Is the iPhone XR better buy than the iPhone SE in 2020?
With Apple’s track record of launching flagship phones with premium pricing, it was surprising when Apple launched the first budget offering — The iPhone SE 2016. For just Rs.40,000 it was a game-changer back then with record sales. Fast forward 4 years Apple has once again launched the refreshed version of the iPhone SE 2020 with fresh internals and the age-old design from the iPhone 8, the aggressive pricing of Rs.42,500 with the top of the line A13 Bionic makes it bang for the buck.
But you know the drill when a new iPhone arrives, it’s time to revisit the older iPhones and check if the price drops made them worthy of your possession. Priced almost the similar the iPhone XR is the closest sibling from Apple you can get. So is the 2018 iPhone XR the best buy in 2020?
Design and Display
Let’s start with Apple’s controversial decision here — The Display. In the age where other smartphone manufacturers are marketing their phones with striking full-screen displays and flashy refresh rates, Apple decision of sticking to their old and tested design of the iPhone 8 with a 4.7-inch display accompanied with thicker bezzles at the top and bottom looks, well “outdated”. The iPhone XR with the notched up 6.1-inch display and comparatively thinner bezzles does steal the show here. As far as the design goes, the iPhone XR is a clear winner here!
Performance
When it comes to performance the iPhone SE sets some serious benchmark with the latest A13 Bionic, the fastest processor from Apple is faster in tasks like rendering and gaming. But with day to day usage, you shouldn’t notice huge differences with both the phones and they should perform well given the A12 Bionic on the iPhone XR still promising.
Camera
Both the iPhone SE and the iPhone XR comes with a single camera to the back a 12 MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, you should expect similar performance with both the phones. However, the newer powerful chip on the SE should improve the processing of images but the difference here is minimal.
The same goes for the single-camera at the front a 7 MP shooters on both the phones, which will help you to shoot some decent selfies for the gram. In the camera department, there are no winners here with closely similar performance with both the phones.
Battery
The iPhone SE comes with a smaller 1821 mAh battery which is justifiable, given the need to power the smaller display and overall smaller footprint. Whereas the iPhone XR comes with a 2942 mAh battery. With light usage both the phones should get till the end of the day without the need to be charged. Both support fast charging and wireless charging capabilities. If battery endurance is your main preference, the iPhone XR is the safe bet here.
So the verdict, a new user who wants to jump into the “Apple ecosystem” the iPhone SE wouldn’t disappoint you with the flashy internals but it will with its generic design choices, alternately if you are planning to upgrade from an older generation of iPhone like iPhone 7 or the iPhone 8 then a refreshing design like the iPhone XR will make more sense. With Apple’s policy of providing support for their older phones for a long time, the iPhone XR will hold well for another couple of years with no issues. It boils down to personal preferences, if display and battery are your priority then go with the iPhone XR but if performance and a newer chipset are what you’re looking for, then the iPhone SE should be your choice!
