After much speculation, the iPhone 11 was finally launched in an Apple event. You can now get your hands on three new iPhones- the iPhone 11 priced at $699, iPhone 11 Pro at $999 and iPhone Pro Max for $1,099. All the phones bring various improvements, including an improved camera setup and longer battery life. So how does the iPhone 11 series turn out to be?
We will take a look at our first hands-on review.
Performance and Storage
All the new iPhones feature the same A13 Bionic chipset that promises to offer faster performance. The iPhone 11 Pro comes with 6GB RAM while the entry-level iPhone 11 packs 4GB RAM. Though the three phones vary on their RAM usage, there's hardly any difference in performance. All three load and run apps quickly without any lag.
When it comes to storage, you can choose from 64GB, 256GB and 512GB for all three phones. All the phones will run on iOS 13 that is faster and brings other improvements.
Apple has improved the Face ID unlocking feature and made it many times faster!
The Display
Thwarting the expectation of many enthusiasts, the iPhone 11 comes with only an LCD display. It can support resolutions of up to 828 x 1792 pixels with a 324 PPI pixel density. The screen measures 6.1 inches and offers an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Sadly, it also doesn't offer a full HD display.
The Pro 11 and Pro Max feature OLED displays and give you 458 PPI pixel density. The Pro 11 screen measures 5.8 inches while the Pro Max measures 6.5 inches. Both the phones have "Super Retina XDR" display that lets you play HDR10 content and supports Dolby Vision.
The Camera
Most of the work on the iPhone 11 series seems to have gone in making the camera. Other smartphones already sport two or three camera setups, but Apple has trodden the road for the first time. That is to say, it has combined wide-angle lens with ultra wide-angle and telephoto sensors for the first time in the Pro 11 and Pro Max. All the three cameras are rated at 12MP. You can now also use a new portrait lighting effect called Monochrome.
The camera software also seems to have gone through quite a few improvements. Apple has made it really seamless and easy to switch between the cameras using the main camera screen. According to Apple, the ultrawide lens can accommodate four times the scenery captured by the main camera.
You can enjoy an optical zoom of 4x, though the telephoto lens doesn't go over 2x. Night mode is another useful feature that cuts down noise and makes low-light pictures brighter.
All the new iPhones have a 12MP selfie camera in the front. Apple has introduced another new feature- you can now take slow-motion videos using the front camera. We really can't tell how useful it will be, but it's one of those things which you either love or hate!
Comparatively, the iPhone 11 has only two rear cameras- a 12MP wide lens and another 12MP ultrawide lens. All three phones can shoot 4K videos using the rear and front cameras.
Apple fans are also awaiting another neat feature called Deep Fusion. The feature analyzes nine different images taken by the camera to capture the best details. Then it combines the best details using machine learning and provides the best image possible. Currently, there's no news when Deep Fusion will be introduced by Apple, but maybe soon!
Battery and Network
The iPhone 11 series support Wifi 6 out of the box. But none of them are 5G-enabled. Maybe we will get to see 5G support coming in the next year unless Apple surprises us with something new before the year ends.
Compared to iPhone XR, the iPhone 11 packs only one hour more of battery life. Certainly, we can't call that much improvement as the 1 hour extra battery life will be lost in transition.
The 11 Pro is supposed to offer 4 hours more battery life compared to last year's models. The Pro Max is said to have increased the battery life by 5 hours. Both the phones will be shipped with a fast charging adapter.
Style and Design
Apple hasn't changed much when it comes to aesthetics. The phones still look similar to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. Even aspects like the notch on the front also match up with last year's models.
The Pro 11 and Pro Max have a dust and water-resistant stainless-steel frame that adds to the style factor. The iPhone 11, on the other hand, ships with an aluminum frame.
Apple is offering its latest iPhones in a wide array of colors. For Pro 11 and Pro Max, you can choose from gold, silver, space gray or midnight green colors. The iPhone 11 is available in six colors- red, green, purple, white, yellow and black.
Availability
Preorders on the iPhone 11 series are expected to begin on 13 September at 5 pm. You can get them in stores starting September 20. Apple is yet to announce the launch of iOS 13.
Final Thoughts
The changes that Apple brought with the XR last year reflect in the new iPhone 11 series. You are in for some powerful performance at a lower cost than the XR which debuted for $750 (iPhone 11 costs around $699). But the changes are not that significant if you take out the camera improvements out of the equation. So it's up to Apple fans to decide whether they want to jump one step higher just to take better pictures. But if you are looking to replace or buy a new iPhone, the 11 series is worth considering.
