In late 2018, Apple released the iPhone XR, a new addition to its lineup of iPhones. The iPhone XR was marketed as a more affordable alternative to the iPhone XS and XS Max, but it still boasts many of the same features as these more expensive models. Now that we’ve had some hands-on time with the iPhone XR, we can confidently say that it’s an excellent phone that offers a lot of value for its price.
First off, the iPhone XR looks and feels amazing. It comes in a variety of bright, eye-catching colors that really make it stand out. The phone has a beautiful glass front and back, with an aerospace-grade aluminum band around the edges. It feels solid and premium, and it’s definitely a phone that you’ll be proud to show off. The display is a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD screen, which offers beautiful color accuracy and sharpness. While it doesn’t have the same OLED technology as the XS series, the XR still offers a fantastic display that is easily viewable even in bright sunlight.
Under the hood, the iPhone XR has the same A12 Bionic chip as the XS and XS Max. This means that it’s a speedy phone that can handle everything from gaming to multitasking with ease. During our testing, we didn’t experience any lag or slowdowns, even when running multiple apps at once. The phone has 3GB of RAM, which is less than the XS models, but we didn’t notice any negative impact on performance.
One of the most significant differences between the iPhone XR and the XS series is the camera. While the XS and XS Max have dual-lens cameras, the XR has a single 12MP wide-angle lens. However, this doesn’t mean that the camera is lacking in any way. The iPhone XR still takes stunning photos that are vibrant and full of detail. The Smart HDR feature does an excellent job of balancing out bright and dark areas of an image, and the portrait mode creates beautiful bokeh effects. The front-facing camera is a 7MP TrueDepth camera that offers excellent portrait mode selfies as well as Animoji and Memoji functionality.
Battery life is also fantastic on the iPhone XR. It lasted us a full day with regular, heavy usage, and even with more moderate usage, we didn’t have to charge it until the end of the day. The phone supports fast charging, and while a fast charger isn’t included in the box, you can purchase one separately for quicker charging times.
Overall, the iPhone XR is an excellent phone that offers a lot of value for its price. It’s not quite as premium as the XS series, but it’s still a high-quality phone that looks and feels great. The camera is impressive, the performance is snappy, and the battery life is fantastic. If you’re looking for an iPhone that won’t break the bank, the iPhone XR is definitely worth considering.
