Review of the iPhone XR: the best mobile from Apple for its price-performance ratio

Apple's low-cost iPhone XR Series 2018 entered stores in global markets, including India in late October, a month after the launch of the high-end iPhone XS and XS Max.

The iPhone XR is the most affordable Apple mobile of the 2018 series with prices ranging from 76,900 rupees for the 64GB model, 81,900 rupees for 128GB and 91,900 for the 256GB variant.

I have been using the iPhone XR for more than three weeks. I must say that this met my expectations and more than anything, the quality of the photos from the camera was a pleasant surprise for me. Here is my opinion on the new Apple Mobile.

Quality of manufacture and display:

For some bright colors of the iPhone XR, white, black, blue, yellow, coral orange and (PRODUCT) RED are not unlike the iPhone 5C, but the first should in no way be compared to the second. The iPhone 5C had a cheap plastic case and the processor – A6 – was obsolete compared to the A7 (with another processor) added to the iPhone 5S.

On the other hand, the iPhone XR is equipped with an aluminum chassis for aerospace and A12 Bionic, which is the most advanced chipset on the market for the mobile phones (more on this later).

The iPhone XR is premium in every way and on a par with all high end Android phones.

Yes, the iPhone XR uses an aluminum frame and a liquid crystal display, compared to a surgical grade stainless steel display and an OLED display from the iPhone XS series, but everything else is of prime order. The frame is made from a solid material of aerospace quality and thanks to a superb paint job; it's better than any existing Android phone under existing marquee.

In my examination device, the silver-toned frame harmonizes well with the snowy white of the glass hull and even with four white antenna lines, two on the right and on the left, which also complements the color of the iPhone.

It is also endowed with IP67 certifications, which means that the device can withstand accidental splashing of water, rain showers and stay under water up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) for almost 30 minutes.

Even the display, the hype is real, the LCD, as Apple calls it, is its 'liquid retina screen', the best we have seen on the mobile of the same class . To be honest, unless you have an ultra-microscopic eye, you will not be able to make any noticeable difference when you place it next to the Super Retina display of the iPhone XS OLED series.

However, when playing high resolution videos, we can see the difference in terms of brightness, but the clarity remains almost the same. You can see in the comparison picture example the screens of the iPhone XR (top) and the iPhone XS Max (below).

In addition, because of the use of the LCD screen, the glasses are thicker than those of the iPhone XS. But, Apple has done a remarkable job in keeping the overall thickness thin. With the exception of the notch on the top, the bezel on all sides is uniform, which makes it more enjoyable than some rival OLED based phones. What I liked the most is that the chin is very thin, which is for me one of the key aspects to make a phone attractive.

As for the readability of the screen in the light of the sun, the iPhone XR excels in this regard because I had no difficulty reading texts or watching multimedia content on big screen.

Overall, the viewing experience on the iPhone XR compared to the iPhone XS (test), has differences but is negligible and you will not miss much.

Performance:

As previously stated, the Apple iPhone XR comes with a Bionic A12 chipset identical to what we see in the high-end iPhone XS and XS Max. It comes with 6 cores, two high-performance cores and four-core efficiency, which would allow the device to consume nearly 50% less energy than the predecessor, the A11 series.

In addition, it is integrated with an 8-core neural engine, a 4-core graphics processing unit and the new image signal processor. It is capable of performing 5 trillion operations per second.

With such an upscale, the iPhone XR has really met expectations. It worked perfectly, without any sign of lag. It worked smoothly while playing games with intense graphics, such as the Asphalt 9 series and Night Sky augmented reality applications (AR).

On the AnTuTu benchmarking application, she scored a staggering score of 3.25,514 points, which is several notches higher than that of any other Android Android phone on the market. Rest assured that none of the high-end Android phones in the 2018 series, even with a new software update, will ever get close to the established A12 series benchmark.

Camera:

For those who do not know, the 12MP main camera of the iPhone XR with wide angle sensor is identical to that of the iPhone XS series, but it lacks the secondary telephoto lens, which offers optical zoom . Because of this gap, the iPhone XR will lack 2x optical zoom and two portrait options: stage lighting and mono stage lighting.

However, the iPhone XR takes amazing pictures of superior quality. The credit goes to the well-optimized Internet service provider of the A12 Bionic chipset and to iOS 12. With the arrival of iOS 12.1, it is now possible to take real-time portraits in the front and back. the rear.

Yes, the main camera can not capture a non-human face with Portrait mode, but in normal mode with Smart HDR, it still takes nice pictures. In the background, the information on the scene becomes blurred naturally, without resembling a photo purchased with photo. [Check out the Praying Mantis and the tiny shoot on the Christmas tree bark, in the images-slide below].

Regarding the FaceTime front 7MP camera, it is identical to that of the iPhone XS series. It takes great selfies and also offers five portrait options (natural light, studio light, contour light, scene light and mono scene light), which will help you capture high quality single or group images, to post on a social media channel or to add a DP.

Like the iPhone XS series, the XR is one of the best camera phones for video recording on the market. It comes with four microphones, which means users can record 4K video or Full HD 1080p with stereo audio recording.

And also, thanks to the advanced camera hardware and biometric sensor, the Face ID works better and faster than the original iPhone X.

Drums:

According to media reports, the Apple iPhone XR comes with 2,942 mAh, more than the generic iPhone XS. That said, this aspect is very subjective because it depends on the time spent by the user on the phone.

This review of battery life is based on the phone use by the author during active hours – from 5:30 to 22:00. During testing, the battery lasted all day, with just over 20% juice before I could retreat to my bed. During my working hours, I normally browse the Internet to check the latest news, view social media channels for multimedia consumption, track cricket scores via a sports app during the commute to work (about two and a half hours each day, round trip), and at the office, I use it for gaming, text sharing and multimedia content on the Messenger application, voice calls and other daily activities. I must admit that I do not personally play games on phones, but for test purposes, I played for just over 15 minutes.

But, it's really a shame that Apple has not packed a fast charger into the retail box of the iPhone XR. It takes forever to fully charge the mobile with the generic charger with which it is delivered.

In addition, since there is no indication that the AirPower wireless charging mat is entering the market, consumers can purchase Qi-certified third-party chargers for the iPhone XR.

eSIM:

With the arrival of the iOS 12.1, the eSIM feature of the iPhone XR has been enabled, allowing consumers to add a second personal phone number to the Apple mobile. In India, Airtel and Reliance Jio offer this service.

You can store multiple eSIMs on your iPhone, but you can only use one at a time. You can switch eSIMs by tapping Settings> Cellular> Cellular Plans and selecting the plan you want to use. Then tap Activate this line.

Last thoughts:

It can not be denied that Apple has cut the corners of iPhone XR to make it more affordable than the iPhone XS series, but the difference in user experience is too trivial. The first is premium in every way; Even with the lone rear camera with wide-angle lens and the software magic of iOS 12 (even v12.1), the resulting images are excellent, whether day or night.

The front camera is identical to that of the iPhone XS and takes beautiful selfies. Add to that that Face ID works fast and has a lower FRA (Faux Rejection Rate) than the iPhone X (2017).

In addition, it has the same A12 Bionic chipset as the iPhone XS, beats all high-end Android phones in terms of performance.

It also offers an exceptionally long lifespan and I think it's the best among the three new iPhone. Only downside is that there is no fast charger in the retail box, which Apple should seriously consider adding to the next iteration, in 2019.

Advantages:

• Robust construction quality and superior quality
• Good display
• Apple A12 Bionic: the best chipset for a mobile in the industry
• Apple iOS 12 – Most Secure Mobile Operating System
• Long battery life
• The eSIM feature has set a new standard for dual SIM phones because it is easy to activate and also allows iPhone XR (also iPhone XS & Max) to store multiple SIM card details and toggle easily between them.

The inconvenients:

• Without fast charging cable, it takes forever to charge the iPhone XR with the standard AC adapter, supplied with the dealer case.

Main specifications of Apple iPhone XR:

Models	iPhone XR
Display	Liquid Retina HD LCD Screen 6.1 Inch HDR display Resolution: 1792x828p Pixel Density: 326ppi (pixels per inch) Contrast Ratio: 1,400: 1 True Tone Display Large color display (P3) Brightness: 625 cd / m2 max
BONE	Apple iOS 12 (iOS 12.1.1 released)
Processor	Bionic CPU Apple A12 7-core class 7nm + 8-core neural engine + 4-core GPU
Storage room	64GB / 128GB / 256GB
Main camera	12MP Wide Angle (F1.8) Optical image stabilization 5x digital zoom Wide color capture for photos and live photos Quad-LED True Tone flash with slow sync Portrait mode with advanced control of bokeh and depth (F16-F1.4) Portrait lighting with three effects (Natural, Studio, Contour) Smart HDR for photos
Video	4K video recording at 24fps, 30fps or 60fps 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 frames per second Optical image stabilization for video digital zoom up to 3x Supports slow motion video for 1080p at 120 frames per second or 240 frames per second Time-lapse video with stabilization Stereo recording
Front camera	TrueDepth Camera 7MP photos F2.2 opening Retina Flash Extended color capture for photos and live photos Smart HDR for photos Portrait mode with advanced control of bokeh and depth Portrait lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Outline, Scene, Mono Scene) Extended dynamic range for video at 30fps Kinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p) 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps for 60 fps Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity and network	Dual SIM Dual Standby (Physical SIM + eSIM) LTE Class Gigabit, Bluetooth 5.0, MIMO Wi-Fi 802.11ac, VoLTE, NFC with Reader Mode, Wi-Fi Calls, GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / QZSS / GSM / EDGE, UMTS / HSPA +, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev, A (some models) In China: the iPhone will come with two physical SIM cards
Drums	Talk time: up to 25 hours Internet use: up to 15 hours Video playback: until 4 pm Audio playback: up to 65 hours Capable of fast charge: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Add-ons	IP67 rated (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) according to IEC 60529, Face ID: enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition, FaceTime video and audio calls via Wi-Fi / Cellular or any other FaceTime compatible device
Dimensions	150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight	194g
Colors	Blue / White / Black / Yellow / Coral / Red
Price (in India)	64 GB: Rs 76,900 128 GB: 81,900 rupees 256 GB: 91,900 rupees

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