The iPhone XR: A Compelling Alternative to the iPhone XS

Hey guys, this is Austin. The iPhone XR has been a topic of controversy, with some people hailing it as the best affordable option and others criticizing its compromises compared to the more expensive iPhone XS.

On one hand, the iPhone XR is the cheapest of the new iPhones, making it an attractive option for those on a budget. However, on the other hand, you're giving up some key features and improvements that make the iPhone XS stand out from the competition.

One of the most notable differences between the two phones is their displays. The iPhone XS has a higher-resolution OLED screen, while the iPhone XR uses an LCD panel with a resolution of 1080p. However, as our resident screen testing expert Wes pointed out, the iPhone XR display is surprisingly good, even though it's not as high-end as the OLED screen.

Wes spent a lot of time with the iPhone XR and was blown away by its brightness, which reaches an impressive 650 nits. He also found that the color accuracy on this phone is better than even some of the older Apple LCD panels, such as the one used in the iPhone 8.

In terms of performance, both phones are powered by the same A12 Bionic chip, so you can expect similar speeds and responsiveness. However, the iPhone XS has more storage options available, including a 512GB model that's not currently available on the XR.

One area where the iPhone XR does fall short is in its form factor. With a 6.1-inch display, it fits nicely between the 5.8-inch iPhone X and the 6.5-inch XS Max, making it an excellent option for those who want a phone that's easy to hold and use with one hand.

The battery life on the iPhone XR is also a major selling point. In our testing, we found that this phone lasts significantly longer than some of its competitors, including the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Another advantage of the iPhone XR is its pricing. With a starting price of $250 less than the base model iPhone XS and $350 less than the XS Max, it's an incredibly affordable option for those who want to experience the latest technology without breaking the bank.

Overall, while the iPhone XS may have some minor advantages in certain areas, the iPhone XR is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a reliable and feature-packed smartphone at a fraction of the cost.

So, what do you think? Is the iPhone XR the best value phone on the market today? Join us in the comments below to share your thoughts.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this is Austin.The iPhone XR has beencontroversial to say the least.On one hand this is by far thecheapest of the new iPhones,but on the other you are losinga lot compared to the XS.So to find out if it's really worth it,I switched over to thisas my daily driver.Sure, it might look like theiPhone 5c at first glancewith the bright flashy colors,but whereas the iPhone 5c was essentiallyjust the last generationiPhone in a plastic shell,the XR is properly a flagship.That means you've got the same excellentApple A12 Bionic chip, whichis hands down the fastestthat you'll find in a phone today.Seriously the benchmarks embarrasseverything else out there.Say what you will about Apple,but they are absolutelyon top of their gameas far as SOCs are concerned.As far as photos go, itreally is only secondto the Google Pixel 3 right now.As far as video is concerned,I would argue that the XSand the XR are the bestthat you can find on a smartphone.(violin plays)Because I really wantedto give this a try,I used the XR as my onlycamera at a recent eventand it held up surprisingly well.Now, no there is no telephoto option,which is definitely the main thingthat you do lose over the XS.I'll get into that a little bit later,but the basic story,the main thing that you'regonna find with the XRis that the camera herefor what you're taking90% of your photos with isexactly the same as on the XS.There's also the samegesture based navigationfrom the X and the XSand that really does helpthat A12 feel even faster.There's also the samefast wireless charging,the same Face ID,and the same excellentsounding front firing speakers.There is definitely no doubtthat there is a lot ofiPhone XS DNA inside the XR.Of course it's not all perfect.There are definitely some thingsmissing compared to the XS.The first one is easy, theXR has IP67 water resistancelike the last couple years of iPhones,however the XS does up thatto the slightly more robustIP68 water resistance.Something else you mightnot necessarily notice,but it's still here is thatthis lacks the same gigabitLTE connection as the iPhone XS.Now as of right now there's actuallyvery little speed differencethat I've been able to test,but as LTE networks getfaster over the next few yearsthe XS should have aslight advantage there.You've also got a bit less RAM.Three gigabytes on the XRversus four gigs on the XS.Now unless you have them side-by-sideor if you use both the XS and the XRthe difference is pretty hard to spot,but as someone who hasactually used a XS and a XR,I can notice that apps don't lastas long in memory on the XR.Now to be fair memory managementis pretty solid on iOS,so it's not exactly a big deal,but that is one performanceadvantage you will findgoing with the XS.We're also looking at aluminuminstead of stainless steel.Now this is something Idefinitely do prefer on the XS.It not only feels a little bit heavier,but it just gives it a little moreof a nicer feel in the hand.Probably the most noticeablecutback is with the camera.So like I said the front cameraas well as the rear cameras are identical,but what you don't have hereis the telephoto option.Now sure you've got digital zoomand while it does get the job done,even though the telephoto camera on the XSisn't exactly great it isa lot clearer when it comesto actually punching in on a subject.You've also got a prettyseriously cutback portrait mode.Since you don't have that telephoto camerato get that extra depth information,it has to entirely use software to cut outand it only really workswhen you actually have a face in the shot.It works, it's fine,but it's no where nearas good as on the XSor even on the Pixel.Something a little bit more subtleis that the bezels are slightly thickerand that is thick with apair of C's my friends.- No don't dothat, don't do that one.Oh God no.- T-H-I-C-C, thick!Now, for real, it's actuallynot a big difference,I think unless you have them side-by-side,it's really not enough to notice.What you will notice is the display.Not only is the screen a lower resolution,but it also uses the older IPSstyle from previous iPhones,whereas the iPhone X and XS use OLED.On paper it's not all that impressive,but actually take alook and use the screenand it's really not bad.So for an IPS panel,one of the main downsidesis typically contrast,but this actually is apretty contrasty panel.And Apple has done a lotof work with anti-aliasingthe edges to make sure theroundabout, the roundabout?The, what do you call it, the curves?The--- The edges.- The edges, thank you!Edges, I know words.The edges are nicelyrounded and on top of that,the black of the actual display up topdoes match nicely with the notch.They did good job withmaking the IPS panellook quite bit like an OLED panel.However, specs definitelydon't tell the entire story,actually use the iPhone XR displayand it's surprisingly good,even though it might be sub-1080p.So joining me today is ourresident screen testing expert,Wes, he spent a lot of time with the XR.What do you think?- I think that the display is fantastic.- Even though it's sub-1080p?Isn't that deal breaker?- Even though it's sub-1080p.- One of the mainthings that surprised mewas that this is the brightest smartphonethat we've ever actually tested.It was what, over 600 nits?- Yeah, it was roughly 650 nits.What we're seeing are ultimatelysome of the best colorsthat I've ever seen.- So, you ran it through thefull suite of colors tests?- Yes, the entire suite.- You also foundthat this is this isa more color accurate panelthan the OLED on the XS, right?- Yeah, not only that, I actuallywent back to the iPhone 8.- Okay.- To look at an olderApple LCD panel, andthis is actually betterthan the iPhone 8.- One downside is thatyou do lose 3D Touchwhich has been on all iPhonesdating back to the iPhone 6S.Now this is a little bit more annoyingthan a lot of the other things here,mostly because I actuallydo use the shortcutof being able to hold and3D Touch on the actualkeyboard to move my cursor around.Now there are someworkarounds for example,on the keyboard, you nowhold down the space bar.But still, 3D Touch is a little bitof a weird one to remove.Now it is definitely not all bad news.Some stuff is actually better on the XR.First of all, it has a unique form factor.With a 6.1 inch display,it fits nicely in betweenthe 5.8 inch iPhone XSand the 6.5 inch XS Max.For me, while I lovedthat huge XS Max screen,it's just too big to use with one hand.Whereas the XR is a little bit betterand the XS is basically perfect,but I think this is verymuch a subjective thing,so it really does justcome down to actuallytrying each one of them tosee what's the right size.The XR, I think is a goodsweet spot for a lot of people.I think this point will easily get buried,but I really do think that the iPhone XRhas the best battery life ofany iPhone I've ever tried.It's legit my favoritefeature of the phone.Then there are the colors,now sure, if you reallydo want a yellow phone,dbrand.com is the place to be.But as far as I'm concerned,I really do dig this yellowwith the gold color scheme.The real reason most peopleare going to buy the iPhone XR though,has nothing to do withany of these features,it's the price.At a full $250 less than the base XSand $350 less than the XS Max,this is just straight up a better deal.Surprisingly, Apple even pricedthe storage upgrades pretty reasonably.To go from 64 gigs which is the base modelup to 128 gigs is only $50.To put things in perspective,a 128 gig iPhone XRis a full $100 cheaperthan a 128 gig Pixel 3.I can't believe I'm about to say this,but this is an Apple product,which is actually kindof reasonably priced.Ultimately, what you'regetting here is a phonethat does fall short ofthe XS in a few areas,but overall especially whenyou consider the price,this really is the iPhonethat most people should pick up in 2018.And well, most of 2019.Not gonna lie, I'm gonnakeep rocking it for a while.