iPhone X vs Xr – Which should you buy?

October 9, 2020 • By Robert in Apple
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Deciding which iPhone to purchase is easy if you upgrade as soon as Apple releases a new model. But when you buy newish, instead of new, the decision becomes a bit more complicated as you now have to consider multiple models from multiple generations. Fortunately, you have Swappa to help on this front. Not only will you be able to find great deals on newish phones in our marketplace, but we also provide in-depth iPhone comparisons here on our blog. Today we’re looking at how the iPhone X compares to the iPhone Xr.

iPhone X vs Xr spec comparison

It is important to keep in mind that a list of specs doesn’t always give a full and complete picture. For example, the iPhone X was released in 2017 as part of the 11th-generation, and the iPhone Xr was released in 2018 as part of the 12th-generation. Because the iPhone Xr was released a year later, it will have a newer processor, but just because the iPhone Xr has the newer processor, that doesn’t necessarily mean the iPhone X won’t be able to meet your usage needs. That said, a list of specs does serve as a good starting point when comparing two iPhones.

	iPhone X	iPhone Xr
Display	5.8-inch Super Retina HD True Tone display (2436 x 1125)	6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD True Tone display (1792 x 828)
Chipset	Apple A11 Bionic chip with Neural engine	Apple A12 Bionic chip with second-generation Neural engine
RAM	3GB	3GB
Storage	64GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB
Battery	2,716 mAh	2,942 mAh
Wireless Charging	Yes (Qi)	Yes (Qi)
Fast Charging	Yes (Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes)	Yes (Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes)
Size	5.65 (H) x 2.79 (W) x 0.30 (D) -inches	5.94 (H) x 2.98 (W) x 0.33 (D) -inches
Weight	6.14 ounces	6.84 ounces
Water Resistance	IP67 (Dust, Splash, Water Resistance) under IEC standard 60529	IP67 (Dust, Splash, Water Resistance) under IEC standard 60529
SIM	nano-SIM	Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Front Camera	7MP TrueDepth camera	7MP TrueDepth camera
Rear Camera	12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras	12MP wide camera

There are quite a few similarities between these two phones, at least based on the specs. Both the iPhone X and Xr have 3GB of RAM, they each have the same IP rating, and they both support wireless charging and fast charging. The battery is a little larger on the iPhone Xr, though, it probably isn’t enough of a difference to really factor that in as a purchase decision. One possible point the iPhone Xr has over the iPhone X is storage options. They each offer options for 64GB and 256GB, but lots of people feel 128GB is the sweet spot, and that is only available with the iPhone Xr.

Otherwise, there are some differences with the displays, the size of the phones, and the camera setups — and these items may push you in one direction of another.

iPhone X vs Xr display

As you may have noticed in the specs listed above — the display on the iPhone X is a little bit smaller as compared to the iPhone Xr. But, while the display on the iPhone X is a little smaller, it also has a much higher resolution.

iPhone X

5.8-inch all-screen OLED multi-touch display
2436 x 1125 at 458 ppi
True Tone
HDR
Wide color display (P3)
1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
625 cs/m2 max brightness

iPhone Xr

6.1-inch all-screen LCD multi-touch display with IPS technology
1792 x 828 at 326 ppi
True Tone
Wide color display (P3)
1400:1 contrast ratio
625 nits max brightness

The iPhone X display is slightly smaller than the iPhone Xr, and while this portion of the comparison would come down to personal preference, we could see lots of people opting for the iPhone X due to the higher display resolution and superior OLED technology.

iPhone X vs Xr size

Putting the display size and resolution details aside, the more noticeable difference between the two phones is going to be found, or felt, in the dimensions and weight. As you’ll notice in the dimensions listed below, the iPhone X is both smaller, thinner, and lighter.

iPhone X

5.65 (H) x 2.79 (W) x 0.30 (D) -inches
6.14 ounces

iPhone Xr

5.94 (H) x 2.98 (W) x 0.33 (D) -inches
6.84 ounces

As we noted with the display, the difference in size and weight will come down to personal preference, but we could certainly see going for the smaller and lighter phone because it would be a bit more pocketable.

iPhone X vs Xr camera

The iPhone X and the iPhone Xr each have capable cameras, both on the front and rear. However, while there are some similarities between the two phones, the iPhone X does have an edge in terms of the rear-facing camera setup — an extra camera.

	iPhone X	iPhone Xr
Camera	12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras	12MP wide camera
Aperture	f/1.8 (wide-angle) and f/2.4 (telephoto)	f/1.8 aperture
Digital Zoom	Up to 10x	Up to 5x
Optical Zoom	Yes	No
LED True Tone Flash	Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync	LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync

The iPhone X and iPhone Xr should each be able to meet your needs in terms of the camera. That is to say, both of these phones will be able to capture quality images that are worthy of being shared by email, text message, or on social media. To further that point, the images coming from either of these phones will also meet your expectations if you plan to send them off to be printed.

But the telephoto lens found on the iPhone X does bring a few perks that you will not find on the iPhone Xr. You will get 10x digital zoom, as opposed to the 5x digital zoom found on the iPhone Xr. The iPhone X also offers optical zoom. Perhaps the more important aspect is that the telephoto lens on the iPhone X has been shown to help when dealing with low light situations.

Both models feature a 7MP TrueDepth camera on the front. The front-facing camera feature set includes:

f//2.2 aperture
Portrait Mode
Portrait Lighting
Retina flash
Auto image stabilization
Burst mode
Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
HDR (Auto HDR on the iPhone X, and Smart HDR on the iPhone Xr)

While both iPhones have HDR support, the bump from “auto” to “smart” on the iPhone Xr brings decent improvements and puts the Xr a level up as compared to the X. The good part about Smart HDR is that the magic is really happening behind the scenes. Your iPhone starts capturing images as soon as you open the camera (before you even tap the shutter button). This allows your phone to start creating a buffer of images, which get combined with “interframes” to help bring out highlight and shadow details. The real magic starts once you tap the shutter button. As soon as the camera shutter is tapped your iPhone goes into the “computational photography” mode, which is the part that is done behind the scenes. This not only combines the images, but it also analyzes the images and then combines them into your “smart” photo.

iPhone X and Xr camera formats

Apple began offering support for a new image format with the release of iOS 11. At that time the iPhone started capturing images in either HEIF or JPEG. The JPEG file is commonly known and commonly used, however, there is a perk of using the HEIF format.

HEIF stands for High-Efficiency Image File Format, and as the name suggests, these images are high-efficiency. Or, at least a bit more efficient in comparison to the JPEG file. Essentially, the high-efficiency part of the name means this format offers better image compression, which means you will use less storage space. On the other hand, there is one potential drawback of using HEIF. This format may not be supported by all services and websites. For example, if you upload images to Walgreens for printing you will need to convert them to JPEG files before they can be used.

iPhone X and Xr video recording

The iPhone X and the iPhone Xr each allow you to capture video in 4k, 1080p, or 720p using the rear-camera. The specifics for each recording quality are detailed below:

4k video recording at 24, 30, or 60fps
1080p video recording at 30 or 60fps
720p video recording at 30fps

Both models can also record slow-mo video at 1080p resolution at either 120 or 240fps. The iPhone X and Xr also each allows you to capture 8MP still images while you are recording 4k video. Some other shared video related features include optical image stabilization, optical zoom, digital zoom, time-lapse with stabilization, True Tone flash, continuous autofocus, and playback zoom.

iPhone X vs Xr battery

As is standard with the iPhone, the batteries in the X and Xr are rechargeable lithium-ion. The iPhone X battery is rated at 2,716 mAh and the iPhone Xr battery is rated at 2,942 mAh. Based on numbers alone, the iPhone Xr would be expected to have a longer battery life. But it is important to remember that battery life estimates are always based on brand new batteries. With time and use, all rechargeable lithium-ion batteries will see some degradation.

Apple offered the following estimates in terms of battery life:

	iPhone X	iPhone Xr
Talk Time	Up to 21 hours	Up to 25 hours
Internet Use	Up to 12 hours	Up to 15 hours
Audio Playback	Up to 60 hours	Up to 65 hours
Video Playback	Up to 13 hours	Up to 16 hours

The iPhone X and Xr also offer support for wireless charging using the Qi standard and fast charging using the Lightning connector. The fast-charging using the Lightning connector means you will be able to get a 50% charge in 30 minutes.

Trying to decide which iPhone to purchase can be tricky. In many cases, people will want to go for the newer model, as that is often perceived as being the better model. That can be true, but only in part. In a case such as this, where you are looking at the iPhone X and iPhone Xr — they are both worthy of consideration. The iPhone Xr may be the newer model, and it is available in a wider range of colors, but the iPhone X has perks in that it is smaller/lighter, and has a telephoto lens (in addition to the standard 12MP camera). Not to mention, you may be able to save some money by going with the iPhone X.