While some of the differences between the iPhone XS and iPhone XR are pretty obvious, like the camera and display type, some aren’t so obvious, such as the antenna design where the new iPhone XS and XS Max use a 4×4 MIMO antenna design which in tests has proven to be faster.
Of course given that the iPhone XR is meant to represent a more affordable alternative, we suppose it makes sense that not all of the latest tech will find its way into the phone. However that could change with the next-gen iPhone XR where according to a Barclays research note obtained by MacRumors, the 4×4 MIMO antenna design is expected to find its way into the next-gen iPhone XR, which presumably will launch this year.
Apple is rumored to continue producing LCD iPhones this year and it is only in 2020 that they might make the complete switch to OLED, which means that we can probably look forward to seeing the successor to last year’s iPhone XR this year with some upgraded tech. We have also heard that the new iPhones could adopt WiFi 6, but it is unclear if that will apply to the 2019 iPhone XR as well.
That being said, cellular connectivity speeds can vary depending on other factors such as the strength of coverage, how congested the area is, and so on. This means that in theory 4×4 MIMO should give you faster speeds, but in the real world it might not always be the case.