- Apple is hosting an event on September 10 where it’s likely to introduce new iPhones.
- One of those devices is likely to be a successor to last year’s iPhone XR. Right now, it’s being called the iPhone 11R.
- I’ve been using an iPhone 6S for about three years, and I can’t wait to buy the iPhone 11R. It’s said to come in beautiful new colors and have an incredible screen and an excellent camera.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
We may be getting our first look at Apple’s next iPhones on September 10, and I, for one, can’t wait.
The new phones are said to be fairly similar to last year’s iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max except for a few features, mainly that the cameras on all three phones are likely getting a redesign.
While we won’t know until next Tuesday what the devices are named, various reports have pointed to two different naming conventions: Apple could change the style to iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, or it could keep the names similar to last year and call the phones iPhone 11R, iPhone 11S, and iPhone 11S Max.
While most of the world is apparently losing interest in buying new phones, I feel the opposite: For the first time in several years, I can't wait to buy a new iPhone.
I haven't gotten a new phone in about three years, since I upgraded to an iPhone 6S from an iPhone 5S. I've been lucky enough to try lots of new phones over the years, which is part of the reason I haven't needed to upgrade. And for a long time, I was trying to decide whether I should switch to Android - especially after the Pixel 3 came out last fall, and again after trying Samsung's Galaxy S10e in April.
But through it all, I've accepted the fact that it's easier for me to remain an iPhone user. I use Apple products for work, and being able to sync my computer to my phone makes life a lot easier. When it comes to my personal life, it's easier for me to stay on the iPhone too. The majority of people in my life - except for two of my sisters and a few friends - use iPhones, so messaging is a lot easier. Plus, I use other Apple products at home, like an Apple TV, an iPad, and a MacBook.
It's not that I'm a diehard Apple fan - it's just that it's easier to stay on the platform that I'm already on.
Which is why, after trying most of the most popular high-end phones on the market over the past year or so, I still can't wait to buy a new iPhone. But I'm not after the biggest, most expensive iPhone 11S Max, or even the smaller-but-still-expensive iPhone 11S.
No, the phone I'm most excited about is the iPhone XR successor, the so-called iPhone 11R. Here's why.
The iPhone 11R is going to be cheap — at least relatively speaking.
If last year's iPhone XR is any indication, we can expect the iPhone 11R to be Apple's "budget" iPhone.
It's not clear just yet whether Apple will stick to the same pricing structure it had last year: $750 for the "cheap" model, and $1,000 and $1,100 for the two premium models.
Here's hoping Apple opts for a similar - or cheaper! - price range. While $750 is still a lot of money, it's significantly easier to pay up-front than $1,000 or more, and cheaper in monthly installments too. The iPhone XR costs about $32 a month right now, while the iPhone XS starts at $10 more a month.
The iPhone 11R will reportedly come in new, improved colors and have a "frosted glass" look.
When the iPhone XR arrived last year, I was initially excited that Apple was embracing color for the first time since the iPhone 5C. Phones have gotten too boring, and Apple has been the ringleader for the past several years, opting for premium-looking, high-end colors (black, white, silver, gold, rose gold) instead of fun, eye-popping hues.
But when the wraps came off the iPhone XR, I was disappointed. The colors Apple chose - blue, yellow, coral, and red, along with black and white - were garish and cheap-looking. I had been set on buying an XR but ultimately held off because, quite frankly, I couldn't decide on a color I liked enough to own.
But Apple appears to have rethought its color scheme this year. The company is tweaking the colors to something more muted and stylish, according to the blog Macotakara.
And here’s what appear to be your next-generation iPhone XR colors (lavender purple and green instead of blue and coral) as @idanbo reported earlier this week: https://t.co/KQQ6JKmZg9 pic.twitter.com/7k3WZC2ZUi
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 14, 2019
Plus, when Apple sent invitations to its event, it provided what seemed like another hint about the iPhone 11R colors:
Those little glass shards, along with the top and bottom colors on that Apple logo, are giving me a lot of hope that the iPhone 11R will come in prettier colors. If they're accurate, it looks as if the most difficult decision I'll face this time around will be choosing between green and purple.
The iPhone 11R will have a gigantic screen, which might be OLED.
Of the three iPhones Apple unveiled last year, the iPhone XR had the second-largest screen - smaller than the iPhone XS Max, but larger than the iPhone XS.
If Apple keeps the same dimensions for this year's iPhones, we can expect the iPhone 11R to be the same, and it's one more reason I'm excited to buy it.
At 6.1 inches, the iPhone XR's screen is something like the Goldilocks of iPhones - not too big and not too small. While I don't love that it also means the body of the phone is a bit bigger and heavier than the iPhone XS (or, theoretically, iPhone 11S) I can live with it.
One thing that may change this year is the display technology. One of the main features that differentiated last year's premium iPhones from the iPhone XR was that the iPhone XS and XS Max had OLED displays, while the iPhone XR had an LCD display that Apple named "liquid retina."
But that could change this year. In May, Reuters described a report from the South Korean news outlet Electronic Times as saying Apple might decide to go with OLED screens for all three models.
The iPhone 11R is probably going to have an incredible camera.
Truth be told, the iPhone XR already has a great camera - and it could be getting even better.
Apple seemed to take a page out of the Google Pixel playbook when it unveiled the iPhone XR last year. The phone featured a single-lens camera that relied heavily on software to achieve some of the features its more expensive siblings were capable of (namely, portrait mode).
The results were impressive, and there weren't many major differences between photos taken on the iPhone XR and on the iPhone XS.
Still, Apple is expected to upgrade the camera on this year's iPhones. The iPhone 11R is said to be getting a second rear lens for better zooming, which is likely to feel like an improvement over last year's model. It's not clear whether the selfie camera is getting an update too, but that would be great - every little improvement helps.
The iPhone 11R will offer more for your money than the iPhone 11S and 11S Max will.
Chances are, this year's iPhones will be similar to last year's iPhones. And if we're going by last year's prices and specs, it's hard to justify paying more for the top-of-the-line phone.
The iPhone XR cost $250 less than the iPhone XS and $350 less than the iPhone XS Max. It still has an excellent camera, an excellent screen, the same new A12 Bionic chip, plenty of storage, and wireless charging. Plus, it runs the same software as the higher-end phones.
No, you're not getting the premium-looking finishes or the unspoken air of luxury that comes with the iPhone XS. But you're still getting a very nice device, and one that does all the things you need it to - and you have at least $250 to spend on something else.
I suspect that this year's lineup will offer the same, and in my view, you're making the wiser choice by buying the "budget" iPhone.
Overall, there are plenty of cool rumored features that will make it a major upgrade from my iPhone 6S.
Listen, it's not like my life is so tough. I have access to a lot of really nice phones because of my job, so I haven't been using my iPhone 6S full time for a few months.
But the thought of going back to it right now fills me with dread. To me, it feels antiquated and slow, the camera isn't up to snuff anymore, and the battery life is abysmal. Plus, the space-gray color is just so ... boring.
Instead, I could be using a device that comes in a bunch of fresh, fun colors and has a large, gorgeous display, an excellent camera, wireless charging, and great battery life. It's sort of a no-brainer.
So while I'm not exactly excited to spend several hundred dollars in a few weeks, I still can't wait to buy the iPhone 11R.