iPhone XS vs. iPhone XR: Compare Price, Specs, and Design

On Wednesday, September 12th, 2018, Apple unveiled a total of 3 new iPhones:

• iPhone XS/XS Max – Starting at $999
  • Apple’s new flagship iPhone, pronounced “iPhone Ten S” and “iPhone Ten S Max”
  • Highest-performance iPhone available
  • Glass front and back, dual cameras, 3 colors
  • XS = same size as current iPhone X
  • XS Max = same features as iPhone XS, but bigger (size of current iPhone 8 Plus)
  • OLED Display – same as current iPhone X
• iPhone XR – Starting at $749
  • lower-priced, economical iPhone option (Read more about iPhone XR)
  • More color choices than XS
  • Single camera lens, but same True Depth and bokeh control as XS
  • Aluminum body, not glass like XS
  • Liquid Retina display = Edge-to-edge LCD (first ever!)

The new iPhone XS & iPhone XS Max are the latest top-of-the-line models, with all the new features released by Apple. That also makes the ‘XS’ and ‘XS Max’ the highest priced option, starting at $999 and $1,099 in the United States. Comparatively, the iPhone XR will start at $749 and go up from there.

The Apple iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max can be configured with 64GB, 256GB, 512GB storage configurations. 512GB is new this year, exciting for those who frequently run out of storage on their iPhone. The iPhone XR is available in 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB. That’s right, if you’re set on the new 512GB option, your only options are the XS and XS Max.

Which new iPhone is right for you?

The iPhone XR may be a good fit for you if:

• You don’t need dual-lens cameras on the back
• 256GB max storage is sufficient (XR goes up to 512GB)
• You want more color choices (XR available in Blue, White, Black, Yellow, Coral, and (PRODUCT)RED.)
• You don’t need/want the edge-to-edge display found on iPhone X

The iPhone XR base price starts $250 lower than the XS, but you give up a few of the bells and whistles available only on the XS and XS Max. Surprisingly, the trade-offs aren’t as severe as you might expect. The most notable features not available on the iPhone XR fall into 3 categories: display, camera, design.

iPhone Screen: XR vs. XS

Similar to last year’s new iPhone X, Apple’s new iPhone XS has a 5.8-inch display, compared to the iPhone XS Max which has a larger, 6.5-inch display. The iPhone XR falls in the middle of those two, with a display measuring 6.1-inches.

The first thing you’ll notice on the iPhone XS is the beautiful OLED display (introduced with iPhone X), but as one of the most expensive components of the device, the iPhone XR is equipped with an LCD display to help cut costs. Because of the low-cost LCD on the iPhone XR, the display does not extend from edge-to-edge – whereas the OLED display on iPhone XS/XS Max/X is capable of edge-to-edge placement.

The iPhone XR’s LCD resolution is reportedly 1792×828 pixels (326 pixels per inch), which is significantly lower than the iPhone XS display resolution of 2436×1125 px, (458 pixels per inch).

iPhone Design: XR vs. XS

The back of the iPhone XR is made of glass, therefore it supports wireless charging (featuring Qi support). The iPhone XS and XS Max have new technology enabling rapid charging when placed on a wireless charger; the iPhone XR will be limited to 7.5W when charging over wireless.

Hard to notice, but the iPhone XR a bit thicker than the XS, measuring 8.3mm in thickness, versus 7.7mm for the XS and XS Max.

iPhone Cameras: XR vs. XS

Each of the new iPhones have a 12-megapixel rear-facing wide-angle camera lens. Just like the iPhone X, the XS and XS Max have dual camera setups on the back, with an additional 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The iPhone XR is stuck with a single camera lens, and doesn’t get the cool camera features you’ve grown to love on the iPhone X.

Why does this matter? The result is that the iPhone XR is missing 2x optical zoom, (zoom in on a subject 2x with no blurring). Along the same vein, digital zoom (which does add blur), is limited to 5x on the XR, with the XS and XS Max offering 10x digital zoom.

Despite only having 1 single-lens rear camera, the iPhone XR does support Portrait Mode with Depth Control – enabling automatic adjustment of depth of field. The iPhone XR also has Smart HDR, bringing more highlight and shadow detail to photos. All in all, the iPhone XR’s camera is substantially limited when compared to the XS and XS Max.

Compare Full iPhone Tech Specs