In less than five years, Apple will take the wraps off its next-generation iPhone line. It’s safe to say that in 2021, the iPhone XR will look just like the iPhone XS and XS Max. As for the new and improved XR, the high end of its range will feature larger screens, more powerful components, and new facial recognition tech. But that’s not all that the XR will boast: a few “non-existent” features will give it some of the strongest competition in the smartphone market today.
Smartphone brands have already given up trying to differentiate their phones’ hardware with internal components that can’t be purchased elsewhere. Instead, all they offer are software “radium” elements that supposedly add some allure. The iPhone XS and XS Max have OLED screens, and the iPhone XR will have a similar LCD screen. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus has a dual-lens camera that also comes in the iPhone XS and XS Max, and many Android makers continue to boast of features such as “pro” processors.
At the same time, Apple will still be fighting the trend of phones’ display sizes growing to colossal proportions, a response to the design limitations of the small display screens found on phones like the iPhone X. But in a few years, such an issue will be a thing of the past. In 2021, Apple will release two radically different iPhone XR models: one with a 6.5-inch display, and the other with a 6.1-inch screen. We’ll cover the extra few inches here, which won’t actually be that much when compared to the new design scheme.
Table of Contents
6.5-inch iPhone XR
Apple’s 6.5-inch phone is expected to be one of its most feature-packed. In addition to a 6.5-inch OLED display, it will have more storage options and a better battery than the standard iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
Apple’s 6.5-inch phone is expected to be one of its most feature-packed. In addition to a 6.5-inch OLED display, it will have more storage options and a better battery than the standard iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
By far, the biggest new feature on the iPhone XR is its display. In addition to OLED screens for the XS and XS Max, Apple is going to offer a 6.1-inch LCD screen in the XR. Unlike the cheaper iPhone XR, the LCD screen will be thinner and have the same form factor as the iPhone 8 Plus.
Because the LCD screen is going to have similar design to the OLED screen, Apple is expected to shave off a few millimeters of thickness, meaning it will be about the same as the iPhone 8 Plus in spite of having a smaller screen. Compared to the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS, the 6.1-inch LCD will feature a slightly higher resolution of 1312 x 768, and a lower peak brightness, though Apple is expected to offer a “liquid retina” screen for better outdoor visibility.
Display
On top of the display, the 6.5-inch phone will also have more RAM (8GB versus 6GB) and a slightly more powerful processor (A12), as well as stereo speakers. The phone will be similar to the iPhone XS in the camera department: The wide-angle and telephoto camera systems from the iPhone XS Max will be supported, and there will be a new portrait lighting mode that lets users change the background in photos after the fact. The camera hardware will be roughly the same as the XS, but Apple will also make software changes to take advantage of the extra screen space.
6.1-inch iPhone XR
Like the iPhone XR, the iPhone XR will have a 6.1-inch LCD screen, but it’s also going to have a smaller bezel than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. The biggest change is the display resolution, which will be about half that of the iPhone XS. The XR will still have the same aspect ratio as the XS, meaning the phone will still have the same dimensions as the iPhone XS Max, though.
Apple will include one more feature in the XR’s LCD screen: it will be able to show information like the clock, battery level, and the Wi-Fi network name, all on a single screen. In other words, the status bar will be smaller. While this change may seem like a minor one, it’s another attempt by Apple to free up space. The iPhone XS and XS Max have the largest notch in iPhone history, and even though Apple has improved its “notch” solution with software, it’s still a relatively huge bezel.
As for the display resolution, the phone will be about the same as the iPhone 8 Plus. It will have more pixels than the iPhone X, but not quite as many as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. This is still a phone that offers high-quality, high-contrast images and features a Retina display, so if you can’t stand a notch, this could be your choice.
Continue
There’s another new screen, too: Apple has redesigned the iPhone’s Face ID system so that it looks like a set of cameras. Apple is going to use a grid of dots, called the TrueDepth camera array, to unlock your iPhone in place of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that was used until the iPhone X.
The 6.1-inch phone will have a single rear camera, but Apple is expected to upgrade the front-facing camera to the iPhone X’s “ultrasonic” technology, which scans your face to unlock the phone. The front-facing camera will have about 24 million infrared dots in a grid, according to Bloomberg. There will also be a version of Face ID for a notch-free 6.5-inch iPhone that will have dual rear cameras.
So why the name iPhone XR?
Both phones will likely offer the same features and probably offer similar battery life. It may be that Apple didn’t want to tack an extra “R” onto the name for the first time. It could also be because Apple is pricing the 6.1-inch phone to compete against the $749 Pixel 3, which has an OLED screen. One big difference between the XR and the Pixel 3 is the fact that Google will sell the phone unlocked and Apple won’t.
Apple has unveiled three new iPhones. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are high-end devices that feature a new OLED screen and dual rear cameras. They’ll likely have the best cameras of any iPhone, but the iPhone XR may be the best of the non-XL iPhones. It’s a cheaper, 6.1-inch phone with a single rear camera and a cheaper LCD screen, but Apple says it’s designed to have the same features as the XS and XS Max. The price for this iPhone is $749.
