Apple iPhone XR Q&A: Your questions answered!
Sharing tons of features and hardware with its more expensive and premium brethren, the new iPhone XR is very likely to become a fan favorite of those users who are reluctant to upgrade to the iPhone XS or the XS Max but still want a taste of the iPhone experience. Even more so for users of older iPhones which are in need of an upgrade, because let's face it, the XR is just as snappy as the XS and XS Max, although clad in cheaper clothes.
Long story short, a few days ago we gave the chance to ask us anything about the iPhone XR. We just got our hands on a snazzy yellow iPhone XR, the most affordable iPhone released in 2018.
Well, most of you asked great questions, which will be given adequate answers right about...
...NOW!
Well, most of you asked great questions, which will be given adequate answers right about...
...NOW!
Apple iPhone XR Q&A
Peaceboy: Does 720p screen is really bad on a phone?
PA: Well, it depends, but in the case of the iPhone XR, the display is good enough. The lower resolution won't be a problem as long as you're not a specs sheet nerd. The pixel density is high enough to prevent you from discerning individual pixels. However, we have a few issues with some other important properties of the display. For one, the LCD that's been employed is a far-cry from the perfect blacks and zero-motion-blur OLED displays found on the more premium iPhone XS and XS Max.
Valdomero: Do videos in general (Youtube, iTunes movies, etc.) are downscaled to 720p when watching at 1080p? Do letters looks blurry?
PA: The YouTube allows you to stream in 1080p, of course - there's an "Auto 1080p" option in the video settings that allows you set an upper limit to 1080p quality. While the pixels might not be physically there, the display will use more of its available ones to display your content as crispy as possible. No, letters don't look blurry when you're using the device normally.
dimas: Xr's screen on time? How's the rear camera, on par with the older iphone x or in-between x and xs? Thanks.
PA: Your mileage may vary, but it wouldn't be uncommon to hit 10 hours or more of usage. Light users might easily hit two days of battery life if they use their XR more sparingly. The XR hit 11 hours and 1 minute in our proprietary battery life test, but real-life usage will probably yield slightly less spectacular results.
The camera itself is in a weird, middle-ground position between the iPhone X and the XS/XS Max. It's not as powerful as the one on the premium iPhones, but thanks to the new sensor and Smart HDR, it's a worthy successor to the discontinued iPhone X.
The camera itself is in a weird, middle-ground position between the iPhone X and the XS/XS Max. It's not as powerful as the one on the premium iPhones, but thanks to the new sensor and Smart HDR, it's a worthy successor to the discontinued iPhone X.
CandyBar: I have a 5S - it's still being updated but it's having some issues with iOS12 - would this be a good upgrade or should I hang in one more year?
PA: Weird that your 5S feels wonky on iOS 12 - the general opinion is that iOS 12 actually reinvigorated older iPhones and iPads. While it will definitely depend on your budget, the XR should be viewed as a very nice upgrade from the iPhone 5S, provided that you will be comfortable with the much larger display footprint. However, seeing that you've been rocking an iPhone 5S for that long and generally don't upgrade every two years, I'd suggest getting the iPhone XS for the ultimate experience in a more manageable footprint.
adecvat: Please, measure all bezels (in mm)
PA: 0.13 inches/3.5mm on the sides and the bottom, including the frame.
vokliam: 1. Are all 3D Touch features still there just in long press form, or some are missing? How do you control pressure when drawing, selecting text using cursor feature, peek, and pop. Another example: long press on an app icon will let you delete/move it function, but forcetouch pops up sub-menu. How does that work on XR? Is there still that reassuring feedback from the Taptic Engine, is there a delay due to lack of 3D Touch?2. XR Pixel arrangement vs OLED pixel atrangment. Are they still pentile or are they aligned - this is important as aligned pixels arrangement looks sharper then OLED pentile pixel arrangement. Just curious for arguments sake. 3. Bezel size comparison close up.
PA: 3D Touch-specific features, like the submenu that appears when hard-pressing the app;s icon to access different shortcuts, are gone. However, long-pressing the icons to access the move/uninstall functionalities gives a reassuring feedback from the taptic engine. As far as the bezels are concerned, the iPhone XR has 3.5mm ones on the sides and at the bottom, whereas last year's iPhone 8 Plus measures up 2.6mm on the sides. Thicker bezels on the XR for sure, but the illusion is further strengthened by the colorful frame - should that one have been dark on all models, maybe the bezels have left the impression of being thinner on not that in your face.
el33t626: How to the speakers compare to the Iphone 8/+, are they the same worse or better ?
PA: The sound is louder and deeper in comparison with the iPhone 8/8 Plus, but we all know louder doesn't equal better. We are happy to report that the base feels richer, while the earpiece is not as tinny as before.
Podrick: Whats the battery usage while streaming 1080p videos? Like how much it goes down in 20 minutes for example?
PA: 2-3% at slightly louder volume. Your mileage WILL vary though.
Whitedot: Which screen looks sharper/crispier Iphone XR vs Iphone 8 Plus?
PA: In real-life usage, it's downright impossible to discern between the two.
irfanmsid For those of you who are as confused between 8 plus / X / Xr as i was: I went and compared iPhone XR to 8 plus , and I was surprised to find the screen and camera much better than 8 plus - definitely worth an upgrade. Camera better than X , although i prefer LCD over oled , due to awesome battery life 8 plus has and more than adequate screen quality. my doubts about Xr feeling bulky and low res screen were cleared , its more compact and closer to Iphone X than 8 plus.
PA: Glad you could compare the two yourself and perceive the minute, slight differences in person. Truly, while the XR might feel like a downgrade on paper, it's a pleasant surprise in real life, and certainly holds a candle to the iPhone 8 Plus and even the iPhone X. If the LCD display is your thing, then there's little doubt you should get the iPhone XR.
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