The early reviews for the camera on the iPhone XR have been impressive – and that has a few who purchased the iPhone XS wishing they had waited a few weeks.
Apple, trying to accommodate more budget-minded consumers, announced the mid-range iPhone XR for $799 at the same time it unveiled the more expensive iPhone XS and XS Max.
The XS line was available on Sept. 21 while the XR, not quite ready for shelves then, went on sale today.
This week on The CultCast: With iPhone XR finally here, we’ll give you 10 reasons why it’s the best iPhone you can get. Plus: How iOS 12.1 solves “Beautygate”; new Macs leak ahead of Apple’s big October hardware event; Ming-Chi Kuo says new iPad minis, AirPods and the AirPower mat are finally on the way. Finally, we wrap up with our iPhone XS cases and a superb Thunderbolt 3 dock in an all-new Under Review.
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One of the biggest Apple copycats finally found a way to bring some innovation of its own to the smartphone game.
Xiaomi unveiled its new Mi Mix 3 phone today that ditches the camera notch Apple popularized in favor of a front camera array that slides out of the display. The end result is a smartphone with a screen-to-body ratio of 93.4 percent and it actually looks pretty cool.
Check out how the camera slides out:
The iPhone XS might be Apple’s best phone yet, but the iPhone XR will probably be Cupertino’s best-seller ever. It could even beat out the record-breaking iPhone 6, which proved so successful it skewed Apple’s sales numbers for years after its launch.
Why? Because the XR is cooler, cheaper and bigger than the top-of-the line iPhone XS, and nobody who buys it will care about the other differences. I almost wish I’d waited and bought one of these instead of the iPhone XS.
The first iPhone XR reviews are out just a few days before the handset makes its official debut, and one thing’s clear: This is one of Apple’s best smartphones to date.
Despite being a more affordable alternative to the iPhone XS, the iPhone XR is just as good in many areas, and even better in a few others. It makes some sacrifices to be more affordable, but it certainly lives up to the promises where it counts.
Here’s what the early reviews are saying so far.
Apple is about to make “Beautygate” a thing of the past. The company soon will improve iPhone XS selfies by eliminating the skin-smoothing feature that annoyed many users by making their narcissistic snaps unrealistically beautiful.
The Portrait Mode in iPhone XS is the best thing to happen to iPhone photography in quite a while. It uses the XS’ dual cameras, plus the A12 chip’s Neural Engine, to work out how far away everything is in your photos. Then, it blurs everything in the background, just as if you used a fancy big camera.
But what if you want even more blur? The iPhone XS’ Depth Control feature looks very realistic, but maybe it’s a bit too realistic? Maybe you want to really wipe out that background with some extra blur. The good news is, there are some great apps that do that.
Google’s new Pixel 3 XL smartphone is supposed to be the company’s best challenger yet to the iPhone. But when it comes to speed, Google still can’t keep up.
YouTuber PhoneBuff put the two new smartphones through a real-world simulated speed test and found that the Google Pixel 3 has some serious shortcomings when it comes to performance. Despite boasting a spec sheet that looks nearly as good as the iPhone XS Max’s, the Pixel 3 XL came in more than a minute slower than the iPhone XS Max.
Watch Google’s new phone get dominated.
The iPhone XR just debuted on Friday, and an esteemed analyst says it outsold last year’s iPhone 8 on their respective opening weekends.
The analyst goes on to predict that Apple’s newest handset will eventually outsell the iPhone XS models that launched last month.
The public release of iOS 12.1 could finally be drawing upon us.
After releasing the fourth beta last week, Apple has already come out with the fifth beta build of the big software update this morning. It looks like the company is fixing a few final flaws before the iPhone XR comes out.
Apple has confirmed its pricing for iPhone XR repairs and it’s surprisingly reasonable.
It will certainly leave a dent in your bank account if you break your screen without AppleCare+, but repairing an iPhone XR doesn’t cost much more than repairing an iPhone 8. It’s considerably cheaper than fixing an iPhone XS or XS Max.
If you’re wondering where the confusing “XS” and “XR” names for Apple’s new iPhones came from, Phil Schiller provides an answer in a new interview: from the car industry.
“I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special,” Schiller told Engadget in an interview coinciding with the launch of the iPhone XR.
As it happens, this is far from the first time Apple has embraced automotive marketing techniques to sell its products.
This week on The CultCast: Waiting for new AirPods? Need that AirPower charging mat? Don’t you dare miss our “More in the Making” hardware event predictions, cause we bring out the crystal ball, and all is revealed.
Then: Seventeen reasons the iPhone XR should be your next phone; the world’s largest Mac collection could be yours for free; and we pitch our favorite games, shows and scooters in an all-new “What We’re Into”!
Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and get $50 towards select mattresses at casper.com/cultcast.
Apple has posted its two new iPhone XR ads to YouTube to promote the device on preorder day.
“Introducing iPhone XR” and “Spectrum” run for less than a minute each, but do a good job of highlighting the new handset’s brightly-colored finishes and its biggest features.
Not even the fastest Android handset comes close to matching the performance of the iPhone.
The new Asus ROG Phone performs better than every other Android in early benchmark tests. It also scores higher than the latest iPad Pro lineup. When it comes to iPhone XS and XS Max, though, the gaming handset is way behind.
Not satisfied with the iPhone XS Max being a mere smartphone, crazy Russian iPhone modders have gone and added a gorgeous mechanical watch onto Apple’s latest masterpiece.
The Grand Complications collection comes in three options: pink gold, titanium and black and gold, giving owners one of the most unique iPhones in the world. Caviar says the collection was inspired by the idea innovation of the future and their connection to classical traditions of the past.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max sales have started off so strongly that they’ve helped Apple’s average selling price reach record heights, new data suggests.
The latest flagships accounted for 16 percent of all Apple handsets sold in the U.S. last quarter, despite being on sale for just ten days of it. Last year’s iPhone X continues to sell well despite being outdated now, while iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were the most popular options.
For the next several weeks, we’re giving away dozens of brand new iPhone XS cases on Instagram. We’re kicking off with a bundle of six sexy cases from Spigen, Urban Armor Gear, and Casemate. The six cases all fit the latest iPhone XS (not the Max), and together are worth a tasty $245.
Apple promises that the iPhone XS Max delivers better battery life than any other iPhone. It also lasts longer than rival devices in between charges, according to a new battery test.
Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date easily outpaces the Sony Xperia XZ3 and the new Google Pixel 3 XL. It even manages to last a little longer than the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — but there is a catch.
Apple’s iconic notch on the iPhone X and iPhone XS has already spawned a number of Android imitators, but concept designer Antonio De Rosa has an idea that could throw a curveball at the competition: move the notch to the left.
In a series of new concept renderings, De Rosa argues that Apple should change the name of the iPhone to Apple Phone while also giving it a new look and a fancy stylus.
Take a look:
This post is presented by Totallee.
Apple devices are appealing for many reasons, and chief among them is their exacting design. The in-hand feel of an iPhone is as key to owning one as any other hardware or software features. So why would you want to hide that subtlety inside a bulky case?
iOS 12 is now officially the most popular version of iOS in existence, according to the latest adoption numbers from Apple.
After being released to the public less than a month ago, Apple is reporting that iOS 12 is now being run on 50% of all iPhones and iPads, making it one of the fastest adopted upgrades yet.
The iPhone XS and XS Max both have an updated water-resistance rating compared to previous iPhones. The iPhone X has an IP67 rating, whereas the new models have IP68. But what does that mean? In practical terms, it means you never have to worry about dropping your iPhone in the toilet. But the code actually means a lot more than that.
Foxconn is best known for assembling iPhones, so it’s watched as a sign of demand for Apple’s most important product. The Chinese company just reported its revenue increased 30 percent last month, an indication that there’s plenty of demand for the iPhone XS models that debuted in September.
This is just the latest hint that Apple’s latest are performing well.
The iPhone XR is expected to enjoy a strong start in China later this month as a result of the lack of innovation from local brands and weakening demand for their devices, according to one reliable analyst.
Apple’s new handset, which will start at $749 in the U.S., could see bigger demand than last year’s iPhone 8 lineup.