T
he iPhone 11 is Apple’s big surprise
for 2019. Unlike its previous
“entry–level” iPhone — the XR
— the iPhone 11 isn’t to be seen as the
poor man’s choice. It’s the iPhone that
will appeal to most people thanks to
a brilliant blend of features and a
seriously welcome price tag of just
$699 (lower even than that of the XR
when it launched).IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CAMERAS
Though the glass and aluminium
design of the iPhone 11 is mostly
unchanged from last year’s XR, aside
from some new colors to pick at
checkout, the raised camera system on
the back is certainly unique. Housed in
glass, with two sensors (both 12MP), it
allows you to capture ultra–wide snaps
alongside the standard wide photos.
With the addition of the new lens you
can fit loads more into the frame,
which is great for landscape photos, or
just getting a new angle on your shots.
Though the ultra–wide is best in
daytime shots, low–light performance
with the standard wide lens is much
improved over the previous iPhone. A
new feature called Night Mode gives
you dramatically better photos in low
light thanks to AI which captures
multiple shots at different exposure
and sharpness levels, merging them
together for the best possible shot.
With the addition of the second
camera, Portrait mode has been
significantly improved over last year’s
XR, the extra lens giving the OS
greater accuracy when distinguishing
between foreground and background,
for better bokeh, and although not
always perfect, it’s an improvement.The iPhone 11 shoots 4K at 60fps, as
well as dramatic slo–mo 1080p videos
at 240fps. Though that’s the same as
last year’s iPhones, you now get
extended dynamic range up to 60fps.
This is a must for anyone who captures
a lot of footage on the move, but will
really appeal to YouTubers wanting to
make a living without the cost and
unwieldiness of a pro setup. Though it
obviously won’t rival a “pro” setup, it’s
a step up from the iPhone XS, with
improved exposure and contrast.
The front side also recieves quite a
big upgrade, with a new 12MP front–
facing camera which, remarkably, is
also capable of 4K at 60fps, as well as
taking slow–mo selfies or “slofies”
(Apple’s phrase, not ours) at 120fps.
Gimmicky, but the results are good.IT’S ALSO FASTER, FOR LONGER
The iPhone 11 gets the same new A13
Bionic chip that’s housed in the bigger
11 Pro, and it returned a Geekbench
score of 3186, making it significantly
faster than last year’s A12 Bionic
processor. Though last year’s iPhones
were, frankly, already quick enough,
and you’ll be hard pressed to notice
apps responding any quicker, it’s nice
to have the power, and some of the
new games coming out for iPhone —
such as Pascal’s Wager — show what
the extra processing power is capable
of, with incredible console–like visuals.
That said, even the all–singing, all–
dancing A13 can be overwhelmed at
times — most noticeable within the
Camera app which is a little slower
than expected when saving or sharing
(admittedly processor–intensive) large
photos or videos.Despite the added performance, the
battery life has actually been improved
over the XR, which had the best
battery life of any iPhone we’d seen.
Apple says it gains an extra hour
battery over the XR, and there’s no
disputing that with its all–day battery
life. It’s a good thing, really, as Apple
still insists on selling the iPhone with
a snail–slow 5W charger.
Another feature that hasn’t been
improved over the XR is the screen
— it uses the same 6.1–inch LCD display
which isn’t as crisp or vibrant as the
iPhone 11 Pro’s OLED screen, nor does
it support HDR. But for the money it’s
still perfectly clear, bright, and sharp.
THE BOTTOM LINE. The iPhone 11
is the best bang for your buck.
GARETH BEAVIS/NICK ODANTZISiPhone 11
Buying a new iPhone? This is the top choice
From $699 From Apple, apple.com
Features A13 Bionic, 64, 128, or 256GB storage, 6.1–inch LCD display with
True Tone, P3 gamut and 326 ppi pixel density, dual 12MP ultra–wide and wide
cameras (rear), 12MP camera (front), IP68 splash, water and dust resistantBuy an iPhone 11 and you get a year’s
subscription to Apple TV+ thrown in.iPHONE 11
Spectacular camera capabilties
Hugely powerful
Impressive battery life
Great price tag
AWESOMEmaclife.com DEC 2019 43Tough testing, trusted ratings