Last year I bought my Apple iPhone X[1] using the T-Mobile Jump On Demand program[2] so upgrading to a new phone this year was a simple option with a small price to pay. I jumped to the iPhone XS Max, but returned it[3] within the two week evaluation period.
Yesterday the new iPhone XR arrived[4] as I decided to try a slightly smaller iPhone with a $10/month lower monthly fee. The iPhone XR may turn out to be the best-selling iPhone in 2018 with compromises made in subtle ways at a price $250 less than the iPhone XS and $350 less than the XS Max.
Also: iPhone XS Max review: The iPhone's future is big and bright[5]
The Apple iPhone XR is the least expensive iPhone released this fall, but it is not the smallest. The iPhone XS has a 5.8 inch display and the iPhone XS Max has a 6.5 inch display. The iPhone XR falls in between with a 6.1 inch display. Compromises made by Apple to get the iPhone XR to be the lowest priced option include LCD instead of OLED, IP67 instead of IP68, haptic touch vs 3D Touch, aluminum vs stainless steel frame, CAT 12 vs CAT 16 LTE support, one rear camera instead of two rear cameras, and 3GB of RAM instead of 4GB.
The iPhone XR has Face ID, the loud stereo speakers, support for Apple's advanced camera software enhancements (Smart HDR, portrait mode, etc) even with just a single rear camera, dual SIM support, and an Apple A12 Bionic chipset. The iPhone XR also has longer rated battery life than the iPhone XS and XS Max.
Specifications
- Processor: Apple A12 Bionic six-core CPU,