ApplesmartphoneLast featured Nov 2020
Apple iPhone XR
Worth it if…Worth it, with caveats.
Impressive camera and powerful, but hard to justify over £700 given how good the alternatives are.
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- Price when I covered it
- 500
- Featured in
- 9 videos · 2018–2020
- Category
- Phones · Mid-range
What I liked
- Still holds up well in daylight
- Similar photo output to the newer phones
- Premium glass design
- Much faster A12 Bionic chip
- 4K 60fps video
- Face ID and IP67 rating
What I didn't
- Android rivals are better
- Two-year-old chip
- Only 4 hours 31 minutes
- Poor value at £500
- Smaller battery than the 11
- Two-year-old hardware
In my words
Straight from the video. Tap a timestamp to hear me say it.
“don't buy the iphone 10r i just think in 2020 it doesn't really make sense especially for the 500 being asked for”
“it's the same in most cases but cheaper and sometimes better”
“the iPhone runs Apple's a 12 Bionic chip which still provides comparable performance to top-tier flagships”
“it's just become hard to justify spending over 700 on phone with a screen like this”
“personally I've not been as impressed by this”
“even the battery life, which was meant to be one of the main selling points of the phone, just hasn't been that great”
Every time I covered it
Most recent first, so you can see if my view has changed.
5:06
2:08iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro / 11 Pro Max / 11 Pro / 11 / XR / SE Battery Life DRAIN Test.Old chip, small battery and a high price make it not worth buying in 2020.
Watch this bit
11:37iPhone 12 - What were Apple thinking?Tells viewers not to buy it, as it is two-year-old hardware for an extra hundred dollars.
Watch this bit
8:50Top 13 BEST Smartphones of 2020 (Mid Year).Compared as a middle affordable iPhone option and beaten by the iPhone 11.
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0:07iPhone SE vs iPhone 11 vs iPhone XR Camera Comparison!Holds up well for a 2018 phone, but the new SE does the same camera job for less, making the XR largely redundant.
Watch this bit
0:14Google Pixel 3a vs iPhone XRClassy glass design, Face ID, better video and a much faster chip, but pricier, with a chunky bezel, LCD screen and a slow 5W charger.
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2:47Top 15 BEST Smartphones of 2019 (Mid Year).Impressive camera and powerful, but hard to justify over £700 given how good the alternatives are.
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1:53Top 15 BEST Smartphones 2018.Less impressed: the screen only matches competitors up to about $350 and the battery life has not lived up to the billing.
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0:00OnePlus 6T vs iPhone XR / XS vs Mate 20 Pro vs Note 9 Battery Life DRAIN TESTFinished last at 5 hours 1 minute, well short of Apple's claims, though he suspects equal-brightness testing is part of the reason.
Watch this bit
Why it's on these shelves
- Premium tax
“it's just become hard to justify spending over 700 on phone with a screen like this”
▶ 3:00
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