The new installment in the Apple franchise is the brilliant and different phone Apple fans were expecting.

The 2018 iPhone XR (starting in $749) is sleek, vibrant, powerful and truly the phone of the year.

The XR competes with two more phones that came out at the same time; the iPhone XS and the XS Max. These two phones are fairly different from the XR in appearance and power; The XR is substantially cheaper and the XS models are too expensive for what they offer.

Apple sells the iPhone XR in three different versions: the 64GB version for $749, the $128GB version for $799.99 and the 256GB version for $899.

The iPhone XR comes with a fairly big screen, the 6.1 inch (diagonal) liquid retina display with all screen touch features, even comes with IPS technology. The iPhone XS (starting from $999) is a powerful but expensive and has a 5.8 inch OLED screen.  Both XS models come with OLED, which grants a brighter, more colorful screen. Still, the XS is smaller than the 6.1 inch XR. In spite of that, the XS Max (starting at $1099) takes the throne with its massive 6.5 inch OLED screen.

The camera in the XR is new in some way. It has a 12MP wide-angle camera that takes extremely clear pictures. It has the latest camera technology and different modes such as portrait that define what the amount of options the phone has to offer. In addition, it has smart HDR pictures which let you take GIFS in an instant. It also records in 4k HD at 24, 30 or 60 fps. This enables you to take extremely accurate slow motion videos as well as out of this world videos.

The camera is the main difference between the XR and XS models. The iPhone XS and XS max both come with a 12MP dual camera which is straight up better than the one in the XR. As commonly said, two is better than one, and this is precisely what makes this camera stand out. The two cameras working together enables the XS models with unique technology as well as better quality pictures and videos.

One of the things that let the iPhone XR stand out from any other iPhone is its battery. With the powerful 2944 mAh battery, it can even last up to 1.5 hours more than its predecessor, the iPhone 8 Plus. Fully charged, you can use it while on the internet for 15 hours, playing videos for 16, and talking for up to 25 hours before needing to be charged. With a common adaptor such as the 18W adaptor, it can charge 50% in just 30 minutes which is extremely fast for a phone this powerful.

The iPhone XS and the XS Max both fall behind if we are talking about battery life. The XS has a battery capacity of 2659 mAh (less than the XR) but the XS Max has a battery capacity of 3179 mAh, much more than both the XS and the XR. But such a powerful battery has to withstand a very big phone and the XS Max does a good job but not good enough. The iPhone XR is superior in this way, numerous tests have shown how the XR beats its competition with ease. It is fair to say that today, iPhone XR has the best battery life and in this matter is superior from any Apple product made.

Also, another great thing about the iPhone XR is the number of colors it is available in. You can get it in white, black, light blue, yellow, coral and red. Also, one thing the XR offers and many people don’t take into account is that if you buy a red product from Apple, part of the money goes to an Aids foundation in Africa that helps people with the disease. Another category where the iPhone XR comes victorious; the available colors for both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max are plain and not interesting at all. They come in silver, gray and gold, three of the more used colors for iPhone which takes away some of the fun of buying such an interesting machine. Finally, A very important part of buying a new phone is that it can relate to the owner. The variety of colors offered by the iPhone XR makes it easy for the buyer to choose the color they identify with; this is something the XS models cannot offer. In addition, having a unique phone is something that many people are looking for and the new colors offered by the XR can do just that.

The iPhone XR is just as Apple advertises, “Brilliant in every way.”  Nevertheless, the XS models are brilliant as well. Both the XS and the XS Max make up a wonderful phone but for a slightly better screen and a better camera, the $200 to $300 rise in price is not really worth it. The XR is the balance of everything and for a price of just $749, it’s perfect for what it can accomplish.