The iPhone 11 Pro may be $999, but it is well worth the cost if you are a tech geek who wants the absolute best, love to take photos, or plan on holding onto your phone for four to five years.
There are three kinds of people who should spend an extra $300 and get the iPhone 11 Pro:
- Those who want to upgrade every year to the best cutting-edge tech.
- Those who love to take photos with zoom, but also want to option to take ultra-wide shots.
- Those who do not upgrade until their phones completely stop functioning after five years of use.
It is also the best iPhone for people who prefer small phones they can operate with one hand. The iPhone 11 Pro's 5.8-inch OLED screen makes for a phone that is just the right size for most people's hands. It's the phone I chose because I am one of those people who upgrade every year and I like that I can use it one-handed.
If you have big hands and you want a big screen, the iPhone 11 Pro Max's 8.8-inch OLED screen will satisfy you more than the 6.1-inch iPhone 11.
This year, the back of the phone is made with matte glass, and I love it. I've always disliked shiny, glossy glass-backed phones because they never stay clean — the second you touch them, they are ruined by fingerprints forever no matter what you do. The texture is lovely and it does not attract fingerprints. I do highly recommend using a case, though, as glass is fragile and needs protection — especially when it's covering a $1,000 phone.
Inside, the new A13 Bionic processor is super fast. I noticed the difference the most in the new camera app. Because the iPhone 11 Pro has three cameras on the back, the camera app has controls that allow you to switch from the regular wide-angle view to the ultra-wide-angle view or the 2x optical zoomed view with the tap of an icon. The transition between camera lenses is perfectly smooth and instantaneous. That, is some serious processing power.
Speaking of those 12-megapixel cameras, they take phenomenal photos. The color reproduction is natural, the images look excellent, and you can take ultra-wide or 2x zoomed-in shots while maintaining the high image quality. I use the 2x optical zoom all the time, so for me, this was a must-have feature and motivation enough for me to buy the iPhone 11 Pro.
The new Night Mode feature is truly impressive. Much like Google's Pixel phones, the iPhone 11 Pro can take beautiful photos in low-light conditions and even absolute darkness. It does this by extending the exposure, so you do have to hold still for several seconds while using Night Mode, but it really works. With the iPhone XS, I couldn't get good pictures of food in dimly-lit restaurants or of people at dimly-lit parties — with the iPhone 11 Pro, I can.
The front-facing camera is also 12-megapixels and it can create the blurred background effect on your selfies so you're the focus — not the background. You can also use the front camera to securely unlock your phone with Face ID.
The battery life is also leagues better on the 11 Pro. After a day of work, my iPhone XS used to be at 50% battery, but the 11 Pro is usually only at 75% or 80% when I get home. It charges wirelessly, and Apple finally included a fast charger and lightning-to-USB-C cable in the box so your phone will charge faster than it did before when you plug it in.
The entry-level 64GB of storage should be more than enough for most people, but if you want more, you can get 256 or 512 GB of storage instead — for a few hundred dollars more. The iPhone 11 Pro comes in Midnight Green, Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. It's also water resistant for 30 minutes in depths of up to 4 meters.
Pros: Speedy new processor, sharp OLED screen, great size for single-handed use; three cameras for telephoto, regular, and ultra-wide shots; great battery life, wireless charging, Face ID
Cons: Expensive, no headphone jack