrumors 6502a
Jul 26, 2011
923
1,281
Anyone know if I can simply swap the SIM from my iPhone 7 to iPhone X? Or do I have to go into TMobile?
You should be able to swap w/o problem.
[doublepost=1512856635][/doublepost]I have an iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8. Rec'd iPhone X on Tues and played with it but sent it back on Thurs. Nothing earth shattering about the X. Maybe next year I'll swap the 7 for X after its price is reduced. Then again, maybe I'll wait until Jony Ive gets rid if that stupid notch.
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
My main reason (aside from camera) for swapping now is I generally like to get top dollar for my phones when I resell. Looking at what the 6s vs the 7 are going for right now, it's probably only a $200 difference if I was to sell in a year, but it's still something to consider. However, I'm worried if I wait another year, my 7s battery will be shot and it could have other issues. It's already pretty slow but it's probably due for a software restore anyway.
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,127
3,030
East of Eden
You should be able to swap w/o problem.
[doublepost=1512856635][/doublepost]I have an iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8. Rec'd iPhone X on Tues and played with it but sent it back on Thurs. Nothing earth shattering about the X. Maybe next year I'll swap the 7 for X after its price is reduced. Then again, maybe I'll wait until Jony Ive gets rid if that stupid notch.

Well, not Earth-shattering, for sure. But the bigger screen and the True-Tone corrected colors with black blacks is a really great experience, even compared to Apple's extremely good LCDs. I didn't realize what a POS my iPhone 7 was. Just kidding/sort of/sort of not. Less rationally, I find the X in many ways a very satisfying piece of tech to use. The problem is those areas where I don't think it is. The UI/UX things Apple can tweak and hopefully will, but the hardware things (including a lot of FaceID issues, I think) are basically fixed. I keep coming back to the question "who's working for whom here, the phone for me, or me for the phone?" I feel like FaceID makes me work for the phone, but a lot of people don't see it that way.
[doublepost=1512857807][/doublepost]
That's interesting. I've never been prone to headaches but I'll have to try it out and see for myself.

Unless you're really sensitive, it's probably only an issue if you do things like reading books or watching movies or TV shows on your phone. I doubt that doing short bursts of web browsing or reading emails would cause problems. If they did, you would probably know already.
[doublepost=1512860272][/doublepost]I wanted to mention something that I forgot to mention.

The notch. As in, The Notch.

My feeling about this? It's notch an issue. Sorry, not ;) an issue. I rarely see it. When I do, it never affects my use or enjoyment of the iPhone X. I'm sure there are apps where it -might- bother me, so I don't want to discount other people's views on this, but for me it's totally forgettable.

Which is probably why I didn't mention it earlier. ;)
 
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44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,492
The 8 is definitely a good option. What was your reasoning for making the decision?

I Can't speak for that individual, but touch ID and wireless charging are two reasons that many seem to be taking advantage of with the iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 is likely the last model that will ever see touch ID again. And it's simply an iPhone model that many are used to since the debut of the iPhone 6 with the same form factor.
 

Selcher

macrumors regular
Sep 7, 2017
199
153
Canada
The 8 is definitely a good option. What was your reasoning for making the decision?

In the end it only cost me $138 to upgrade with my carrier on Black Friday... They wanted me to sign a new contract so I did for that price... And the wireless charging is awesome... I haven't plugged it in yet... The display is better and the upgraded video recording is nice... It just seems to run a bit smoother than the 7 Plus and touching / typing on the screen feels better... Although I don't know why... And finally, Touch ID... probably the last phone with it...
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
I Can't speak for that individual, but touch ID and wireless charging are two reasons that many seem to be taking advantage of with the iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 is likely the last model that will ever see touch ID again. And it's simply an iPhone model that many are used to since the debut of the iPhone 6 with the same form factor.

Touch ID it just as hit or miss for me as Face ID appears to be for others. It never works when I have cold, dry, or wet hands. When it works, it's extremely fast.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,492
Touch ID it just as hit or miss for me as Face ID appears to be for others. It never works when I have cold, dry, or wet hands. When it works, it's extremely fast.

Just for my own personal use, I never have wet hands when I touch my iPhone or use touch ID. So I can attest to even having issues with that alone. But I will say that touch ID has almost 99% unlocking rate for me. It's still is an excellent biometric security feature.
 

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
I'm thinking right now we may just get 8s and have those get us through another two years. I'm just not sure I can justify the price (right now, at least). It's a total want situation...I don't really need any of the things it's offering, and I was watching a camera comparison between the 8 and X and it's nearly unnoticeable, at least to me.
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,127
3,030
East of Eden
You have a 7, right? Why not wait a year. If something exciting and compelling happens next year (iPhone 9? iPhone XI?) you won't have shelled out the cash for an 8/8+ or X this year. Personally, having really thought about it, if I wind up returning my X I will go back to my 7. The 8 seemed tempting until I really asked: what exactly are you getting out of spending the additional money for a one-year upgrade?
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,651
12,792
Last year, I had been considering upgrading to the 2017 iPhone because it's the 10th anniversary model. However, I just couldn't get over the X's notch and all the changes seem way too "beta tester" to me. The 8 just wasn't worth losing the $27/mo credit on my iPhone 7.
 
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