Why do the letters in the Sandwiches signage at the top of the image move slightly between the different photos? Is it because of a very slightly different camera angle, or is it because one (or both) of the phones has used OCR and rewritten the word with AI processing of the image when taken? I know iPhones automatically replace slightly blurry text in low light images, sometimes with a faint change in colour of the background - like when using a translate app.
red369•4mo ago
"Pros:
...
+ iOS 26 visual makeover"
This is a review of a new iPhone, so surely most people buying it will be upgrading from an iPhone. What percentage of those people are upgrading from iPhones that aren't also able to upgrade to iOS 26? What is the iPhone 17 having iOS 26 a positive point compared to? An iPhone 15 with iOS 26? An iPhone XS, stuck on iOS 18?
Also, given the mixed reactions to the iOS 26 visual makeover, is it really worth specifically calling out that makeover as being one of the top five features of the phone? The 5th best thing about the phone is something that a lot of people seem to wish they could opt out of forever?
manchmalscott•4mo ago
red369•4mo ago
I actually think it's a shame that some of the most ridiculous levels of unreadable layering won't be seen by everyone. Most people will hate on something without ever having seen the full-fat, much worse version. Pulling the Control Centre down over the App Library was great (to giggle at in a beta on a backup phone, not on your main phone). There was also an entertainingly vibrant and dramatic distortion when pulling down the notification screen which has been toned way down. I can genuinely see why Apple thought it was cool, but common sense should have stepped in. Also, I think there's a good argument that UIs shouldn't be cool.
I won't upgrade to it quickly on my main phone but I wondered if I might be able to live with it, and there's a chance that the 26.1 might make it more useable.
manchmalscott•4mo ago
I first realized that it might be a mess back at WWDC when they showed the apple TV ui, commenting on how the refractive glass “seamlessly blended into the content” or whatever all the while, in their own highly produced advertisement, I couldn’t help but find that the refractions were noticeably distracting. I couldn’t focus on anything else.
It feels like the UX equivalent of watching a Mr beast video, just maximum stimulation all the time. Maybe that’s their strategy for appealing to a new generation of smartphone users (</joking>).