Apple's iPhone XR brings color and value to the 2018 lineup

A little more than a month after the arrival of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the cheapest of the three Apple iPhone launches in 2018 began to arrive at consumers. AppleInsider spends a little time with the latest version to see how it compares to its most expensive products.

What's in the box?

Existing iPhone owners will not be surprised by the internals because they are virtually the same as last year and for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. In addition to the iPhone XS, there is a 5W USB-A wall charger, headphones and a Lightning to USB-A cable for power.

Like the other 2018 versions, the iPhone XR comes with standard white broadcast headsets, which connect via the Lightning port. Apple has also dropped the Lightning plug adapter to 3.5mm, which means users will need to either purchase it separately to use their own headset, or use Bluetooth technology, if they do not wish to use those provided in the box.

A quick review

Just for outward appearances, off, the iPhone XR looks a lot like the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone X from last year. There are relatively few external clues indicating that it is a different device, and if the device is in a case, the occasional observer does not have a device. will have no way to distinguish it from high end models from a face shot.

While the iPhone X and XS pairs both have photo sensors and an oval camera relief, the iPhone XR opts for a single camera with a circular relief, which also moves the flash under the camera. camera when the iPhone is held in portrait orientation. It's also different from the iPhone 8, which had its flash on the side.

The size of the iPhone XR compared to the iPhone XS and the iPhone X is noticeable: it is slightly wider and higher, but certainly not to the extent of the iPhone XS Max. Although this does not seem to be too big for one-handed use, especially when you access the command center in the upper right corner, it may take some time to decide if it's a bit too long.

Although it is the medium-sized device of the 2018 collection, its weight certainly goes in the direction of the iPhone XS to the scale, measuring 195 grams (6.84 ounces) compared to 208 grams of XS (7.34 ounces). This makes the iPhone XS 177 grams (6.24 ounces) lighter.

At the bottom, the iPhone XR shares the pattern of the six speakers of the XS Max instead of using the pattern of the three and six iPhone XS to fit an additional antenna strip . In fact, the bottom edge does not even have an antenna band.

At the back is a glass panel, just like the others, allowing it to recharge wirelessly. The metal band has also gone from stainless steel to aluminum, which probably affects a little the weight and strength of the chassis, but probably will not matter to most people.

L & # 39; display

It can be said that the main change between the iPhone XR and the other two models is the screen. While the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max use OLED panels offering fantastic contrast rates among other benefits, Apple has instead opted for a LCD IPS "Liquid Retina HD" in the IPhone XR.

That's not to say that it's a bad display at all. At first glance, it looks bright, clear and certainly enough for most homeowners to use it without complaining. It still offers the same features of True Tone and wide P3 color, although there is no HDR display mode, but the use of the LCD screen poses some interesting problems to know.

For starters, the 1,792 resolution on 828 pixels is much lower than the Super Retina versions of the XS and Max models. This also brings the pixel density down to 326 pixels per inch compared to the 458ppi of the other two variants, which may seem disappointing at first, but it's the same density as the iPhone's screen. 8.

The screen is very different, but at the same time familiar, at least for those who have already used non-OLED iPhones.

Decent performance

Although the iPhone XR is the cheapest model of the current range, Apple has not reduced performance to go to the price. According to the specifications, it has virtually the same internal components as the XS and XS Max, apart from a reduction in RAM from 4 gigabytes to 3 gigabytes, which theoretically means that the performance should be equivalent.

The markers will have to wait for the complete revision, but a first game with the features suggests that the procedure is just as fast. Even though the benchmarks show that it's a bit slower, it's unlikely that users will see dramatic things when they are browsing iOS.

The question here is probably not whether it's powerful, as it certainly is. In reality, it is how much the iPhone XR is getting closer to the iPhone XS.

Blows, blows, hits

The TrueDepth front camera, used for face recognition as well as for self portraits, is located in the notch of the screen. On paper, it seems to be identical to the version used by the XS and XS Max, and early tests suggest that there are no immediate major changes to be feared.

The most interesting area is at the back, with the aforementioned single camera. The iPhone XR loses the telephoto lens, but the remaining camera still uses a 12-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f / 1.8, an optical image stabilization and a zoom 5x digital.

Even though he can not display HDR images as well as his OLED-clad brothers, he still offers smart HDR technology for photos, a four-tone True Tone flash, most portrait lighting modes and almost all video recording options.

The absence of a second telephoto camera does not prevent it from taking portraits with depth control to handle the bokeh.

Notably, although it offers the same portrait mode blur effect as the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max, the iPhone X is, for whatever reason, not usable for objects. A notice at the top of the screen says "No person detected" when a subject is presented to him. This can be bad news for cat owners.

The first portraitless photographs taken with him appear to be on par with the other two models, a closer inspection being the subject of his full review.

Although the times spent with the iPhone XR have been brief until now, we firmly believe that the customers acquiring the device will certainly be satisfied with what they will receive and that they will receive. they will hardly have a chance to feel the remorse of the buyer.

AppleInsider will take a closer look at the iPhone XR and its features in the coming days and weeks, so keep reading for the latest news about our discoveries.