iPhone XS vs. iPhone XR: Design, Tech Specs, and Price Comparison

Apple on Wednesday introduced the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, its new flagship smartphones, and the lower-priced iPhone XR.

iphone xs vs xr
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the latest and greatest models with the most features. That also makes them the most expensive, starting at $999 and $1,099 respectively in the United States, versus the iPhone XR at $749 and up.

To make the buying decision easier, we've put together a comparison of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR below.

Just the Tech Specs


iPhone XR

  • 6.1-inch LCD display

  • 1792×828 resolution (326 PPI)

  • True Tone

  • Single 12-megapixel rear camera (wide-angle lens)

  • Single 7-megapixel front camera

  • Portrait Mode with Depth Control

  • Smart HDR photos

  • A12 Bionic chip

  • Face ID via TrueDepth sensors

  • Lightning connector

  • Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes

  • Qi-based wireless charging

  • IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes

  • 64GB / 128GB / 256GB

  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)

  • LTE Advanced

  • VoLTE

  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO

  • Bluetooth 5.0

iPhone XS

  • 5.8-inch OLED display

  • 2436×1125 resolution (458 PPI)

  • True Tone

  • Dual 12-megapixel rear cameras (wide-angle and telephoto lenses)

  • Single 7-megapixel front camera

  • Portrait Mode with Depth Control

  • Smart HDR photos

  • A12 Bionic chip

  • Face ID via TrueDepth sensors

  • Lightning connector

  • Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes

  • Qi-based wireless charging

  • IP68-rated water resistance to a depth of 2 meters for up to 30 minutes

  • 64GB / 256GB / 512GB

  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)

  • Gigabit-class LTE

  • VoLTE

  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO

  • Bluetooth 5.0

  • HDR display

  • 3D Touch

iPhone XS Max has a larger 6.5-inch OLED display and one-hour-longer battery life, but otherwise identical tech specs as the iPhone XS.

What do I lose with the iPhone XR?

With a $250 lower price point, the iPhone XR doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. Apple had to make some trade-offs to get the price down, but not as many as one might expect.

We've explained the differences between the iPhone XR and iPhone XS in more detail below, but from a bird's eye view, expect some compromises related to the display, cameras, and overall design. Apple has also replaced 3D Touch on the iPhone XR with a new haptic feedback solution named Haptic Touch.

iPhone XS vs. iPhone XR: Feature Comparison

Displays
Like the previous-generation iPhone X, the iPhone XS has a 5.8-inch display, while the iPhone XS Max has a larger 6.5-inch display. The iPhone XR slots between those sizes, with a 6.1-inch display.

iphone xr red
While the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have OLED displays, the iPhone XR uses an LCD as a cost-cutting measure. Due to the limitations of LCD technology, the iPhone XR display is not quite edge to edge, with marginally thicker bezels than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

The LCD on the iPhone XR has a resolution of 1792×828 pixels, or 326 pixels per inch, quite a bit lower than the 2436×1125 pixels resolution of the iPhone XS display, good for 458 pixels per inch.

Apple has been using LCDs since the original iPhone, and its displays are generally among the best in the industry, so despite not being OLED, the iPhone XR should still provide a quality viewing experience.

On a display-related note, Apple has replaced 3D Touch on the iPhone XR with a new haptic feedback solution named Haptic Touch.

Design
Beyond the display differences, the overall design of the iPhone XR is a bit different than the iPhone XS. For example, the iPhone XR has an aluminum frame along the edges, rather than stainless steel.

The back of the iPhone XR is still composed of glass, so it supports Qi-based wireless charging. On that note, Apple says the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have "improved" wireless charging, so it's possible those models will have increased output, with fast charging on the iPhone XR remaining up to 7.5W.

iPhone XR is marginally thicker than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at 8.3mm versus 7.7mm for the latter two models.

Beyond the slightly thicker display bezels, single-lens rear camera, and additional colors, this is more-or-less an iPhone XS-esque device, with a notch for the Face ID sensors and a nearly edge-to-edge display. There's also the usual Lightning connector, speaker grilles, volume switches, and so forth.

Battery Life
Apple says the iPhone XS lasts up to 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, while the iPhone XR lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 8 Plus. Those stats are hard to compare, so here's the breakdown:

iphone xs xr battery life

iPhone XS on left, iPhone XR on right

Despite being less expensive, the iPhone XR actually achieves between two and five hours longer battery life per charge cycle, depending on the task, compared to the iPhone XS. In fact, the iPhone XR has slightly longer battery life than even the iPhone XS Max, which gets two less hours of web usage.

This is likely because the iPhone XR's so-called Liquid Retina display is less power hungry than OLED displays, and due to more physical space for a larger lithium-ion battery pack inside the iPhone XR.

Cameras
All three new iPhones have a 12-megapixel rear-facing wide-angle camera lens, but the XS and XS Max have dual camera arrays with an additional 12-megapixel telephoto lens, whereas the XR has the single lens.

camera iphone xs
This means the iPhone XR lacks 2x optical zoom, which is the ability to zoom in on a subject up to 2x without any blurriness. Digital zoom, which does add blur, is limited to 5x, versus 10x on the XS and XS Max.

Despite having a single-lens rear camera, the iPhone XR has advanced technologies that enable Portrait Mode with Depth Control, which can automatically adjust the depth of field or bokeh effect in the background of photos. iPhone XR also has Smart HDR, bringing more highlight and shadow detail to photos.

All three new iPhones have a 7-megapixel front-facing TrueDepth camera, but the iPhone XR is limited to three Portrait Lighting effects: Natural, Studio, and Contour. iPhone XS and XS Max models also have Stage and Stage Mono effects.

Storage
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are available in 64GB, 256GB, and all-new 512GB storage configurations. iPhone XR comes with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB, so if you're looking for the new 512GB option, you'll have to pay up for an XS or XS Max.

Colors
iPhone XS and iPhone XS are available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold finishes.

iphonexr
iPhone XR is offered in a wider variety of finishes, including Blue, White, Black, Yellow, Coral, and (PRODUCT)RED.

Pricing
As mentioned up top, the iPhone XR starts at $749 in the United States, representing $250 savings over the iPhone XS, priced from $999. It's also $350 less expensive than the iPhone XS Max, priced from $1,099. As another comparison, last year's iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus now start at $599 and $699 respectively.

So, should I buy an iPhone XS or iPhone XR?

For many people, the iPhone XR is the one to get. It's the iPhone X for people who don't prefer spending $999 or more on a smartphone, but still want a powerful and capable device with the latest tech specs.

We recommend the iPhone XR to anyone who wants a taste of the iPhone X era: a large, nearly edge-to-edge display with a notch, Face ID, a glass back, and both wireless and fast charging. You'll also get Portrait Mode with Depth Control, Smart HDR, and the same performance improvements of the A12 Bionic chip.

iPhone XR also a larger display than the iPhone XS, and longer battery life than both the XS and XS Max.

We recommend the iPhone XS, and more so the iPhone XS Max in particular, for anyone who wants the absolute best iPhone available today: up to a 6.5-inch OLED display, up to 512GB of storage, the A12 Bionic chip, IP68-rated water resistance, a stainless steel frame, gigabit-class LTE, and so forth.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are available to pre-order on Apple.com and through carriers as of today. iPhone XR pre-orders begin October 19.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...

Top Rated Comments

redheeler Avatar
93 months ago
With a $250 lower price point, the iPhone XR doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max.
Or even my iPhone 6s Plus from 2015. The lack of 3D Touch and lower pixel density make the iPhone Xr a partial downgrade from a three-year-old iPhone...
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rafark Avatar
93 months ago
Both iPhones are top notch.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CJM Avatar
93 months ago
"Had to make trade-offs"

Not at all. They very carefully curate the features on each product so it matches in with the price bands they set.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neoelectronaut Avatar
93 months ago
The XR is my perfect phone outside of the size. If they made it in a 4" size I'd snap it up without a second thought.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliamG Avatar
93 months ago
It really bugs me that Apple labels any of its devices as having an "edge-to-edge display." None of them have that.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FasterQuieter Avatar
93 months ago
"Apple had to make some trade-offs to get the price down."

They certainly didn't have to. They chose to, so their profit margins would remain huge. Fair enough, they are a company out to make money, but it annoys me when I hear pundits talk about how Apple had to skimp on this or that feature to get the cost down. They have 100%+ profit margins and $300bn in the bank. They could give them away at this point and survive.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)