Stuff - UK (2019-12)

O APPLE iPHONE 11 FROM £729 +++++

SUPERTEST SMARTPHONES

Why go Pro when the basic

iPhone is as brilliant as this?

Say hello to the new everyman

iPhone. Available in a fruity array

of colours, with a seemingly

modest dual-lens camera and

powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic

chip, this is the most affordable

handset in the new class of 2019.

While a dual-lens cam sounds

meagre by today’s standards,

clever software known as Deep

Fusion takes multiple photos at

one time to ascertain the most

optimal versions, then mashes

them together for the best

possible results. Plus, low-light

performance sees huge

improvements and portrait mode

isn’t only reserved for humans

now. Strike a pose, cat.

We’re impressed... but let’s get

real. All of the above doesn’t really

matter if you run out of power,

and that’s one department where

the iPhone 11 trumps the 11 Pro.

It’ll last a full day with heavy use,

and well over a day if you’re not

a working, gaming, photo-taking

freak like us. There’s no fast 18W

charger in the box like there is

with the Pro, but we suggest you

buy one for £29.

You’re getting a neat package

with the iPhone 11 – and it’s not

silly expensive. The new Bionic

A13 chip packs serious power,

the cameras are near-faultless

for a smartphone and, just to

reiterate, it’ll last all day. The lack

of an OLED display is more of

an issue than the absence of

a telephoto lens – so if you can

bring yourself to get over that,

then start thinking about what

colour you might opt for.

Sony Xperia 5

£699 /

sonymobile.com

The Xperia 5

has a lot of

competition

from the iPhone

11 and others,

but Sony does

premium very

well. With an

epic HDR OLED

display in an

elongated 21:9

aspect ratio,

ample gaming

power and a

fine versatile

camera, there’s

lots to love here.

Stuff says

+++++

CAMERA

Twice as nice

You might think you’re

being short-changed not

getting a third telephoto

like the iPhone 11 Pro, but

it’s not a big deal. You get

the same wide-angle

12MP main sensor and a

12MP ultra-wide.You just

have to move forward a bit.

OOOOOOOOOO

DESIGN

Toy soldier

Square camera module

aside, it looks like an XR

but with extra colours.

It feels robust enough

to take a few drops, while

the notch remains. This

phone is a little thicker

than the Pro, but still

manageable in the hand.

OOOOOOOOOO

DISPLAY

OLED astray

The iPhone 11 totes an LCD

panel, not OLED, but it’s

far brighter than the XR’s.

For big media consumers,

no OLED is a big deal; for

those taking a few pics at

the weekends, emailing

and WhatsApping, it

shouldn’t matter.

OOOOOOOOOO

PERFORMANCE

Chips and dips

What we really care about

it that A13 Bionic chip. It

beats its flagship rivals

in Geekbench tests and

is incredibly quick and

responsive. The new U1

chip makes AirDrop much

speedier too, even for

sizeable file transfers.

OOOOOOOOOO

FOR

A BIT

LESS