The iPhone 11 is here, and if you're after one, you've got an important choice to make. You can splash out for the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max - the priciest iPhones to date - or go for the "premium economy" iPhone 11. So how do you decide? Here's a look at the key differences.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Price
If you go for the iPhone 11 over the iPhone 11 Pro, you'll save at least $550, assuming you hadn't set your heart on the Pro Max. But is saving money worth missing out on some "Pro" features? For most people, probably, but some will definitely want to spend extra.
| Model | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) | $1,749 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 (64GB) | $1,119 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 Pro (256GB) |
$1,999 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 Pro (512GB) |
$2,349 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) |
$1,999 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB) |
$2,149 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) |
$2,499 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 (128GB) | $1,279 | Go to plans |
| iPhone 11 (256GB) | $1,449 | Go to plans |
Unsurprisingly, the standard iPhone 11 is the cheapest option, but when it comes to iPhones, cheaper is relative. This year Apple launched three new devices: the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The iPhone 11 is the "affordable" choice from the line-up. In fact, there's a cool $550 price gap between the 11 (starting at $1,199) and the 11 Pro (starting at $1,749).
Despite the cheaper price point, the iPhone 11 shares many of the same features as its far pricier sibling, including the fast new A13 processor, two of the 11 Pro's three rear-facing cameras and night mode for photography.
There are however a few differences between the iPhone 11 and its Pro siblings. Its 6.1-inch display is LED rather than OLED (and runs at a lower resolution), the build is aluminium rather than stainless steel, water-resistance is rated for two metres rather than four metres (although still IP68), and you're missing out on the 2x zoom lens.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Camera
When it comes to camera, the iPhone 11 Pro is the clear winner thanks to an extra lens.
The move to a triple lens rear-facing camera setup is arguably the biggest change to the "Pro" series iPhones. The primary wide-angle lens and 2x zoom lens are joined by a 120-degree ultra-wide lens. This has a 0.5x zoom factor when compared to the primary lens, letting you zoom out rather than zoom in.
In addition, the iPhone 11 Pro finally has a night mode, similar to what we've seen on smartphones like the Huawei P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3a. In dark environments, night mode can be used to take multiple photos over a longer period of time to stitch them together into a brighter image.
The iPhone 11 Pro camera will also get a new feature before the end of the year called Deep Fusion. Deep Fusion takes nine photos and assembles them with added detail and lower noise, for even clearer lowlight imaging.
The iPhone 11 shares two of the iPhone 11 Pro's three lenses. You get the the primary wide-angle lens and 120-degree ultra-wide lens, but miss out on 2x zoom lens. You'll also get night mode, but we're not sure if Deep Fusion will be coming to iPhone 11 or if it will be exclusive to the Pro.
Camera quality from the shared lens is on par, but the iPhone 11 Pro wins based on versatility.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Design
The iPhone 11 Pro is just a little more lux than the standard iPhone 11, thanks to a stainless steel frame, a matte glass finish, and smaller bezels. These might seem like small differences, but they make the iPhone 11 Pro feel more premium.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in the three colours we expect smartphones to come in - black, silver, and gold - and a new green finish. Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 11 is just as colourful as its predecessor, the iPhone XR. In addition to stock standard black or white, you'll be able to get the iPhone 11 in red, yellow, green, or lavender. Once again, it sure is nice to see an iPhone with a little more personality.
The iPhone 11 Pro has a stainless steel chamfer joining the front and the back, while the iPhone 11 uses aluminium for its frame instead. The majority of both models are glass anyway, whereas the metal found in the iPhone 11 Pro is ever so slightly shinier. It's a small difference, but it means the iPhone 11 may feel a little less fancy than the pricier iPhone 11 Pro.
At the same time, you won't be able to tell the difference after you throw a case on your new iPhone. And you really should. There's a special kind of heartbreak you feel when you smash a new phone. Especially when you've paid as much as $2,500 for it.
In addition, the bezel on the iPhone 11 Pro is slightly smaller when compared to the iPhone 11.
It's also worth noting that Apple upgraded the water-resistance on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max to IP68, which means they can survive depths up to 4 metres for as long as 30 minutes. The iPhone 11 is also rated IP68, but only for depths up to 2 metres.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Display
The iPhone 11 Pro display runs at a higher resolution, is brighter, and more vibrant.
The other kinda significant downgrade between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is the display. The iPhone 11 runs at a lower resolution (although still high definition), and has an LCD panel rather than OLED. So what does all of this mean?
Well in terms of resolution, the iPhone 11 screen has a pixel density of 326 ppi, while both the Pro models tout 458 ppi. This means the iPhone 11 Pro has a sharper display, so individual pixels are harder to see.
However, the iPhone 11 display is still in line with the display from last year's iPhone XR, which was lovely. Unless you're putting your phone right up to your face, we'd say the difference between 458 ppi and 326 ppi will be pretty hard to notice for the most part.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max's OLED displays work by lighting up individual pixels as they're needed. The result of this is a screen with a higher contrast ratio that will give photos and videos a bit of extra pop. The iPhone 11 still has a backlight behind the screen, which means it can't go as dark as an OLED display, and as such, doesn't achieve the same level of contrast.
In short, the iPhone 11 Pro has a nicer display, but there are no real red flags with the iPhone 11 screen.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Performance
Both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro share the same processor, so performance should be identical.
As you'd expect, there's faster hardware under the hood in both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. Dubbed the A13 Bionic, Apple claims the 2019 iPhone chip is the fastest processor found in a smartphone. In terms of processing performance, Apple claims the 2019 iPhones are two times faster than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Battery
While the iPhone 11 battery should be rock solid, Apple says the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the longest lasting iPhones yet.
We haven't had a chance to do hands-on testing yet, but according to the spec sheet, the iPhone 11 Pro should have the edge when it comes to battery this time around.
Apple is pretty cryptic when it comes to battery life. For example it says the iPhone 11 will give you up to 17 hours of video playback per charge, the iPhone 11 Pro will give you up to 18, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max will last as long as 20. It also says the iPhone 11 lasts an hour longer per charge than last year's iPhone XR, which had the best battery life of any iPhone to date.
While the iPhone 11 Pro may be the winner in terms of battery, you shouldn't be disappointed no matter which handset you pick up.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max also come bundled with a fast-charger, which you won't find in the box with the iPhone 11.
Alex Choros
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