Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
It ’s the best iPhone ever made . quicker , more long-lived , longer durable , and with a better camera than ever . But it does n’t advance the state of the graphics in a style that justify its price over the regular iPhone 11 .
Best Prices Today: iPhone 11 Pro
If you were to call for people what they want in a novel smartphone , they would probably say they desire it to be fast , have a long - lasting battery , be nice and durable , and have a really awesome camera .
It just so take place that ’s what you get with the iPhone 11 Pro . It ’s also what you get with the iPhone 11 , which cost $ 300 to $ 400 less than the Pro . The Pro is certainly an raise , but it does n’t do a lot to rationalise its “ Pro ” byname or very “ Pro ” price .
Still , the iPhone 11 Pro is a tremendous iPhone , with some noticeable ( and not - so - obtrusive ) betterment over last class ’s iPhone XS . As good as it is at what it does , it ’s severe not to think Apple could have done more to justify the self-aggrandizing cost gap over the iPhone 11 and the “ Pro ” name that come with it .
Even in bright sunlight, the iPhone 11 Pro is a better camera than the XS. Notice the crushed reds in the flowers causing lack of definition on the XS, while the 11 Pro maintains contrast and detail.
Note : This review refer to the iPhone 11 Pro as a unmarried entity , though we tested both the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max . The only difference between the two phones is that the Max is larger and has a little minute longer battery life story . It ’s good to just think of the iPhone 11 Pro as a single product that come in two size .
Read our full critique of the iPhone 11or retard out our equipment failure of theiPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 Pro vs. iPhone 11 Maxin all the fundamental sphere .
iPhone history
This iPhone has been replaced with a fresh exemplar . Find links below to our reviews of all iPhone models , including the in style generation.iPhone 16is expected to launch in September 2024 ( seewhen is the best metre to buy a new iPhone ) , whileiPhone SE ( 4th generation)andiPhone 17are probable to seem in 2025 . Find out aboutApple ’s September event detailsandhow to watch over the Apple September upshot alive flow ; or for other Apple products , learn more about all thenew Apple Cartesian product coming this yearandwhen is the next Apple case . You might also like ouriPhone purchasing guide , best iPhone dealsandcomparison of every iPhone that is useable to corrupt today .
It’s all about that camera
With each new iPhone , the camera gets good . It ’s often the thing multitude notice and care about more than anything else . That ’s true this year more than most — while the iPhone 11 Pro has other improvements over previous iPhones , that camera grabs people ’s attention .
Apple ’s high - end iPhones have had a wide and telephotograph camera dyad on the rear of the earpiece for a brace long time now . The iPhone 11 Pro adds a third , ultra wide , television camera . It is , in a word , sport .
landscape painting photographers will enjoy it and you may get tall panorama photos , but I think even middling everyday users will ascertain themselves using ultra wide quite often . you could get more people in a injection without back up , or fascinate that big statue or carving without having to stand so far away that people walk in front of you . The ill-shapen perspective gist of a wide lens makes subject look larger , which can make a tangible sensation of scale . If a telephoto lens system make affair versed , a really across-the-board angle lens makes them heroic .
Even in bright sunlight, the iPhone 11 Pro is a better camera than the XS. Notice the crushed reds in the flowers causing lack of definition on the XS, while the 11 Pro maintains contrast and detail.
But the iPhone 11 , the “ non - Pro ” mannikin , has this same tv camera . It ’s the telephoto camera that discern Pro from non - Pro , and honestly , it ’s just not that self-aggrandizing a deal . I found it far more utile to whizz along out than to soar up in . The telephoto camera is better now , with a all-inclusive f/2.0 aperture that lease in a lot more brightness level than the f/2.4 telephoto television camera in the iPhone X and XS . You ’ll get better shots in poor light and a nicer natural bokeh .
The cosmos of the telephoto lens permit the iPhone XS to do something the iPhone XR could not : shoot portrait mode photos of any field . Now that both models have an ultrawide lens , they both gain that capacity . It ’s decent to take portrayal mode photos with the stock spacious - angle lens of the eye ( which you could not on the iPhone X or XS ) , but it ’s just one more elbow room the Pro fail to spot itself from the received modeling .
Even in bright sunshine , the iPhone 11 Pro is a dependable camera than the XS . point out the crushed reds in the flowers have lack of definition on the XS , while the 11 Pro keep demarcation and detail .
The wider selfie camera doesn’t look unnatural, but makes it easier to fit you and your good girl in the shot.
Better sensing element and a much more knock-down A13 Bionic central processing unit combine to produce much better photos than the iPhone XS , which was already one of the good cameras on a smartphone . particular and dynamic range is improved , and color truth is really on point — this phone produces some of the most true - to - lifespan colour of any smartphone I ’ve seen , while even the best Android phones sometimes get a little aggressive with cause the colours “ pop ” and sharpen things up with a post - processing filter .
The selfie camera is now 12 megapixels instead of 7 , with a theater of aspect 15 degrees wider ( 85 instead of the 70 - arcdegree field of view on previous iPhones ) . Both make a meaning dispute . You ’ll get clearer and sharper shots in more condition , and grouping selfies are easier than ever . I apprize that it ’s not so wide of the mark as to be unnaturally strain . It ’s not the front - facing equivalent of the ultra wide of the mark photographic camera on the back .
The wider selfie camera does n’t face affected , but have it easy to go you and your respectable fille in the shaft .
Held in vertical orientation, the selfie camera crops by default, but you can opt to shoot a wider shot. Portrait mode does a little better job around hair on the new phone, too.
This blanket front camera is supposed to enable a wider field of view for Face ID , too . While Face ID is lightning fast on the iPhone 11 Pro , the expand athletic field of perspective is hardly noticeable . You still have to do that ill-chosen inclination if it ’s flat on your desk .
When you hold the phone upright , it automatically range down to the old 70 - degree view . you could make it wider again with just a tap , and rotating to landscape fashion mechanically switches to the encompassing angle ( you could specify it with just a tap ) . The front camera can record 4 K 60fps video recording now , and even tiresome - motion TV ( which Apple assert on calling “ slofies ” and will belike have its 15 minutes of renown and rarely be used again ) .
Held in upright orientation , the selfie tv camera crops by default , but you could opt to film a across-the-board stab . portrayal mode does a fiddling better job around hair on the new phone , too .
Night mode is finally here on the iPhone, and it might just be the best implementation of any smartphone.
eventually , there ’s Night mode . When this was introduced on the Google Pixel and followed on other Android phones , iPhone users were understandably upset that they did n’t have the same feature . Now , Apple has their own variant of Night manner , and it ’s done in a very Apple fashion .
When it ’s dark enough to justify its use , Night mode automatically engages , and will require you to retain your telephone still from one to three seconds while the silver screen brighten , as if develop a photo . The resulting photos are often full of grain and noise , but the same shot without Night mode are even bad , in improver to being so dark that you ca n’t see anything at all . Night mode shots are much vivid and more colorful , but not artificially so , as we ’ve visit in many Android earphone — it does n’t turn dark into Clarence Day , it just capture a shot that looks like what your eye might see at dark .
Night mood is finally here on the iPhone , and it might just be the best effectuation of any smartphone .
The camera interface is familiar, yet improved in several meaningful ways. Why hasn’t this come to all iPhones?
Get quick for social medium to be bombarded by night mode shots , because it really is a wonderful feature that realize impossible shot potential .
[ Seehow Apple ’s Night mode comparesto the top Android sound . ]
It ’s also entirely robotlike , instead of a separate way . And while you may handicap it , you unfortunately ca n’t thrust it on . That finger like an superintendence ; I ’ve already run into several post where I think Night mode would have help but it wasjustbright enough not to engage . Night mode does n’t forge on the extremist wide-eyed camera for some unknown reason , and it does n’t solve on any previous iPhone — I suppose Apple could sure as shooting solve both shortcomings , if it require to .
Apple continues to deliver stunning CPU performance, even in the strenuous new Geekbench 5 tests.
As ripe as the iPhone 11 ’s television camera is , it ’s about to get better . An upcoming “ Deep Fusion ” engineering will take the computational picture taking capabilities of the camera to a whole new level . Apple promises some of the sharpest , most precise shots we ’ve ever seen , a dramatic improvement over the current photo processing , which is already quite impressive . We do n’t know exactly when this camera climb is coming , only that it is schedule for this fall .
The best smartphone for video gets even better
The iPhone XS had plenty of contest for still picture quality , but its overall video tone was top of the heap . Since then , the best Android phones have perhaps direct the diadem , but the betterment in the iPhone 11 should be enough to slip it back .
you could shoot up to 4 K resolution at 60 frames per second on the rearward cameras while still benefitting from lengthened dynamic range and look-alike stabilization — features that were only available up to 4K30 on last twelvemonth ’s models . bestow in the power to swimmingly zoom in from ultrawide to telephoto and you ’ve got a powerfully capable video twist .
you may see diminished modulation when making the transition between the ultra wide , wide , and telephoto lens , and each one has slightly different quality characteristics — they are different sensors with different lenses , after all . But Apple has done a very telling problem matching color and exposure as much as possible to create the smoothest transition when switching camera that I ’ve ever seen .
Graphics performance has improved dramatically this year. Some tests run 50% faster!
Stealing a varlet from some of the latest Android phones , Apple has a new Audio Zoom feature film . When you zoom in past 1x while recording video , background noise will be fall and the audio will focus on your subject . It ’s a really noticeable burden , especially when standing in a noisy surround like next to a street or a fountain , but it ’s not so aggressive as to vocalise all unnatural .
A better camera interface, too
The camera user interface has been given some really serious-minded improvements .
Tap - and - hold on the shutter clit and you ’ll pop recording a video rather than taking a serial of photograph in a burst . A swipe to one direction to interlock video recording on , swipe the other to take that burst fritter . I ’ve ask to take a spontaneous video far more often than burst pic , and I conceive most users would prize this alteration .
The “ dial ” interface for swimmingly zooming in and out is a much comfortable way to get precisely the right blastoff than pinch - to - zoom , too .
Even in less advanced 3D graphics scenes, the A13 surges forward with impressive gains.
The camera interface is conversant , yet improved in several meaningful ways . Why has n’t this come to all iPhones ?
Now , feature film like alter the aspect ratio , choose filters , and setting a timer are accessed in a features taproom that appear when you swipe up on the tv camera modes and disappears when you swipe down . It ’s a dependable place for this stuff , and leaves passel of room for future expansion without cluttering the interface .
It would be really nice to shift video resolving and frame rate in the photographic camera interface alternatively of the preferences app , but Apple still has n’t gotten the memo on that .
The battery life of last year’s iPhone XS was very good. This year’s iPhone 11 Pro isgreat.
When you ’re shooting with the telephotograph or wide slant lens , the black bars on the side of the main viewfinder show what would be captured by the next widest lens system . It ’s a skillful way of life to quickly assess whether you should take a wide dead reckoning .
Frustratingly , all of these improvement , save the wide - angle preview , could easy be brought to anterior generation iPhones . They should have been part of iOS 13 , not undivided to the iPhone 11 .
The fastest phone money can buy
Apple ’s A - series processors are second to none . The A12 Bionic in last year ’s iPhone XR and XS was the overall fastest nomadic CPU on any smartphone , and had nearly the fastest GPU . This year , Apple suppose it has made significant improvements in the A13 .
According to Apple , the Modern A13 Bionic uses TSMC ’s new 2nd - propagation 7 nm process , which improve vigor efficiency and allows for higher clock speeds . The consequence are telling . harmonise to Apple , moderately much every part of the A13 is 20 percent faster than before : the central processing unit ( high power and high-pitched efficiency inwardness ) , the GPU , and the Neural Engine . In addition , there are fresh machine learning accelerators in the CPU — disjoined from the Neural Engine — that perform matrix times surgical procedure six times quicker .
Power efficiency is better , too . Apple sound out the Neural engine uses 15 percent less force , the big CPU cores employ 30 pct less superpower , the piddling high - efficiency CPU marrow use 40 percent less power , and so does the GPU . There ’s a catch , though . Apple tell these index improvements are , “ for those software and tasks that do n’t need more carrying into action than the A12 . ” In other words , the GPU use 40 percent less great power when running at the same speed as the GPU in the A12 — when it clocks up to run 20 pct faster , that power savings is reduced or lose .
You finally get a decent charger in the box. Better late than never.
No matter how you slice up it , this is a crazy - fast and very effective mobile processor . Benchmarks are n’t the be - all and goal - all of execution measurement , but they ’re a ripe means to start the same accurate tasks in the same precise room on dissimilar hardware . So let ’s take a look at a few .
Apple continues to deliver sensational CPU performance , even in the arduous fresh Geekbench 5 tryout .
In the newGeekbench 5test , the individual - Congress of Racial Equality public presentation of the A13 is about 20 pct higher than the A12 , which was 20 percent faster than the A11 . Where multi - core performance take a 16 percent jump from the A11 to the A12 , this year it hire a 30 percent advance in the A13 . Compute functioning keeps rise by 40 percent year - on - twelvemonth .
Apple says the display is brighter for HDR content, but I had a real hard time seeing a difference. The iPhone XS Max is on top, iPhone 11 Pro Max on the bottom.
No other phone is even close to these numbers .
artwork performance has ameliorate dramatically this year . Some tests run 50 % faster !
3D graphics performance takes a big bounce in the iPhone 11 ( sodding for those Apple Arcade games ) . In the 3DMark Sling Shot tests , the A12 did n’t improve functioning over the A11 — we theorized that it might be hitting a memory board bandwidth bottleneck . Whatever the reason , the A13 is nowmuchfaster in this straining trial — we’re talking 50 to 60 percentage !
There’s a small difference in brightness in very bright daylight, but without a side-by-side comparison you wouldn’t notice. iPhone 11 Pro Max on the left, iPhone XS Max on the right.
Even in less advanced 3D graphics scene , the A13 surges onward with impressive gains .
In the previous Ice Storm straight-out test , which is a better representation of simpler 3D games , the A12 was 17 percent quicker than the A11 , and the A13 is almost 30 percent quicker than the A12 .
Apple said the A13 has the “ riotous GPU ever in a smartphone ” ( although it also said the A12 “ still leads the coterie , ” which just is n’t true ) . While the A13 is not quite the fastest in the Sling Shot Extreme test , itisfaster than any other mobile processor in Sling Shot Extreme Unlimited , and it ’s dramatically faster in the Ice Storm Unlimited test . It ’s hard to equate performance between such different platforms as Io and Android , but as far as we can tell , Apple is right : the fastest GPU in a sound is the A13 Bionic .
I’m not sure why the buttons and mute switch on the iPhone 11 Pro (right) are lower than the iPhone XS (left), but they are and it makes them easier to reach.
One hard area for smartphones is free burning performance — the processors are very fast during short bursts of body process , but when they hightail it flat - out for a long time they get live and start to slow down down . Apple says improved thermal excogitation on the iPhone 11 Pro and improvement in the A13 design give these phones much well sustained operation than previous iPhones . It ’s a tough affair to measure , but my anecdotal impression is that it ’s true . you may play high - goal games for an minute , and while the headphone definitely warm up , it does n’t get as live as prior iPhones did , and performance maintains its passing gamy horizontal surface throughout .
Every yr , Apple sets the Browning automatic rifle for mobile scheme - on - poker chip innovation , and it ’s safe to say they ’ve done it again with the A13 Bionic .
Tremendous battery life
The iPhone 11 Pro is slightly thicker and heavy than the iPhone XS ( you wo n’t really notice ) , and all that space seems taken up by a bigger battery . There ’s also a more efficient OLED show and good electric battery - saving feature in the A13 processor .
Apple says that together , it all adds up to an extra four hours of battery life in the iPhone 11 professional , compared to the iPhone XS . The iPhone 11 Pro Max is supposed to gofivehours longer than the iPhone XS Max .
We ca n’t really replicate whatever real - globe use scenario Apple concocts to total up with those figures , but the iPhone 11 Pro is a certifiable battery giant .
That midnight green color is great, and the awkward camera array doesn’t seem so weird after a few days.
In our battery benchmark , where we launch the Geekbench 4 bombardment test with the screen at a constant brightness of 200 nits , the iPhone 11 Pro hold up 37 per centum longer than the iPhone XS — about an hour and a half more . The iPhone 11 Pro Max discover almost the same advance , which works out to a near two - hour longer break away time .
The stamp battery life of last yr ’s iPhone XS was very good . This class ’s iPhone 11 Pro isgreat .
With the iPhone 11 Pro Max I have routinely conk foreight hoursof screen - on sentence , without doing anything to the least piece conservative . In fact , much of that time has been pass playing games , which are notorious for break away down your barrage fire . That ’s just phenomenal . You might be able to make your iPhone 11 Pro battery run out before the end of the day , but you ’d have to essay pretty hard .
While we ’re on the subject of electric battery , we should note that the iPhone 11 Pro comes with an 18 - watt USB - carbon battery charger in the boxful , and a Lightning - to - USB - C cable . This is , frankly , several class delinquent . The even iPhone 11 still comes with the 5 - W USB - A major power transcriber , which is a joke . There ’s no reason the richest society in the world should be so sleazy with a $ 700 earphone .
You finally get a comely battery charger in the box . well deep than never .
Charging speed is quite good . Using the included 18 - watt adaptor , I turn on a idle iPhone 11 Pro Max up to 32 percentage in just 20 minutes , and about 50 percent in half an hour . One minute of charging bring me to 83 per centum , but the bearing rate start out to get pretty slow after that ( as it does with nearly all rechargeable barrage ) .
A better display that sort of isn’t
One of the central improvements in the iPhone 11 Pro , one of its “ pro ” features , is supposed to be its display . An OLED exhibit with the same solution as last class ’s iPhone XS , it is now both brighter and more energy efficient ( at equivalent luminosity ) .
Apple says that the display operate up to 800 nits during normal wake , and 1,200 nit when regard HDR capacity . candidly , you wo n’t really be able to see it . Side - by - side with the iPhone XS Max , my iPhone 11 Pro Max does n’t really search any different when consider an HDR case likeBlade Runner 2049 . Both look gorgeous , but you have to really pixel - peek , holding both phones side - by - side , to see a departure .
Apple say the presentation is brighter for HDR subject matter , but I had a real hard time ascertain a difference . The iPhone XS Max is on top , iPhone 11 Pro Max on the bottom .
In bright daytime it was a minuscule easier to see that the iPhone 11 Pro ’s display make brighter when doing normal tasks , but the difference is n’t so stark that you ’ll suddenly be able to practice your phone at the beach without shading it . If you were n’t holding it next to last yr ’s iPhone , you would n’t even note the deviation .
There ’s a modest difference in brightness in very bright daylight , but without a side - by - side comparison you would n’t notice . iPhone 11 Pro Max on the odd , iPhone XS Max on the right .
Apple has taken to commercialize the iPhone 11 Pro ’s display as “ Super Retina XDR , ” run so far as to claim it surrender the “ experience ” of its forthcomingPro Display XDR . There ’s no such thing as “ extreme dynamical range ” or XDR , it ’s a made - up Apple marketing set phrase , and the iPhone 11 Pro ’s peregrine display does n’t come near to matching the 10 - bit coloring material or brightness of Apple ’s Modern pro studio reminder .
None of which is to say that the iPhone 11 Pro does n’t have an amazing wandering video display . It does ! It ’s justbarelybetter than the terrific OLED showing on last year ’s iPhone XS .
Built to last (probably)
Most smartphones are tenuous , which is why about 99 pct of them are stuffed into a case . The iPhone 11 Pro has a Modern frosted glass back made out of a single piece of glass , even the camera excrescence . Apple says this is the problematic glass in a smartphone , and the iPhone 11 Pro is the rugged iPhone ever .
I ’m not sure why the buttons and mute replacement on the iPhone 11 Pro ( right field ) are abject than the iPhone XS ( will ) , but they are and it make them easygoing to reach .
We ’re not about to smash a bunch of iPhones to put that to the trial , but a lot of YouTubers who specialize in that sort of thing have . They nemine contradicente praise the durability of the iPhone 11 Pro ; it ’s not indestructible by any means and you could definitely still shatter it with a in particular nasty drop or itch it up in your bagful , but it it look to be a lot more hard to cause serious harm than on any iPhone before . It ’s also more waterproofed than ever before : up to 30 instant at a astuteness of 4 meters , which is better than most compete phones , too .
That midnight dark-green color is large , and the uneasy camera regalia does n’t seem so weird after a few days .
If you ’re going to spend over $ 1,000 on a phone , it should be build up to last . It should also depend good , and while the iPhone 11 Pro does n’t look a good deal different than the iPhone XS from last yr , there are a few minor changes worth note . The big square television camera faculty on the back is n’t as much of an eyesore in person as it at first appears , and within a couple day you check notice it . The frosted chicken feed gives the phone a matte finish that is preferable to the glossy , fingerprint - attractor finish of the iPhone XS . And the new 4th coloring material , Midnight Green , is a fantastic addition .
What exactly makes this ‘Pro’?
There ’s no question that the iPhone 11 Pro is the good iPhone Apple ’s ever made . One expects that the similarly - price models continue to get better from one class to the next . But what exactly makes this a “ pro ” phone ?
Apple says the Pro features are Pro Design , Pro Performance , Pro Camera , and Pro Battery . That ’s a spot of a stint . The even non - Pro iPhone 11 ’s performance is virtually identical . Its camera ( front and back ) are every fleck as good , it even has the ever - useful radical wide camera , it just lack the telephoto camera . Its battery life is n’t quite as long as the iPhone 11 Pro , but still excellent—“lasts an hour longer ” is n’t the difference between pro and non - pro , if you need me .
The dispute is the design and the showing , which is so marginally improve over last year ’s model that you have to accommodate them side by side to comment the tiny differences in brightness , and even then you might be stumped . Apple also puts an 18 - James Watt USB - C power adapter in the boxwood with the 11 Pro , but it does n’t get any credit for doing something it should have done years ago , and should do on the stand iPhone 11 , too .
Apple is unifying its branding in a fashion that makes sense to me . MacBook and MacBook Pro . iMac and iMac Pro . iPad and iPad Pro . Now iPhone and iPhone Pro . ( Drop the “ Max ” name , Apple . Just call it the iPhone Pro and say it ’s available in two size , as you do with the iPad . We get it . ) It ’s not that the name is bad , it ’s that the product does n’t yet fit it . There ’s not enough to secern the immensely more expensive “ Pro ” models from the received model .
You get a telephotograph lens system , an OLED display instead of LCD ( it ’s a really nice LCD , though … many the great unwashed wo n’t deal ) , and construction with stainless steel rather than aluminum around the edges along with a couple other cosmetic changes . That ’s it . That ’s what you pay $ 300 to $ 400 more for .
Why not interchange the Lightning port on the Pro iPhone with a USB - vitamin C port , as with the iPad Pro ? Why not include a 120Hz ProMotion display , another iPad Pro feature we ’d bonk to see on iPhone ? Why not back up Apple Pencil , even if you ’re not going to make a singular phone - sized one ? Why not 5 G bread and butter ? While 5 G isn’treallya thing just yet , it ’s heavy to see at a $ 1,000 phone entry at the closing of 2019 without any 5 gramme support at all and say “ yeah , that make sentiency , that ’s a good long - terminal figure investment . ”
The iPhone 11 Pro is the good iPhone , but it ’s about 50 percentage more expensive than the regular iPhone 11 and just notthat muchbetter . It ’s heavy to justify that price gap to most buyers .
Should you upgrade?
There ’s a better iPhone every yr , of that you could be certain . That does n’t mean one should raise every year , of course . As is commonly the case , those with an iPhone XR or XS should probably hang on to it for another twelvemonth , while those with honest-to-god earphone will see a more dramatic advance when they upgrade .
you may get almost all the important improvements of this twelvemonth ’s iPhones in the iPhone 11 for hundreds less than the iPhone 11 Pro . With the most of import camera feature of speech no longer exclusive to the high - end model , and 3D Touch give-up the ghost from all models , and an evenlargerprice gap than ever before , we ’re put in an awkward position . The iPhone 11 Pro is undoubtedly the best iPhone , and one of the skilful smartphones a person can corrupt , period . How can you not have sex the riotous , longest - lasting , most - durable , best - photographic camera iPhone ever ? Thus , it gets a very in high spirits rating .
At the same metre , it does n’t really break any new land . It does everything the iPhone XS does better , and it adds features Android phone have flaunted for awhile ( Night mode and ultrawide tv camera ) , but it ’s barely the revolution the iPhone X was , and still does n’t have any 5 G capabilities . It ’s difficult to urge over the basic , non - Pro iPhone 11 , which is very nearly as skilful and cost a third less . If Apple is going to bear on the Pro branding and drastic price gap , it require to do more to justify them both .
