If you think you can't afford a premium iPhone, think again! The XR is Apple's affordable version of the flagship XS and XS Max, sharing many of the same features but not the same price tag. The iPhone XR is a budget-friendly phone, costing less but bringing you so much performance and very impressive features. A lot of the hardware on the iPhone XR is similar to the iPhone XS but some features have been removed to bring down the price. For example, 3D Touch is replaced with Haptic Touch which is pressed until a vibration is felt. The XR also has an LCD display instead of the OLED screen found on the XS and XS Max. But this is no ordinary LCD display! Apple calls it the "most advanced LCD in the industry", with a backlight design which allows the screen to reach all corners. The 6.1-inch display is a very impressive one by any standards, as is the 1792-by-828-pixel resolution. So even though you won't get flagship features in every respect, you can still expect premium quality across the board: and in the case of the A12 Bionic chip, you get the same power and intelligence enjoyed by users of the XS and XS Max. Let's have a closer look at iPhone XR's features.

Processor with machine learning

The performance delivered by the A12 Bionic alongside the next-generation Neural Engine, takes the XR into flagship territory. The A12 Bionic is up to 15% faster than its predecessor and uses up to 50% less power. Meanwhile, the Neural Engine is designed with real-time machine learning in mind. As a result, the XR can recognise patterns, make predictions and learn from experience, in the same way your brain can. The Neural Engine is ultra-fast too: 5 trillion operations per second!

Advanced camera features

The camera is always a major selling point on an iPhone and in this respect too, the XR is right up there with its flagship cousins. Faster sensors, enhanced image processing and advanced algorithms combine to produce shots of profound colour depth and detail, with zero shutter lag making action photographs look super sharp. More sophisticated background blur brings out the most in the subject of portrait shots, including Enhanced Portrait mode for selfies. The ability to shoot in low light is an indicator of the quality of the camera, and again the XR delivers with larger pixels allowing more light to hit the sensor, resulting in better quality shots in darker settings.

Advanced face recognition

The iPhone XR also shares Face ID with the XS. Features like the TrueDepth camera system, Secure Enclave, and Neural Engine make this, in Apple's words: "the most secure facial authentication ever in a smartphone." This facial authentication is smart as well as secure. A case in point is Adaptive Recognition which can recognise changes in your appearance. For example, a newly-grown beard won't stop you from accessing your phone, or opening your favourite apps, or paying for things.

iPhone XR verdict

If you think all of the features you've just read about make the XR sound like a premium quality iPhone...you'd be right! The 12th generation of the iPhone is a step up not a step back, in spite of its affordable price. This is a phone that firmly deserves to be part of the X series stable.