The iPhone XR launched in September 2018 and spent a year as the most popular iPhone, with (at the time) premium features. Now, three years later, the iPhone XR is no longer sold by Apple, but you may be able to find it on sale elsewhere. The big question is whether you should buy an iPhone XR and what would make a good deal?
Prior to September 2021 the iPhone XR was on sale for £499/$499. That was a big reduction from its original price of £749 (which had been reduced to £629 in September 2019).
Now the iPhone 11 is being sold by Apple for £489/£499, so the iPhone XR would have to be a lot cheaper than that to be worth buying.
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.
Unfortunately it’s been a while since we’ve seen any good discounts on a new iPhone XR. In March 2021 Amazon did offer money off the iPhone XR in its Spring Sale. If you were quick you could have picked up an iPhone XR for £466.85. Unfortunately they sold out very quickly!
We also look our for Apple’s refurbished iPhone XR deals, which pop up on their website from time to time.
Best iPhone XR deals
Apple no longer sells the XR but you might still be able to buy your SIM-free iPhone XR elsewhere. Look out for deals at Argos and John Lewis and Amazon, for example.
Right now the best deal we’ve seen is from Laptops Direct. but we’ve also seen Apple selling some iPhone XR models on the Refurbished Store.
- Get the 128GB iPhone XR (previously £549) from LaptopsDirect for £479 (plus postage) here. That’s £70 off Apple’s price before the phone was discontinued.
- You can get a 128GB iPhone XR for £419 from Apple in its Refurbished Store.
- Apple is also selling refurbished iPhone XR (64GB) handsets for £359 in its Certified Refurbished Store here.
Check our widget below for the best iPhone XR offers:
If you’re looking for discounts on 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 series. We also have a round up of the best Apple deals we’ve seen.
Should I buy iPhone XR?
As we said above, Apple’s no longer selling the iPhone XR, which instantly reduces its value considerably. On removing the iPhone XR from the line up, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone 11 to £489/$499, which is actually £10 less than the iPhone XR was being sold for.
Then there is the iPhone SE, which costs even less at £399/$399. We recommend that you consider one of these handsets instead of the iPhone XR. For more information read: iPhone XR vs iPhone 11 or iPhone SE vs iPhone XR. We also have an iPhone buying guide.
You can even get the 2020 iPhone 12 mini for £579/$599, or an iPhone 12 for £679/$699. With so much choice you might as well opt for a newer iPhone if you can afford to.
Another thing to bear in mind is that Apple will sell you an iPhone for less than the RRP 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. Other resellers will also allow you to trade in old products. Read: How Apple trade in works and saves you money.
Read our iPhone XR review to find out more. We also have a separate article where we discuss when the best time to buy an iPhone is.
How much should iPhone XR cost?
When Apple will still selling the iPhone XR it cost £499/$499. Now than Apple has discontinued the handset we estimate that you shouldn’t be paying more than £399/$399 for an 64GB iPhone XR. £450/$450 for the 128GB iPhone XR might be considered reasonable.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Apple is selling the iPhone XR for £369 (64GB) or £419 (128GB) in the Refurbished Store.
You should also keep the price of the iPhone SE at the back of your mind – the iPhone SE is newer than the iPhone XR and costs just £399/$399. So if you see an iPhone XR for £399 consider whether the iPhone SE might be a better purchase.
Best iPhone XR contract deals
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.
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.
Look out for sweetener deals where mobile phone companies offer additional products to make the contract more appealing. For example, Mobile Phones Direct had offer that includes a free set of AirPods with its iPhone XR contract deals.
You’ll find some of the best deals available right now 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 is selling refurbished iPhone XR handsets on its Certified Refurbished Store.
Read our advice about buying refurbished or second-hand iPhones here. Apple also sells refurbished models of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, and XS Max.
You may also find refurbished deals on Mobiles.co.uk, Musicmagpie.co.uk, and GiffGaff.
- Musicmagpie.co.uk has ‘Good’ iPhone XR models from £284.99 and ‘Very Good’ from £339.99 and ‘Pristine’ refurbished iPhone XR models from £379.99.
- eBay sometimes has Certified Refurbished iPhone XR handsets that are “Fully tested and graded by our on-site technicians [who] run 70 functional tests on each phone to ensure the best quality for your device.” These iPhones also come with 12 month warranty & 30 day hassle free returns. The Refurbished iPhone XR costs from £319.95 for the 64GB model on eBay.
- 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. They have an iPhone XR for £239. You will pay more for ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ condition handsets. Click here to get one of GiffGaff’s refurbished deals.
Don’t forget to make sure you’ve got a SIM-only contract to go with your new iPhone if you are buying off contract.
Where to buy the iPhone XR
You may still be able to buy the iPhone XR from the following retailers and networks, but many no longer sell the handset.
In the US, you’ll possibly 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. We also answer the question What are the cheapest iPhones.