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iPhone XR Why IS the iPhone XR so much thicker?

S

Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 10, 2014
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This is not a topic to bad mouth the XR. I have one myself and love it. I just don’t get the thickness. It can’t be because it’s an LCD since the older phones were as well and were much thinner.

Have there been tear down videos that show the insides and explain what is happening?
 
My first guess is that it’s probably cheaper to manufacture it that way. People will say the bigger battery, but it’s not that big relatively speaking. Maybe they also wanted the thinner phones to feel more premium, who knows with Apple.
 
AppleHaterLover said:
Because it has a huge-ass battery and honestly it’s perfect
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Big by iPhone standards, but not considering the size of the phone itself. I have a Moto G7 power that’s very close to the XR in size, but manages to fit a 5000mah battery. Apple doesn’t care about power users.
 
tonybarnaby said:
Big by iPhone standards, but not considering the size of the phone itself. I have a Moto G7 power that’s very close to the XR in size, but manages to fit a 5000mah battery. Apple doesn’t care about power users.
Click to expand...

It’s a known fact that Android uses more resources than iOS to do the same thing.

Samsung has a phone out with 12GB of RAM. That’s unthinkable, and completely unnecessary, on an iPhone.
 
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AppleHaterLover said:
It’s a known fact that Android uses more resources than iOS to do the same thing.

Samsung has a phone out with 12GB of RAM. That’s unthinkable, and completely unnecessary, on an iPhone.
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The ram is definitely overkill, but Apple have always been stingy with battery size in their phones.
 
tonybarnaby said:
Big by iPhone standards, but not considering the size of the phone itself. I have a Moto G7 power that’s very close to the XR in size, but manages to fit a 5000mah battery. Apple doesn’t care about power users.
Click to expand...

The Moto G7 Power is 9.3mm thick with no wireless charging. The XR is 8.3mm.
 
tonybarnaby said:
1mm is minuscule. Apple is holding back.
Click to expand...

The Moto G7 Power is over 20% bigger than XR in terms of volume. If you want a bigger battery, it's simply a matter of physics.

If you look at other variants of the Moto G7 family, they all come in at 8.0-8.3mm thick and have a similar 11 Whr battery as iPhone XR.
 
Seanm87 said:
This is not a topic to bad mouth the XR. I have one myself and love it. I just don’t get the thickness. It can’t be because it’s an LCD since the older phones were as well and were much thinner.

Have there been tear down videos that show the insides and explain what is happening?
Click to expand...

In comparison, the XR thickness is 8.3 mm and the XS 7.7 mm, yes, the XR is thicker, but honestly from holding it, I don’t feel that it’s ‘substantially’ thicker. To me, I think it’s more of a psychological factor the more you think about the thickness, when the majority likely don’t notice it at all.
 
JPack said:
The Moto G7 Power is over 20% bigger than XR in terms of volume. If you want a bigger battery, it's simply a matter of physics.

If you look at other variants of the Moto G7 family, they all come in at 8.0-8.3mm thick and have a similar 11 Whr battery as iPhone XR.
Click to expand...
I agree. Apple has never been one to tout its battery life, but the XR was the first time they used it as a real selling point. Every iPhone should have been on the level of the XR, and they could have really gone all out on the XR if its supposed to be some battery beast. It’s solid, but just not as awe inspiring as some people think. If you’re coming from an iPhone 7 with its pitifully small battery I can see how it seems unreal. Apple could have made it a bit thicker and put a 4000mah battery in it and destroyed all the competition when it came to usage and standby. Like I said before, I would replace my 8+ with one if it broke (or if someone wanted to trade), but the main selling point of the XR is battery life and cool colors. I’m just not blown away.
 
Seanm87 said:
I just don’t get the thickness.
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And yet not thick enough to eliminate an ugly camera bump.
28251-43636-iphone-xr-hands-on4-l.jpg



Honestly, some people won't be happy until their phone is thinner than Cassandra (Doctor Who)!

1.jpg
 
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I guess compared to the 6, the XR is thing. But I run a skin on the XR and super thin case. Never noticed it really. The facts it’s cheaper makes me fee ok with having little protection for it.
 
bodonnell202 said:
I think it is because of the LCD as when you think about it there isn't the "bezel space" at the top and the bottom of the phone to fit things such as the camera module.
Click to expand...

Bingo. The XR isn't thicker because it has a massive battery. It's thicker than the X/XS models because the LCD display is thicker, as LCDs are by nature (with the backlight, diffusing film layers, etc.), and also because the bezel-less design means the controller hardware needed to be relocated. The offset Lighting port is also the result of the LCD display.

The OLED panels in the X/XS don't require backlights, so they are thinner. Those models also can also get away with sandwiched logic boards (and still end up thinner than the XR) because of this, and reclaim that space for L-shaped batteries.
 
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It's thick because it's a budget model. The bezels are also fat. How else can sales people convince people to get the XS models? Most people can spot the difference between OLED and LCD anyway.

Did anyone make a comparison bend test between XS and XR? I know the XR is durable as hell. It's basically a brick to beat burglars with.
 
Whoakapi said:
It's thick because it's a budget model.
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Incorrect. There’s nothing ‘budget’ about the XR whatsoever. A $750 iPhone is not budget for the majority of consumers, especially in countries where iPhones already priced exorbitantly. What you mean to say, is the XR is Apples entry level iPhone into this new design.

Whoakapi said:
The bezels are also fat. How else can sales people convince people to get the XS models?
Click to expand...

Sales associates at retail stores are _not_ selling consumers phones based on thickness. Smart phones sell themselves, the consumer is simply just choosing the color/storage, that’s it. They don’t care about things about Bezel‘s, LCD panels, etc.
 
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The iPhone XR is a lot more thicker when compared to other newer iPhones and that is because iPhone XR has a bigger battery.
 
Macman845 said:
The iPhone XR is a lot more thicker when compared to other newer iPhones and that is because iPhone XR has a bigger battery.
Click to expand...

I don’t mean a hammer on your post, but it’s not ‘a lot more’ thicker. Even aside from the measurements, when you add a case to a phone, I doubt the user even notices the phone thickness at that point.
 
Whoakapi said:
It's thick because it's a budget model. The bezels are also fat. How else can sales people convince people to get the XS models? Most people can spot the difference between OLED and LCD anyway.

Did anyone make a comparison bend test between XS and XR? I know the XR is durable as hell. It's basically a brick to beat burglars with.
Click to expand...

The bezels aren’t massively bigger than the XS. I can’t be bothered doing it for you, but go to Apple’s site and get the front on image from the gallery for both devices and zoom in a little on the bezels. The fallacy that the XS and Max are “bezelless” or grossly thinner than those found on the XR is ridiculous.
 
Whoakapi said:
It's thick because it's a budget model. The bezels are also fat. How else can sales people convince people to get the XS models? Most people can spot the difference between OLED and LCD anyway.

Did anyone make a comparison bend test between XS and XR? I know the XR is durable as hell. It's basically a brick to beat burglars with.
Click to expand...
It's basically 2 index cards thicker. Not exactly obese.
It's also only 17 grams heavier--which is the equivalent of 3 U.S. quarters.

I think you're being a bit dramatic, yeah?
 
willmtaylor said:
It's basically 2 index cards thicker. Not exactly obese.
It's also only 17 grams heavier--which is the equivalent of 3 U.S. quarters.

I think you're being a bit dramatic, yeah?
Click to expand...
Yep. Remind me not to post out of boredom when at work ^^

Just for reference, I’m the happy owner of a black XR. No ragrets.
 
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