Reviews of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are starting to flood in, and while the phones get top marks across the board, there’s one other common theme in most reviews: Just wait until the iPhone XR comes out.
Based on what Apple revealed about the device at its launch event last week, the iPhone XR could be the real star of Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup. It’s not exactly “cheap” — the $749 asking price is the highest of any iPhone before the iPhone X launched last year — but it is a more affordable way to buy into the notch lifestyle, so Apple is reportedly bracing for runaway sales.
The information comes from Digitimes, a sometimes-accurate source of information on the supply side of consumer electronics. The outlet says that Apple is adjusting iPhone production levels for the holiday season with a shift towards the iPhone XR:
The shipment momentum for the iPhone XR is expected to continue into early 2019 as the ratio of iPhone XR orders to Apple’s total orders of new iPhone devices for December has been revised upward to over 50% recently, said the sources from the Apple supply chain.
That figure isn’t because demand for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max has been tepid, either:
Meanwhile, shipments of the OLED iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max has begun gaining momentum in September, with shipments of the iPhone XS Max likely to maintain at a rate of 4-5 million units a month or accounting for 20% of total shipments of new iPhones for a while, indicated the sources.
Given that the iPhone XR shares many of the same specs as the iPhone XS — most importantly, that new A12 Bionic processor that puts Android phones to shame — and the screen is marginally bigger, it’s widely predicted to be a hit. While the iPhone XS isn’t necessarily a big upgrade for iPhone X owners, moving from the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8 to an iPhone XR is going to be a noticeable improvement.
