The Apple iPhone XR Review: A Different Display Leads To Brilliant Battery Life
by Andrei Frumusanu on February 5, 2019 9:45 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Apple
- Smartphones
- iPhone XR
Camera - Quick Verification
The camera on the iPhone XR is a straightforward matter: It employs the same module as on the iPhone XS and XS Max, meaning we find a new 12MP sensor with 1.4µm pixel pitches and better DTI (Deep trench isolation), as well as an f/1.8 aperture lens along with OIS in the module. The only difference is that the iPhone XR eschews having a telephoto lens – meaning the phone won’t be able to have as high a quality of zoomed in photos as its more expensive XS siblings.
We can quickly verify the picture quality results against the iPhone XS:
[ iPhone XR ] - [ iPhone XS ]
[ iPhone XR ] - [ iPhone XS ]
In both images, the results are virtually identical. This was to be expected, but it’s always good to verify!
Overall, rather than repeating myself here I'm going to refer to the camera section of the iPhone XS review, as all of my analysis there is also valid for iPhone XR – minus the telephoto module, of course.
The iPhone XS Camera Review - Historic iPhone comparisons
Similarly, for readers interested in a broader, more contemporary camera comparison, I'm going to refer to the camera comparison in our Google Pixel 3 review. It contains the most up-to-date camera comparisons across 2018 flagship phones, including results of the iPhone XS against the newest Android competition.
The Google Pixel 3 Review - Most recent full competitive camera review
Overall – the iPhone XR camera shines in the same way the iPhone XS camera did: Apple’s absolute strength here is in terms of picture consistency and the assurance that essentially every shot will come out the same in the best possible way.
Key to making this happen was that this generation’s main camera sensor saw big improvements in terms of resolving details – thanks to the bigger sensor with bigger pixels, as well as the much improved DTI (Deep trench isolation) which is able to reduce noise and improve sharpness. Apple’s new HDR system is also a big upgrade for the new iPhones, as it manages to capture a much greater dynamic range in virtually all scenarios. Low-light performance of the new iPhones is also good – although Apple doesn’t use some of the new-fangled computational photography magic that is now standard on Huawei devices, and was most recently adopted by Google’s Pixel phones.
Another aspect of the camera that is understated for the new generation of phones is an absolute huge jump in video recording quality. Here the dynamic range in video recording has seen immense jumps – and together with Apple’s first-time introduction of stereo audio recording, actually makes the new iPhones, including the XR, what I find to be the best smartphones on the market for video recording.
The lack of a telephoto lens on the XR is something that needs to be subjectively evaluated based on your experience and needs. On one hand, I do find it quite useful and a feature I would probably miss – but on the other hand it’s also not something that I find to be a deal-breaker or represent a key deciding factor when having to choose between different smartphones. It’s a feature that augments the camera experience, but one can also live without it.
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bernstein - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
Given a 4 year lifespan (which at this point is very likely as new iphones bring basically nothing to the table) the XR costs $7/month less than the XS max ($23/month). So unless you have an EXEPTIONALLY cheap monthly plan or have to get the newest cheapest iphone every year, it's just not worth saving to get the XR.I'd rather get a cheaper plan (currently $25 all unlimited)....
melgross - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
When pointing out sales, several things have to be taken into account. The first is that sales of smartphones has fallen overall. That affects Apple too. Second are the problems related to the arrest of the Huawei executive. Unlike hitting a Chinese company, this targeting a Chinese official from a major Chinese company, is considered to be a major breach, even if she, and the company are guilty of the accusations, resulting in a lack of “face”. As a result, major corporations in China have been directed to discourage employee purchasing of iPhones in favore of Huawei products, which iPhones purchasers being fined for that purchase.Then, China is in a massive economic slowdown the latter part of 2018, which is continuing into 2019.
All of this results in a slowdown in iPhone sales there. China has been 27% of Apple’s sales overall, so a slowdown there hurts. However, in almost every other area, Apple’s sales were up.
So this issue is more complex that just a matter of pricing.
ksec - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
The Table mentions XR of Cat 12, and 1Gbps. which doesn't go together. The XR max out at 600Mbps. The same as last year iPhone X, and it doesn't support LAA.jakeuten - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
Cat 12 is 600 Mbps. The XS/XS Max are the Cat 16 which is 1 Gbps, which the chart accurately reflects.ksec - Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - link
The Chart has been corrected since I posted.Ryan Smith - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
Thanks!yeeeeman - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
You should add to the title: "and a back to the past travel to 2010 experience". How stupid can a person be to buy a phone with 750$ and have a worse display than most 100$ Chinese phones? Heck, 70$ phones have 720p display. Damn!FreckledTrout - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
Apple is getting the third best battery life behind only the Huawei Mate 9 and 20 which both have very large batteries and are only Full HD. Personally I would take the battery life over the nicer screen and I think a lot of people are in my camp. The price just needs to come down $150-200 on all the iPhones models, if Apple would like to start selling more of them.jakeuten - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
The resolution on the panel is greater than 720p, and the iPhone 8 also had the same pixel density.Maxpower2727 - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
How stupid can a person be to sincerely think that resolution is the one and only factor that determines display quality. According to the article your commenting on (if you even bothered to read it), the XR has a phenomenal display in every measure except resolution.