It isn’t surprising that the iPhone 11 has been flying off the shelves in India even before it got to the stores.
Online pre-orders were snapped up so promptly that one can see the confidence customers place in the Apple brand and the specific product. The iPhone 11’s predecessor, iPhone XR, did so well it gave Apple a leap ahead in market share.
That phone will still be available and is Rs 39,999 for the base model in some places online right now but of course there are customers picking up the brand new iPhone 11 at Rs 64,900 (base model) and a lot less depending on the scheme one chooses.
The iPhone 11 is a smartphone that feels rather substantial in the hand. It weights 194 gms and certainly is not for those looking for a feather-light slim phone. Instead it’s for someone who likes the solidity and reassurance of a good build.
iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro?
If you have the money set aside for a really expensive phone or if someone else is generously paying for it, you will naturally be wondering which of the iPhones to choose. The two iPhone Pro models are almost identical to each other except for size and a scaling down of such things as battery and screen to go with the size. They’re the two more advanced models. That doesn’t meant thought hat you should feel cheated out of something major by opting for the iPhone 11.
There are a few design differences between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro models. The iPhone 11 has no smaller version so you don’t have the choice of getting a more easy-to-hold device if you opt for it. You do have a nice choice of colours though because that’s one thing the Pro models have a limited number of options for. The iPhone 11 comes in six shades: red, white, black, blue, purple, and yellow. The purple is an entirely new shade as is the mint blue (or green if you see it that way). The finish is glossy, as we’ve known iPhones to be, and the device needs to go into a case because it will really smudged.
The two iPhone 11 Pro phones have two sizes to choose from and come in a new matte finish that is glass but feels like metal. Fingerprints are less evident on these and you can get away with using no case though vulnerability to damage from falls and knocks doesn’t change. The colour choices are silver, gold, space grey and a colour that people have really liked, midnight green. It’s actually only subtly different from the grey and only looks green at some angles.
On the inside, the iPhone 11 has a 6.1 inch LCD screen with a 1792x828‑pixel resolution at 326 ppi density. The iPhone Pro phones have OLED displays with much higher resolution and pixel densities. But the iPhone 11’s screen does so well with its specs that it’s easily one of the best LCD’s and more than enough for most people — unless they’re reviewers who stare and compare. The Pro phones do have much greater brightness range however.
All three new iPhones work on the new A13 Bionic chip, capable of handling augmented reality tasks, gaming and artificial intelligence powered activities equally well. So the Pro phones are by no means more powerful.
What the iPhone 11 Pro models have to their advantage is three camera lenses instead of just two on the iPhone 11. At the same time, photography quality has been improved on all of these. The main “Wide” camera on the iPhone 11 Pro phones is a 12MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, and optical image stabilisation. It also has an ‘Ultra Wide Angle’ lens, also a 12MP with an f/2.4 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. The third 12MP sensor goes into a telephoto lens which has an f/2.0 aperture and 2X zoom. The iPhone 11 has the first two but not the third. You can do a software zoom but not one that is supported by sheer optics. All three phones have a new and impressive night mode, excellent clarity and colour and are acknowledged to be the best for video. The difference in cameras can be soon on the back of the phones where on the Pro models there’s a big square holding all three lenses. On the iPhone 11, there are two lenses prominently displayed.
iPhone 11 vs iPhone XR
There are more choices than these two, the least expensive of this year’s and last year’s lineups, but for now it looks like the XR is available at reduced prices and still isn’t a smartphone you could consider obsolete by any means. It’s still a great phone and has in common with the new iPhones, iOS 13, which means the same software experience for the most part, and the same new features such as Dark Mode, new Siri, extensive new Photo features, updates to keyboards and more.