It is October 2018, and Apple has just released the ‘people’s’ flagship. The iPhone XR is a technical triumph of balance, bringing the cutting-edge features of the iPhone X to a more accessible price point. At 194g, it features an aerospace-grade aluminium frame and a glass back available in six vibrant colours, from ‘Product Red’ to ‘Coral.’ In the UK, it has instantly become a bestseller, proving that users are happy to accept a few technical trade-offs in exchange for incredible battery life and a massive, modern display.
The technical headline is the ‘Liquid Retina’ display. This is a 6.1-inch LCD (1792 x 828) with 326 PPI, and it is widely considered the best LCD ever put into a smartphone. It features industry-leading colour accuracy and True Tone technology. Under the hood, the XR is an absolute monster, powered by the same A12 Bionic chip found in the more expensive XS. This is the world’s first 7nm chip, featuring a next-generation Neural Engine that can perform 5 trillion operations per second. This ensures that Face ID is incredibly fast and that the most demanding games run with flawless fluidity.
On the imaging front, the XR uses a single 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with OIS. However, thanks to the A12’s computational power, it can still perform ‘Portrait Mode’ with advanced bokeh and Depth Control using software alone. Connectivity is top-tier with 4G LTE Advanced and Wi-Fi ac. Because of its efficient LCD and the massive space inside the chassis, the 2,942 mAh battery provides the best endurance ever seen in an iPhone up to this point. The iPhone XR is a masterclass in compromise-free value; it is a powerful, colourful, and incredibly reliable machine that brought the all-screen future to the masses.