Using the iPhone XR in 2023 - worth it?

The iPhone XR is one of the best selling smartphones of all time, making for an abundance of XRs being used in 2023 and available on the secondhand market. How does it hold up in 2023? Should you upgrade? Is it worth buying?

0:00 - iPhone XR in 2023
2:48 - "Budget" iPhone
4:30 - XR Camera
6:08 - 2023 Experience
8:28 - Conclusion

Music:

[Tech]

The iPhone 5C 2.0 - aka, the 2018 iPhone XR - holds up as expected 5 years later: extremely well. Current iOS support, solid performance, and an overall great experience even with the compromises made back when it originally released. What do you guys think, anyone using the XR right now?

[GTSCoupe]

My first iPhone and still have it to this day! Such a great value for money at the time of its launch and still worth it if you're on a budget and need a basic but reliable iPhone.

[epixtech]

the biggest shock here is that 2018 was 5 years ago

[mgankillerdolldance]

I had the iPhone XR in blue but upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro. I really liked that color blue. Reminded me of iPhone 5C.

[Techlifeandmore]

A bit of a correction, the iPhone XR has 3 GB of RAM, while the 10 S and 10 S max have 4 GB.

[itzfourpower]

I picked up a coral XR for £120 around 5 months ago, with 92% battery health & is currently at 91% with recent update to latest software, still using it now, works great

[javi]

I had a 6s back in summer 2019 and I was fine with that phone except for one thing: battery life (which is, IMO, the most important feature of a phone). I decided to buy an XR in July 2019 and I can say its the best purchase I've made in recent years. It holds up really well for what I need, camera takes good pics and battery was overall pretty good. I replaced the battery in September 2022 and still going strong! I plan to keep until it can no longer run modern apps. I feel like nowadays the limiting factor is software, not hardware. Unless Apple kills the phone with bugged updates or simply pulls the plug of updates, the phone can run very well.

[davileos]

i’ve been using a blue xr since 2020 and i just love it, camera, battery, and performance-wise i couldn’t ask for anything else, it’s just a classic iphone, with beautiful design, simplicity and elegance

[james_]

I have been using this phone as my daily driver since its release in 2018. Recently, I had to replace the battery because its health had dropped to 79%. Despite being a 5-year-old iPhone, it has served me well. I use it for various tasks such as video and photo editing in Lightroom, capturing photos, and shooting videos. I also use it for iMessage and streaming content, and its performance is satisfactory for me. As of now, I have no plans to upgrade yet, but I'm considering upgrading to the 15 Pro Max this fall or possibly next year.

[Kameron]

I got this phone for Christmas of 2019. I was only 11


But 3 years later it still works and I don’t plan on upgrading ut

[crestas]

I’m using my iPhone XR since July 2020 when I bought it new and even though I’m using it all the time it’s enough for me. The camera is on the same level as my friends newer android devices and still delivers solid results. The battery capacity was good all the time but 2 months ago it jumped down from 88% to 82% where it’s still right now. A battery replacement would be too expensive because it would be as much as the phone is still worth so I’m thinking of changing my phone soon but in general the XR is still a really good phone and it’s good enough in ever aspect. But if you want something better than average you should go for a higher class iPhone

[ScootTooner]

Got my xr in august 2019 and it’s still going strong today. Just replaced the battery

[lanco]

changed my SE 2020 after 2 years for XR... wanted mostly bigger battery and bigger display, it is little bit slower than SE but other than that im pretty satisfied

[MandrakeRoomba]

I switched from an 8 to my moms XR a month ago, and I can say that it’s a great budget phone. Most of the time you’ll be able to find it for really cheap, the camera still holds up well, has an AMAZING battery life and it still holds up well. I recommend it.

[skriddlehiddles]

I’ve had my XR for about 3 years now and it still holds up. Of course it doesn’t compare to the newer iphones, but I’m still gonna wait at least another year or if the battery health really declines.

[b.m.]

Using a XR currently, it’s also brand new due to where I got it having it in stock. Definitely liking it so far considering I went from a SE to this

[BroBlackWolf]

I had the iPhone XR only for four months and I could not stand the camera I ended up giving the phone to my Momma and upgrading to the iPhone XS for a better camera

[SeptienPatterson]

Using a third party camera app like Obscura or Halide will make your pictures shine.

[ykvs]

Honestly i don't get why people are worried about their phone getting old this much. i know some of you might say that why am i even here. (i am here only for nostalgia to see old phones)

For me, i think people should just buy a new phone and continue to use it as you please. Now i am using iphone 12 since day one and it was great even today. But in some
ocassion i still use my iphone 5s especially when i am walking with my dog for youtube and music player (i still use it bc new phones are a bit chunky to my pocket). In short i think people should not worry about upgrading their phone as long as they still do the job that you need from it.

[KuroManX]

iPhone XR is still great, don't fall in that "I need the new iPhone", iPhones have solid hardware that last for years, my XR has 3.5 years and is still very good for common usage, even games, the battery at 88% can last for 3-4 hours, also, you don't need to be addicted to your phone.
Your phone is a tool designed to help you, not slave you, think about it. Also, buy a square edge case, it will increase the grip of your phone tremendously (and also will look like the latest models).