iPhone 11 is the best choice for most people

Apple’s September 2019 event has come and gone and with it we’ve seen the arrival of some important (if largely incremental) updates. Apple Watch has finally received an always-on display, and the baseline iPad now sports a smart keyboard connector and a larger screen.

But of course, most of us don’t really go to these September events without referring to them as iPhone events, at least in our minds. And for good reason; Apple has conditioned us to expect an upgrade around now every year. There is something to be said about consistency.

Speaking of which, what didn’t change this year is that the lightning connector is still iPhone’s standard. But at least the two pricier of this year’s three new models, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, come with an 18-watt fast charger. And yes, that cable is lightning-to-USB-C. Thankfully, you can use fast charging with the non-pro model; you just need to shell out extra for the charger.

We also have the same 1792x828 Liquid Retina LCD screen on the lower-end phone, simply called the iPhone 11. Some find that too low-res for their liking; I personally don’t mind the performance and battery gains that come from driving fewer pixels.

But that brings us to the main argument I’d like to posit in this article: the iPhone 11 is the best new iPhone for most people.

Displays

Yes, the new Super Retina XDR OLED panels on the Pro models are beautiful. Their colors are vibrant and they are now exceptionally bright at up to 1200 nits. They can display Dolby Vision-class HDR video.

Their 458 DPI also beats out the 11's 326, but most people won’t notice that. Take it from a guy who has been blessed with unusually sharp vision.

You really can’t best an OLED panel with an LCD, but the Liquid Retina may just be the most beautiful LCD ever made. And the aforementioned performance gains are nothing to scoff at.

Performance

Speaking of which, all new iPhone models run on the same A13 Bionic SoC. They’re outpacing every other flagship smartphone on the market by a significant margin. And the “low-end” model packs the same punch that the Pros do.

As the phones haven’t seen too much in the way of benchmarking yet, there is currently some debate as to how much RAM each model has. There is consensus, though, that the iPhone 11 has 4GB, matching last year’s XS and XS Max and beating out the XR, which has only 3GB. The jury is still out on the Pro models, some sources claiming 4GB and others 6. But whatever the case may be, iOS’s RAM management will ensure a very snappy experience for all three models either way.

Edit: Prior to completion of this article, data contained in Xcode confirmed that all new models come with 4GB of RAM.

Cameras

Speaking of snappy, it’s obvious that this year’s upgrades were meant to be for the photographer in each of us. Like many popular phones this year, the complete iPhone 11 line has added an ultra wide-angle lens to the rear camera array, totaling three on the back of of the Pro models and two on the 11.

The ultra-wide camera effectively provides an optical x0.5 zoom, and does a pretty great job at capturing a scene at large. Additionally, when working with the normal wide-angle lens, you can see a preview of the ultra-wide shot in the margins.

The TrueDepth camera array on the front has received a bump up to 12 megapixels, and will do 4k 60fps HDR video just like the rear. You can even take what Apple calls “slofies,” or slow-motion selfies, at 1080p/120fps.

Other improvements include:

• Night mode, which most reviewers have called well-executed (if overdue)
• Improved HDR photo and video recording with next-generation Smart HDR
• A zooming mic feature with video recording
• Upcoming modes for Deep Fusion, a mega-detailed machine learning-based photos which stitch some 9 snaps together to get the best detail possible, and
• The ability to shoot 4k HDR video from multiple lenses on the phone at the same time!

All that and more are perks of all new iPhone models; the only differences are that the Pros have a telephoto lens and a much nicer HDR screen to view it all on.

Battery life

With the increased efficiency of the A13 Bionic processor and increased battery capacities, all new iPhones received a bump this year. The 11 gained an hour over the XR; the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max gained 4 and 5 over their counterparts, respectively.

Sure, this technically puts the iPhone 11 at the bottom of the pile for this go-round, but it still gained an hour over the XR — which up until this generation’s release had the longest-lasting battery of any iPhone ever.

Price

Ultimately, this will be the kicker for most people. The iPhone 11 starts at $699, down $50 from the iPhone XR’s starting price. That’s also $300 less than the lowest-priced iPhone 11 Pro, which weighs in at $999.

Considering that all models in the iPhone 11 family start with 64GB of storage, and that the next tier on the 11 adds $50 (128GB) while the next on the Pros adds $150 (256GB), the value winner is clear in this regard.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max just aren’t as compelling for the average buyer this year. For the extra cost, you basically get a telephoto lens, an OLED screen, a bigger battery, and a fast charger in the box. That may certainly be worth it for some, but for most people, iPhone 11 is more than enough phone at its price point.

All photos care of apple.com.

Mostermind is a web and app development startup focused on helping individuals and families balance home life with the demands of the modern workplace.