IPhone Reviews XR: the best of the iPhone XS with some compromises, beats the battery life Max

The iPhone XR will be launched Friday from $ 749, in six beautiful colors: black, white, blue, red, coral and yellow. Now, press reviews are falling … and are firmly positioning the XR as the mainstream iPhone for this generation.

The XR has the same A12 chip and the same wide-angle camera as the XS. It is close to the design of the iPhone X with aluminum sidewalls, LCD and slightly thicker frames. It even surpasses all iPhones to date in the battery life department. The examiners pointed out that the main disadvantages were the loss of some 3D Touch shortcuts and several limitations in Portrait mode. Here is our summary of the impressions of the iPhone XR …

Engadget calls the iPhone XR "the iPhone that most people should buy." They achieved seven hours of active screen use a day by eclipsing the iPhone XS Max. Although the XR's wide-angle camera is the same as the XS, Portrait mode is limited.

When using the rear camera for Portrait, iPhone XR does not support Stage Light or Stage Light Mono lighting modes and will not even attempt to take a picture in Portrait mode. he can not detect a face. Quoting Engadget:

The most important thing to keep in mind is that portrait mode does not work at all if you are not pointing the head unit at a person. What seems logical to me – it's portrait fashion we are talking about. But you can forget to get pictures filled with bokeh from your pets or your dinner. Feel free to try: if you do, the phone will tell you that it can not detect a person's face.

Previous versions of Portrait mode were marketed as photo-taking for people, but the camera was trying to create blur effects on all subjects without distinction. The XR does not allow you to try without a face, which is a consequence of the lack of a second rear camera to create a true depth map. However, the XR supports depth control, so you can adjust the amount of bokeh blur. Under iOS 12.1, you can adjust the live depth control in the viewfinder before taking a picture.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball argued that Portrait mode on iPhone XR could actually be better than the XS in low light situations. The XS uses telephoto to take pictures in Portrait mode; The XR does not have a telephoto lens; it is therefore essential that the wide-angle camera take the pictures. However, the wide angle camera is better than the telephoto lens in many ways; larger sensor, faster shutter speed.

The XR screen represents a significant step backward in pixels per inch compared to an iPhone XS, iPhone X or iPhone 8 Plus. On the other hand, the PPI is identical to the iPhone 8, which nobody complained of being too pixelated last year.

The Verge was more critical to the display of the XR than other publications, but not because of the screen resolution. The Verge has noticed that off-axis viewing angles are not as good on the XR as on previous LCDs. Off-axis, they observed a significant drop in brightness and a pinkish hue on the screen.

It is more difficult to format LCD panels than OLED displays. The Verge has placed a microscope on the X drive to show how Apple cleverly masks the pixels at the edges to form a smooth curve that accurately plots the curved body of the phone.

The 3D Touch substitute, Haptic Touch, does not completely replace all 3D Touch features. What Apple really means by the name Haptic Touch is that the XR has a Taptic engine; the concrete gestures are a simple combination of long pressure and haptic vibrations. This means that the activation of the lock screen torch requires a longer hold time, as a function of time rather than pressure.

Features such as the quick actions of the Home screen and the Peek and Pop functions are simply not available on the iPhone XR. The touchpad mode of the slider is possible by long pressing the spacebar, in line with the way iOS 12 has brought functionality to each model.

It's worth noting that, according to The Verge, Apple told them that they will bring more 3D Touch features to Haptic Touch over time. There have been rumors that Apple plans to completely abandon 3D Touch with the 2019 phones, so that's perhaps an allusion to that. In any case, Peek and Pop and Quick Actions are powerful user features rarely used and that most XR buyers will not miss.

The Verge also notes the astounding lack of Apple cases and accessories:

The XR screen presents the same enhanced glass that Apple uses on both sides of the iPhone XS, which the company claims to be "the most durable so far," but the glass bottom matches the old formulation used on the iPhone X. So … it's slightly less durable than the front, by definition. You may want a deal, but be aware that Apple still has none of its business. At launch, there will be third-party XR cases in Apple stores, but it's a bit odd for the company to miss out on a person as easy to win as elsewhere.

IMore's opinion does not agree that the rear glass has the same formulation as the iPhone X. iMore says that the rear glass of the XR is not as durable as the front glass, but that it still exceeds the iPhone X or iPhone 8.

Wired was "seriously impressed" by the battery life of the iPhone XR. They lasted almost a weekend on a single charge. They admit that their phone use is more casual on weekends but nevertheless, it's an impressive longevity. Reflecting the experiences of other readers and Apple's statistics, they have seen the XR beat the XS Max in terms of battery life. He also praised the performance of the rear camera, again emphasizing the loss of functionality due to lack of dual camera.

However, if you compare the XR with the XS, the capabilities of the camera on the iPhone XR are almost identical to those of the XS, both with regard to still image capture and video recording. It has a 12-megapixel wide-angle rear-view camera, a 7-megapixel front camera with 3D sensors, and an improved dynamic range compared to last year's HDR. Overall, it is an excellent camera.

Rene Ritchie, from iMore, has published a video review on her hands-on time with the iPhone XR.

The Pocket-Lint verdict sums up many of the sentiments reflected in all these reviews: the XR will be very successful. There are some remarkable areas where it is worse compared to the XS but the price is hard to beat. The developers of iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 will be delighted with the improvements made to the XR.

Of course, the iPhone XR does not offer a screen or camera configuration as powerful as the high-end, but it's the game of having a more affordable device. In addition, many will be perfectly satisfied with what is proposed, especially since there is no compromise in power.

As an upgrade option for example on the iPhone 7, the XR's largest screen, its bright color finishes and its considerable power will seduce. Yes, we did not manage to take a picture of our dog in Portrait mode, but we think we can live without this feature for the most part.

Do you order an iPhone XR? Let us know in the comments.