Phone Review: Using iPhone XR in 2020

Is using a mid-range iPhone released last 2018 still okay for use in 2020?

iPhone XR was released last September 2018 together with iPhone XS and was part of that year's Apple release. This phone was criticized because of having an LCD screen and was released in a variant of colors, and was compared to Apple's 5C release.

 

However, using this phone for almost two years now, I noticed that the "Liquid Retina" LCD display is not really different from Super Retina OLED displays of the iPhone XS. I love how Apple created the LCD so seamless that it doesn't really feel different. 

I got the 256GB Coral variant from #GlobePH. Here's the specs of the iPhone XR from GSM Arena (www.gsmarena.com). 

iPhone XR has lived to its reputation as always. The UI is seamless and you wont feel any lags when you navigate through the phone. I haven't feel that this was the most affordable of all the iPhone variants released that year. As an iPhone, the iPhone XR is very premium as it is made of glass and metal combo, making it very sleek to touch. The front and the back panels are both Gorilla Glass, however I am not suggesting that you do a drop test 😅. This glass back panel also enables wireless charging if you have compatible wireless pads. 

iPhone XR will be able to upgrade its OS to iOS14 come September, when Apple will release their new set of Apple products. 

The seamless experience that I have using this phone is with how its very easy to access content across all devices you link it with. I am using a very old iPad, an iWatch 4 and a 2019 macBook, and it's just amazing to access apps and receive notification on all of these platforms when it arrives on the phone. 

Now with the cons. 

The things that I do not like with the iPhone XR after almost two years of use is the battery. The iPhone is not really known for its battery capacity and this is reflected on the iPhone XR that I have been using. Early July 2020, I checked the battery health of my Phone and it is at 90% capacity, and as of today, July 21, 2020 here's its battery health - 

I am always careful of my phone's (all my phones) battery management, because I don't want them to have lower charging capacity. Since batteries degrade as time goes by, I am making sure that I am charging them properly. However, I always get anxious to see this number go down. With my experience with using an iPhone before, the battery is not really its strong suite. 

So, let's now answer the question - "Is iPhone XR still a good phone in 2020?" My answer is CERTAINLY. 

iPhone XR is still a very good phone to use two years after its release. The design is still similar to the iPhone 11 they released last year and I would say it is still fashionable. The Apple A12 Bionic chip is working well and the upgrades to iOS 14 are coming. Once the upgrades come, you will feel that it is a totally different phone. Even though my iPhone XR battery capacity is at 89%, a full-charged phone can still make it up to a day before I recharge. 

If you want to have a less pricey iPhone and still get iOS 14, amazing cameras and seamless UI, you may get an iPhone XR in 2020. But if you have the money to burn, wait for a couple of months and get a new iPhone that will be released this September.