OT:Smart Phones

[fanatic]

Yeah I think the XL is still $1050 up here in Canada and my corporate plan with Rogers is good enough that I don't mind locking in for 2 years to get the $900 subsidy.

V30 audio looks very tempting indeed!

[Diablo25]

Question for the phone gurus . I always just buy my new phones outright, up front (no financing). I am considering doing the ATT Next thing with the iPhone 8. Anyone use ATT Next? Is it required that I trade in my current phone? I don't want to. I want to sell it myself. Any help appreciated.

[dbdynsty25]

Question for the phone gurus . I always just buy my new phones outright, up front (no financing). I am considering doing the ATT Next thing with the iPhone 8. Anyone use ATT Next? Is it required that I trade in my current phone? I don't want to. I want to sell it myself. Any help appreciated.

If you paid for your phone outright you're good.

The only time you have to turn in your phone is if you use AT&T Next and want to upgrade after one year. You have a choice at that time...pay the remaining balance off or turn it in. If you pay it off it's yours to do as you wish.

Their reasoning for doing the AT&T next thing is so that people can upgrade after a year. By giving you the option to pay off the phone and keep it or turn it in you have options. Either way you can upgrade to the latest and greatest.

Hope that makes sense.

[Diablo25]

Question for the phone gurus . I always just buy my new phones outright, up front (no financing). I am considering doing the ATT Next thing with the iPhone 8. Anyone use ATT Next? Is it required that I trade in my current phone? I don't want to. I want to sell it myself. Any help appreciated.

If you paid for your phone outright you're good.

The only time you have to turn in your phone is if you use AT&T Next and want to upgrade after one year. You have a choice at that time...pay the remaining balance off or turn it in. If you pay it off it's yours to do as you wish.

Their reasoning for doing the AT&T next thing is so that people can upgrade after a year. By giving you the option to pay off the phone and keep it or turn it in you have options. Either way you can upgrade to the latest and greatest.

Hope that makes sense.

Yeah thats about what I thought. I still may just buy the new phone outright and offset some of the cost by selling my current iPhone 7+ (like I do every year)...I hate adding monthly costs to my budget. Thanks DB.

[Murph]

This was the most anticlimactic iPhone event I've ever watched. Granted, the leaks this year were the most egregious I've ever seen as well.

[dbdynsty25]

This was the most anticlimactic iPhone event I've ever watched. Granted, the leaks this year were the most egregious I've ever seen as well.

Especially since the phone has been out for almost six months already... (cough, S8/S8+)

I'm glad they are finally doing some cool stuff with design...finally. It looks pretty sweet.

[10spro]

I am still using the 6. I will upgrade in November for the X. Totally fine with the home button gone, face recognition will be sweet.

[wco81]

I am still using the 6. I will upgrade in November for the X. Totally fine with the home button gone, face recognition will be sweet.

I use Apple Pay whenever I can.

Main concern I would have about the X is that next year, they may be able to get the touch ID working through the screen, as they were rumored to be doing. Then I'd be pretty ticked off. I would be okay with iPhone 8 Plus if it has the same processor, same cameras, etc.

But I heard that they claimed FaceID is more difficult to spoof than touchID.

[pk500]

I use Apple Pay whenever I can.

Same here. Love it.

[wco81]

OK, sounds like Apple Pay with Touch ID is a big step back in user experience:

Consider authenticating with Apple Pay. With a fingerprint reader, you can slam your iPhone on the credit card terminal while holding your finger on the Touch ID button, and everything will just work. You're continuously authenticating and beaming credit card data at the same time, which is easy, intuitive, and hard to mess up. According to Craig Federighi's Face ID demo during the keynote, you now have to open up Apple Pay first, then aim the phone at your face so Face ID can work. Only then can you tap against the credit card terminal. That's two extra steps.

A fingerprint sensor, because it works by touch, is basically active all the time. Anytime you need it, you just press it, and it will work. Facial recognition has to be specifically started by an app though. So to authenticate a payment, you now have to open Apple Pay first, because something has to tell the facial recognition system to turn on. If you ignore this and just put the phone against a credit card terminal without authenticating, I suspect Apple Pay will open and ask for a Face ID scan, which won't work because the phone won't be aimed at your face.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09 ... g-to-suck/

So if as rumored Apple is working on a way to get TouchID working through the OLED screen and they can make that work on next year's model, that's a major reason to avoid buying the iPhone X this year.

[jLp vAkEr0]

OK, sounds like Apple Pay with Touch ID is a big step back in user experience:

You mean Face ID, right?

[dbdynsty25]

OK, sounds like Apple Pay with Touch ID is a big step back in user experience:

You mean Face ID, right?

Well, given the fact that Face ID didn't even work during the presentation, you Touch ID fans are gonna be frustrated. None of that face stuff works right, EVER.

[Rodster]

The face I'd tech that Apple is using is the same tech that was used for the XONE Kinect.

[wco81]

OK, sounds like Apple Pay with Touch ID is a big step back in user experience:

You mean Face ID, right?

Right.

Nobody will know for sure until it comes out in November but it's unlikely to scan your face when you're holding it down near the NFC scanner and the camera is not pointing flush at your face.

[wco81]

The face I'd tech that Apple is using is the same tech that was used for the XONE Kinect.

Well they claim to be scanning millions of points on your face and will be able to recognize you even if you grow a beard, where glasses, etc.

Probably marketing hype but the processor in the iPhone X will have specific silicon to process machine learning.

Machine learning, neural networks are not new but they were not the same kind of buzzwords back when Xbox One was announced.

Now, everyone is talking about how their product will use ML.

[fanatic]

I was about to begin this post with how I'm embarrassed to be such a sucker for technology, but then I remember posts where people compare the same game they've bought on multiple consoles - now I don't feel so bad

Anyways, I caved and pre-ordered the Note 8. I had the opportunity to play around with the phone recently and it really impressed. I can honestly see myself doodling with the s-pen on a regular basis. Writing/drawing had a really nice feel to it. I was also surprised by how ergonomic to phone felt, considering it's the size of a small child.

Hopefully it will arrive in my hands soon!

[jLp vAkEr0]

If the rumors are true, that Apple went full Face ID with the X because they couldn't get Touch ID to work through the front glass then what will the say next year if they get it to work?

I mean, they're claiming that Face ID is safer that Touch ID right? WIll they just ditch the idea of touch ID from now on all together?

I personally love the fingerprint experience (Nexus 6P) and wouldn't be happy if android oems follow Apple's lead on this.

Some have starting ditching the headphone jack including Google of all people on the upcoming Pixel 2 (rumor).

[dbdynsty25]

Some have starting ditching the headphone jack including Google of all people on the upcoming Pixel 2 (rumor).

Which is why I will not buy it. The V30 will be my next phone...without a doubt. That quad dac to power nice headphones, oh so enticing.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Some have starting ditching the headphone jack including Google of all people on the upcoming Pixel 2 (rumor).

Which is why I will not buy it. The V30 will be my next phone...without a doubt. That quad dac to power nice headphones, oh so enticing.

V30 looks legit and it may be cheaper than S8 plus.

[fletcher21]

Tons going on lately on the phone front.

I recently got an S8+ for myself and an S8 for free for the Wife, thanks to the TMO BOGO deal. $790 for 2 premium phones is a hell of a deal. I wanted more than anything to wait for the BOGO Note 8 deal, but the Note 8 is just way too big for my Wife. Considering the Note 8 is 6.3" and the S8+ is 6.2", the Note seems way bigger. I don't think there's any doubt that the squared look of the Note is also much better than the curved S8+. I never planned to even use my S8+. My Wife wanted to upgrade from her S7, so I did the BOGO deal planning to just sell my new S8+ and basically get the S8 for next to nothing. I've been using the S8+ for a few months and it's great. If the Note 8 didn't exist, I'd have no problems calling the S8+ the phone of the year. V30 sounds nice, but I don't think I'd take it over my S8+ and for sure over a Note 8.

I purposely ignored all the iPhone hype coming into the X. I have been working 60-70h a week for the last 5 months, so I was planning to just order the biggest iPhone X they made. I am not sure why I expected there to be an IPhone X and a larger plus size. Seeing only 1 size has me scratching my head. For people who are used to a huge phone like the 6+ or 7+, isn't the X going to feel tiny in their hand? As far as I know, it's the same size as the normal Galaxy S8. I like my Wife's S8, but it's too small for me. If Apple made an IPhone X+ and wanted $1,200 for it, I would order it on day 1. As it is, if I want a big phone I am left with a 7+ or 8+. Neither of those seem worth it. It's also been years since I had an iPhone. I forgot about how they can't accept sd cards. Apple has a weird thing going on where you either have to pick too little storage (64gb) or too much for damn near anyone (256gb). They know damn well that 128gb is ideal for most people, but they've taken it away. You either have to pay for way more storage than you need, or buy the 64gb and ration it off. Boggles my mind.

Someone who knows how Apple works, when will there be a plus sized iPhone X? Next year is what I was reading, but that makes no sense. They are seriously alienating a lot of their loyal customers who love the feel of a big phone. According to the iPhone subreddit, a lot of people are underwhelmed. Not only because the phone leaked weeks ago, but because of the cutout on top of the screen, the price and the fact it's basically 3 years behind what Samsung put out with the s6. I would overpay for an iPhone x + just to try it out, but I'm not paying for an 8+ when it's lacking in so many areas I consider to be basic.

[pk500]

What you're reading on Reddit is the vocal minority of the phone cult subculture. A very small sample size that doesn't reflect greater consumer culture and the cult of Apple, both of which I'm a member.

Apple's biggest problem with the X won't be the size or the subjectively underwhelming features. The biggest hurdle will be supply for the overwhelming amount of people willing to fork over $1,000 for a phone, no questions asked.

[fletcher21]

Appreciate it, Paul.

Any idea when a plus sized X will launch, if ever?

[pk500]

Appreciate it, Paul.

Any idea when a plus sized X will launch, if ever?

Maybe September 2018, as the newest generation of Apple's huge-selling phone? I also imagine some of the features in the X will trickle to the 8s and 8s+ announced next September, too.

That's SO Apple for the last few years. Take others' innovations, perfect them in phases, place them in a tightly and beautifully engineered package and watch them fly off the shelves.

[wco81]

The X has a 5.8 inch screen so it's bigger than the 8 Plus screen but with the design eliminating the bezels, I guess it is smaller in dimensions?

Yeah there are rumors of a bigger OLED screen next year. But it sounds like they can only make a fraction of the X as the 8 because of supply issues with the OLED and other components. I heard they can only make 300,000 iPhone X per month. For comparison, Apple looks to ship 75 million iPhones from October through December.

Someone has posted the benchmarks from the iPhone X and 8 and if they're authentic, the SOC dominates any other SOC, including the Qualcomm and Exynos.

It'll be interesting to see how the camera performs. They're touting image processing features in the A11.

I ordered the 8 Plus this morning. I think they will work to get TouchID working through the screen in the future. OLED screen does nothing for me on a phone since I don't watch long videos, certainly not UHD HDR videos, on a 6-inch screen.

Put that on an iPad and maybe a different story.

[Diablo25]

Still not sure if I'm going to take the X plunge. I probably will because I like what I see. At least I have over a month to make a decision.