Apple’s newest entry-level smartphone borrows some design elements from the company’s high-end lineup, but at a lower price point.

The new iPhone Xr has an edge-to-edge display with a notch for the Face ID/True Depth camera system at the top. It supports gesture-based navigation. And it also has the same Apple A12 Bionic processor as the new iPhone Xs.

But the iPhone Xr has a less impressive display and a single rear camera instead of dual cameras.

The iPhone Xr does have a few things going for it. The phone has a starting price that’s $250 lower than the iPhone Xs, and it will be more affordable and it comes in a range of colors.

Apple will offer white, black, blue, coral, yellow, and red color options. Each has a 7000 series aluminum frame.

The phone has a 6.1 inch, 1792 x 828 pixel LCD “Liquid Retina” display with 326 pixels per inch and a new haptic touch system that provides feedback while using gesture-based navigation (since the phone doesn’t support 3D touch.

On the back of the phone, there’s a single 12MP wide-angle camera. It’s the same camera found in the iPhone Xs — you just don’t get that secondary 12MP telephoto lens. But you can still snap portrait-style photos with blurred backgrounds thanks to a new software-enabled bokeh effect.

While the iPhone Xs supports IP68 water resistance, Apple is sticking with IP67 splash resistance for the iPhone Xr.

Apple says the new phone has a bigger screen than the 5.5 inch iPhone 8 Plus, but a smaller body. And it provides up to 90 minutes longer battery life than the iPhone 8 Plus.

The iPhone Xr will be available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB models with prices starting at $749. It goes up for pre-order on October 19th and start shipping October 26th.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, Apple will continue to offer iPhone 7 models for $449 and up, and iPhone 8 devices for $599 and up. All phones from the iPhone 7 and up support iOS 12.

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2 replies on “Apple iPhone Xr brings a notch to the mainstream”

  1. So are they dropping the iPhone SE (which is basically an iPhone 5)?

    Is there no market for small phones anymore? Even the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is gigantic compared with an iPhone SE.

    1. Of course, there is a demand market for small smartphones. The supply market is dying.

      I want a small smartphone but none with Android (privacy violations, missing security updates) and none with iOS as long as it lacks a general, local file and local file transfer manager.

      Apple hates consumers of the low end to lower part of mid markets and consumers seeking freedom instead of the walled garden. A new iPhone SE and a fully functional local file manager would threaten the average sales price so Apple sells outdated hardware (iPhone 7 + 8) to those consumers that do not run away.

      I run away but Apple is happy maximising its average return on investment.

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