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Apple just unveiled the new iPhone Xr, its most affordable iPhone of 2018

Updated Sep 12th, 2018 2:59PM EDT
iPhone Xr Release Date
Image: Apple

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We called it iPhone 9, iPhone Xc, and iPhone Xr, before learning that the latter is the name Apple actually chose for its newest affordable iPhone. On Wednesday morning, Apple unveiled the iPhone Xr in all its glory. Make no mistake, it may be the cheapest new iPhone this year, but the iPhone Xr will deliver the same power and performance as its premium siblings. Also, the phone will have the same design as the iPhone X and iPhone XS phones, complete with a top notch hiding that Face ID-ready TrueDepth camera. In short, this is the 2018 iPhone many people will want to buy this year.

Of course, we knew all that well before Apple took the stage of the Steve Jobs Theater on Wednesday, thanks to the many leaks that preceded Apple’s event.

Image source: Apple

The iPhone Xr features a 6.1-inch LCD display (Liquid Retina Display) with 1792 x 828 resolution (326 PPI) and comes in three storage options, including 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, priced at $749, $799, and $899, respectively.

Powering the phone is Apple’s new A12 Bionic chip, a 7nm processor, that will deliver 15% faster performance while being 40% more efficient than its predecessor (the two high-performance cores), and up to 50% more efficient (the other four cores). The Apple-designed 4-core GPU is up to 50% faster than the A11 Bionic’s GPU. The new neural engine, meanwhile, has an eight-core design. That’s the same processor that will power the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max that Apple also unveiled on Wednesday. However, the iPhone Xr should have less RAM than its premium siblings.

Image source: iPhone XR

The phone will also feature a single camera on the back instead of the dual-lens shooter seen on the iPhone Xs phones,12-megapixel wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture. It’s the same main camera that you’ll find on the iPhone Xs, That’s another cost-saving measure that helped Apple make an iPhone X-like device more affordable, in addition to the LCD screen on the front. On the front, of course, there’s the same TrueDepth camera found on the iPhone Xs phones.

The iPhone Xr will come in a bunch of new colors, including black, white, red, yellow, coral, and blue. Some versions of the iPhone Xr will come with dual-SIM support.

The iPhone Xr will go on preorder on October 19th, with shipping and in-store sales set for October 26th.

Here are the full specs:

  • Size: 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
  • Weight: 194g
  • 6.1-inch LCD display with 1792 x 828 resolution at 326 PPI, 625cd/m2 brightness, and 1,400:1 contrast ratio (Super Retina display)
  • Six-core A12 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture, neural engine, and M12 motion coprocessor
  • 3GB of RAM (not confirmed)
  • 64GB, 128GB, 256GB storage options
  • Camera: single-lens 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture with optical image stabilization, six-element lens
  • 7-megapixel FaceTime camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • TrueDepth camera for Face ID 3D facial recognition
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO
  • Gigabit LTE
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • iOS 12
  • Apple EarPods with Lightning port
  • AirPods support
  • Dual-SIM support (nano-SIM and eSIM)
  • IP67 splash, water, and dust resistance
  • Battery: 90 minutes longer than iPhone 8 Plus – 25 hours (talk time), 15 hours (internet use), 16 hours (video playback), up to 65 hours (audio playback)
  • fast-charging support – up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
  • Qi wireless charging support
  • colors: black, white, red, yellow, coral, and blue
Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.