Ah I was mistaken then- I didn't realize they went to 4GB that far back!The XR only got 3GB but the 11 got upgraded to 4GB. I think that's the biggest thing that got missed back in the day during comparisons of the XR and the 11. Most focused on the camera, but the real story was the RAM bump. Considering Apple stuck with 4GB as standard for a few years on the regular line, I think the 11 being at the early end of that jump up to 4GB will make it one of the longest supported iPhones ever.
But yeah, you have to be down with the chunky factor on the XR and 11, haha. They are most definitely larger than the regular 6.1" phones of today. And they make the SE feel downright tiny in the hand by comparison.
It's interesting then that they stuck with 4GB through the 11, 12, and 13 series before finally going to 6 on the 14. What a span!