iPhone XR vs iPhone 8 Plus: 1 year apart, but one is much better than the other

When you look at the release dates of the iPhone 8 Plus vs XR, you’ll realize that the iPhone XR is just 1 year newer than the iPhone 8 Plus. Does that seem like a lot of time to you? Maybe not, but mark my words, these phones are very different from one another.

How big is the iPhone 8 Plus vs iPhone XR?

iPhone 8 Plus dimensions:

• Screen: 5.5 inches
• Height: 158.4 mm
• Width: 78.1 mm
• Depth: 7.5 mm
• Weight: 202 grams

iPhone XR dimensions:

• Screen: 6.1 inches
• Height: 150.9 mm
• Width: 75.7 mm
• Depth: 8.3 mm
• Weight: 174 g

Screen size of iPhone 8 Plus vs iPhone XR? 

You may notice when comparing the specifications of the iPhone XR vs 8 Plus that the XR has a much larger screen (6.1” vs 5.5”), despite being an overall smaller phone. How does this make sense?

It’s because the iPhone XR has a screen that stretches to all its edges, whereas the iPhone 8 Plus has a relatively big border above and below its screen.

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8 Plus: Specs and display comparison

Other than size differences, you can expect similar performance from the iPhone XR and iPhone 8 Plus displays.

They both use LCD technology, although (surprisingly) the iPhone 8 Plus has a slightly higher pixel density (401ppi vs 326ppi).

Either way, we’d still prefer the larger size of the iPhone XR display over the extra pixels of the iPhone 8 Plus.

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8 Plus: Quick camera comparison

Even though the XR has only a single camera compared to the dual cameras on the 8 Plus, we’d rather have the camera on the XR. That’s because it has improved computational photography which will give you better details and colours in most shots.

The biggest advantage of the iPhone XR vs 8 Plus? The A12 Bionic chip

The biggest reason to buy the iPhone XR vs iPhone 8 Plus is the newer chip that you’ll find inside the device.

Since the iPhone XR has an A12 Bionic chip versus the 8 Plus’ A11 Bionic, you can expect the phone to be at least 30% faster when it comes to things like browsing, downloading apps, and playing games. Sometimes the difference may not be noticeable, but either way, we still recommend buying a phone with a newer processor, because it will receive Apple updates for a longer amount of time.

You can expect the iPhone XR to receive the newest iOS updates till probably 2023, while the iPhone 8 Plus will probably no longer be supported in 2022. Once again, it’s not a huge difference, but it’s always nice to have a device that’s expected to last a little longer.

In terms of battery life, both devices will easily last you all day, but you can expect at least a couple more hours of battery life from the XR. This is due to a larger battery in the XR (2942mAh vs 2691mAh) and also a more energy-efficient chip.

So which one should you buy? The iPhone XR or 8 Plus?

To be honest, buying either of these phones is a good choice, it’s just about how long you want your phone to last, and if you’re willing to spend a little more to get the latest iOS updates for a little longer. Whether you buy the iPhone XR or iPhone 8 Plus, we hope you enjoy either one :)