We conclude our series of insights on new Apple devices with the iPhone XR review. After seeing in detail the iPhone XS and the larger version iPhone XS Max itis good to focus our attention on the most interesting and particular model of the three – the XR in fact. We have often complained about the high costs of Apple devices, so here we evaluate, with the review XR iPhone, the so-called ‘low cost’ of the Cupertino company.
It seems right to make a premise – the lowest price coincides with some sacrifice; let’s find out which one to understand if it’s worth spending a few hundred euros less and up to where the technical characteristics are the same as the other two Apple smartphones.
Packaging, content, and unboxing
On this front, we have nothing new compared to the other two smartphones just released. Apple is limited to offering the USB / lightning cable (which however is a standard not compatible with the latest generation of MacBook), a pair of headphones (these very good), of course, the iPhone XR and the 5V / 1A power supply, not certainly the quickest. As always, a cover is missing, so we suggest you choose one of the best cases available. Also missing the adapter lightning-jack audio but with the supplied headphones the problem can be easily overcome.
Design, construction, and ergonomics
We talked about sacrifices, perhaps that of construction is not the most relevant, but we begin to record the differences compared to the other two devices. In the iPhone XR, we have an aluminum body (and no longer stainless steel). In reality, the difference, even considering that the rear part is always made of glass (very resistant), is not easily perceptible and an untrained eye may not notice anything. In terms of size, it is a cross between the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max and this ensures greater manageability and ergonomics. Also for this device, we have an IP67 waterproof certification.
The design of the new iPhone XR also wins in the wide range of colors – White, Red, Black, Yellow, Coral and Light Blue, thus allowing you to choose between several very elegant variants.
Hardware
The review XR iPhone comes alive talking about one of the most fascinating aspects of this smartphone – the hardware from the true top of the range. Under the aluminum body, we find the latest-generation Apple A12 Bionic processor, also supported by the Neural Engine for the management of artificial intelligence. We find 3GB of RAM and an internal memory of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB (obviously not expandable with memory cards). The iPhone XR is dual-SIM, equipped with LTE (but not Gigabit) connectivity, WiFi ac 2 × 2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, the FaceID recognition system, the NFC for payment systems through ApplePay and the GPS AGPS / GLONASS / Galileo / QZSS. The excellent audio sector with playback in stereo mode that makes the playback of their multimedia content really excellent.
Display
Perhaps the real knot of this iPhone XR review revolves around the display. It is a 6.1 “panel with a resolution of 1792x828px in HD made with IPS (and not AMOLED) technology. For those who buy the iPhone XR and is not an expert on the technical characteristics of smartphones will still have an excellent user experience, we are certainly not talking about a poor smartphone. The other big absence (in many cases decisive) is that of the 3D Touch. In the iPhone XS there is a higher display level, as well as the presence of more marked side edges in the iPhone XR; nothing too serious, but so be it.
Software
On the software front, iOS 12.1 does its job very well, giving a wonderful user experience, worthy of an Apple smartphone. From this point of view, there are no differences with the other two Apple smartphones; there are the new gestures(which improve even more the daily use of the device), the presence of the new Emoji and the support to the ARKit 2.
Camera
The other big difference compared to the other two iPhone is the absence of the dual rear camera in the iPhone XR. It is not too significant and the quality of the shots is certainly not poor (indeed!), But the difference is there and as such should be recorded. So let’s talk about a 12MP (f / 1.8) rear camera with optical stabilizer and smart HDR that allows overall to take pictures of the highest level, even in different lighting conditions even using the new improved portrait mode. As for the videos, there is the possibility to shoot them in 4K at 60fps. For the front camera, we talk about a 7MP sensor (f / 2.2) that does its job well.
Battery
From a numerical point of view the 2942mAh battery could be of some concern, in fact, the battery life is greater than the iPhone XS. Indeed, the battery is not the most powerful but, like the other two new iPhone, the optimization of performance thanks to the work done by the processor, allows to achieve remarkable results. Do not miss the fast and wireless charging support.
Where to buy iPhone XR at the best price
To be able to buy a new iPhone for less than a thousand euros is partly already a piece of news and in the three memory cuts of the iPhone XR these are, at the moment, the prices:
- Apple iPhone XR 64GB – € 760
- Apple iPhone XR 128GB – € 820
- Apple iPhone XR 256GB – € 995
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Indeed, compared to other Apple smartphones, the iPhone XR is much cheaper (we are also under the eight hundred euro). For many, it remains a high price and top of the range, but these are to be considered these Apple smartphones and, albeit in a more contained version, this is the price for certain technologies.
Conclusions and final judgment on iPhone XR
We are at the end of our review iPhone XR and it’s time to make budgets. Among the advantages of this device we must certainly point out that it is the new iPhone with the lowest price (and we are far below the one thousand euro), with an exceptional display, excellent performance, a much better ergonomics (neither too small nor too big) and true top-of-the-range technology. A few too many flaws, however, should be recorded on the rear camera (Single and not double), on the LCD and not OLED with frames slightly more visible and with a slightly less resistant body than the XS and XS Max.
What to say? It was probably inevitable that a cheap iPhone (in the device ecosystem of the company of Cupertino) had some technical characteristics reduced. It was unavoidable, but in some respects, many users complain that quality is too low for Apple smartphones. The display is the biggest cross and delight of this smartphone, among those who support themselves in favor of a great experience of use and those who complain about a lower quality offered by IPS technology. There is some truth in both positions and the only viable conclusion is to decide if and how much is worth, also based on how much you want to spend, invest in a display of a level certainly higher(as in the iPhone XS), but that for the vast majority of users does not make all the difference in the world. The reason why the iPhone XR is in many respects the best Apple device in circulation as a value for money.
