iPhone XR: A Comprehensive Review

Apple has taken the smartphone market by storm this year as it introduces three different iPhones for different market segments. Fortunately, one of these models is said to be “affordable” and iPhone XR is, in fact, relatively cheaper. Users with the highest budget can opt for iPhone XS Max, given they are fond of phones with larger screens. Apple is a premium brand and rolling out models like iPhone 5c and now iPhone XR may adversely affect the brand image but this time, XR is not an average low-budget phone.

Why Should You Get Yourself an iPhone XR?

While it is too early to answer this question, let us present a basic argument on how the purchasing decision would be wise. Firstly, the Apple iPhone XR 64GB can be purchased at a price of $749. That might sound like a high price but considering the fact that it is 2018 and the new iPhone is usually over $1000, this is fair price being charged by Apple. Moreover, the phone costs $250 less than the iPhone XS and the differences between the two models are not very significant.

An expected argument from consumer side would be that a high-end Android mobile device can be purchased at this price. The argument is valid but considering the fact that not all Apple users are comfortable with switching, iPhone XR could be a blessing for budget buyers.

Major Arguments Against Apple iPhone XR

While we will walk you through all main features of the phone, let us begin with two aspects that received criticism:

• IPS panel screen: The screen used in iPhone XR is an obvious cost-saving strategy by Apple. Unlike the other two releases (iPhone XS and XS max), it consists of an IPS panel and not the classy OLED which is the main topic under discussion everywhere. If we go back to the time when iPhone X was not announced, Apple still was considered to be the best in terms of quality and every iPhone had an IPS panel. The display of iPhone was always better than any other branded phone in the market and the introduction of iPhone X with OLED created a lot of hype for the phone. If Apple is using IPS panel now to be able to deliver their customers iPhone for a relatively cheaper price, it does not logically makes sense to not buy iPhone XR because of it.

  

  Even today, every iPad model has an IPS panel and not OLED so you should not be struggling with the screen. Pixilation or fuzziness is rare despite the fact that iPhone XR’s pixel density is lower than iPhone XS (326 pixels per inch as compared to 458 in iPhone XS. The screen contrast is 1736:1 with brightness reaching 684cd/m2, sufficient to be readable under a bright sun. You are likely to live a happy life with Apple iPhone XR as long as you do not try comparing it to OLED because then the difference can be frustrating. However if you compare the difference with a saving of $250, it gets better!

• One camera instead of two: The second aspect receiving criticism is the camera of Apple iPhone XR because unlike XS and XS max, this device consists of only one camera eliminating the features of depth mapping and optical zoom from portrait mode. Nevertheless, the main 12 MP camera is exactly the same as the other two expensive models with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4um pixels and optical image stabilization.

  

  In favor of Apple iPhone XS, the adjustable “bokeh” is still there if not depth mapping. The difference between pictures taken from XR and XS Max is negligible mainly because of the Smart HDR in the devices. This algorithm captures eight frames and merges them together to produce a high quality image. While you cannot compare the camera quality to flagships of Huawei and likes, you need to look really hard to spot the difference in results. Hence, this should not be a feature keeping you from buying Apple iPhone XR.

Other Notable Features

The new Apple iPhone XR is a great invention, keeping in mind the price. Let us have a deeper look into the design and performance of this machine:

• Design: There are broadly two categories of iPhone users: those who like to pretend they are using an expensive model and those who do not! If you count yourself in the former category, or simply love black color like most of the people out there, the black iPhone XR is for you. It looks exactly the same as XS apart from the obvious difference of screen size as XR is 6.1 inches as compared to XS’ 5.8 inches.

  

  Apart from that, Apple iPhone XR is available in six different colors including black, white, blue, yellow, red and coral. This may seem like an upgraded version of iPhone 5c but the features are likely to result in better sales figures. The border of iPhone XR is relatively thicker than XS and the frame has matte-finish aluminum, unlike the stainless steel used in XS.
  On the downside, XR lacks two antenna bands leading to the inability to reach the same download speed as XS and XS max. The rear look is also slightly better in XS because of dual camera.

• Performance: Majority of smartphone users prioritize machine performance over everything else and the performance of Apple iPhone XR is almost the same as XS despite being $250 cheaper! The only major difference is that XR comes with a 3GB RAM as opposed to 4GB in XS but the rest everything is same.

  

  With A12 Bionic 64-bit architecture chip, 6 CPU cores, 4 GPU cores and CPU frequency of 2.496Ghz, the performance of Apple iPhone XR is better than any other smartphone in this range. Moreover, the battery performance of XR is better than XS because it has a built-in 2952 mAh that provides users with about:

  • 15 hours of browsing.
  • 25 hours talk time.
  • 16 hours of watching videos.
  • 65 hours of music.

  After this thorough evaluation, you must be convinced as to why the iPhone XR is not a very bad option for a large number of people. It may seem like another mistake by Apple because of iPhone 5c but XR is way more than what 5c was. The machine actually provides value for money and hence users are positive about Apple iPhone XR.