#SmartphonesFaceoff: Apple iPhone XR v/s iPhone X: Which is better?
Apple's latest iPhones - the iPhone XR, iPhone Xs, and iPhone Xs Max - are now available for purchase in several countries including India. However, 2017's Apple flagship, the iPhone X, continues to be a great buy considering the recent price cut and additional festive sale offers. Hence, if you're looking to buy iPhone XR, should you rather consider iPhone X? We find out.
At a glance
Both the iPhone X and XR feature curved glass casing with the former having a polished stainless steel frame while the latter gets a color-matched 7000-series aluminum frame. Both phones also come with IP67 dust and water-resistance. However, despite an identical notch and screen design, the iPhone XR has all-around prominent bezels while the iPhone X sports a truly edge-to-edge screen. Winner: iPhone X.
All about the screen
The iPhone X features a 5.8-inch OLED Super Retina display with 458ppi of pixel density and 2,436x1,124 resolution. The iPhone XR comes with a 6.1-inch "Liquid Retina" LCD display with a 1792x828 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 326ppi. Moreover, iPhone X has pressure-sensitive 3D touch display while the XR gets a new Haptic Touch. Winner: iPhone X for an evidently better display.
For the shutterbugs
The iPhone XR sports a single 12MP (f/1.8) wide-angle rear camera with OIS, and 5x digital zoom. The iPhone X gets a dual-rear camera setup comprising a 12MP (f/1.8) wide-angle camera with OIS, paired with a 12MP (f/2.4) telephoto lens with OIS and 2x optical zoom. Winner: iPhone X for offering lossless optical zoom via the telephoto lens.
For the love of Selfies
Up front, both the iPhone X and iPhone XR sport the same 7MP TrueDepth RGB camera with f/2.2 aperture. Additionally, the front camera on both phones also assists Face ID - 3D facial scanning based biometric authentication that debuted on iPhone X. However, this year, Apple has improved the responsiveness of its Face ID feature, giving iPhone XR a marginal upper hand.
All the important stuff
The iPhone XR is powered by the latest 7nm A12 Bionic chipset, paired with an 8-core Apple-designed Neural Engine, 3GB RAM and comes in 64GB/256GB/512GB storage options. The iPhone X features Apple's A11 Bionic chipset, paired with 3GB of RAM and comes in 64GB and 256GB of non-expandable storage options. Winner: iPhone XR for packing the industry-leading chipset.
Lifeblood of your smartphone
In terms of sensors, both the iPhone X and iPhone XR pack a standard array for sensors with the latter having slightly improved Face ID features (discussed before). Further, in terms of software, the iPhone XR runs iOS 12 out-of-the-box whereas iPhone X is upgradeable to the lasted iOS version. Hence, with both the phones offering the same features and experience, it's a tie.
Staying connected
In terms of connectivity, both the X and XR support Wi‑Fi 802.11a/c with MIMO, VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and NFC with reader mode. However, with support for dual SIMs (Nano + eSIM), the XR has a clear advantage. Further, the iPhone X packs a 2,716 mAh battery whereas the XR gets a slightly bigger battery (figure not known). Winner: iPhone XR.
Pricing: The key factor
The iPhone XR costs Rs. 76,900 for the 64GB storage variant, Rs. 81,900 for the 128GB model and Rs. 91,900 for the 256GB variant. On the other hand, the iPhone X 64GB and 256GB variants are now priced at Rs. 91,900 and Rs. 1,06,900. However, during festive sales, the iPhone X 64GB variant becomes available for as low as Rs. 70,000.
How things stack up!
While iPhone X has an OLED display, XR has an LCD panel (the difference is barely noticeable). Likewise, iPhone X gets a dual rear-camera while XR has a single shooter (performs equally well). That said, XR has the latest internals, a bigger battery, dual SIM support, and improved Face ID. Winner: iPhone XR. But iPhone X on a discounted price is a great buy.
