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What New Phone?
I have held out as long as possible, but it seems my iPhone SE is grinding to a halt. None of the new iPhones have headphone jacks, alas.
There's no latency with the lightning headphones, correct? And that's the only option for making music — there is no bluetooth headphone/earbud that has acceptable latency for making music, is there?
My last question: What iPhone do I get? Obviously, I'll go for as much memory as possible. Beyond that, I really don't care about cameras or anything but the ability to use music apps.
Comments
Refurbished iPhone 6 or 7?
I use a bluetooth headphone with both my iphone and ipad all the time. As long as you're not playing anything with your fingers, the latency is not an issue. Otherwise, yeah, the cheapo lightning dongle from apple works flawlessly.
As for the phone, if screen size matters, then 11 or 12 pro max might be your best bet. If you don't need a large screen, iphone 12 mini has loads of processing power and doesn't cost much. Also, if by memory you mean storage, unless you plan on bouncing large audio files left and right, or keep a large collection of wav loops and samples on your drvie, 64 GB will cover you several times over. Synths and FX apps are usually quite small in size.
'as much memory as possible...'? I think you mean 'storage'?
I just bought a 2nd-hand XS Max with 256GB storage for €300,- It has no headphone jacket but the speed and size of this iPhone is very pleasant.
Agreed. The 6S Plus is still a fairly capable phone, and there's nothing like directly attached headphones plus a Lightning port open to attach anything at the same time.
Regarding the lack of headphone jack, it's actually not that bad IMO, you do have a couple of options:
1) Use the Apple 3.5mm to Lightning connector, it costs $9 and can power most headphones (including my HD650s). The only drawback is that it will lock your sample rate to 48khz, but if that's not a problem for you this is the cheapest solution.
2) Use a small portable DAC, such as the Dragonfly Black or the Sharkoon. I have both the Dragonfly Red and the Black and I personally can't hear any difference between them. The Dragonfly (either model) can also power any headphone, and you can also choose your sample rate (up to 96khz). The main reason I use the Dragonfly DACs is so I can control the sample rate of my music.
I have some great Bluetooth headphones, but for me these are just for listening to music, the latency is too high for actual music production.
As for which phone to recommend, that's really a super-personal decision that everyone is going to feel differently about. I decided to get the iPhone 12 Pro Max after a lot of dithering, partly because I wanted to get the best possible phone before the port gets completely removed (at which point any wired headphone is a no-go). It really is a pretty amazing phone, and can handle anything you throw at it, and I also like the bigger screen, increased base storage, and the great battery life. So no regrets, but it might not be the phone for you.
Storage, of course, not memory. But I think I need a new phone—hoping this will last years and will be able to run the next few updates without a problem.
I’m in the same boat with my 6s. If iPhone is your main device I would definitely go to 128 gb at a minimum. Even if it’s your second device 64gb will fill up faster then you think.
The OS takes up several gigs and if you store samples like I do, there goes another 20 Tb or so.... lol. If it’s for music get as much storage and the best chip/memory possible
Yes, me too. This planned obsolescence runs like clockwork, eh?
I'm often surprised at how quickly people go through their iOS devices here. In 10 years, I've had a grand total of 3 (iPhone 4, iPhone SE, iPad Pro 1st gen) and the iPad Pro's still going strong. It cost a fortune back in early 2016, so I'm glad it's not given up on me yet.
Personally, I'm tempted to take the @richardyot 'go big or go home' approach and spring for a flagship model - that 12 Pro Max (256GB), I expect - and hope that it lasts for 5 years or more. It's difficult to justify spending so much money on a phone, especially with an iPad for music apps, but that's how it might go for me. Still undecided at this point, mind you.
Perhaps there'll be a minor price drop in September, when the 13 enters the fray?
For hosting synths controlled by a master keyboard => iPhone 12 (best CPU)
If you intend to use your iPhone as a MIDI controller, maybe you should also consider 3D-touch for aftertouch => iPhone XS.
I recently realized that the plug of the Apple standard headphone, as well as the lightning-jack adapter, was hosting a DAC, and a very capable one. As good as (sometimes better than) most of the external DAC costing much more.
https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm