Which phone is newer xr or 11

• Apple's iPhone 11 from 2019 is essentially a newer version of the 2018 iPhone XR.
• While both iPhones look nearly identical, Apple made 10 major changes to the iPhone XR to create the iPhone 11.
• The biggest changes are in the cameras and the chips.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The iPhone XR was the most popular and best-selling smartphone of 2019, according to research firms Omdia and Informa Tech, and Apple is still selling it in 2020 for $600. 

That makes the iPhone XR an absolute bargain. But then again, it's also a phone from 2018. It's not quite two years old, yet — it'll reach that milestone in September.

Apple has a more recent version of the iPhone XR, and it comes in the form of the iPhone 11 that was announced in September 2019 and starts at $700. Considering the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $1,000, the iPhone 11 can easily be considered a bargain, too. 

Check out the major differences between the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, then you can decide for yourself whether it's worth saving or spending the extra $100 on Apple's latest iPhone:

Screen: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 have the same screen — same 6.1-inch size, same 828p resolution, same bezels, same notch, same everything.

Design, size, and weight: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 are exactly the same size and weight. They look identical, except for the iPhone 11's rear camera system.

Power: The iPhone 11 runs on Apple's new A13 chip, while the iPhone XR runs on last year's A12 chip. The A12 might be older, but it's no slouch.

The iPhone XR runs on Apple's 2018 A12 chip with 3 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 11 runs on 2019's A13 chip with 4 GB of RAM. (Apple doesn't list how much RAM each phone has, so the RAM number is according to GSM Arena.)

It's tough to gauge the difference that the iPhone 11's specs will make. New iPhones are always more powerful and faster than older iPhones, but the performance gap between the old and new is narrowing more and more every year.

Face ID: Apple says Face ID on the iPhone 11 is 30% faster than the previous generation, including the iPhone XR.

Rear cameras: The iPhone XR has a single-lens 12-megapixel camera, and the iPhone 11 has a 12-megapixel dual-lens camera system, one of which takes ultra-wide photos. See the differences below.

• The extra lens on the iPhone 11 is an ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view.
• The iPhone 11 can do 2x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. The iPhone XR can do only 5x digital zoom. Digital zoom is artificial and not as good as natural optical zoom.
• The iPhone 11 can take portrait-mode photos of pets and objects, while the iPhone XR can take portrait shots only of people.
• The iPhone 11's portrait mode has Apple's lighting effects, like studio, stage, and high-key mono. The iPhone XR's portrait mode doesn't have those effects.
• The iPhone 11 has Apple's new night mode for better low-light shots.
• The iPhone 11 has Apple's "next-generation" smart HDR for photos, which Apple says is better than the iPhone XR's smart HDR.

Source: Apple, and a photo taken with the iPhone 11's ultrawide camera

Selfie camera: The iPhone XR has a 7-megapixel selfie camera, while the iPhone 11 has a 12-megapixel selfie camera. See more differences below.

• The iPhone 11's selfie camera can take 4K video up to 60 frames per second. The iPhone XR takes 1080p video up to 60 frames per second.
• The iPhone 11's selfie camera can take slow-motion "slofie" videos at 1080p resolution and 120 frames per second.
• The iPhone 11's selfie camera comes with Apple's "next-generation" smart HDR.

Video recording: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 have similar video-recording capabilities, with a few differences.

• The iPhone 11 can record video with its ultrawide camera.
• The iPhone 11 has 2x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom. The iPhone XR has only 3x digital zoom.
• The iPhone 11 has "audio zoom" to focus on a subject's audio.
• The iPhone 11 has video stabilization for 4K resolution, while iPhone XR did not include stabilization for 4K.

Storage: Both the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 are available with 64 GB or 128 GB of storage, but the iPhone 11 has an extra 256 GB option.

Water resistance: The iPhone 11 has IP68 water resistance (2 meters, 30 minutes), which is slightly better than the iPhone XR's IP67 water resistance (1 meter, 30 minutes).

Data speeds: The iPhone 11 has "gigabit-class LTE" for faster data than the iPhone XR, depending on your carrier and which area you're in. It also supports WiFi 6.

Apple says you can download things up to 38% faster on WiFi 6 — but you'd need a WiFi 6 router and the internet speeds to take full advantage of WiFi 6.

AirDrop: iPhone 11 has an improved AirDrop function, powered by Apple's new U1 chip, letting you AirDrop things more easily when you're pointing the iPhone 11 toward other Apple devices with the chip.

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