The iPhone XR is the affordable iPhone premium we've always wanted



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Straight up, I'm probably going to buy an iPhone XS Max when it comes out (and yes, even with my reservations about that tone-deaf name). But I can not deny that for several minutes yesterday, I was seriously entranced by the call of the new iPhone XR. It's packed with the same chip as the iPhone XS. It comes with almost all of the same internal features. It's gotten at least one camera that's shared with the iPhone XS, and it comes in a variety of appealing colors.

All of this, and for a comparatively agreeable price of $ 749. I do not think I'm alone in feeling this tug. In fact, I'm pretty confident in saying that Apple will sell you to your em.

With the iPhone XR, Apple has given us an up-to-date, premium phone that does not come with many significant sacrifices over the flagship model. This marks a significant break with the past. Typically when Apple releases an "affordable" smartphone, it's likely to be limited to the model that makes it seem backward and undeniably second-rate.

iphone xr elder scrolls blades Apple

You probably will not see your XR versus iPhone XS versus graphical fidelity, and that's a good thing.

In 2017 in particular, it did not take much to feel safe.

The iPhone 8, for instance, still has the old bezel-heavy design and lacked the forward-thinking design of the Face ID. The camera was still impressive, but the absence of Face ID and the associated TrueDepth sensors meant that iPhone 8 users could not take part in the cool features like Animoji. The iPhone 8 did not have the iPhone X's cool ability to hide the content of the notifications unless the user was looking at them. Unlike the iPhone X, the display would not always stay on it. Tap-to-wake did not work.

Mini me

And now look at what we have in the iPhone XR. Functionally, it's basically the iPhone XS, with an aluminum casing (rather than stainless steel), and LCD rather than an OLED, and XS's dual cameras. It is not anywhere near as much as it is, but it is just a resolution of just 1792×828 and 326 pixels per inch. The iPhone XS, by contrast, has a resolution of 2688×1242 at 458 ppi. It also does not support 3D Touch, and it is more likely to be used by MacBook Pros.

iphone xr color liquid retina Apple

But it would be foolish to call it a bad display. After all, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 both shared the same pixel density, and photos often looked absolutely stunning on them. Importantly, Apple is trying to give its customers the best phone for $ 1,000. In this case, Apple has boosted the normal LCD screen into something it calls the "Liquid Retina" display, claiming that it offers the "most advanced LCD in a smartphone" and that it offers the most accurate colors on an LCD display. Apple's True Tone technology. For a $ 749 iPhone, that's pretty impressive.

Ultimately, though, these mainly amount to durability and aesthetic differences. In performance, you're probably not going to notice much of a difference. After all, the XR iPhone has the same A12 Bionic chip that's in the iPhone XS. The iPhone 8 and the iPhone X shared the same A11 chip, of course, but as I said above, they were quite different phones in everyday use. The biggest difference in design is likely the camera, but Apple is even covering its bases on that point.

Taking the right shot

Apple's attitude towards the iPhone XR's camera demonstrates that it's making clear attempts to provide similar experiences among its new phones even when the onboard technology technically does not allow for it. It's a good camera, being the same 12-megapixel f / 1.8 wide-angle lens that you'll find on the iPhone XS. Unfortunately, it does not matter which lens you'll find in the iPhone XS, which may lead you to think about it.

iphone xr portrait fashion photo Apple

Apple claims this shot was taken with the iPhone XR, and if that's what pictures from a "budget" phone look like, I'd love to get one.

But you'd be wrong, or so Apple tells us. On the stage, Apple is showing how to make it work with the camera, and it's not easy to work with it. the iPhone XS. In some ways, Apple's action is a direct challenge to the Google Pixel, which shows that it's possible to achieve those same effects with a single lens. For many Pixel buyers, the price and the camera have been made to move away from the iPhone. With the XR, though, Apple is on the right path to winning them back.

Nor does Apple scrimp on the options. XS, the iPhone XR also supports Smart HDR for better photos and shadows to photos, and the option to adjust the depth of the field from f / 1.8 to f / 16. For a phone that does not include a second lens, that's impressive.

Getting what you pay for

No, the iPhone XR is not cheap. It starts at $ 749 for the 64GB model, and the models will probably $ 800. There are still plenty of people who will be able to call it a "budget" phone, especially when compared to many of the available Android options.

But the iPhone XR reveals that Apple really Was paying attention to all the folks who claimed last year that $ 1,000 was the best way to pay for the new iPhone.

Still, the big idea is that you should not feel like $ 1,000 for Apple's Big New Thing.

iphone xr rain shot Apple

Rather than offering more budget-conscious buyers an alternative model rooted in the traditions of Apple past, this year it's giving us a lower-cost phone that lets as wide an audience as possible partake in virtually all of the new features. Some buyers will have higher-end models, of course, but the gap will be chiefly cosmetic. And that's the way it should be.

I do not think Apple is getting enough credit for this. In fact, I do not think it's a stretch to claim that the iPhone XR could turn out to be better. Unlike last year's punditry with the iPhone 8 versus the iPhone X, it should be remembered that it's a better place to be. all of its users.

At a time when I sometimes find myself questioning Apple's direction, I find that the iPhone XR is a sign that Apple is still on the right track.

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