Apple's new iPhone XR will go on sale starting Friday, October 26 in various countries around the world, including Italy. It is a less expensive version than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, but still offers a good part of the features of the more expensive models and is a good compromise for those who want to save some money in the purchase of their next smartphone. In recent days, the main US newspapers have published reviews on the iPhone XR: they are all positive and in some cases enthusiastic about its quality, compared to the price it is sold.
Joanna Stern writes in the Wall Street Journal that iPhone XRs are “the right iPhone” for most people: “It has the best features for the price of any iPhone ever made.” The price difference between the basic models of the iPhone XR and iPhone XS is actually noticeable: 889 euros against 1,189 euros, in Italy. Stern explains that he has hardly ever noticed the difference between an XR and an XS, even though the former has a screen with less contrast and resolution (LCD instead of OLED) and a single rear camera, instead of the two on the XS. For the rest, the two models have many things in common: same processor (A12 Bionic), same front camera with facial recognition to unlock the phone, screen on the entire front surface and most of the same features.
From testing for a few days, Stern concluded that the iPhone XRs have “the longest battery life of any iPhone I've tested recently”. They consume less than the XS, lasting up to a couple of hours longer. On the other hand, the problem of charging the battery a bit slow remains in common, but for now Apple seems to have no ambitious and risky plans: batteries are very delicate and require adequate, and progressive, charging cycles to remain stable.
Brian X. Chen of the New York Times during his tests noted the longer battery life of the XR, but remember that all the models on sale today of the iPhone ensure enough duration to arrive in the evening without the phone completely discharged. The XR also proved to be as fast as the XS in terms of computation and capable of taking “very satisfying” photographs even though it has a less complex camera system than the XS.
As for the look of the iPhone XRs and what it feels like to hold them, Chen writes that there are no big differences to the more expensive XS. The materials are equally well finished, although on the XR the rear appears to be less resistant. On the other hand, the XRs are available in a greater number of colors: white, black, blue, yellow, coral and red. Chen says he didn't even notice big differences between the XR's LCD screen and the XS's higher-quality OLED screen – you only notice something by holding them close to each other, mostly because of the ability to more faithfully reproduce large varieties of colors.
On Wired, Lauren Goode writes that the new iPhone XR is “moderately a great smartphone” when compared to the XS, and that most people not obsessed with specs will be fine with this model. He explains that before you decide whether to spend less on an XR or more on an XS, “you have to think how much you care about the differences,” bearing in mind that many of these are in fact negligible. If you put the two models close to each other, for example, you notice that the XS has a border around the screen that is slightly thinner than the XRs and that the former is just a little thinner than the latter. The XS have a stainless steel casing, while the XR aluminum, albeit in the most resistant version possible.
Goode remembers that on the XR there is no 3D Touch, the system for activating additional options in the apps by pressing the finger harder on the screen. The difference is clearly there, but it must be put in context: 3D Touch is one of the least used functions on iPhones, often the users themselves do not remember its existence.
Gizmodo's Alex Cranz writes that, by Apple's standards, the iPhone XRs are indeed a cheaper version of the company's popular smartphones, without having to sacrifice some features or compromise too many. For some, the size of the smartphone, somewhere in between the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, could be a problem: it is about 15 centimeters high and almost 7.6 centimeters wide, with a thickness of 0.83 centimeters (the XS it is 15 centimeters high, 7 in width and 0.77 in thickness). The slightly larger dimensions can still be an advantage, especially for those who are not satisfied with those of the XS and do not want to take more bulky iPhones like the iPhone XS Max.
Cranz also recalls that, if you are not tied to Apple and its operating systems, there are valid alternatives on the market with Android at lower prices than the iPhone XR, even if often with lower quality materials and prospects of a shorter duration over the years. . The rear camera works very well and, thanks to some software tweaks, in many cases produces shots comparable to those of the XS, which can take advantage of two lenses. The yield is better than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus still on sale, with a starting price of 170 euros lower.
In the Washington Post, Geoffrey A. Fowler writes that the iPhone XRs are an excellent solution to have a great smartphone for less than the XS. His advice, before buying online as many do, is to go to a store to see the XR in real life and get a concrete idea of its size. In tests performed prior to writing the article, Fowler noted a longer battery life, in some circumstances up to 3 hours longer than the XS. His review is very positive, one of the most enthusiastic to date: “It's 95 percent good as best as possible, but 75 percent of the price. Think of the iPhone XR as a high-end Toyota versus a Lexus. It is a sparkling Chandon wine compared to a Moët champagne. It's the Backstreet Boys compared to the 'N Sync “.
Nicole Nguyen of BuzzFeed News finally agrees on the quality of the iPhone XR, but adds that this very feature makes choosing the iPhone that best suits your needs much more complicated: “The best feature of the XR is that it is an iPhone below the $ 1000 with the features of an iPhone above $ 1000 “.
All the reviews say that the iPhone XRs are among the best smartphones available today, and at a cheaper price than the XS. There are some trade-offs to consider, but for most people the XRs might be the best solution, if they want to upgrade to a more powerful iPhone than their current ones and save a few hundred dollars. The move may make sense for those with an iPhone 7 or older, while it doesn't make much sense for those who spent over $ 1,000 on an iPhone X last year.
