The iPhone XR was unveiled at the beginning of September 2018 during Apple's traditional back-to-school Keynote. It has been available since October 26, 2018. It did not arrive alone on the shelves of Apple Stores, but accompanied by modelsXSetXS Max. It differs from the latter, however, in terms of size, but also in some other technical details. It is also less expensive than its two cousins, truly establishing itself at the time in the iPhone range as the cheapest of the new iPhones.
© iPhon.fr
In 2019, the iPhone XR had a successor, the iPhone 11which we have detailed here. However, Apple has not removed it from its shelves. The machine is still for sale. In addition, due to its already old release date, the iPhone XR can easily be found reconditioned and obviously second hand. In these two cases, this can be particularly interesting, with a low price for a machine that still has something under the hood. Here is all the information you need to know about Apple's iPhone XR.
The main features of the iPhone XR
Design and case: larger than the X/XS/11
The iPhone Its dress is made of glass and aluminum, and the finish is exemplary, as with every Apple product.
© Apple
On the front, we find the typical notch of the iPhone X/XR/XS/XS Max necessary for Face ID and also present on iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.
It is apparently very similar to other smartphones released the same year, XS and XS Max. In fact, the only visual change is on the back of the smartphone. The iPhone XR only has one photo sensor, compared to 2 for the iPhone XS and XS Max.
Let us finish by noting that water resistance is guaranteed IP67, corresponding to impermeability of the case during immersion up to 1 meter deep for a maximum of 30 minutes.
© iPhon.fr
Screen: LCD without 3D Touch
Concerning the screen, the iPhone XR integrates a 6.1-inch diagonal Liquid Retina HD LCD panel. It displays the following resolution: 1792 x 828 pixels at 326 ppi. The contrast is 1400/1 and the True Tone is there. On the other hand, no 3D Touch for the iPhone XR, but Haptic Touch, simulating physical feedback during a long press. Overall, 3D Touch and Haptic Touch allow access to the same shortcuts in iOS.
Processor and RAM
The A12 Bionic processor is the heart of the iPhone XR, equipped with 6 cores and 2nd generation Neural Engine technology. This chip also equips the iPhone XS and XS Max. For RAM, you need 3 GB on the iPhone XR, as on the 2017 X model, or 1 less than the iPhone XS,
Autonomy: very good
The iPhone XR battery, with its 2942 mAh, is capable, according to Apple, of offering an hour and a half of additional battery life compared to the iPhone 8 Plus. Here is an overview of the battery life of the machine depending on use: up to 25 hours of talk time, up to 15 hours of internet browsing time, up to 16 hours of video playback time and up to 65 hours of audio playback time.
According to the feedback seen there, the autonomy of the device is excellent.
Wireless charging is available, as is fast wired charging, which allows 50% charging in 30 minutes with an 18 W adapter (not included).
Connections
The iPhone XR features a Lightning connector, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac with MIMO2x2. LTE supports the 4G Advanced standard. NFC is included, as is dual-Sim with eSim.
© iPhon.fr
The photo and video capabilities of the iPhone XR
Front camera
The iPhone XR has a 7-megapixel front sensor, capable of taking advantage of the new Smart HDR technology in addition to Portrait mode with bokeh effect and portrait lighting. In video, recording is possible up to 1080p at 30 or 60 fps.
Rear camera
On the back, the iPhone XR is equipped with a 12-megapixel camera with f1.8 aperture, the other. The digital zoom can go up to 5x.
The True Tone Flash and Portrait Lighting Mode features are complemented by Smart HDR mode. Video recording can be done up to 4K at 24.30 or 60 fps.
Capacity, colors and price
iPhone XR © Apple
Colors and storage: a wide choice
The iPhone XR is available in 6 different colors, black, coral, yellow, blue, red (ProductRED) and white, making it the iPhone with the largest choice of colors currently on shelves at Apple. Two storage capacities are currently offered by the Californian firm for the iPhone XR, 64 GB and 128 GB.
Price list
The price of the iPhone XR obviously depends on the choice of storage. With 64 GB, it costs 709 euros, with 128 GB, 759 euros. From telecom operators, you can obtain these devices at a more advantageous price by opting for a mobile subscription with commitment (each person is free to take it or not). Our colleagues from Presse-citron made acomparator to find your mobile plan, with commitment or not.
© Apple
Conclusion and opinion
The iPhone XR is certainly the iPhone currently in Apple's range with thebest value for money,as seen in our detailed test. It has everything from the recent iPhone, Face ID, comfortable power, beautiful screen and photo capabilities that are more than sufficient for the majority of users.
So for sure, the notch could scare some people away. But for the moment, Face ID remains the most effective and secure facial analysis unlocking solution of all competitors.
Others might criticize the single sensor on the back of the device. But once again, it should be noted that the iPhone XR is the cheapest model with Face ID in the range currently. In addition, with this single photo sensor, it is possible to produce very beautiful prints and excellent videos up to 4K. We've reached a point where 95% of users don't really need anything more.
Finally, despite the absence of OLED, the screen remains very good. It seems difficult to criticize the latter unless we put it in direct comparison with a more recent iPhone with an OLED screen, and even then…
Only one small regret in my opinion would be noted for the iPhone XR. Its size of 6.1 inchesmight not be suitable for everyone. It requires either large hands or doing a lot of actions with both hands. We therefore advise you to go and try it in a store, in an Apple Store if possible, in order to see how you can interact with the device with one hand, and thus really understand whether the format suits you or not.
In the end, for its price, for the different color variations (including RED which we particularly like), for its Face ID and its technical characteristics, the iPhone XR is, in our opinion, perhapsone of the best iPhones ever released by Apple.
If you ever hesitate between the iPhone XR and the iPhone XS,here is our detailed comparison.See alsohere our complete sheet and our opinionon the successor to the iPhone XR, the iPhone 11, released in 2019.
