REVIEW
iPhone XR
Just Short of The Best
Although showcased at the same launch event, the new
iPhone XR was a bit delayed compared to the XS and XS Max. Apple chose to
launch three new iPhones this year and they share a lot of things apart from
just the appearance. We’ve already reviewed the XS and XS Max and they
represent the very best that Apple has to offer: the best performance,
fantastic OLED displays, spectacular cameras and the most premium materials.
But they’re also really expensive, especially in India.
Apple thinks there are enough people out there who
still want to buy a ‘latest’ iPhone and are willing to compromise on a few
features to get it at a lower price. And the price for the new XR is also one
of the biggest dilemmas you will face as a prospective buyer. We’ll talk more
about this in our conclusion, but first, more about the XR.
The Third New iPhone
The ‘R’ doesn’t really stand for anything but the X
(ten) in the name tells you that this is an evolution of last year’s iPhone X.
We’re now firmly in notch territory and have bid a permanent goodbye to the
home button and Touch ID (fingerprint scanner). With XR, you’re getting the
very latest Apple A12X Bionic chip, premium metalglass sandwich design, a
6.1-inch Liquid Retina (LCD) display, wireless charging, Face ID and a single
primary camera.
iPhone XR vs XS & XS Max
There are some cutbacks for sure. We think the most
obvious differences are the screen and the camera. In order to get the price
down, Apple has opted for LCD instead of OLED. This change also means that 3D
Touch is missing. The primary camera is a single unit that uses machine
learning and AI to give you portrait mode. Because there’s no secondary rear
camera, you only get three portrait lighting effects (natural, studio,
contour). Then, there is a difference in materials used: XS has a shiny
stainless steel frame that looks very premium while the XR has an aluminium
frame. Finally, there are some more subtle differences: XR is IP67 rated
instead of IP68 and XR has 3GB RAM while XS has 4GB (though Apple doesn’t
officially mention the RAM).
Liquid Retina Vs OLED
This is going to be a popular subject of debate so we
thought it’s best to put forward our viewpoint. First up, unquestionably, OLED
is better than Liquid Retina (Apple’s name for their highly optimized, colour
corrected LCD screen). Put XR side-by-side with XS and you’ll notice that the
bezels on the XS/XS Max are thinner and that it displays darker blacks and more
vibrant colour. The XR display is 1792 x 828 pixels — significantly short of
full HD (you could call it 828p). However, for an LCD, this display is
phenomenal. The bezels are the same thickness all the way around (which is
highly unusual for an LCD). It has True Tone (to auto adjust colour temperature
to your surroundings), 120hz touch sensing (a smoother response), high contrast
ratio, wide P3 colour gamut and really high brightness (625nits). In short, the
display looks great.
Other Highlights
You would think the single camera in the XR is a step
down but it actually matches the XS for the most part. In terms of quality,
sharpness, colours, low light and dynamic range, the XR delivers fantastic
results. Next, you can get it some fun colours. In particular, the yellow,
coral, blue and Product Red look amazing because the aluminium frame is colour
matched to the back glass. Performance from the A12X is mind blowing. This also
means you get a great experience with augmented reality (AR) apps, smooth 4K 60fps
video, fast video editing and a great gaming experience. The stereo speakers
can get really loud and provide good separation between left-right channels. It
can also record sound in stereo. Since the Face ID system and front camera is
exactly the same as XS, you get the fun Animoji and Memoji features. Finally,
battery life is a nice surprise, lasting significantly longer than even the
larger XS Max and many other flagships like the Note 9 and Pixel 3.
Where the XR Slips Up
If you take a magnifying glass to the display, you
will be able to make out individual pixels. The primary issue is not that these
pixels are visible, but that they’re visible in a phone that costs this much.
Phones that cost as less as ₹10k have 1080p
displays so to have a lower resolution in a flagship phone is a bummer.
Portrait mode doesn’t work on objects (it’s only tuned for human subjects). If
you switch to portrait and point it at something, it just gives you a cryptic
‘no person detected’ message. Plus you’ll lose out on things that only a dual
camera system can do, like 2x optical telephoto and 3D photos on Facebook.
And to Conclude
The XR is probably all the iPhone that most people
need. It has a great camera, better battery life than even the XS Max,
performance that beats most other phones. But the starting price of ₹77k is a dilemma. Last year’s
iPhone X can be yours for under ₹70k (factoring in deals/cashbacks). It still has more
performance than you’ll need, a great dual camera system, smaller size, more
premium build, Face ID, OLED screen and 3D touch. You can’t go wrong with it.
Google’s latest Pixel 3 (₹71k) and 3XL (₹83k) have better cameras.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (₹68k) offers a
more premium feel, beautiful OLED screen and more features. But if you must
have an iPhone with the latest features without spending as much as the XS/XS
Max, XR is shockingly good.
Hitesh.Bhagat@timesgroup.com
ET7NOV18
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