Stuff - UK (2019-12)

O APPLE iPHONE 11 PRO FROM £1049 +++++

SUPERTEST SMARTPHONES

Apple iPhone 11

Pro Max

from £1149 /

apple.com

The 11 Pro Max is the

11 Pro with a bigger

6.5in display and

battery. Delve a tad

deeper and you’ll

discover that display

matches the 11 Pro’s

458ppi resolution

and you’re getting

around five hours

more usage than the

old XS Max. So this is

the best iPhone you

can buy if you have

the metaphorical

and physical deep

pockets required.

Stuff says +++++

Sweet camera skills make

this an extra-tasty Apple

So the iPhone has followed almost

every other area of Apple’s device

empire and gone ‘Pro’, but what

does that actually mean? Well,

this is Cupertino’s elite handset,

its gladiator, a knight in recycled

aluminium charging into battle

against the Android enemies vying

for the smartphone throne.

OK, we may have re-watched a

Marvel movie or two recently, and

on the surface this thing does

look a lot like last year’s iPhone

XS, but flip it over and you’ll see

a triple-camera array that’s up

there with the best we’ve tested

this year. And with Apple finally

catching up on the competition

and developing some sharp

Night Mode photography

tech, it’s the best all-round

smartphone camera, full stop.

The A13 Bionic chip comes out

on top in benchmark testing

too, bringing about untouchable

speeds. The fact there’s no 5G

option doesn’t bother us for now

(but ask us again in 12 months),

while its fast-charging capabilities

are a godsend that iPhone fans

have been waiting for.

Anyway, #slofies aside (that’s

slow-mo selfies shot with the

front camera, for the benefit of

those living life at a similar pace),

this is a serious and solid phone in

every meaning of the word – and

one most definitely worthy of

wearing the ‘Pro’ moniker.

In short, it’s a smartphone

that’s going to take wicked

photos in any scenario and

carry out all your daily tasks

with finesse.

Night Mode is

automatically enabled

when the 11 Pro detects

it’s dark. Depending on

the available light, it then

takes several seconds to

render an image.

CAMERA

Night fever

The Pro sees the birth of an

extra 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide

lens, joining the primary 12MP

f/1.8 cameras with OIS and

the 2x 12MP telephoto. There’s

a noticeable improvement to

image quality, but the most

notable development is Night

Mode which, believe us when

we say it, beats Google at its

own game. The front camera

gets a 12MP slofie upgrade,

while video quality overall is

undeniably epic – it’s capable

of recording 4K video at 60fps

with astounding stabilisation.

After floundering in space, Apple

is now top of the shots.

OOOOOOOOOO

PERFORMANCE

The dark side

Apple’s A13 Bionic chip is

a notable step up: video

is easy to export and edit,

apps feel faster and FaceID

is supposedly quicker (though

in reality it’s hard to tell the

difference). New to iOS 13 is

Dark Mode, with system-wide

support for all apps to reduce

eye strain and stretch out

battery life, which stands at

four more hours than the XS

and gets speedy charging from

an 18W mains plug. We kiss

goodbye to 3D Touch, replaced

by Haptic Touch, and welcome

a swipe keyboard for very jazzy

brush typing.

OOOOOOOOOO

DISPLAY

Nits outbreak

The 5.8in ‘Super Retina XDR’

display sees marginal gains

from the iPhone XS but contrast

is excellent, with the darkest

blacks and brilliant levels of

detail. Maximum brightness

goes to 800 nits, or a staggering

1200 nits for HDR content.

OOOOOOOOOO

DESIGN

Matt impulsion

More screen and less notch

would’ve been nice, but a matt

back with a stainless steel edge

contrasts well. The rear lenses,

also encircled in stainless steel,

lie flat when the Pro wears a

case. It has an IP68 rating for

waterproofing.

OOOOOOOOOO

FOR

A BIT

MORE