Updated September 2026: in 2018 I followed up my iPhone launch review, arguing that the iPhone XS was overpriced, that Apple's battery throttling had hurt trust, and that most sensible buyers would choose the cheaper XR. I have rewritten it with what happened next.
After the 2018 launch I was sceptical of the line-up. The XS seemed too expensive for a phone. Apple had also been accused of slowing older iPhones with worn batteries, and as an owner of an older iPhone I felt that had damaged the phone's reliability. The XR, with its LCD screen and single rear camera, ran the same A12 Bionic chip as the expensive models, and I thought most buyers on a budget would pick it.
Was the iPhone XR the better buy?
For most people, yes. It shared the flagship chip and had excellent battery life, and it went on to sell very strongly. The XS offered an OLED screen, a telephoto camera and a smaller body, which mattered to some buyers but not enough to justify the price for many.
What happened with battery throttling?
Apple acknowledged that iOS managed performance on iPhones with degraded batteries to avoid unexpected shutdowns, apologised, offered discounted battery replacements and added a battery health screen in settings. It also faced legal action in several countries over the issue. The lasting change is that you can now see battery health and turn performance management off.
How should you judge a phone's price?
- Years of software support: a longer supported life lowers the real yearly cost.
- What the extra money buys: a better camera or screen, and whether you use it.
- Resale value: iPhones tend to hold value, which offsets part of the price.
- Battery replacement cost: a new battery can extend a phone's life by years.
Is the XR worth buying now?
Not as a main phone. It no longer gets the newest iOS versions, and any used one will have an old battery. The general lesson holds, though: the model one step below the flagship is often the best value in any year.