What are the major differences between the iPhone XR and iPhone 11? Which is best for my needs?

Please note that the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 both have been discontinued. This Q&A has been updated with the latest iOS support details and more and can be quite useful to anyone buying one of these devices on the used market.

There are four different iPhone XR models and three different iPhone 11 models, but this EveryiPhone.com Q&A primarily covers collective differences to make it simple to decide which mobile is the best one for your needs.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left: iPhone XR; Right: iPhone 11)

The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are easy to mistake for one another, although the rear camera is an obvious point of differentiation when the two are side-by-side. The camera is a notable difference, but there are others that are less obvious and that are at least as important.

External Design & Functionality Differences

With the exception of some color options, and the rear camera, the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 look effectively identical. Both are a rounded rectangle with a glass front and back, an aluminum case, and a relatively wide black "lip" around the edge of the display. Both are the same dimensions, use the same 6.1" LCD "Liquid Retina HD" display (1792x828, 326 ppi, 1400:1 contrast ratio), and even weigh the same amount.

Both devices have stereo speakers, a Lightning port, and a side-mounted Nano SIM access panel on the right side for one or two physical SIMs (depending on model), and use "Advanced Face ID" authentication. They each support "wireless" -- really inductive -- charging with an optional charging base, as well. Waterproof capability and housing colors are different.

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Material:	Aluminum/Glass	Aluminum/Glass
Display:	6.1" LCD	6.1" LCD
Water Resistance:	IP67 (1 meter)	IP68 (2 meters)
Speakers:	Two	Two
Security:	Face ID	Face ID
Inductive Charging:	Yes (Qi)	Yes (Qi)

Housing Color Differences

Both the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are housed in six different colors, but not the same ones.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone XR Colors)

The iPhone XR (above) is available in (PRODUCT) RED, yellow, white, coral (salmon), black, and (royal) blue, left to right. The iPhone 11 (below), on the other hand, is available in black, (pastel) green, (pastel) yellow, (pastel) purple, (PRODUCT) RED, and white, again, left to right.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left: iPhone 11 Colors)

Black is pretty similar between lines, but in person, white and (PRODUCT) RED are a warmer tone on the iPhone 11 than the iPhone XR. In general, the iPhone XR colors are brighter and more vivid whereas the iPhone 11 colors are more pastel and subdued.

Camera Differences

The cameras in the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are a significant point of differentiation. Both front and rear cameras are more capable on the iPhone 11.

Front Cameras

The front-facing camera on both devices -- which Apple refers to as "TrueDepth" -- supports "Advanced Face ID" authentication, augmented reality (AR), still photos, and video, but with 12 megapixels and 4K video support, the iPhone 11 front camera is more advanced:

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Megapixels:	7 MP	12 MP
Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2
Video:	1080p	4K
Portrait Mode:	Yes	Yes
Portrait Lighting:	Yes (Three Effects)	Yes (Six Effects)

Rear Cameras

The rear camera in both the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 shoot 4K video and stills, but the iPhone XR has a single 12 megapixel wide angle lens whereas the iPhone 11 rear camera has dual 12 megapixel ultra wide and wide angle lenses. Both support a variety of filters and processing options, but in general, the iPhone 11 is more capable:

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Megapixels:	12 MP	12 MP x2
Ultra Wide Angle:	None	f/2.4
Wide Angle:	f/1.8	f/1.8
Telephoto:	None	None
LED Flash:	Yes	Yes (Brighter)
Night Mode:	No	Yes
Digital Zoom:	5x	2x (Out), 5x (Up)

In basic terms, the most notable improvement with the iPhone 11 rear camera is its low-light performance. It's a big jump up in this respect, for sure.

Identification Differences

Although it is possible to identify iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models by their colorful cases and rear cameras, they can be easy to mistake for subsequent models. Accordingly, visual identification isn't a good long-method of differentiation. Visual identification isn't a useful method to identify specific iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models, either.

However, one relatively easy way to uniquely identify the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models is by the Model Number listed on the cardboard shipping box and within the iOS "Settings" app.

Consequently, for the purpose of this Q&A, it is sufficient to note that the following model numbers refer to these iPhone devices:

iPhone Model	Model No
iPhone XR (US/Canada)	A1984
iPhone XR (Global)	A2105
iPhone XR (Japan)	A2106
iPhone XR (China/Hong Kong)	A2108
iPhone 11 (US/Canada)	A2111
iPhone 11 (Global)	A2221
iPhone 11 (China/Hong Kong)	A2223

EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iLookup feature also can precisely identify these iPhone models by Order Number (referred to as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About), and their Serial Numbers, as well.

Battery Life Differences

The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 both have excellent battery life. Apple reports that the iPhone 11 has "up to an hour" longer runtime (presumably referring to video playback from the device), but changed their reporting criteria a bit, as well:

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Talk Time:	25 Hours	--
Internet Use:	15 Hours	--
Streamed Video:	--	10 Hours
Video Playback:	16 Hours	17 Hours
Audio Playback:	65 Hours	65 Hours

Wireless Connectivity & Data Differences

There are notable differences in connectivity for different iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models depending on where either is sold, but most significantly, the iPhone 11 models support faster 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and Gigabit LTE whereas the iPhone XR models do not. The iPhone 11 also supports Ultra Wideband "for spatial awareness."

All of the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models support dual SIMs, but only China-specific models have dual hardware Nano SIMs. The other models have one hardware Nano SIM and one eSIM in software.

Internal Differences

The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are significantly different internally:

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Clockspeed:	2.49 GHz	2.66 GHz
Processor:	Apple A12 Bionic	Apple A13 Bionic
Cores:	Six	Six
RAM:	3 GB	4 GB
Architecture:	64-Bit	64-Bit
Neural Engine:	2nd Gen	3rd Gen
Orig. Storage:	64/128/256 GB	64/128/256 GB
Apple Pay (NFC):	Yes	Yes

In benchmark tests, the iPhone 11 is around 14% faster in single-core tasks and 26% faster in multi-core tasks than the iPhone XR.

iOS Support Similarities

The iPhone XR originally shipped with iOS 12. The iPhone 11 originally shipped with iOS 13. Both models later shipped with iOS 14 and fully supported the operating system. Both models also fully support iOS 15 and later iPhone 11 models shipped with it installed by default. iOS support diverged more significantly from here, though.

Both models support iOS 16, but neither the iPhone XR nor iPhone 11 support the Accessibility Detection and improved Depth of Field features. On the other hand, the iPhone XR does not support Live Captions, Visual Look Up, or Apple Music Sing (Karaoke), either, wheras the newer iPhone 11 models do support these features.

Both models also support iOS 17, and feature support also is the same; they fully support the operating system with the exception of the minor React with Your Hands; More Accurate Autocorrect in English, French, and Spanish; Inline Predictions (English); and Point and Speak features.

Both models likewise support iOS 18, the current version of the iOS, and neither model supports the Apple Intelligence (AI), Messages via Satellite, Live audio transcriptions, Eye Tracking, and Music Haptics features, but the older iPhone XR also lacks support for the Enhance Dialogue and Hands-free Unlock features wheras the newer iPhone 11 does support these features.

iPhone XR & iPhone 11 Comparison Chart

These differences as well as other details and pricing information is summarized below:

	iPhone XR	iPhone 11
Introduced:	Sept 2018	Sept 2019
Discontinued:	Sept 2021	Sept 2022
Processor:	2.49 GHz A12	2.66 GHz A13
RAM:	3 GB	4 GB
Orig. Storage:	64/128/256 GB	64/128/256 GB
Battery Life:	15-65 Hours	17-65 Hours
Display Type:	LCD	LCD
Display Size:	6.1"	6.1"
Resolution:	1792x828	1792x828
Pixel Density:	326 ppi	326 ppi
Contrast Ratio:	1400:1	1400:1
Front Camera:	7 MP (1080p)	12 MP (4K)
Rear Camera:	1 (12 MP)	2 (12 MP)
Dolby Atmos:	No	Yes
Material:	Alum/Glass	Alum/Glass
Waterproofing:	IP67 (1m)	IP68 (2m)
Colors:	Six Colors (Bright)	Six Colors (Subdued)
SIM Card:	Nano/eSIM	Nano/eSIM
Fastest Wi-Fi:	802.11ac	802.11ax (6)
Gigabit LTE:	No	Yes
Original iOS:	iOS 12	iOS 13
Maximum iOS:	iOS 18	iOS 18
Orig. Price* (US):	US$749 US$799 US$899	US$699 US$749 US$849

* Note that these prices are for devices unlocked and paid in full upfront. Carrier subsidized options also are available. On September 10, 2019, Apple discontinued the 256 GB option for the iPhone XR and dropped the price of of the remaining 64 GB and 128 GB configurations to US$599 and US$649, respectively. On October 13, 2020, Apple again dropped the price of the 64 GB and 128 GB iPhone XR options to US$499 and US$549, respectively. On October 13, 2020, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone 11 models to US$599, US$649, and US$749, with 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB of storage, respectively. On September 14, 2021, Apple discontinued the iPhone XR entirely, discontinued the 256 GB iPhone 11 configuration and cut the price of the remaining 64 GB and 128 GB iPhone 11 configurations to US$499 and US$549, respectively. Finally, on September 7, 2022, Apple discontinued the iPhone 11.

For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPhone as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPhone.com.

So, which is for me? Should I buy an iPhone XR or iPhone 11?

Just comparing the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, and ignoring newer and more expensive models, you really should buy an iPhone 11.

The iPhone XR remains a capable iPhone, and if you are on a tight budget, it still is worth considering, but new, it was only US$100 less than the iPhone 11 when the iPhone 11 was introduced.

The modest extra amount for an iPhone 11, then or now, provides (1) more speed and more RAM (which likely means it will be supported by the iOS for longer), (2) better cameras, especially for low-light photos, (3) faster Wi-Fi and faster LTE, (4) modestly better battery life, and (5) better waterproofing. These five factors provide a lot of additional value for the price.

In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurbished iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models with free shipping. On the other hand, if you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.

Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.