Macworld (2019-06)

JUNE 2019 MACWORLD 41

expensive iPhone X, and
combined, made up a bigger
portion of new sales than the
iPhone XR this year.
Looking at both years
together, it’s clear that the
majority of Apple’s
customers, even those in an
affluent market like the U.S.,
think that $1,000 is just too
much to spend on a phone,
no matter its features. The
ceiling for even many brand-
new premium phone buyers
appears to be around $800.
Apple should make that
price its center of gravity
moving forward.

LESS EXPENSIVE SHOULD NOT
MEAN CHEAP
What Apple got right about the iPhone XR
was putting all the important new stuff in it.
It has the taller edge-to-edge display. It
has the TrueDepth module so you can use
Face ID (go.macworld.com/fc1d) and
Animoji/Memoji (go.macworld.com/anmj).
Even though it only has a single rear
camera, it’s the same one as the wide-
angle camera on the iPhone XS and you
can still do portrait mode and adjust depth
of field (at least with human subjects). It
has the same A12 processor.
Apple’s least expensive new iPhone

cuts some corners, but it doesn’t cut

capabilities or performance. When you

buy an iPhone XS or XS Max, you’re

paying for slightly more posh materials

(like stainless steel edges), a somewhat

better display (OLED), and maybe bigger

storage options.

PEOPLE LOVE COLORS

I know several people who have bought

an iPhone XR in the last few months, and

not a single one has chosen the black or

white models. They all opted for one of the

lively colors. This is one area where the

less expensive XR excels over its pricier

The iPhone XR has all the important attention-grabbing

features of the XS: Face ID, animoji, protrait mode, the A12,

and even the edge-to-edge display.