Apple

5 Reasons to Buy the iPhone XR & 3 Reasons to Wait

Published

4 years ago

08/11/2020

While some of you might want to commit to Apple’s iPhone XR, others will want to hold out for a few more days, a few more weeks, or longer.

In September 2018, Apple launched a trio of new phones. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max went on sale in September shortly after the event. The third phone, the colorful iPhone XR, went on sale in October.

The iPhone XR might not have all the iPhone XS’ bells and whistles, but it comes with an impressive set of features including a A12 Bionic processor, a 12MP rear camera, lots of color options, lots of storage, and Face ID.

It’s cheaper than the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and the company’s flagship iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models.

The iPhone XR starts at $599 for the 64GB model and goes up to $699 for the 128GB version. It’s cheaper than the iPhone XS, but it’s still a pretty expensive phone. Note that it’s also $200 more expensive than Apple’s new iPhone SE 2.

Those interested in picking up the iPhone XR can find it in stock at Apple, carriers like AT&T and Verizon, and at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

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Spending that kind of money on a new smartphone is a tough decision for a lot of people. That said, there are some great reasons to consider making the iPhone XR your next device.

There are some iPhone XR deals out there right now, but some of them require you to trade-in your current phone. In order to get the most money back, that phone needs to be in great working condition. If you’re looking for a huge price cut, you’ll want to hunt around as we push deeper into 2020.

In this guide we’ll take you through the best reasons to buy the iPhone XR and the best reasons to put your wallet away and wait a little while longer.

Buy the iPhone XR If You Want Good Performance

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If you want a solid performer without the hefty price tag, think about going with the iPhone XR.

The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max come with Apple's best hardware, but they're far more expensive. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max also have better hardware, but they're still fairly expensive.

There are some trade-offs, but the iPhone XR's hardware is very capable and doesn't require a massive investment.

You don't get an OLED display or a second rear camera, but the iPhone XR does come with Apple's A12 Bionic chip and 3GB of RAM (the iPhone XS models have 4GB) and that's going to be more than enough firepower for most of you.

Consumer Reports claims you won't notice a difference between the iPhone XR and iPhone XS/iPhone XS Max "unless you're running a slew of processing-intense applications all at once."

If you're using an older iPhone like the iPhone 6, you're going to notice huge performance gains in key areas like gaming, battery life, and overall speed.

For more, please check out our full iPhone XR review.