The only real difference between the 11 and the Pro range is that the Pro has a telephoto lens (in addition to the wide and ultra-wide),and the screen looks nicer (which you will only really notice when you have the two phones side by side),so most users will be able to live without the Pro. The Pro Max,on the other hand,has a bigger screen. All three phones have the same new processor inside,an upgrade from last year that should see improved performance and longevity.
The biggest adjustment coming from last year's XS Max was that 3D Touch is now missing from all iPhones. XR users will be used to this,but those on the XS (or really any premium iPhone since the 6S) will be accustomed to adjusting how hard they press down on the screen to trigger different menus or shortcuts. This was particularly useful for moving the typing cursor around by hard pressing on the keyboard.
The new system is just longer presses in more limited areas,as on Android,which doesn’t have that same tactile experience and represents four years of habits for many people to unlearn (though it only took me about three days to wrap my head around it).
Despite the lack of 3D Touch,screen repairs will still cost the same as the previous models for the three phones ($338.95 for the 11,up to $548.95 for the 11 Pro),so it’s difficult to find a positive in the change,aside from increased accessibility for some.
The ultra-wide camera lens on all iPhone 11 models is great,particularly for those who have had their eye on the Samsung Galaxy S10+ but weren’t ready to change operating systems. It sounds gimmicky,but as someone who takes a lot of landscape photos it’s really nice to finally be able to show the whole view in a photo,rather than just some of it. It’s also helpful for taking photos of groups of people when you can’t move back too far.
Looking at photos from the new iPhones side by side with the Google Pixel 3 XL,Samsung Galaxy S10+ and the Huawei P30,the iPhone actually comes out on top in terms of colour and clarity most of the time,which is unexpected. Apple has been quite rightly criticised for the quality of its cameras in the past,and it’s good to see the engineers taking that criticism on board. Shockingly the iPhone even smokes all of them when it comes to night mode. You have to hold very still for about three seconds,but the end result is absolutely worth it.