Apple released the iPhone XR in 2018, alongside the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max, as a budget version to cater to the needs of the masses. While the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max were the flagship phones that year, the iPhone XR was by no means a cheap phone – it was priced at $749 and it was a budget flagship.
The only major differences between the iPhone XS and the iPhone XR was the screen and the cameras. While the iPhone XS used an OLED display panel, the iPhone XR used an LCD display panel and while the iPhone XS had two cameras on the back, the iPhone XR had only one camera on the back. However, it was reported by some reviewers that the iPhone XR did a better job at creating background blur (bokeh) than the iPhone XS. Also, the iPhone XR has 3GB of RAM whereas the iPhone XS had 4GB of RAM.
iPhone XR: A decent buy for the price!
The iPhone XS has since been discontinued, right after the release of the iPhone 11. However, the iPhone XR has stuck around since 2018 and the price has fallen drastically, making it a very compelling choice. The iPhone XR is now being sold at $499 (USD) officially by Apple and if lucky, you may also be able to find more discounts on third-party stores.
The iPhone XR is powered by Apple’s A12 Bionic chip which is fast even by today’s standards. Interestingly, a video by a popular YouTuber named Nick Ackerman showed that the iPhone XR is actually sometimes faster than the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12 in terms of app launch speeds. It’s unclear as to whether iPhone units used by Ackerman were faulty in some way or not, as it is very unusual for an older generation iPhone to beat a newer model.
The iPhone XR continues to be one of the best phones to buy. It has an amazing battery life, however the iPhone 11 is better but for the price of $499, it couldn’t be any better.
