By: Guy Tal Hauser
After the XS and XS Max went on sale shortly after their unveiling, the iPhone XR is now available for preorder on the Apple site.
The more affordable of the three new iPhones looks like it’ll be the most popular iteration of Apple’s “affordable option” phone. While there are a couple of alterations to the phone that make it cheaper than its brothers, they’re not really that drastic.
We covered the differences in the phones when they were first announced, but as a quick refresher here’s what you need to know: the iPhone XR has an LCD display instead of OLED and…that’s about it.
Ok fine, it’s water-resistant only up to one meter instead of two, and it lacks 3D Touch capabilities. Some might miss 3D Touch, but I ask you honestly, how often do you use 3D Touch? It’s admittedly a fantastic feature but for some reason it’s never really caught on. Apple seems to know that which is why they were willing to deep-six the option when designing the XR.
The XR is considered an upgrade over the X. The screen is 6.1 inches, over the X (and even the XS) screen which is 5.8 inches. It includes the A12 Bionic chip which is found in all of the new phones. It also includes the next-gen Neural Engine. That means it’ll function way faster and more reliably than your X.
The camera is pretty on par with the XS and XS Max, only losing the dual optical image stabilization and optical zoom. Sure, those are capabilities you’ll probably miss but ask yourself this – is it worth an extra $250 to you? If so, then upgrade to the XS. If it’s not, then you have a cheaper option available to you in the XR.
The XR’s storage capacity only goes up to 256GB, whereas the other two models reach 512GB. I’ll argue that 512GB is gluttonous and unnecessary. My X has 256GB of storage and I’ve only used 156GB. With cloud technology and streaming options, there’s little need to store an ungodly amount of content directly on your phone.
So that’s my spiel. If you’ve got the money to blow, then pony up for the XS or even the XS Max, but if you’re looking to be frugal, then the XR is a pretty solid option.
You can preorder the iPhone XR for as little as $749 or $37.41 a month if you use the iPhone Upgrade Program. Phones will start shipping on October 26.
About Guy Tal Hauser
Guy Tal Hauser is a regular tech beat reporter and Videographer for NewsWatch. He lives in Maryland with his wife and loves all things tech.
