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iPhone 11 Hands-on: The one to buy

The iPhone for everyone

Just like last year’s iPhone XR, it looks like the iPhone 11 is Apple’s smartphone for everyone.

Similar to its predecessor, the iPhone 11 includes all of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max features most people will care about, but with a friendlier, colourful design.

As expected, there are also a few key shortcomings present in the iPhone 11 the average iPhone user likely won’t even be aware of.

iPhone 11

iPhone XR

Display

6.1-inch, LCD Liquid Retina display, 1792 x 828 pixels

6.1-inch, LCD Liquid Retina display, 1792 x 828 pixels

Processor

A13 Bionic chip

A12 Bionic chip

RAM

4GB

3GB of RAM

Storage

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm

150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm

Weight

194g

194g

Rear Facing Camera

12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra wide), quad-LED 'True Tone' flash

12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle)

Front Facing Camera

12-megapixel (f/2.2)

7-megapixel (f/2.2)

OS

iOS 13

iOS 12

Battery

3046mAh

Up to 16 hours of video playback

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE

GSM / HSPA / LTE / Band 66

Sensors

TrueDepth Camera Sensor, Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

TrueDepth Camera Sensor, Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

SIM Type

Nano SIM, eSIM

Nano SIM, eSIM

Launch Date

September 20, 2019

October 27, 2018

Misc

Colours: Black, Green, Yellow, Product Red, Purple, White |

Colours: White, Black Blue, Coral, Yellow, Product Red | IP67 water/dust resistant

Display

iPhone 11

6.1-inch, LCD Liquid Retina display, 1792 x 828 pixels

iPhone XR

6.1-inch, LCD Liquid Retina display, 1792 x 828 pixels

Processor

iPhone 11

A13 Bionic chip

iPhone XR

A12 Bionic chip

RAM

iPhone 11

4GB

iPhone XR

3GB of RAM

Storage

iPhone 11

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

iPhone XR

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

iPhone 11

150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm

iPhone XR

150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm

Weight

iPhone 11

194g

iPhone XR

194g

Rear Facing Camera

iPhone 11

12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra wide), quad-LED 'True Tone' flash

iPhone XR

12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle)

Front Facing Camera

iPhone 11

12-megapixel (f/2.2)

iPhone XR

7-megapixel (f/2.2)

OS

iPhone 11

iOS 13

iPhone XR

iOS 12

Battery

iPhone 11

3046mAh

iPhone XR

Up to 16 hours of video playback

Network Connectivity

iPhone 11

GSM/HSPA/LTE

iPhone XR

GSM / HSPA / LTE / Band 66

Sensors

iPhone 11

TrueDepth Camera Sensor, Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

iPhone XR

TrueDepth Camera Sensor, Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

SIM Type

iPhone 11

Nano SIM, eSIM

iPhone XR

Nano SIM, eSIM

Launch Date

iPhone 11

September 20, 2019

iPhone XR

October 27, 2018

Misc

iPhone 11

Colours: Black, Green, Yellow, Product Red, Purple, White |

iPhone XR

Colours: White, Black Blue, Coral, Yellow, Product Red | IP67 water/dust resistant

The same power

iPhone 11

The iPhone 11 features the same A13 Bionic processor as this year’s Pro models. In my brief time with the smartphone I found the experience just as snappy as the Pro and Pro Max.

The next thing most will likely notice about the phone is the addition of two 12-megapixel cameras on its rear. Rather than a telephoto lens like with the Pro, the iPhone 11 instead features an ultra wide-angle shooter. This means the camera won’t be capable of optical 2x zoom like the Pro or last year’s XS series. Instead, the iPhone 11’s second shooter captures a wider frame, which will likely be more useful for the average iPhone user anyway.

The iPhone 11 is also capable of shooting slow-motion video with its selfie camera, horribly dubbed “slofies” by Apple. There’s also a new ‘Night Mode’ low-light shots. I, unfortunately, didn’t get the chance to test out either of these features, but they’re additional examples of key functionality from the Pro and the Pro Max being featured in the iPhone 11.

iPhone 11 camera

Similar to the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the iPhone 11 features a sizable camera bump that matches its more expensive siblings’ design. Why Apple opted to do this is a strange design decision given the iPhone 11 only features two lenses and not three.

That said, given the Phone 11’s bump is transparent, it’s not quite as noticable as you might expect.

I’ll need to spend more time with the iPhone 11’s camera, but at the outset, I’m impressed with what it has to offer in comparison to last years XS and even the new iPhone 11 Pro.

The same LCD display

iPhone 11 screen

The phone features the same 6.1-inch LCD display as the XR and not an OLED screen, which will likely be a point of contention for some, particularly Android users.

Yes, $979 CAD is a lot to ask for a smartphone in 2019 that only sports 64GB of storage and features an LCD display, but after briefly looking at the iPhone 11 Pro’s screen beside the iPhone 11, the actual difference in quality was negligible. Just like last year, this is another example of a feature some smartphone enthusiasts might care about but that the average iPhone user probably wouldn’t notice.

iPhone 11

The iPhone 11 is also rated for one additional hour of battery life compared to the iPhone XR, which is in stark contrast to the four to five hours the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max get from the A13 chip — at least according to Apple’s claims.

It would have been great if the tech giant made similar improvements to the iPhone 11’s battery life.

Dropping the XR

iPhone 11 yellow

Finally, there are two new colours this time around, ‘Purple’ and ‘Green,’ as well as a slight shift to the hue of last year’s shades. Both new colours are welcome additions to the lineup, but I’m particularly fond of the faded hue of the purple variant — it just feels different and makes the iPhone 11 stand out.

It’s also worth mentioning that dropping the ‘XR’ name for just ‘iPhone 11’ holds significant weight. In a way, it means as far as Apple is concerned, the iPhone 11 is now the defacto 2019 Apple smartphone. If you want extra features, just like with the iPad line and the iPad Pro, the new iPhone 11 Pro series is what you’re after.

For everyone else, there’s the iPhone 11.

Apple’s iPhone XR was one of my favourite smartphones of last year, so I’m not surprised its successor is just as appealing. We’ll have more on the iPhone 11 in the coming weeks, including a review of the smartphone.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 11 starts at $979 CAD for the 64GB version, the 128GB sports a $1,049 price tag and lastly the 256GB variant costs $1,189.

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