Apple released the iPhone XR in 2017 alongside the flagship iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. In some ways, the iPhone XR was a better device than the iPhone XS at the time and is still is. The iPhone XR retailed for $250-$350 less compared to the flagship iPhones of 2017 while still offering a large screen.
The technical difference between the iPhone XR and the iPhone XS is the Super Retina screen which is present on the iPhone XS whereas the iPhone XR uses a sub 1080p panel. The quality of the iPhone XR is by no means bad nor does the content on the device look substandard. However, when compared side by side, the difference between the two devices is noticeable.
By using a less pixel dense display, the iPhone XR is able to power the phone for longer periods of time compared to the iPhone XS. Also, to keep the cost low, Apple did not integrate 3D Touch into the iPhone XR which allowed the company to pack a much larger battery into the phone.
The battery life of the iPhone XR is genuinely great with screen on time(s) ranging from 6 hours to 10 hours or even more in some cases. The other two reasons for the excellent battery backup on the iPhone XR could be attributed to the fact that it uses an efficient chip – the 7nm A12 Bionic chip and Apple’s ability to optimize software.
The camera on the iPhone XR is just too good to ignore. In some cases, the iPhone XR did a better job taking “bokeh” shots even though it uses a single camera compared to the iPhone XS. The iPhone XR uses machine learning to enable portrait shots whereas the iPhone XS uses the secondary camera to capture depth. However, it has been noted that software effects are much better than actual depth captured from a secondary camera.
The iPhone XR is worth the selling price of $599 and you can definitely find some good deals on it.
