OnePlus 7 Pro vs. iPhone XR: Which should you buy?

Buying a new smartphone is tricky in 2019. Understanding all of the different features, components, and pricing is no easy task, but at AC, we break all of that down to make sure you get the tech that's perfect for your wants and needs.

Has it all

OnePlus 7 Pro

From $669 at OnePlus

Pros

• Stunning AMOLED display
• No notch
• Three rear cameras
• Buttery smooth performance
• Super fast charging

Cons

• Pop-up camera durability remains a mystery
• Unimpressive battery life
• Weaker haptics

The OnePlus 7 Pro is one of the top Android phones on the market right now. It has all the makings of a proper flagship, including a gorgeous screen, powerful internals, and multiple rear cameras, while managing to come in at a price that's substantially less than a lot of the competition from Samsung and Apple.

It's an iPhone

iPhone XR

From $749 at Apple

Pros

• Liquid Retina display looks great
• A12 Bionic chip
• Face ID
• iMessage
• Years and years of software updates

Cons

• More expensive
• iOS is more limited than Android

You're going to pay more for the iPhone XR, and while it may not be as impressive as the OnePlus 7 Pro from a hardware standpoint, there are some things Apple just does better. The A12 Bionic processor is wickedly fast, Face ID is the best facial recognition system out there, and it's the only way to access the iconic iMessage.

This is a fairly easy comparison. If you want to get the most for your money's worth, the OnePlus 7 Pro is the way to go. It has a better display, more modern design, incredible performance, and a software package that allows you to tweak and customize every little thing. With that said, if you have a few more dollars to spend and really value features like iMessage and Face ID, the iPhone XR is worth paying extra for.

You get more for your money with the OnePlus 7 Pro

Shot for shot, the OnePlus 7 Pro is a much better value proposition than Apple's iPhone XR. Just take a look at the spec list below. Despite the XR costing $80 more than the 7 Pro, OnePlus still manages to bring more to the table with a bigger/higher-quality display, considerably more RAM, larger base storage, three rear cameras instead of just one, and your choice of using a fingerprint sensor or face unlock to get into your phone.

Speaking of the display, let's talk a little bit about why the OnePlus 7 Pro's is so good.

Not only is it considerably larger and sharper with a better resolution, but it has a refresh rate of 90Hz. Compared to the 60Hz refresh rate on the iPhone XR, everything on the OnePlus 7 Pro looks much more fluid and buttery. It's something you have to see in person to really experience, and once you get used to it, you'll never want to go back to anything less.

That fluidity is also helped by the OnePlus 7 Pro's internals. The Snapdragon 855 is one of the fastest mobile processors available on the market right now, and while the base 6GB of RAM is already more than enough for most people, you can go all out and upgrade to 12GB if you really feel like it. Not only that, the OnePlus 7 Pro is the first smartphone with UFS 3.0 2-LANE storage — allowing for much faster download and transfer times.

In regards to the OnePlus 7 Pro's imperfections, camera quality is good but doesn't do anything to totally wow. Battery life is also not as great as we'd expect from a massive 4,000 mAh unit, but the included 30W Warp Charge charger allows for a 50% charge in just 20 minutes.

	OnePlus 7 Pro	iPhone XR
Operating System	Android 9 Pie OxygenOS	iOS 12
Display	6.67-inch 3120 x 1440 19.5:9 90Hz Fluid AMOLED	6.1-inch 1792 x 828 19.5:9 60Hz Liquid Retina LCD
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	Apple A12 Bionic
RAM	6/8/12GB	3GB
Storage	128/256GB	64/128/256GB
Rear Camera 1	48MP main sensor f/1.6 aperture OIS EIS	12MP wide angle sensor f/1.8 aperture OIS EIS
Rear Camera 2	8MP telephoto sensor f/2.4 aperture OIS 3x zoom	❌
Rear Camera 3	16MP ultra wide angle sensor f/2.2 aperture 117° field of view	❌
Front Camera	16MP f/2.0 aperture EIS	7MP TrueDepth f/2.2 aperture EIS
Security	Optical in-screen fingerprint sensor Face unlock	Face ID
Battery	4,000 mAh 30W fast charging	Up to 25 hours of talk time 18W fast charging
Water Resistance	❌	IP67
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC
Supported Networks	AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon	AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon
Dimensions	162.6 x 75.9 x 8.8mm	150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm
Weight	206g	194g
Colors	Mirror Gray Nebula Blue Almond	ProductRED Yellow White Coral Black Blue

Why you should still consider the iPhone XR

If all of that's true, why in the world should anyone buy the iPhone XR over the OnePlus 7 Pro? Apple's A12 Bionic processor is technically more impressive, battery life is better, Face ID is far superior to any other facial recognition system, and you get a proper IP rating for dust and water resistance, but the real answer is iOS.

Android is our operating system of choice here at AC, but there are a few big reasons why you may want to consider iOS over it.

iMessage, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, is available exclusively on it. If you don't have an iPhone, you can't use iMessage. For some people, especially those with a lot of friends and family that use iMessage, that could be reason enough on its own to go with the XR.

iOS has a couple of other advantages, too, such as AirDrop for easy file sharing between other Apple products, apps that are often higher-quality compared to their Android counterparts, and years of guaranteed software updates.

The value proposition offered by the iPhone XR isn't nearly as good compared to the OnePlus 7 Pro, but for some folks, it'll be the better fit.

Has it all

OnePlus 7 Pro

One of the best smartphones Android has to offer.

From $669 at OnePlus

The OnePlus 7 Pro is the most expensive phone OnePlus has ever created by a long shot, but it puts those extra dollars to good use. With the 7 Pro, you're getting one of the best displays available on a smartphone, incredibly fast performance, a great software package, three rear cameras, and a fancy pop-up selfie camera.

It's an iPhone

iPhone XR

The best value iPhone you can buy.

From $749 at Apple

Although it may not be as technically impressive as the OnePlus 7 Pro, there's still an argument to be made for the iPhone XR — mainly the fact that it has iOS. While not as customizable as Android, iOS on the XR offers iMessage, AirDrop, a better ecosystem for applications, and guaranteed software update for years to come.