iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are the last of their kind. These are the latest models iPhone with huge bezels and Touch ID. The replacement for this model is the new iPhone XR. So is it worth changing iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus to a brand new iPhone XR? Or is it better to walk around with an old smartphone for another year? Below we will give answers to these questions.
Before considering buying the iPhone XR, ask yourself: do you need a new smartphone at all? Not satisfied with the battery or camera? Or is it design? Or maybe you're just tired of your old smartphone? If your reason is the latter, then buying iPhone XR makes sense.
Bezel-less design and new display
The biggest change in the new smartphone from the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus is its design and display. iPhone XR has the same design as iPhone X and iPhone XS, i.e. This is a display with a notch and minimal bezels. Its bezels are slightly thicker than the premium iPhone X / XS, but they are still much thinner than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
The iPhone XR has a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, which is significantly larger than the 5.5-inch LCD – the iPhone 8 Plus panel. If you have a iPhone 8 with a 4.7-inch display, the difference is huge.
iPhone The XR is larger than iPhone 8, but with a 19.5: 9 aspect ratio, it is comfortable to hold in one hand. If you think the XR's large display iPhone will be awkward to use, you can first find it at your nearest hardware store and make sure it suits you.
iPhone XR has no technology 3D Touch, but it has been replaced by a new one – Haptic Touch, so this is not a problem at all.
If you have iPhone 8 Plus, then in hand iPhone XR will sit as usual, because smartphones are practically the same size.
In terms of water and dust resistance, all three smartphones are IP67 rated and can be submerged up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
Performance
With performance improvements iOS 12 iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus can still withstand the new A12 Bionic processor in iPhone XR. iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone XR have the same amount of RAM, so they are on par in multitasking too.
TrueDepth camera, Face ID
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have a regular FaceTime HD front camera, and the iPhone XR has a new TrueDepth camera. The new system consists of several sensors and a 7MP camera that can read depth information. The camera powers the Face ID technology, which just got faster.
In comparison, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus support Touch ID. This technology is more reliable, but fingerprint scanners are already considered outdated, and Apple strongly promotes Face ID technology, because it is more convenient and faster.
The iPhone XR's camera captures video better thanks to its high dynamic range and cinematic image stabilization. The TrueDepth camera on iPhone XR also provides Animoji, Memoji, and portrait selfies with adjustable depth effect. All of these features are not available on iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Main camera
Unlike iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone XR has one main 12MP camera. However, this does not mean that it is worse. The lens iPhone XR is the same as the main 12MP lens on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Its aperture is f / 1.8 and it supports Smart HDR, so the camera of the new smartphone is much better. In addition, it also supports portrait mode and portrait light mode.
Smart HDR technology provides better image quality than iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. iPhone The XR also supports high dynamic range, stereo recording for video, and cinematic image stabilization. All this is missing on older models.
The only thing missing is the 2x optical zoom like the iPhone 8 Plus. However, this will not be a big drawback, given the poor image quality with the additional lens.
Dual SIM
Dual SIM support on iPhone XR might be a reason to buy a new smartphone, but first you need to find out if the carriers in your country support eSIM technology. So far, it is available only in a few countries, but not in Russia.
iPhone XR does not support Gigabit LTE, so it will have the same mobile internet speed as iPhone 8 with iPhone 8 Plus.
Battery
The duration of the work of a small iPhone 8 is definitely not his strong point. However, the battery iPhone 8 Plus is a monster. However, iPhone XR is an even scarier monster. It manages to last even longer than the iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus simply can't match it.
iPhone XR works up to 25 hours when talking and up to 15 hours when working on the Internet. iPhone 8 Plus lasts only 21 hours talking and 13 hours on the Internet.
All three models support fast wired charging and regular wireless charging. Wireless charging on the iPhone XR is slightly faster.
Price
Here there are doubts about buying iPhone XR. Even if you can sell your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus for $ 300-400, you still have to pay the same amount for a new iPhone XR. If you are ready for this, we recommend choosing the 128GB storage option over the basic one. You will thank yourself for this decision in a couple of years.
In general, changing iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus to iPhone XR is only worthwhile if you want a new smartphone. If not, the iPhone 8 is still a great smartphone that can be used for a couple of years.