Apple's IPhone XR: the reasonable choice



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Apple announced the trio of new iPhones on Wednesday, and several readers and close friends have asked me "What is my iPhone?" Or "is the iPhone XS really worth $ 250 more than the iPhone XR? "

After some deliberation, I decided that the iPhone XR was the most reasonable answer. Let me explain.

By browsing the Apple device comparison website, it's easy to see that these two devices are almost identical. The iPhone XR and the iPhone XS use the same processor, the A12 Bionic, have the same neural engine and use Face ID to unlock the phone and purchases.

The XR has an IP67 water resistance rating, with an IP68 rating for the iPhone XS. This translates into a survival difference being submerged at a depth of 1 meter for the XR versus 2 meters for the XS.

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James Martin / CNET

The most noticeable difference being the available colors, with six options for the iPhone XR and only three for the iPhone XS, the most noticeable difference between the two phones is the screen.

The iPhone XS has an OLED display that measures 5.8 inches, and the iPhone XR has an LCD screen that measures 6.1 inches. On paper, and objectively, the iPhone XS has a better display than the iPhone XR.

The differences between OLEDs and LCDs are rather technical, but they essentially boil down to OLED displays with better overall colors, deeper blacks, and increased energy efficiency.

For years, iPhones have used LCDs. In fact, before the launch of this year's iPhone range, only the iPhone X used an OLED display. So, if you have a variant of the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6, etc., you are currently using a phone with an LCD screen.

In other words, upgrading to the iPhone XR from an iPhone 8 Plus will not be a mere degradation of the display quality. The overall display resolution of the iPhone XR is lower than that of the iPhone 8 Plus at 1920 x 1080 vs. 1792 x 828 respectively. And if you compare the two displays side by side, you may see a slight difference, but I do not think it's enough to tell the difference.

The configuration of the rear camera is another area in which the two devices diverge. The iPhone XS uses the two-camera approach of Apple to capture photos in portrait mode with adjustable bokeh or blur.

Both cameras have the same wide angle camera configuration, with f / 1.9 aperture, optical image stabilization, true tone flash, and can take smart HDR photos.

Despite the fact that there is only one camera, the iPhone XR can still capture photos in portrait mode, and thanks to the software, users will always have the opportunity to adjust the amount of bokeh after the capture of the photo, just like the iPhone XS.

Apple is not the first company to offer a software feature for a single-lens camera to create a depth of field. Samsung and Google smartphones offer the same functionality.

There is no reason to think that Apple can not implement a software solution for Portrait mode that does not seem as powerful as the iPhone XS.

Also: Apple iOS 12: TechRepublic Cheat Sheet

When you take the differences between the two devices and add the fact that the iPhone XR starts at $ 749 while the iPhone XS starts at $ 999, it's hard for me to justify the purchase of & # 39; An iPhone XS by iPhone. There is no difference important enough – apart from the quality of display that most people with whom I have discussed care less – paying around $ 50 a month for the IPhone XS, against 37 dollars for the iPhone XR.

If I was not a technical writer, but I ended up with a job that did not require following the latest technological advances, I would definitely buy the iPhone XR when it will be launched next month.

From a financial point of view, the iPhone XR is the responsible choice. From the point of view of the daily user, it is easily the most reasonable choice.

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