iPhone 11 Pro
I’m not gonna write a long, detailed review; there are tons of good, extensive reviews out there already, and besides, the camera is probably the only thing worth talking amount ad nauseam, and not necessarily for the reasons you might expect. However, I do want to hit the highlights as well as log a few thoughts that other reviewers haven’t mentioned yet, for those who are considering upgrading this year.
First of all, yes, the battery life if great. I’m noticing significantly more time (3+ hours) between charges compared to my iPhone XS Max.
Second, yes, the cameras are terrific—noticeably better than last year’s, at least in some conditions. Are they groundbreaking? No. Should most people go with the iPhone 11 instead of the iPhone 11 Pro? Yes. If you want my more thorough analysis of the cameras, here you go.
Third, the removal of 3D Touch sucks. I have always been a fan, and not having it makes some processes undeniably slower.
Fourth, the physical aspects of the device.
The matte back of the phone looks and feels really nice.
The midnight green looks boring in person, the silver looks white, the gold doesn’t have that weird green/pink tint like last year, and the space gray looks awesome.
It is noticeably thicker, and I don’t like it. I was hoping that it would get thinner, given the removal of the extra layer in the display that enabled 3D Touch (RIP), but nope.
It also seems to be particularly sturdy. I accidentally dropped it from a height of almost four feet, with no case, onto a tile floor. Not only was the iPhone still in perfect condition, it actually cracked the tile. I’ll give it a 10/10 for durability.
Fifth, the improvements to Face ID are hardly noticeable after coming from last years iPhone, but maybe you’ll see more of a difference if you’re upgrading from an iPhone X.
Sixth, the UWB technology is cool for what it will allow in the future, but the current improvements it brings to AirDrop are okay at best. While other iPhone 11 users do show up quickly, the feature where you point the iPhones toward each other to get them to show up at the top is too slow to be useful.
Seventh, the allegedly improved audio quality of the built in speakers seems to have been a myth.
I like the iPhone 11 Pro a lot, overall; it makes more trade offs than I’d like, but it’s still the best phone Apple has ever made. I just don’t think it deserves the name “Pro”—it needlessly adds to the amount of syllables I have to say when I talk about it, and it makes me feel like a show off-y asshole when it comes up. Besides, what truly new, pro level feature does it have that the regular iPhone 11 doesn’t have? The ultra wide angle lens? Nope. The telephoto lens? That’s been around since the iPhone 7 Plus. The chip? No, same chip. Battery life? Doesn’t make sense, given that the XR had the best battery life’s at year—this years Pro models were just playing catch-up. The stainless steel and matte glass design? Hardly.
Is this a great iPhone? Yes. Is it a Pro iPhone? No.