In all honesty, if you have an iPhone 7 Plus or newer, I would suggest that you can still keep your phone because thanks to iOS 12, your phone would still be extremely quick and snappy. Now, if you have an older phone and is a little more budget conscious, then pick the XR over the Xs and Xs MAX.
You get all the technical benefits except for the camera and the OLED screen. Most people who like to compare OLED versus the LCD can’t really tell the difference in real world use and most of the time if you compare screen time, they noticed that WhatsApp seem to dominate most of their screen time and it really doesn’t matter whether you type your messages using an OLED or LCD screen. Some folks are constantly comparing LCD vs OLED but after asking folks who use OLED screens on a daily basis to try out the LCD screen on the iPhone XR, they can’t tell the difference.
Some folks like to compare specs to specs but in real world scenarios, it doesn’t really matter what specs that reign superior but rather how does the device improve your life. If there is an iOS vs Android comparison or debate out there, I tend to stay clear because everyone is different and it is our own unique appreciation to life is what makes us different.
To me, the iPhone XR over the iPhone 7+ is the size of the phone. Overall, the iPhone XR is smaller than the 7+ but offers a larger sized screen. That was one of the reasons why I decided to pick up the iPhone XR instead of the iPhone XS Max. So why didn’t I pick the iPhone XS instead? I thought that the increase in screen size wasn’t large enough.
The one thing I really do notice and miss is the ability to have the 2x telephoto lens on my iPhone 7+. It makes a great shot and the ability to zoom in to get a tighter crop does improve my photography a bit. Now having just a single lens, I am considering getting an external lens especially the lenses by Moment (58mm telephoto lens) but I am unsure if it fits the iPhone XR. Hopefully a good lens maker will make a 3x or higher telephoto lens for the iPhone XR soon.
Finally, I love how there are so many colours the iPhone XR come in. It forced me to get a clear case which is great but has some issues in the long run especially if it is made in a soft material (it gets yellow). Initially I wanted to get the phone in Yellow but it ran out of stock so I chose my next choice which was blue.
After 3+ months of using the iPhone XR, I couldn’t be happier. Face ID is just so useful especially now that my banking app, 1Password and internal corporate MDM software all utilise it. Logging into those systems are so much easier now and I have been able to be even more productive. Of course, there was some getting used to without the home button but after a couple of weeks, I don’t miss it at all.
In conclusion, if you are looking to upgrade your old aging iPhone, I would not hesitate to recommend the iPhone XR. You definitely won’t regret it and your wallet would also be happy.
