iPhone XR
Apple is one of the biggest and most popular of brands when it comes to the electronics market specifically the smartphone, desktop and notebook market. The brand loyalty that Apple created among its customers is one of the strongest.
This is because the brand has been synonymous to innovation and was one of the pioneers in popularizing the device we now call the Smartphone. Since its initial launch the iPhone has undergone a lot of iterations and innovations and each year a new model is delivered to the market. One of the models released by iPhone this year was the iPhone XR.
Many Apple fans were excited about this model as it sort of fell in the budget range (at least one of its variants, the 3:64, did). Now, you could afford an iPhone without it costing a fortune.
Units Sold and Display
Let’s discuss this particular smartphone model before moving on to the next contender. It has been 2 years (as of October 2021) since this particular model of the iPhone was launched by Apple. More than 75 million units of the iPhone XR have been sold within those two years and it was one of the most popular models that Apple had delivered to the smartphone market.
In 2019 it sold over 43 million units. The variant of the iPhone XR we are taking a look at is the 3:64 variant. So, it comes with 3 gigabytes of RAM and 64 Gigabytes of in-built storage. The screen is 6.10 inches and is of 828×1792 pixels when it comes to the resolution. It is a notch display.
OS and Power
The OS which runs on this model is the iOS 12 which is a decent piece of operating system. Offers smooth functioning and comfortable UI experience. The entire thing is functional because of the A12 Bionic chip. The phone is powered by a 2942 mAh battery which like almost all recent smartphone batteries is non-removable.
Staying in the topic of batteries, let’s check out the charging mechanisms provided by Apple for the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR supports Apple’s proprietary fast charging which is a good feature to have. We often face low battery issues and if we need to go out soon then having a fast charging mechanism is quite an ideal feature.
Besides wired type-c charging the iPhone XR also supports wireless charging which is a novelty that many people are attracted to.
Camera
Now, let’s talk about the feature that most people talk about when it comes to the iPhone. Yup, it’s the camera. Whenever you ask an iPhone user what makes an iPhone different, the most popular answer is the camera. Well, you have to hand it to the company. They do put very decent camera units in the iPhones.
Many YouTubers used to shoot their videos with just an iPhone before upgrading to a dedicated camera. But you wouldn’t feel that the video quality was bad. Other brands are obsessed with pixels and would often promote their smartphones based on the bigger number of pixels their model has. But what matters is the quality.
Even with an 8MP camera an iPhone is able to provide a decent picture quality than phones which promised 16MP or more. The iPhone XR has a 12MP camera on the back and a 7MP selfie camera in the front.
Protection
It does not have a fingerprint sensor though you can use the face unlock provided. It has a IP67 rating. So, with all these features how does the iPhone XR fair with a budget phone And, for outer protection you can get some good protective cases for iPhone XR. Well, let’s look at Samsung M31 to understand it’s features before moving towards something conclusive.
Samsung M31
When the smartphone started becoming quite popular and iOS and Android were on the rise, Samsung was one of the few big companies which understood the wave and potential of these new devices and operating systems. It continuously innovated and brought some decent smartphone models to the market.
Samsung was always quick to experiment with newer features and make a stable version of it commercially available (well, there were a few hiccups, looking at you Galaxy Fold). Earlier, Samsung was not that good with budget phones as they would often feel clunky and would hang. But over the years (thanks to the competition from brands like Xiaomi) Samsung has been able to deliver some decent budget smartphones like the A series and the M series.
Display
Today, we will be discussing some of the features of the Samsung Galaxy M31. We will be specifically focusing on the 6:64 variant. It comes with a 6.4 inch full HD+ AMOLED display. It’s front is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and for back protection you can getM31 protective back covers. At this price range bavingan AMOLED display is quite a good feature as many of the competitor brands are just using LCD displays. So, yeah kudos to Samsung for providing this display.
OS and Power
One of the features that we have been noticing in the Samsung budget phones is that they have invested heavily in the battery backup. The Samsung Galaxy M31 is powered by a 6000 mAh battery which gives you a lot more talk time, playtime and general use time.
To power this powerhouse Samsung provides a 15W fast charger. Well, there is no wireless charging support which is obvious given the price range. The brain of the M31 is the Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9611 Chipset. It runs on the Android v10 (Q).
Camera
Let’s look at the camera units that the Samsung Galaxy M31 features. It has a quad-camera setup in the back neatly tucked within a rectangle.
The unit contains a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP wide angle camera, a 5MP macro lens and a 5MP depth camera. The front camera sits in a drop notch and is 32MP.
Expandable Storage
Samsung M31 supports dual SIM and has a dedicated slot for a microSD card to increase the external storage which can be expanded up to 512 GB which is a great thing as you will always need more storage.
So, Which One to Choose?
As you can obviously tell that the answer to this highly depends on your budget. If you have a higher budget then you will have the option to buy the iPhone XR. But if you have a low budget then you have to go for Samsung Galaxy M31.
If you have always wanted to own an iPhone but the high price always scared you off then the XR is the perfect iPhone to buy. It has really good specs for an iPhone and the 3:64 variant. But if you just want a smartphone with decent specs and does not cost a tonne then M31 is the way to go.
Do let us know in the comments which one you prefer and why.
