The iPhone 11 name might not suggest but it is the successor to the iPhone XR from last year. Apple has almost completely revamped the handset with faster internals, better camera, and more. If you are wondering how the iPhone XR is different from the iPhone 11, read this detailed comparison.

The iPhone 11 is the iPhone for the masses from Apple. Despite coming with a lower price tag, Apple intends to offer almost the same experience with it as the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro series. But to reach the lower price tag, Apple has had to make a few compromises. With the iPhone 11 this year, those compromises have actually reduced. Below is a look at everything that’s different between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR.

What’s Different between iPhone 11 and iPhone XR?

Display

• iPhone 11 – 6.1-inch True Tone Liquid Retina HD LCD display, 1792 x 828 pixels (326 ppi), Haptic Touch
• iPhone XR – 6.1-inch True Tone Liquid Retina HD LCD display, 1792 x 828 pixels (326 ppi), Haptic Touch

The iPhone 11 comes with the same Liquid Retina HD display as found on the iPhone XR. Apple might be using a newer panel but it has not mentioned anything about it in its press release or on the spec sheet.

Design

• iPhone 11 – 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 194g, IP68 certified
• iPhone XR – 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 194g, IP67 certified

Both the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR feature an aluminum frame that is sandwiched by strengthened glass from the front and rear. Apple is using the toughest glass ever on the iPhone 11 though.

In terms of dimensions, the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR are exactly the same. However, the iPhone 11 features improved water-resistance and is IP68 certified. This means that while the iPhone 11 can be dunked in up to 2m depth of water, the iPhone XR is limited to 1m for up to 30 minutes.

Like the iPhone XR, the iPhone 11 is also available in six colors. Alongside Black, White, Yellow, and (Product)RED, Apple is offering the iPhone 11 in two new color shades: Purple and Green.

Chipset

• iPhone 11 – A13 Bionic, 7nm+ EUV, Third-generation Neural engine
• iPhone XR – 7nm A12 Bionic chipset, Second-generation Neural engine

The A12 Bionic chip inside the iPhone XR is still a very powerful mobile chip. However, the A13 Bionic inside the iPhone 11 is even faster. It is up to 20% more powerful than the A12 Bionic while also being more power-efficient. The GPU is also up to 30% faster and Apple claims up to 40% reduction in power consumption. The new Machine Learning Accelerators in A13 Bionic ensure that combined with the CPU, the chip is capable of delivering over 1 trillion operations per second.

Storage

• iPhone 11 – 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
• iPhone XR– 64GB, 128GB

Like the iPhone 11 Pro series, the iPhone 11 does not represent an upgrade over the iPhone XR in this regard. It starts with the same 64GB base storage and tops out at 256GB. The iPhone XR topped out at 128GB so this is an improvement on Apple’s part.

Camera

• iPhone 11 – Dual 12MP camera setup f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture, OIS for Primary sensor, 100% Focus Pixels for primary camera, Improved Smart HDR, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Brighter True Tone Flash
• iPhone XR – Single 12MP camera setup with f/1.8, 1.4um large pixels, OIS, Smart HDR, Focus Pixels, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, True Tone Flash

The iPhone 11 comes with a dual-camera system while the iPhone XR features a single 12MP shooter at the rear. Apple has not only improved the primary camera performance on the iPhone 11, but it has also added a secondary ultra-wide angle camera. The 120-degree wide angle camera will let one capture photos and record videos with an entirely new perspective. This might not seem like a big deal but it will be a game-changer in real life.

There’s a new Night mode in the camera app which automatically triggers itself in low-light scenarios to capture brighter photos. The Portrait mode on the iPhone 11 has also been improved and it now works on pets as well.

The iPhone 11’s video recording capabilities are also a major step up from the iPhone XR. It features Audio Zoom in which the iPhone will automatically focus on the audio coming from the subject. The dynamic range and cinematic stabilization have also been improved on the iPhone 11.

One can also quickly record a video on the iPhone 11 by simply pressing and holding the shutter button.

Front Camera

• iPhone 11 – 12MP TrueDepth Camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Smart HDR
• iPhone XR – 7MP TrueDepth Camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Smart HDR

The iPhone 11’s front camera has a higher 12MP resolution and improved Smart HDR which allows it to capture more details and offer improved dynamic range. It can also record 4K videos at 60fps with cinematic video stabilization and with ‘slofies’ at 120fps.

Connectivity

• iPhone 11 – 1.2Gbps LTE modem, VoLTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi 6 with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with Reader mode, Ultra-Wideband chip
• iPhone XR – LTE-A, VoLTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi ac with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with Reader mode

The iPhone 11 comes with a Gigabit LTE modem along with faster Wi-Fi 6 support. Faster connectivity might not seem like a big deal to many but will have a major impact in daily use. The iPhone 11 also has Apple’s new U1 Ultra Wideband chip which will be useful once Apple Tags are launched later this year. It will allow for better indoor positioning, location tracking, and spatial awareness.

Biometrics

• iPhone 11 – Face ID
• iPhone XR – Face ID

Both phones come with Face ID for biometric authentication. But thanks to an updated TrueDepth camera system, the iPhone 11 offers a better Face ID unlock experience that works over a wider field of view.

Battery Life and Charging

• iPhone 11 – Up to 1 hour longer than iPhone XR
• iPhone XR – Up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus

The iPhone XR was already known for its all-day battery life. But with the iPhone 11, Apple is pushing that boundary even further as it claims the iPhone 11 can deliver an hour longer battery life than the iPhone XR. This means one can get up to 17 hours of video playback on the iPhone 11 while the iPhone XR tops out at 16 hours.

Both phones feature fast-charging support but only come with a 5W charger in the box that takes nearly 2.5-3 hours to charge them from 0-100%. Both phones also support 7.5W wireless charging.

Price

• iPhone 11 – Starts from $699
• iPhone XR – Started from $749, Now priced at $499

In spite of all the improvements that it packs, the iPhone 11 has a lower starting price tag than the iPhone XR. The 64GB base variant can be purchased for $699 while the iPhone XR started from $749. The $50 reduction might not seem like much but ensures that after quite a few years, one can get the latest iPhone for under $700.

What are your thoughts on the iPhone 11? Will you upgrade to it from the iPhone XR? Drop a comment and let us know about it!