iPhone 11 is the most affordable new iPhone but it packs in a host of new and upgraded features to make it one of the better value devices Apple has offered.
The iPhone 11 is the replacement for the iPhone XR – the model that sits just below the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max in price but also between them in screen size.
And it is actually slightly cheaper than the iPhone XR as well.
iPhone 11 has a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch Super Retina displays respectively.
READ TECH GUIDE’S iPHONE 11 PRO REVIEW
The device shares a lot of common features with the iPhone 11 Pro including the A13 Bionic chip.
iPhone 11 has a dual lens camera system which include a wide and ultra-wide lens to capture even more as well as the ability to capture 4K video at 60 frames per second.
The device is also available in six different colours – black, white, purple, yellow, green and PRODUCT (RED).
DESIGN
The iPhone 11 has a glossy glass rear panel and the same rounded edge design of the iPhone 11 Pro except those edges are made from anodised aluminium instead of surgical grade stainless steel.
The only matte surface you’ll find on the iPhone 11 is the square camera bump where the two lenses are located.
On the iPhone 11 Pro it is the opposite with a matte rear panel and a glossy square camera bump.
The display, while excellent, has the same notch and thick bezels we’ve seen in previous iPhones.
This screen doesn’t have the same maximum brightness as the iPhone 11 Pro and has a slightly inferior viewing angle.
That’s not to say the screen is an impressive. It has a resolution of 1792 x 828 and 326ppi (pixels per inch).
Images and videos, apps and websites all look amazing on the iPhone 11.
The iPhone 11 has an IP68 rating which means it is water and dust resistant and can handle being in to 2m of water for 30 minutes.
PERFORMANCE
The iPhone 11 is running Apple’s own A13 Bionic processor which delivers a noticeable performance bump in general use and when playing games and watching videos.
This chip also does all the heavy lifting when it comes to using machine learning to do things like enhancing photos with HDR (high dynamic range) and recognising what is in your images.
On the audio side, the iPhone 11 also delivers with spatial audio which is smart enough to place audio around you and the device when watching videos with Dolby Atmos.
CAMERA
The two lens camera system is made up of the 12-megapixel wide and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera.
The camera app has also been enhanced to provide an easy way to capture the best possible image.
It’s easy to bounce from one lens to the other with the on-screen shortcut and just as easy to fine tune the zoom with the new dial so you can settle on the precise framing for your picture.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, the camera app shows you outside the frame lines for that lens, what you would achieve by switching to the ultra-wide mode.
That way users can see what else they could include in the frame without actually having to touch the device.
For added versatility there is also enhanced portrait mode which now also includes the high key light mono effect.
QuickTake is a new feature that lets you jump straight into recording video from the photo screen.
You simply press and hold the shutter button to instantly start capturing video and you can slide your finger to the right to lock that into place.
Capturing burst mode now requires users to press the shutter button and swipe left.
Night mode has also been introduced on the iPhone 11 and can intelligently add light to your image in near-dark conditions rather than just flooding the picture with illumination. The results are really impressive.
Your selfie game will also be on point with the iPhone 11 with portraits also possible through the front 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera.
And you can also capture slow motion selfies – which Apple has dubbed “slofies” – to add a bit of fun.
BATTERY
Another area that has seen significant improvement is the battery life.
The iPhone 11 offered noticeably more run time between charges than previous models.
During our testing, the device easily almost two days before we needed to recharge. iPhone 11 also has fast charging through an 18W charger (not included, included with the iPhone Pro) that can reach 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes.
This efficiency is a result of the new A13 Bionic chip which offers up to 40 per cent more power efficiency than last year’s silicon.
Battery life has been one of the biggest complaints for iPhone users in the past.
The good news is battery performance is now one of its best features.
Full pricing:
iPhone 11 64GB – $1,199
iPhone 11 128GB – $1,279
iPhone 11 256GB – $1,449
VERDICT
The iPhone 11 offers a tremendous set of features and remarkable value, making it one of the best pound for pound smart phones on the market. This will be one of the most popular iPhones to date.
