Tests show iPhone XR screen just as durable as iPhone XS and XS Max

While the iPhone XR is at least $250 cheaper than any version of the iPhone XS, testing by an electronics insurance company shows that the display is just as resistant to breakage during a drop.

The XR's LCD cracked on the first drop from 6 feet onto a sidewalk, becoming unusable, phone insurance firm SquareTrade said in a test video published on Monday. That result is identical to the OLED panel on the iPhone XS.

Both phones saw their back glass shatter under similar drops.

The video additionally shows a bend test for the XR, revealing that it takes about 260 pounds of pressure to flex the phone's metal chassis. That should prevent any "bendgate" problems as with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, though people should still avoid putting the phone in their back pocket in case they sit down.

SquareTrade's tests suggest that Apple's only real compromises with the XR are in features. Aside from the use of LCD, the XR has 3 gigabytes of RAM instead of 4, no 3D Touch, and a single-lens rear camera. The iPhone XS and iPhone XR share A12 processors, Face ID, edge-to-edge displays, and other technologies.

8 Comments

MplsP 8 Years · 4047 comments

About 6 years ago

Cue the people bashing the 'crappy' glass that can't withstand dropping 6 feet on to concrete! That's exactly why I get a case with corner protection.

I was in Target yesterday and they had the Xr on display right next to the Xs. Side by side, I could see virtually no difference in the display quality and actually thought the Xr looked a little better, so I find it hard to argue that the screen on the Xr is a compromise.

Also, what memory does the display use? Is the benefit of the extra RAM in the Xs simply negated by the higher screen resolution? Subjectively, I noticed no difference between the phones when I played with them at Target, but that is far from a thorough evaluation.

I think the only real compromise in the Xr for most people will end up being the single lens camera and the lack of a telephoto lens.

Soli 9 Years · 9981 comments

About 6 years ago

sirozha said:

Excuse me. Where is the man supposed to put his iPhone? Man purse?

Maybe the man shouldn't wear skin tight pants if an iPhone that is only 2.98 inches (75.7 mm) wide and 0.33 inches (8.3 mm) thick is too much for the man. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

What do you think people have been doing with the Plus-branded iPhones this whole time?

lastwomanstanding 6 Years · 1 comment

About 6 years ago

MplsP said:

Cue the people bashing the 'crappy' glass that can't withstand dropping 6 feet on to concrete! That's exactly why I get a case with corner protection.

I was in Target yesterday and they had the Xr on display right next to the Xs. Side by side, I could see virtually no difference in the display quality and actually thought the Xr looked a little better, so I find it hard to argue that the screen on the Xr is a compromise.

Also, what memory does the display use? Is the benefit of the extra RAM in the Xs simply negated by the higher screen resolution? Subjectively, I noticed no difference between the phones when I played with them at Target, but that is far from a thorough evaluation.

I think the only real compromise in the Xr for most people will end up being the single lens camera and the lack of a telephoto lens.

I agree, I didn't see a difference either, which is why I decided to go for the XR. I'll just slap my go to skin and case combo from uniqfind and I'm sure I'll be more than happy with the phone. I just don't see the point of shelling out the extra cash for a phone that I don't feel is worth it. I'm no selfie queen, so I don't need the extra camera. I'm sure the photo quality will be more than satisfactory.

jume 14 Years · 207 comments

About 6 years ago

MplsP said:

Cue the people bashing the 'crappy' glass that can't withstand dropping 6 feet on to concrete! That's exactly why I get a case with corner protection.

I was in Target yesterday and they had the Xr on display right next to the Xs. Side by side, I could see virtually no difference in the display quality and actually thought the Xr looked a little better, so I find it hard to argue that the screen on the Xr is a compromise.

Also, what memory does the display use? Is the benefit of the extra RAM in the Xs simply negated by the higher screen resolution? Subjectively, I noticed no difference between the phones when I played with them at Target, but that is far from a thorough evaluation.

I think the only real compromise in the Xr for most people will end up being the single lens camera and the lack of a telephoto lens.

Finally someone with a sane view to the latest iPhone pricing.

iPhone X and now Xs is way too expensive for a mobile phone.

XR is the one to buy!