The iPhone XR, which launched in September 2018, spent a year as the most popular iPhone, with premium features but a more affordable price tag than its siblings. Two years later and the iPhone XR is still on sale at a much reduced price, the question is, can you get it for even less – and if you can, should you buy it?
Right now the iPhone XR has competition from four new iPhones: the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple’s also still selling the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE. It’s probably the most iPhones Apple has ever sold at one time infact.
In terms of the iPhone XRs most natural competition this comes from the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE. So you may well be wondering which one of those will best suit you. In which case we recommend reading iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE, iPhone XR vs iPhone 11, or iPhone SE vs iPhone XR. We also have an iPhone buying guide.
How does the iPhone XR match up to these handsets – which all have a better processor than it does?
In this article we bring you the very best iPhone XR deals. Our experts are continuously scouring the web for the best prices, both SIM-free and on contract. The deals aren’t quite as good as they have been in the past, but there are still some good deals to be had if you shop around – and we are hopeful that there will be some great deals for Black Friday (which is expected to take up most of November this year).
If you’re looking for Apple’s other iPhones, check out our round-up of the best iPhone 11 deals and our iPhone SE deals, and of course our best deals for the iPhone 12.
Wondering if the iPhone XR is still good value? Read our iPhone XR review to find out if you should buy the iPhone XR. We also discuss when the best time to buy an iPhone is here.
iPhone XR price
When the iPhone XR first went on sale it cost £749/$749, then in September 2019 Apple reduced the price of the XR to £629/$599. Now if you buy the iPhone XR from Apple it will cost you £499/$499. We suggest that you keep the price of the iPhone SE at the back of your mind as that newer iPhone SE now costs just £399/$399 – in the UK it was previously £419.
You may also be able to pick up an iPhone XR from Apple for even less if you buy one from Apple’s Certified Refurbished Store here! The company was recently selling refurbished iPhone XR models for £499 although currently no iPhone XR models are available in the refurbished store.
If you buy an iPhone XR directly from Apple you can choose between 64GB and 128GB of built-in storage, priced as follows:
- 64GB: Now £499/$499, was £629/$599 (at launch was £749/$749)
- 128GB: Now £549/$549, was £679/$649 (at launch was £799/$799)
- 256GB: Discontinued (at launch it was £899/$899)
With the 128GB iPhone XR just costing a few pounds (or dollars) more than the 64GB model we’d suggest that you choose the model with greater capacity.
Keep these prices in mind when looking at deals because third-party resellers often quote the price from before Apple’s discount was applied to make their discount look better than it is!
Another thing to bear in mind is that Apple will sell you an iPhone XR as much as £170/$210 off the price given above if you have another iPhone to trade in. If you have an old iPhone have a look on Apple’s site to see how big a saving you might be able to get.
Best iPhone XR SIM-free deals
That’s how much Apple sells the iPhone XR for, but you don’t have to buy your iPhone from Apple. You might be able to save some money if you buy your SIM-free iPhone XR elsewhere.
In the past we have seen some great deals, but right now the biggest discount we are seeing is one penny off Apple’s new starting price of £499.
You may find deals at Amazon, Argos and John Lewis.
One thing to look out for is if anywhere is selling the 256GB version that Apple used to sell for £899, but is no longer selling. We aren’t seeing any deals for this currently though – probably because stock has run out a year after this phone was discontinued.
Check our widget below for some more great iPhone XR offers.
Buying an iPhone SIM-free is a great way to save money if you already have a contract you are happy with, but what if you want to get a contract with your iPhone. We’ll look at the best contracts next.
Best iPhone XR contract deals
While it can be cheaper in the long run to buy an iPhone XR SIM-free, you may prefer signing up for a contract, where you can spread the cost over a year or two. We’ve got the best contract deals to share with you right here (although we have to say the deals are not as good as they were before Christmas 2019, but hopefully they are about to get a lot better).
Look out for sweetener deals where mobile phone companies offer additional products to make the contract more appealing. For example, Mobile Phones Direct has an offer that includes a free set of AirPods with its iPhone XR contract deals at the moment.
iPhone XR 64GB, 3
£0 upfront, £30 a month for 24 months, 100GB data, unlimited minutes & texts. Total cost £720 after cashback. (You need to scroll down the page to find the deal).
Get the deal from Fonehouse here.
You’ll find some of the best deals available in our widget below. It’s always up-to-date so you won’t miss out on the great deals.
iPhone XR refurbished/second-hand deals
Apple had been selling refurbished iPhone XR handsets for £499 in its Certified Refurbished Store here. However since dropping the price of new handsets these models have been removed from the Refurbished Store.
The prices were as follows:
- The 64GB iPhone XR is £499 refurbished (that’s £130 off the new price – normally £629)
- The 128GB iPhone XR is £539 refurbished (that’s £140 off the new price – normally £679)
- The 256GB iPhone XR is £629 refurbished (that’s £150 off according to Apple – note that Apple no longer sells this model new but some places do still stock it)
The company also sells refurbished models of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, and XS Max. Read our advice about buying refurbished or second-hand iPhones here.
GiffGaff also offers refurbished iPhone handsets. GiffGaff says that its refurbished phones are “often practically unused when returned”. The company says it puts each handset through “rigorous testing for faults”. Each refurbished phone will be unlocked – so you won’t be tied to a particular network – and each has a 12-month warranty. You can get money off refurbished iPhone X, XR, XS and XS Max models here. You will pay more for ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ condition handsets. Click here to get one of GiffGaff’s refusbished deals.
Don’t forget to make sure you’ve got a SIM-only contract to go with your new iPhone.
Where to buy the iPhone XR
You can buy the iPhone XR from the following retailers and networks:
In the US, you’ll be able to buy the iPhone XR from:
One you’ve got your iPhone XR, don’t forget to get a case: check out the best cases for the iPhone XR.
