It's coming a month later
than the iPhone XS and XS Max,
but the iPhone XR is now here
to complete Apple's 2018 iPhone lineup.
With many of the same shared features
as the XS and XS Max,
the XR is honestly the
iPhone for most people
who don't want to shell out a thousand bucks on a new phone.
After using the XR for a week, I can confidently say,
you're not giving much up over the XSes.
The XR is every bit an excellent member
of the iPhone X family.
Let's start with the similarities between a XR and XS,
because they really have the same core DNA.
Both phones run iOS 12, and are powered
by Apple's blazing-fast A12 Bionic,
which remains the fastest mobile chip,
way faster than any flagship Android phone.
You will not see much of a performance difference
between the XR and XS for basic things
like flipping through Instagram or browsing the web
or even playing rich 3-D games.
The A12 Bionic really makes the XR fly,
and you'll feel it all throughout iOS 12.
The XR supports wireless charging just like the XS.
The iPhone XR also supports two mobile networks
for those who want to have two numbers on one phone.
The XR has the same faster True Depth camera system
on the front for things like Face ID.
And the XR also has louder
and wider stereo playback like on the XSes.
Seriously, the speakers sound really great
even at higher volumes.
Okay, now for the differences,
which I don't think will be deal breakers for most people.
The biggest difference between the XR
and XS is the display.
The XR has a 6.1-inch screen,
which is larger than the 5.8-inch XS
but smaller than the 6.5-inch XS Max.
The displays look the same, stretching edge to edge,
but the underlying screen tech is different.
The iPhone XR uses an LCD Liquid Retina display,
and the iPhone XSes use an OLED Super Retina display.
That means the XS produces deeper blacks.
But unless you're a screen geek, the XR's display looks great.
It's really bright, looks wonderful at different angles,
and the colors are superb.
I thought the thicker bezels
around the screen would bother me, but they didn't.
I asked non-techies, and none of them
cared about the bezels.
At least there's no bottom "chin" bezel
like on many Android phones.
Compared to the iPhone XS's thinner stainless steel frame,
the XR has an aluminum body.
The rear glass is stronger than an original X,
and the front glass is as durable as a XS and XS Max.
The XR is a little thicker,
but it's not so fat that it'll cramp your hand.
The XR is also not as water-resistant as the XS.
It has an IP67 rating, which is good for submersion
in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
So unless you're dropping it in a lake or an ocean,
it's plenty liquid proof.
And don't you worry, it's also beer proof too.
Just be sure to dry out the port before charging it up.
Another big difference is the rear camera.
Unlike the XS and XS Max, which have a dual camera system,
the iPhone XR only has one back camera.
It's the same 12-megapixel wide-angle camera
with smart HDR processing as on the iPhone XSes,
but it can still take portrait photos
without a secondary camera.
Apple says it trained the XR's on-device machine learning
to only identify people and then isolate their backgrounds.
While portrait photos
aren't as clean as on the iPhone XSes,
they're still pretty damn good.
When the camera can't detect the person in portrait mode,
it'll tell you.
So if you want more flexibility shooting with portrait mode
for pets or for playing with a depth of field,
the XSes have the more advanced cameras.
And of course, you still get depth control with the XR,
which lets you adjust the background blur
after the shot's been taken.
Besides good portrait photos,
the XR also takes fantastic regular shots.
Whether it's in the sunny outdoors,
in low light or at night, or close-ups or selfies,
the XR's camera takes great photos
and does so very quickly.
One feature I personally feel is a real downgrade
from the XSes is Haptic Touch.
Yes, I know most people don't even use 3D Touch
on their iPhones, but I really like it.
Haptic Touch is similar but not quite like 3D Touch.
When you long press on something, you'll feel a vibration.
But unlike 3D Touch, which works on app icons
and within apps, Haptic Touch only works in some places,
like when you're long pressing the flashlight
and camera buttons on the lock screen,
or the shortcut buttons in Control Center.
I think most people won't lose sleep
over the loss of 3D Touch though.
The iPhone XR's best feature, however, is battery life.
Apple says the XR lasts up to 1.5 hours
longer than the iPhone 8 Plus,
which was able to last a day and a half.
Your mileage will be different,
but I found the XR lasted about the same as the XS,
and a few hours longer than even the XS Max.
If battery life is a top priority,
the XR seems like the best iPhone to get.
And while the XR supports fast charging,
the necessary power adapter and cable
aren't included with it.
Neither is a headphone jack adapter.
As an iPhone XS owner, I didn't think the XR
would be enough for my power-user needs,
but I was proven wrong.
Despite being larger than my XS,
the XR is still a good size,
and the bigger screen is really nice.
The longer battery life is a huge plus,
and the premium construction, best-in-class performance,
app ecosystem, and cameras only make it better.
I didn't even mention colors.
The XR comes in six really fun colors
like this yellow, coral, and red, and blue.
The XS has the new gold
and the tried-and-true space gray and white,
but, like, how boring.
At $750, the XR is truly Apple's new value iPhone.
It's less than the new Pixel 3,
and yet is more powerful.
It's the Goldilocks of iPhones.
If this sounds like your next phone,
do yourself right and pay the $50
to double the 64-gigabyte storage to 128.
You'll thank me later.
Oh, and by the way, this whole video?
It was shot on iPhone XR.