Although showcased at the same launch event, the new iPhone XR was a bit delayed compared to the XS and XS Max. Apple chose to launch three new iPhones this year and they share a lot of things apart from just the appearance. We’ve already reviewed the XS and XS Max and they represent the very best that Apple has to offer: the best performance, fantastic OLED displays, spectacular cameras and the most premium materials. But they’re also really expensive, especially in India.
Apple thinks there are enough people out there who still want to buy a ‘latest’ iPhone and are willing to compromise on a few features to get it at a lower price. And the price for the new XR is also one of the biggest dilemmas you will face as a prospective buyer. We’ll talk more about this in our conclusion, but first, more about the XR.
The Third New iPhone The ‘R’ doesn’t really stand for anything but the X (ten) in the name tells you that this is an evolution of last year’s iPhone X. We’re now firmly in notch territory and have bid a permanent goodbye to the home button and Touch ID (fingerprint scanner). With XR, you’re getting the very latest Apple A12X Bionic chip, premium metal-glass sandwich design, a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina (LCD) display, wireless charging, Face ID and a single primary camera.
iPhone XR vs XS & XS Max
There are some cutbacks for sure. We think the most obvious differences are the screen and the camera. In order to get the price down, Apple has opted for LCD instead of OLED. This change also means that 3D Touch is missing. The primary camera is a single unit that uses machine learning and AI to give you portrait mode. Because there’s no secondary rear camera, you only get three portrait lighting effects (natural, studio, contour). Then, there is a difference in materials used: XS has a shiny stainless steel frame that looks very premium while the XR has an aluminium frame. Finally, there are some more subtle differences: XR is IP67 rated instead of IP68 and XR has 3GB RAM while XS has 4GB (though Apple doesn’t officially mention the RAM).
Liquid Retina Vs OLED This is going to be a popular subject of debate so we thought it’s best to put forward our viewpoint. First up, unquestionably, OLED is better than Liquid Retina (Apple’s name for their highly optimized, colour corrected LCD screen). Put XR side-byside with XS and you’ll notice that the bezels on the XS/XS Max are thinner and that it displays darker blacks and more vibrant colour. The XR display is 1792 x 828 pixels — significantly short of full HD (you could call it 828p). However, for an LCD, this display is phenomenal. The bezels are the same thickness all the way around (which is highly unusual for an LCD). It has True Tone (to auto adjust colour temperature to your surroundings), 120hz touch sensing (a smoother response), high contrast ratio, wide P3 colour gamut and really high brightness (625nits). In short, the display looks great.
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You get a great experience with augmented reality (AR) apps, smooth 4K 60fps video, fast video editing and a great gaming experience with the XR. Other Highlights You would think the single camera in the XR is a step down but it actually matches the XS for the most part. In terms of quality, sharpness, colours, low light and dynamic range, the XR delivers fantastic results. Next, you can get it some fun colours. In particular, the yellow, coral, blue and Product Red look amazing because the aluminium frame is colour matched to the back glass. Performance from the A12X is mind blowing. This also means you get a great experience with augmented reality (AR) apps, smooth 4K 60fps video, fast video editing and a great gaming experience. The stereo speakers can get really loud and provide good separation between leftright channels. It can also record sound in stereo. Since the Face ID system and front camera is exactly the same as XS, you get the fun Animoji and Memoji features. Finally, battery life is a nice surprise, lasting significantly longer than even the larger XS Max and many other flagships like the Note 9 and Pixel 3.
OnePlus, Apple & Honor: New Tech Launches For Diwali Gifting
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We’re almost at the end of 2018 but the next few weeks are going to be exciting, thanks to some upcoming launches. ET offers some insight on what to expect from these devices:
We’re almost at the end of 2018 but the next few weeks are going to be exciting, thanks to some upcoming launches. ET offers some insight on what to expect from these devices:
Official Announcement – 29 October
OnePlus has been teasing the 6T for a few weeks now. But that won’t stop the rumors and leaks. It’s been officially confirmed that the phone will have an in-display fingerprint scanner and will skip the 3.5mm audio jack. They company has mentioned that the 6T will have a revamped user interface.
According to the leaks, it should have waterdrop style notch display, Snapdragon 845 processor with the usual 6/8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage options. For the camera, leaked renders show the same vertical stack dual camera on the rear and we think it would be a 20MP + 12MP dual camera setup with OIS.
There are also rumors floating around about the addition of a new night mode, a slightly larger 6.4-inch amoled display, 3,700mAh battery, 25MP front camera and wireless charging.
Official Announcement – 29 October
OnePlus has been teasing the 6T for a few weeks now. But that won’t stop the rumors and leaks. It’s been officially confirmed that the phone will have an in-displa..
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Official Announcement – 30 October
Apple sent out launch invites for 30 Oct just a few days ago. Considering that both the iPhone and Apple Watch have been announced, this event is going to all about the new iPad. There have been several leaks already — they indicate two screen sizes with a sleeker design and slim bezels.
If rumours are to be believed, these new iPads will be the first iPads without a home button. And they will have advanced FaceID just like the iPhones. Screen sizes are expected to be 13-inch and 11-inch with Apple Pencil support.
Essentially, these would be upgrades to the existing 10.5 and 12.9 Apple iPad Pro. We’re also expecting the usual hardware update to latest Apple A12 Bionic chip and 512GB storage options. We might also see some new Macs at the event, specifically a revamped MacBook Air and Mac Mini.
Official Announcement – 30 October
Apple sent out launch invites for 30 Oct just a few days ago. Considering that both the iPhone and Apple Watch have been announced, this event is going to all abou..
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Official Announcement – 31 October
At the Honor Play launch event, the company’s president showed a teaser for a successor to the Honor Magic phone launched in 2016. Called the Honor Magic 2, the device seemed to have a FullView display i.e. no visible notch or chin and a slide out mechanism for the cameras — again similar to the Oppo Find X.
They announced at the event that the phone will be powered by Huawei’s flagship Kirin 980 processor. Other confirmed news about the Magic 2 is that it will support 40W super-fast charging speed and will feature 15 layers of protection for battery safety.
The latest leaks hint that the Magic 2 might feature a brand new four camera setup on the rear like the one we have seen on the recently launched Samsung A9. Other rumours for the Magic 2 point to an amoled display and in-screen fingerprint scanner.
Official Announcement – 31 October
At the Honor Play launch event, the company’s president showed a teaser for a successor to the Honor Magic phone launched in 2016. Called the Honor Magic 2, the d..
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Official Announcement – 1 November
Lenovo’s Vice President, Chang Cheng, has been teasing this upcoming flagship on Weibo for the past few weeks. The phone was initially expected on 16 October but rumours suggest a new launch date in November.
As for features, it is already confirmed that the phone will have a quad camera setup on the rear (one is a 2x telephoto lens). Also, the phone has a slide-out mechanism like Oppo Find X and the recently announced Mi Mix 3.
According to the rumour mill, the Z5 Pro will have a 6.4/6.55-inch amoled display with in-display fingerprint scanner.
As for hardware, it is expected to have the current flagship Snapdragon 845 processor paired with either 6 or 8GB RAM, 64 or 128GB storage and a 4,000mAh battery. Up front, the slider will house a 25MP front camera.
In pic: Lenovo Group's VP Chang Cheng shared the invite on Weibo
Official Announcement – 1 November
Lenovo’s Vice President, Chang Cheng, has been teasing this upcoming flagship on Weibo for the past few weeks. The phone was initially expected on 16 October but r..
Where the XR Slips Up If you take a magnifying glass to the display, you will be able to make out individual pixels. The primary issue is not that these pixels are visible, but that they’re visible in a phone that costs this much. Phones that cost as less as Rs 10k have 1080p displays so to have a lower resolution in a flagship phone is a bummer. Portrait mode doesn’t work on objects (it’s only tuned for human subjects). If you switch to portrait and point it at something, it just gives you a cryptic ‘no person detected’ message. Plus you’ll lose out on things that only a dual camera system can do, like 2x optical telephoto and 3D photos on Facebook.
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And to Conclude The XR is probably all the iPhone that most people need. It has a great camera, better battery life than even the XS Max, performance that beats most other phones. But the starting price of Rs 77k is a dilemma. Last year’s iPhone X can be yours for under Rs 70k (factoring in deals/cashbacks). It still has more performance than you’ll need, a great dual camera system, smaller size, more premium build, Face ID, OLED screen and 3D touch. You can’t go wrong with it. Google’s latest Pixel 3 (Rs 71k) and 3XL (Rs 83k) have better cameras. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Rs 68k) offers a more premium feel, beautiful OLED screen and more features. But if you must have an iPhone with the latest features without spending as much as the XS/XS Max, XR is shockingly good.
