iPhone XR vs iPhone 8 - Is there a clear winner or are we in for a surprise? We compare the two iPhones and see how different they really are. Plus we give our verdict on which iPhone is the better choice to have. 

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: About the two iPhones

The iPhone 8 was first released in September 2017, and a year later came the iPhone X series where the iPhone XR had a few noticeable changes. One of those being the Face ID authentication feature which exists until today’s latest models, and fingerprint touch ID being the last of its kind in the iPhone 8 series. With only a year apart between their release dates, the two phones actually share quite a lot of similarities, but ultimately there are some key differences where we will go into greater detail below.       

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Design

Across all measurements of height, weight, thickness and width, the iPhone 8 takes the W! More portable to travel with, you can easily hide it in your jean pocket, clutch handbag or even just hold it securely in the palm of your hand - it just feels a lot more easier to hold in comparison to the iPhone XR overall. However, in terms of colours available between the two iPhones, the iPhone XR has a more playful range with white, black, blue, yellow, coral, (PRODUCT)red on offer. Whereas, the iPhone 8 was released with colours similar to a MacBook range with colours only in silver, space grey and gold that some may find a bit mundane in comparison. Both phones offer a glass back and metal frame that gives a quite premium feel when holding. 

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Screen display

This is one of the main differences between the two models since straight away from a glance you can tell that the iPhone XR has a bigger screen size and higher resolution when comparing. Undoubtedly, the edge-to-edge screen helps feed in more brightness and vibrancy that you will see is lacking in the iPhone 8 - no thanks to the big forehead and chin that takes up space.  

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Performance and storage

The XR bionic chip is an upgrade to the iPhone 8 by 50%. The iPhone XR is built with an A12 chip whereas the iPhone 8 has the older A11 chip inside. Both are certainly powerful enough to still process everyday general activities without any delay, but with the XR you will notice a slight improvement in the overall user experience. Both have a maximum storage of 256 GB but the RAM capacity is slightly better in the XR vs iPhone 8 (3 GB vs 2 GB). 

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Battery

Another huge difference between the two here is the battery life. The iPhone XR has this won easily as there is considerably more milliampere hour against the iPhone 8 (2942 mAh vs 1821 mAh). However, other than this both iPhones share the same capabilities with the battery such as they both offer; fast charging, wireless charging, and an ultra power saving mode.

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Camera

This is perhaps the most surprising between the two iPhones - Apple made no camera improvements between the iPhone XR and the iPhone 8. Both phones feature a 7 MP front camera, 12 MP rear camera (single lens), with no optical zoom. Both have optical stabilisation, flash, and slow motion video capability with the same camera video resolution of 2160 px and 4K video recording.    

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Special features

As touched on earlier, the iPhone XR uses face ID authentication, which allows the design to have an edge-to-edge display. The iPhone 8 is the last of the older model designs which incorporates a fingerprint ID authentication instead and makes the display smaller as a result. Other than this, both have the same water resistance rating of IP67 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes), and both phones are still supported with the latest iOS updates. However, one thing to keep in mind is that based on Apple’s pattern in the past, the iPhone 8 may soon cease to receive iOS updates by 2023 as Apple tends to stop supporting models after 5 years from release. Making the iPhone XR a bit more future-proof in comparison.

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: Price

A refurbished iPhone XR will cost as low as £177, but a refurbished iPhone 8 will be as cheap as £119. Not a ginormous price difference between the two, so it would be best to think carefully on whether the additional savings/spending is worth your decision in the end. 

iPhone XR vs iPhone 8: The verdict?

It isn’t the easiest of decisions to make between the iPhone XR or the iPhone 8. There really are only small differences between the two, since both share a lot of similar specifications such as the same camera system (front and back), same maximum storage, and same iOS software. Both present compelling reasons to be bought against the other in their own right. 

The advantages of choosing the iPhone 8 is for the cheaper price, smaller and light design, and fingerprint ID authentication (if you prefer this). 

However, we think advantages of choosing the iPhone XR outweighs the positives for picking an iPhone 8, since just for an additional £58 you will get a slightly better performing iPhone with the A12 bionic chip, longer battery life, cool facial recognition authentication feature, edge-to-edge screen display, plus more fun colours to choose from. We also like the idea that Apple will likely continue to support the X series longer with iOS updates vs the iPhone 8, since history tells us they tend to leave out models once 5-years have passed from their initial release. So if you have to make a choice between the two models, we recommend just spending just a little bit more to get the iPhone XR for a more entertaining display, longer battery life, and more years of iOS updates!