L
et’s just get this out the way nice
and early: the iPhone Pro (and its
larger sibling, the Pro Max) is the
best iPhone you can buy. Shocked? We
think not. What might surprise you is
the price, which hasn’t gone up since
the XS and XS Max came out. However,
the standard iPhone 11 is cheaper than
the XR before it, so the gap between
that and the base Pro has increased,
making it a little harder to justify
buying the flagship handset; more so
because the standard iPhone is really
good. So the Pro has to have some real
fire under its hood if it’s to lure in
prospective customers.
It might, then, come as a bit of a
disappointment that there are only
a couple of differences over the 11
to speak of: namely the alien–like
triple–lens camera system on the rear
and the, admittedly–amazing, OLED
display, which now sports XDR tech.
You might also be mildly perturbed to
know that this generation iPhone is
also slightly chunkier than the previous
one. We’re talking tenths of a mil and
only 11g (18g with the Pro Max), mind,
but still — you’d expect the new model
to be sleeker. Though Apple, as usual,
hasn’t confirmed it, recent teardowns
reveal that the Pro and Pro Max have
bigger batteries than before, which
probably accounts for this increase.
Elsewhere, the Pro gets an 18W
fast–charger in the box (finally!), so at
least that takes a $28 sting out of the
price difference. There’s also IP68
water resistance up to 4m (2m in 11
and XS). Off the bat, the Pro doesn’t
exactly wow in the design department,
since it’s essentially the same exterioras the XS, but the new matte finish
on the back of the case is a subtle
improvement in the way it looks and
how it feels in the hand — it’s certainly
more grippy. Color choice is limited
to just four, with this year’s Midnight
Green being the standout option.
You certainly wouldn’t want to hide
it under a case.IT’S A TRIPLE WIN
As with the iPhone 11, much of the
Pro’s newness revolves around its
fabled camera system, but the Pro
boasts even greater versatility thanks
to its three camera set–up.
Photos are much improved over
last year’s iPhone XS due to the
addition of the ultra–wide angle lens,
which enables you to capture much
more in the frame, and a new f2.0
telephoto lens that lets in more light
than before, for better lower–light and
portrait shots. Next gen Smart HDR in
the Pro helps to improve the overall
quality of shots, with improved
contrast and sharpness. The pictures
also look more realistic, with warmer
tones and less saturation. And of
course, if you’ve already read the
iPhone 11 review, the Pro also benefits
from Night mode, which allows you to
capture detail in low–light photos
where you couldn’t previously.THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE
If the Pro’s camera capabilities aren’t
a convincing enough argument, the
new OLED display surely will be — it’s
something else. Now featuring Apple’s
XDR — Extreme Dynamic Range — you
get double the contrast ratio and up toiPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max
Unsurprisingly this is the best iPhone money
can buy, but is it enough to tempt you in?
From $999 (Pro), $1099 (Pro Max) From Apple, apple.com
Features A13 Bionic chip, 64, 256 or 512GB storage, 5.8–inch (Pro) or 6.5–inch
(Pro Max) Super Retina display with P3, XDR and True Tone, 458ppi pixel density,
IP68 water resistance (4m), 6.63 ounces (Pro), 7.79 ounces (Pro Max)44 DEC 2019 maclife.com