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
Battery Life - Excellent
For all their strengths, battery life is the one aspect where things didn’t quite pan out for the iPhone XS and XS Max. Even though Apple promised that the phones would see longer battery lifetimes in day-to-day usage, in our tests we weren’t able to replicate this. The main reason for both models not being able to match the battery life of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus is because of their significantly higher base power consumption. I’ve attributed this to the OLED display – here either the OLED panel itself or the DDIC driving the panel see a big degradation in base power consumption, amounting to an extra 150mW. This is a figure that is unavoidable and a power drain that will be present any time the screen is on – no matter the actual display brightness.
The iPhone XR avoids this issue as it uses a more conventional LCD screen:
As expected, because the XR doesn’t suffer from the same high base power consumption, this significantly helps the actual battery life results for the phone. Here we see the iPhone XR reach the highest battery runtimes of any past iPhone – almost beating some of the record holders – and is only outmatched by the more recent Mate 20 with its 33% larger battery.
The results here are a lot more in line with the iPhone 8 Plus, and better represent the overall power efficiency improvements of the A12 SoC. Compared to the iPhone XS and XS Max, the XR lasts 37% and 25% longer respectively in our test.
Overall, if battery life is something you value the most, then the iPhone XR will absolutely not disappoint.
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Maxpower2727 - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
*you're* commenting on. Damn autocorrect.FreckledTrout - Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - link
LOL you had to grammar natzi yourself due to no edit. For some reason this made me laugh.AceMcLoud - Thursday, February 7, 2019 - link
How clueless are you to think resolution is the only determining factor of display quality. Additionally, life is too short for a slow smartphone, hence no Android for me.Icehawk - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
I bought a new iPhone recently, and I went with an 8+. I just don’t see the need to spend $1k on a phone nor replacing it as often as when they were subsidized. I chose the 8 because I wanted the fingerprint scanner and not a face scan and it provided all the extras (screen size, telephoto) in a format that is still excellent IMO. I replaced a 7+ that I would have kept but was shuffling phones around so I could give my parents one so they can FT my kid. Performance was just fine for my usage too so there wasn’t a tech reason for a new one. This is a large part of why sales are down across the board for phones. Just like with PCs.cha0z_ - Monday, February 11, 2019 - link
The technology matured and true - nowdays no matter how much you bump the specs - from years enough power is there to run smoothly the OS + open the apps fast and run the games smooth. Cameras are good from a few generations too... really, nothing to ditch your old phone and spend 1000+ euro on a new one that will do basically the same just a little bit better.AdditionalPylons - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
With Apple's limited number of models it's hard for very many people to find an iOS device to suit personal preferences (and wallets!). This round Apple clearly prioritised CPU performance over low cost, better screen technology, dual cameras etc.Personally I don't think I would mind the screen, but I would have preferred dual cameras, lower price and smaller size. I think an SE 2 would be perfect for me! Ended up buying a used 6S to replace my 5S.
Losttek - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
I switched to the XR from the S9, and like the review said the battery life is just freaking amazing. It's the first smartphone I've had where I never have to worry about my phone dying. I don't know why Apple doesn't push this aspect of the phone more, instead all their stupid ads focus on all the color choices.Screen PPI is a bit of a bummer, but I got used to it within a couple of days. But one thing that still kind of bugs me is the weight of this phone. It feels significantly heavier than any phone I've held, and I still haven't gotten used to the weight despite it being months since I've bought it. It's a minor complaint though. But overall, this is the best phone experience I've had in a long, long time. Runs smoother than any Android phone, gesture navigation is great, no mysterious battery drains, and my god upgrades direct from Apple. Don't get me wrong, iPhones still have plenty of issues and limitations, but it's kind of refreshing to see what the other side has to offer.
CHJ - Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - link
The weight is indeed noticable, especially with any case that offers a decent amount of protection. My fingers and wrists ache sometimes from holding it (the width plays a role in that as well).cha0z_ - Monday, February 11, 2019 - link
They don't advertise it that much as this will put the *a lot* more expensive iphone xs and xs max in a bad spot light.beggerking@yahoo.com - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - link
umm... battery life isn't improved because of screen technology... its because its displaying at a much lower resolution...