Apple’s iPhone XR is reasonable iPhone
For a year, Apple fans had been hoping for the rumoured 6.1- inch LCD iPhone to become a reality. Apple did make it real — they named it the iPhone XR and put the base version on sale at ` 76,900 for the 64GB variant. There’s a 128GB model for ` 81,900 and a 256GB model that sells for ` 91,900. It looks like the iPhone X but has a lot of corners cut for the sub- Rs 1 lakh price tag.
The XR goes for a slippery 7000- series Aluminium frame instead of the stainless steel seen on the X or the XS. There’s a single rear camera instead of a dual lens setup and the display bezels are slightly thicker. Rest apart, the XR is identical to the XS. The XR also features Dual SIM connectivity, with the second one being an eSIM. The IP67 certification will help it cope well with light showers and accidental spills.
The iPhone XR flaunts a large 6.1- inch LCD display, which Apple likes to call a Liquid Retina display. It renders images at a resolution of 828 x 1792 pixels with a pixel density of 328ppi. The display seems to be on par with the previous models, rendering vibrant colours and natural contrasts are maintained up to natural levels. A new backlight design cleverly stuffed under the visible narrow bezels makes sure you only see what you intend to, not a halo effect peeping from the edges. However, a slight shift in colours is noticeable once you tilt the device at smaller angles — the display loses colour accuracy while viewing off- axis.
As with every new iPhone, the XR is more powerful than anything in the market. Apple has stuffed in the 7nm A12 Bionic chip with a hexacore CPU, a quad- core GPU and an octa- core NPU. Count in 3GB of RAM and iOS 12, and the package is complete. The iPhone XR is fast out- ofthebox — ridiculously fast and capable. The optimised iOS 12 makes sure that all the power available at hand is utilised in the most efficient of ways so as to maintain Apple’s standard of smooth smartphone user experience.
The animations are smooth as silk, with no noticeable lags or stutters anywhere throughout the UI. Sadly, due to the lack of 3D Touch on the XR, iOS 12 turns to haptic feedback for shortcuts. FaceID works like a charm in most lighting situations, even when it goes pitch dark.
The 12MP rear camera takes awesome photos, courtesy of computational photography. Even with Apple’s warmer colour tones style of imaging, the dynamic range, as well as the brightness levels, are rendered accurately. Low light puts some strain on the camera with regards to exposure, but noise was usually invisible. The portrait mode makes for impressive bokeh effects, with Apple improving the edge detection between the subject and the background this time. The 7MP front sensor captures enough details and just the right balance of colours to make sure selfies keep looking good.
With a 2942mAh battery and a power- efficient iOS12, the iPhone XR can stay alive through an entire working day, with around 30 per cent of power to spare on a busy day.
To sum it up, the XR is easily one of the most reasonable smartphones Apple has ever built in recent times.