Key Specs
• 6.1-inch Retina display with 326 pixels-per-inch
• A12 Bionic chip with all-new Neural Engine
• Up to 256 GB of storage
• 12 MP camera with optical image stabilization
• 7 MP front-facing camera with Face ID
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Fast wired and wireless charging
• IP67 water-resistant
• Dual-SIM capable
The iPhone XR is the most affordable new smartphone Apple announced this year. With a £749 starting price tag and six available colours, it has been designed to appeal to a significantly wider audience than the ultra-premium iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max.
After almost a full week of testing, we found the iPhone XR to be quite excellent, as well as all the smartphone most consumers will ever need. It has more processing power than any competitor, exceptional battery life, and a fantastic camera.
Like all of Apple iPhones, the XR also brings sleek all-screen looks, superb craftsmanship, and essential everyday features like Face ID, wireless charging, waterproof body, and built-in stereo speakers. With iOS 12 out of the box, the newcomer also features a feature-packed platform, which Apple will keep up-to-date for years.
The iPhone XR is an excellent option for buyers who want a feature-packed phone at a budget-friendly price point. Read on for the specs, plus eight reasons why you’re guaranteed to love it:
1. The iPhone XR is the most affordable new Apple iPhone.
The new iPhone XR is more affordable than the £999+ iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max. It starts at £749—making it cheaper than Apple's other new releases. The iPhone XR sports a durable glass back and an aluminum frame (compared to the other iPhones X, XR, and XR Max's surgical-grade stainless steel frames), but it's still packed with the same A12 Bionic Chip, just at a much lower price point. You have the choice of 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB storage configurations, which cost £749, £799, and and £899, respectively.
2. The iPhone XR is as powerful as the pricier iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max.
The iPhone XR packs the company's latest and greatest A12 Bionic chip with a six-core processor and a vastly improved neural engine that’s almost nine times as powerful as the previous generation. It delivers an exceptionally fluid experience, regardless of how many apps you have open simultaneously. Apple says the chip is 15% faster and 40% more energy-efficient than the iPhone X's A11 Bionic chip.
3. The iPhone XR has a fantastic camera.
The iPhone XR features the same 12-megapixel main camera as the iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max. Powered by an advanced image signal processor and Apple’s Neural Engine, it enables the phone to capture images and 4K video with superb quality and dynamic range regardless of the lighting conditions.
The Neural Engine capabilities enable the iPhone XR to capture excellent portrait images with a blurred background and cool lighting effects. You can control the depth of field to simulate the aperture of a pro-grade lens. We like that you can tweak the depth control after capturing the photos.
The front-facing TrueDepth camera of the iPhone XR can capture excellent selfies, including portrait shots with lighting effects. Of course, the sophisticated sensors tucked around the earpiece of the phone allow you to have fun with Animoji and Memoji as well.
4. The iPhone XR has amazing battery life.
The new iPhone XR supports wireless charging and fast charging, and it's packed with a large battery that'll give you a full day of use. Apple says it lasts 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 8 Plus.
During our testing, we found the iPhone XR to deliver fantastic battery life. We easily got a full day of heavy use between charges. Managing your screen-on time more carefully will likely result in close to two full days of use. We like that, like the pricier iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, the new iPhone XR supports fast wired and wireless charging.
5. The iPhone XR has an excellent Liquid Retina display.
Compared to the more expensive 5.8-inch iPhone Xs and 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max's Super Retina OLED screens, the iPhone XR has a Liquid Retina screen without support for 3D touch. Fortunately, it has an edge-to-edge display like the new models and last year's iPhone X, and it supports "tap to wake" functionality.
For comparison's sake, the iPhone Xs has a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED, the iPhone 8 has a 4.7-inch display, and the iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch display. We think you'll like the bezel-less display much more than your older iPhone's screen because you get a bigger display in a much smaller design.
The LCD display panel of the iPhone XR has exceptional colour accuracy and Apple’s True Tone tech. The latter helps reduce eye strain by automatically adjusting the white balance of the screen to match the ambient lighting around you.
After hours of watching Netflix, YouTube, and YouTube TV, we found the iPhone XR screen to be really excellent. We didn’t find the lack of 3D Touch to be a dealbreaker.
6. The iPhone XR has an all-display design with home button.
Just as Apple did away with the home button on last year's iPhone X, the new iPhone XR doesn't feature a home button, either. Instead, you use gestures to close apps and get back to the home screen. You'll seamlessly unlock your new iPhone using Face ID, because Apple ditched the home button and the Touch ID sensor.
7. The iPhone XR comes in six colors.
We're happy to report that Apple has announced six new colour options for its iPhone XR. You have the choice of black, white, red, yellow, coral, and blue colours. The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max only come in space grey, gold, and silver.
8. The iPhone XR is water-resistant.
If your friend pushes you into the pool, you won't have to mourn the death of your iPhone XR, because it features a water- and splash-resistant body. Apple says that the XR is rated IP67, meaning it can withstand being submerged in 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Apple even tested the water resistance for its new iPhones in chlorinated water, saltwater, orange juice, tea, wine, and beer.
Stefan is the senior technology editor for Best Products, where he’s been covering the tech industry and testing the latest gadgets since 2015. He is an award-winning editor with more than a decade of experience reporting on and reviewing consumer tech products, especially smartphones, tablets, laptops, and audio gear like headphones, earbuds, speakers, and soundbars. Stefan was previously the U.S. editor for GSMArena.com. His writing can also be found in Popular Mechanics.
Brandon Carte has been covering technology at BestProducts.com since 2017, where he's been writing about the latest gadgets, appliances, and scouring the internet for the products that make life easier. His reporting has been featured on TopTenReviews.com, Good Housekeeping and USA Today. When he's not researching washing machines or testing robot vacuums, you can find him at concerts, swimming laps, or at the movies. He thinks smartphones are too big, prefers MP3s to Spotify, and misses his iPhone’s headphone jack.
