The 8, and in particular the fugly surfboard that is the 8 plus, are legacy technology. The XR is in a completely different league, gorgeous design and colours, and anything that doesn’t use faceid seems antiquated at this point
Well, that's taking it too far in the other direction now
The biggest advantage of FaceID is that it requires one less mechanical input step than touch ID, and its much more seamless for passwords. But it is not a perfect solution either, and Touch ID has its benefits too. I'm not saying TouchID is superior but to say it is antiquated isn't correct either, since FaceID still has practical drawbacks. The iPad Pro 10.5 and older you can still use seamlessly on a flat surface, which is not the same for the new expensive FaceID iPads, and that is a step back. I cannot use my 12.9 iPad Pro 2018 model without looking at the FaceID camera, setting it upright, or entering a passcode if I'm using it flat on a table, which is key for note taking. If you're consuming media or standing up its not an issue, but many people use their iPads on a flat surface as well. I'm sure Apple will fix that with a future FaceID camera but it doesn't help with the current models today.
With respect to the design of the XR, the general design of the device is the same as the 8/8+...it uses the same 7000 series aluminum, also has a glass back, and literally feels the same in the hand just in a different dimension. You can tell Apple reused certain elements of their 8 supply chain to help with costs. The screen is great on the XR, yes but its the same PPI LCD as the 8 and a bit lower resolution the 8 plus. Its effectively the same technology marketed differently. I can tell you the iPhone 7 Plus LCD and the XR LCD are by no means in different leagues, and the 8 Plus is more in line with the tech in the XR display (the true tone aspect). Both have the same curved design with pill shaped buttons that has existed since the iPhone 6/6 Plus. The all screen design is the biggest thing, as is the tap to wake from sleep (for me that is a genuinely useful feature, that I have become so used to and can't go back to older phones for). But different leagues....that is a stretch. Further the internals, there is a minor difference between the A11 and A12 both in benchmarks and the real world, and the RAM in the 8 Plus and the XR is the exact same kind and type of LPDDR4 ram. Exact same.
I digress, and sorry for the derailment but the "completely different league" statement isn't fair to the previous gen iPhones, nor accurate to state
For the OP though, coming from a phone without Touch ID, it's a moot point. The XR must feel like entering a new dimension lol. Much larger screen, significantly better battery life, significantly faster and significantly better photo/video cameras. Many, many iPhone generations of improvements compounded must make it that much more impressive. Apps that you don't need to refresh. Gestures for switching between apps is also huge. And of course, FaceID and iOS 12 are big jumps in function over passcode/swipe to unlock and iOS 9.
Still super cool they went this long with the 4S. Now that is value, and a testament to how long an Apple product can last if you push it!
