With more and more smartphones pushing the $1000 mark, it begs the question: Is a $1000 smartphone truly worth more than a less expensive one? In this review, we will be taking a look at one of Apple’s lasted offerings, the $750 iPhone XR, and whether you truly are missing out on anything when purchasing this over its pricier sibling.
Hardware
—–
Let’s start with the build. The phone itself is constructed with only premium materials, an aluminum rail sandwiched between two slabs of glass, resulting in a breathtaking, if brittle, design. This allows for the phone to remain slim while also offering wireless charging, meaning you can plop the phone down on your bedside charging pad without fiddling around for the right cable or port. Despite the fragile build, the iPhone XR does bring IP67 water and dust resistance, meaning your phone will survive accidental splashes but should not go for a swim.
The buttons on the device largely remain the same as previous models, with the volume buttons and mute switch on the upper left, power on the upper right, but what is omitted this time around is the front facing home button and thus, the fingerprint scanner. The former is replaced entirely with swipe-navigation gestures, such as a swipe up from any application to go home, and the latter with FaceID, which takes a 3-dimensional model of your face to authenticate you whenever you interact with the phone. While FaceID can take a bit of getting used to, it does bring a variety of extra features centered around privacy, such as hiding incoming message notifications until the phone has authenticated your face. Of course, the traditional passcode method of entry still works fine as well.
Upon first picking up the device, your eye is immediately drawn to one thing: that gorgeous screen. Now, this has been an area of debate in the tech community, as Apple has chosen to go with a sub 1080p LCD panel rather than XS’s sharper OLED screen, but this is a large factor in how Apple managed to cut the cost of this phone. And honestly, the screen looks gorgeous. Gone are the sharper edges of previous iPhone; the edges of this panel are not edges at all, but curves that melt into the almost non-existent bezel, resulting in a bright, color accurate, near edge-to-edge screen that can immerse all but the toughest of pixel peepers.
It is important to note that Apple has not returned the headphone jack and has in fact removed the lightning to 38mm headphone jack adapter in the box of new iPhones, requiring you to either go bluetooth or purchase the adapter separately for an additional $9. Not cool, Apple.
Internally, the phone sports Apple’s latest A12 Bionic chip with its next generation neural engine, the same processor that is found in both the iPhone XS and XS Max. The performance of this device is solid, and will likely remain like that for years to come.
The cameras on the iPhone XR are a pleasant surprise, with the front facing camera 7 megapixel camera capable of delivering crisp portrait mode selfies with plenty of effects, however subtle or enhanced you choose to make them. The rear facing camera is the same 12 megapixel wide-angle lens found in both the more expensive iPhone XS and XS Max, with portrait mode still available despite the lack of a telephoto lens using artificial intelligence to detect the edges of faces instead, bringing with it adjustable bokeh. It is important to note this particular portrait mode, because of using AI, will only work on human faces right now (sorry Fido!). This does mean, however, that Apple can theoretically push out updates to include pets in future software releases.
Software
—–
The experience of using this phone has been a pleasant and familiar one, with animations being smooth and buttery, and applications opening reliably with very few hiccups. The only noticeable changes are the navigation swipes mentioned above, and those only take a few days to get used to with the gestures being, again, reliable.
That is honestly the main draw of the Apple ecosystem: it just works. Those who have been with Android and thinking of switching will appreciate just how refined the system is, with all Apple products integrating seamlessly together with nary a bug to be seen. And when there is a bug, well, Apple addresses the issue promptly and fixes it (looking at you, creepy FaceTime bug). Your privacy is respected, and ultimate control over which third-party apps can do what is placed in your hands.
Apple devices come at a premium partly for that level of control that Apple exerts over developers and for the amount of resources Apple invests into its retail and support experience. When purchasing an iPhone in store, you know you are getting instant support for data transfer (within the realm of iCloud) and sustained support in the way of free classes and licensed repair technicians ready to fix your beloved devices if the worst happens.
Final Verdict
—–
Is the iPhone XR worth $750, and is it missing much when compared to its more expensive brothers? Yes, and no. What the phone lacks in hardware, it makes up for in software, and there aren’t that many differences to begin with. For the average user, the iPhone XR is the iPhone to buy in 2019, especially if you have an older device to trade in and get a bit of extra cash for… just don’t forget the case!
Tamara Girodie - Portfolio 