AppleInsider:
Arguably one of the biggest differences in physical design for the 2018 iPhone models, the iPhone XR has only one rear camera while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have two. AppleInsider takes a closer look at the situation to see if the iPhone XR’s single camera can still stand up to the dual-lens stablemates.
When the iPhone XR came out, I made the switch from the iPhone XS Max, thinking the camera would be just as good for those who want to save some cash, but I was wrong. After spending a month with the XR’s camera, I switched back to the XS Max. Here’s why.
Some very interesting photo evidence that starkly shows the differences. But the “average” user may not notice or care.
I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a camera enthusiast. 🙂
“This isn’t a big deal for a lot of people, but there are many use cases where having some extra zoom can really help, especially for taking photos of wildlife.”
Are people really taking pictures of wildlife with their phone? (That was a rhetorical question, I know they are.)
The disappointing part of the article is that it was too simple:
1. The telephoto lens’ speed and sensor are vastly inferior to the wide-angle lens and sensor, so it’s only really useful in outdoor light.
2. Yes, a longer lens is definitely better for portraiture, and their examples were useful, but I don’t know that 95%+ of people even notice this.
3. If you are the photo enthusiast type that notices this, doesn’t the limitations of portrait mode (e.g., fringing around the edges) not drive you nuts?
But, yes, if you use the telephoto a lot, the XR isn’t the best choice. For someone like my wife, though, it’d probably be a huge step up from her 7+ (I’m considering it given the Apple trade-in, but haven’t pulled the string yet, since she is still used to the home button).
I didn’t buy a phone to have a top of the line camera. Me and my friends that have an iPhone XR could care less.