iPhone XS Upgrade from iPhone XS (5.8"): what did you choose?

[MercuryNL]

I am having a hard time deciding what to upgrade to. Regular Iphone 14/15 or 14 pro/15 pro? Battery health on my XS is 76%. The things is, I love the 2x telephoto lens on my XS. But I really dislike how heavy the pro devices have become. Money is not a decisive factor.

So basically it's either lose the telephoto lens or put up with the added weight.

I don't really care for the dynamic island, i think the notch looks cleaner. The 120 hz is nice but something I could do without. Always-on display: again, nice to have but I could do without it.

So again it really comes down to: a much heavier phone with telephoto lens or a much lighter phone without 2x optical zoom.

What did you guys ultimately choose coming from an Iphone XS? And have you been happy with the choice you made?

 

[floral]

It sounds like you've already made up your mind that you don't want a Pro device, since nearly all the things you've said about it are negatives "heavier" "notch looks cleaner" "could do without 120hz" "dislike how heavy the pro devices have become" "could do without always-on". I would recommend you buy the standard 14, since that appears to be the last iPhone in the series that keeps a notch based on 15 rumors.

 

[Nipperserphil]

I’m in the same situation… but so far I haven’t really found enough good reasons to give up my XS for a newer model.

It’s still more than fast enough (for me anyway) with no scratches or other damage I’m aware of. And I still have the real Force Touch (or whatever it’s called).

Sure the cameras are going to be somewhat better on the latest phones. But that’s about it in my case. I’m gonna wait it out a bit longer I think.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

My iPhone is my only camera, and taking pictures represents a good 50% of the use of it for me. So I always do the Pro model; the other features don’t factor into it.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I'll replace my X with a Pro Max when the time comes. I have no problem with the increase in size or weight and am looking forward to a larger screen..

 

[moose185]

I am having a hard time deciding what to upgrade to. Regular Iphone 14/15 or 14 pro/15 pro? Battery health on my XS is 76%. The things is, I love the 2x telephoto lens on my XS. But I really dislike how heavy the pro devices have become. Money is not a decisive factor.

So basically it's either lose the telephoto lens or put up with the added weight.

I don't really care for the dynamic island, i think the notch looks cleaner. The 120 hz is nice but something I could do without. Always-on display: again, nice to have but I could do without it.

So again it really comes down to: a much heavier phone with telephoto lens or a much lighter phone without 2x optical zoom.

What did you guys ultimately choose coming from an Iphone XS? And have you been happy with the choice you made?

i'll be honest i've moved from the XS to 14 pro I prefer the weight and form factor of the XS as it's much lighter and thinner. although the improved battery, screen and speed on 14 pro is great. it's a tough one. if you haven't upgraded at this point you would be better to wait for 15 pro as your mid cycle and maybe get a new battery for your XS to keep you going till october.

 

[kiranmk2]

I'm in a similar position but with an X (battery health was 83% and service battery notification was showing). I also like the 2x telephoto lens and was actually split over the telephoto being 3x in the 13 Pro (good for zoom, too tight for portraits) which is the only 'Pro' feature I want. Like you, 120 Hz is nice to have, but not a deal breaker.

In the end I paid Apple £69 for a new battery (sadly the price has since gone up) and will hold out for the non-pro 15 later this year. It sounds like the 48 MP camera will come to this model and portrait mode using this camera defaults to using the 2x centre crop from the main sensor so it retains the portrait focal length I like without needing the actual telephoto lens (I tested this on a 14 Pro). Throw in USB-C and I think it's my way forward.

 

[smythey]

I went for the 12 mini and and have been very happy. When I bought the XS, it was the smallest phone they sold.
Form factor is more important to me than bleeding edge optics, but I know I'm in the minority.

 

[5580463]

After the XS I went for the 12 mini but it felt too small for me and switched to 13 pro the next year. I think you'll quickly get used to to the extra weight so maybe go for the pro model, it has the telephoto lens and should also be more future-proof. 5.8" was the ideal size imo.

 

[semprealpino]

I’ve just upgraded from an XS Max to a 14 pro. I’m very happy of the new phone and the weight in not excessive.

 

[BenGoren]

A month or three ago I idiotically put my beloved (non-max) XS through the wash. My #1 top priority in a replacement was something with AppleCare+. My #2 priority … money is tight right now, so I wanted to spend the least I could get away with. I couldn’t bear the thought of going all the way back to the SE form factor, so I settled for the 13 mini.

I love it. The display is a big enough upgrade over that of the XS that, though it’s a smidge smaller, it’s easier to read. I do miss the telephoto lens, but I love the wide-angle — and the camera is a really big upgrade. Indeed, you have a lot of room to crop, to the extent that a cropped photo on the mini is comparable to a non-cropped telephoto shot with the XS.

The small form factor is nice. It’s very much a single-handed phone, and it’s even more pocketable than the XS.

When I have money again, I expect I’ll get a 15 or 16 Pro Max, but not as a replacement for the mini. Rather, I’ll still use the mini, probably the majority of the time; the new big bad would be for when I anticipated wanting either to do some more-serious photography or to do a lot of reading.

If I had money and could only choose one … I honestly don’t know. That telephoto really would be nice, but I don’t like the idea of having a boat anchor in my pocket all day long …

b&

 

[KOTN91]

XS is such a beautiful device and the Pro is so ugly. Why oh why do they have to have that stupid bulging triple lens, makes me want to vomit in my mouth. The regular iPhones however are very sleek and beautiful and look more premium than the Pros. Therefore I’d go with a 14 or 14 plus

 

[du57in]

Wait for the 15 Pro. Get a new battery if you must. Should be a little lighter (XS is heavier than 14) and ever so slightly smaller. In other words, it should be extremely close to the size and weight of the XS.

 

[moose185]

XS is such a beautiful device and the Pro is so ugly. Why oh why do they have to have that stupid bulging triple lens, makes me want to vomit in my mouth. The regular iPhones however are very sleek and beautiful and look more premium than the Pros. Therefore I’d go with a 14 or 14 plus

I don’t mind the triple lens but it’s the problem with how big thick it is. I could handle the one of the 13 pro. Luckily I’ve got the space black which hides it better.

 

[jagolden]

Went from 6S Plus to XS (Pro?) Max to 11 Pro Max, now have 14 Pro Max.
Camera bump never bothered me.
I need a special case with threaded holes to accept third-party lenses anyway.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I had a gold XS for 3 years, and traded it in at launch day in 2021 for a blue 13 Mini. I loved the XS size, look, weight and screen size and quality. But the battery life was not very good, and the cellular modem was terrible. I had tons of dropped calls and had trouble using it as a phone in my basement when I worked at home during the initial Covid wave. The 13 Mini was less expensive, faster, and lighter. The battery life was and is actually better than the XS. And best of all, the cellular modem is much better. 5G is great, and the phone is much more reliable than the XS even in LTE coverage areas. I plan to keep this phone at least another 3 years. IMO, any trade for any iPhone 13 or 14 model would be a big improvement over the XS.

 

[MercuryNL]

Wait for the 15 Pro. Get a new battery if you must. Should be a little lighter (XS is heavier than 14) and ever so slightly smaller. In other words, it should be extremely close to the size and weight of the XS.

Thanks everyone for your responses to my question. I am going to wait for the iPhone 15/15 pro release and keep using my XS until then. I hope somehow they will manage to lower the weight of the 15 pro. In that case the choice will be 15 pro. Fingers crossed.

 

[Motionblurrr]

Thanks everyone for your responses to my question. I am going to wait for the iPhone 15/15 pro release and keep using my XS until then. I hope somehow they will manage to lower the weight of the 15 pro. In that case the choice will be 15 pro. Fingers crossed.

If you get a new battery for your XS, it will feel and perform much newer. You’ll probably not even want the 15 at that point!

Battery is key! Always has been

 

[SYCAMOREGRAD]

I am having a hard time deciding what to upgrade to. Regular Iphone 14/15 or 14 pro/15 pro? Battery health on my XS is 76%. The things is, I love the 2x telephoto lens on my XS. But I really dislike how heavy the pro devices have become. Money is not a decisive factor.

So basically it's either lose the telephoto lens or put up with the added weight.

I don't really care for the dynamic island, i think the notch looks cleaner. The 120 hz is nice but something I could do without. Always-on display: again, nice to have but I could do without it.

So again it really comes down to: a much heavier phone with telephoto lens or a much lighter phone without 2x optical zoom.

What did you guys ultimately choose coming from an Iphone XS? And have you been happy with the choice you made?

I went to 11 Pro, as I thought 6.1” would be too big. I went mini for 12 & 13. I figured since 6.1” was the smallest for 14, I went back to the Pro. Yes, it’s heavy. But it’s pretty. The 120Hz display is ok. Not something I really notice since the previous displays were zippy at 60Hz. I DID miss the telephoto lens with the minis, so hopefully that helps. You’ll adjust to the weight in no time.

 

[mbcracken]

I'm in a similar boat with an aging XS.. Battery is at 79% so not bad but the NFC seems to have stopped working. I mostly get by with my Apple Watch for paying and such now anyways.