The Verge recommended anyone thinking about upgrading to a new iPhone this year get the new iPhone 11.
The iPhone 11 is "great where it counts, and it's totally fine everywhere else," Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel said in his review. Patel said that the iPhone is essentially an upgrade from the 2018 iPhone XR, with a price that's $50 lower.
Patel highlighted the iPhone 11's better battery life and quality cameras, but had complaints about the phone's size, which he says is "definitely not small." All of Patel's review units have also reportedly been buggy, with "weird glitches and app crashes."
USA Today put the emphasis on the iPhone 11's battery life, but said that the phone is not something you have to go rush out and buy immediately.
In his review, USA Today's Ed Baig had high praise for the battery on the iPhone 11, which Apple says is an hour longer than the iPhone XR.
Baig wrote that the iPhone 11 is a worthy phone to go out and buy if your current iPhone model is showing signs of wear and tear. Otherwise, Baig recommended "waiting another cycle or two, when Apple will perhaps cook up something to truly blow you away."
However, USA Today wasn't the only one to rave about the iPhone 11's battery life: The Wall Street Journal praised the new phone's ability to last through a whole day of heavy usage.
The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern commended Apple for finally making its latest iPhones "work when we damn well need them to" by giving the iPhone 11 longer battery life. After a full day of using the iPhone prettily heavily, Stern said her iPhone 11 was at 15% by 11:30 p.m.
Additionally, Stern wrote a second review, in which she recommended the new iPhone 11 for anyone who has been putting off upgrading their iPhone for a while, especially if you're still holding onto an iPhone 6.
Meanwhile, TechCrunch focused heavily on the iPhone 11's cameras, especially the new Night Mode feature that allows for vivid, high-quality pictures at night.
In a now customary move in reviewing the new iPhone models, TechCrunch's editor-in-chief Matthew Panzarino took the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro to Disneyland for his review. Above all, he praised the iPhone 11's Night Mode, an automatic feature that kicks in to change low-light pictures "from throw away images to something well worth keeping."
Panzarino also talked up the new iPhone 11 cameras for "open[ing] up possibilities for shooting that haven't been on iPhone before," especially when it came to taking wide-angle portraits and improved Portrait Mode shots.
Lauren Goode at Wired concluded that although the iPhone 11 isn't "the most innovative smartphone available" on the market, it's the best option to convince anyone putting off an iPhone upgrade.
Goode argued that Apple is "playing catch-up" with the iPhone 11 by finally giving its phone a two-lens rear camera on par with its Android competitors.
Goode also found that the iPhone 11 felt faster in its actions and touches that previous models. Like other reviewers, Goode found that battery life was a key component of the new iPhone 11.
CNET summed up its review by calling the iPhone 11 the best "mid-tier" phone out there, with Apple prioritizing key components like speed and battery over flashier features.
CNET said in its review that the iPhone 11 is made for "everyday function," acting as a solid choice for the smartphone user compared to futuristic devices like 5G-enabled phones and foldable options.
Reviewer Scott Stein focused on the increased battery life and better quality cameras, including Night Mode in particular.
