If you ask people what they want from a new smartphone, they'll probably say they want to have a fast, long-lasting battery, nice and durable, and a really nice camera.


Coincidentally, that's exactly what you get with the iPhone 11 Pro. You also get the iPhone 11, which is $300-400 cheaper than the iPhone Pro. While the Pro is definitely an upgraded model, it's not enough to justify its 'pro' nickname or a very 'pro' price. 

Still, the iPhone 11 Pro is a terrific iPhone, and it's a noticeable (and not-so-noticeable) improvement over last year's iPhone XS. Since it's already good enough on its own, I don't think Apple could have done more to justify the huge price gap for the iPhone 11 and the accompanying 'Pro' name.

Note: We tested both the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, but in this review we refer to the iPhone 11 Pro as a single model. The only difference between the two phones is that the Max is larger and has a slightly longer battery life. The iPhone 11 Pro is best viewed as a single product that comes in two sizes. 
 

iPhone 11 Pro review: the camera says it all

With every new iPhone, the camera gets better. The camera is what people pay attention to and care about more than anything else. Especially this year. There are other improvements to the iPhone 11 Pro over its predecessor, but the camera catches people's attention.

Apple's high-end iPhones have had a wide camera and two telephoto cameras on the back for years now. The iPhone 11 Pro adds a third ultra-wide camera. In a word, it's fun.

Landscape photographers enjoy the use of ultra-wide cameras, and can take panoramic photos with longer heights, and even ordinary users will use ultra-wide cameras very often. You can shoot more people without stepping back, and you can capture large statues without having to stand too far for people to pass in front of you. The distorted perspective effect of ultra-wide lenses can make a subject appear larger, creating a realistic sense of scale. If a telephoto lens makes things more intimate, a really wide wide-angle lens expands them.

However, the iPhone 11, a 'non-pro' model, is equipped with the same camera. It's the telephoto camera that sets the pro and non-pro models apart, but it's not that big of a difference. I've found that zooming out is much more useful than zooming in. A telephoto camera with a wider f/2.0 aperture capable of even more light than the f/2.4 telephoto camera found on the iPhone X and XS is now better. You'll get better shots in poor light and you'll get a nicer, more natural bokeh effect. 

Because of the presence of this telephoto lens, the iPhone XS did support a portrait mode unlike the iPhone XR. As for the iPhone 11, both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro have ultra-wide lenses. Being able to take portraits with the standard wide lens (which isn't possible on the iPhone X or XS) is nice, but that's not the difference between the iPhone 11 and the Pro models.
 

A better sensor combined with the much more powerful A13 Bionic processor produces far better photos than the iPhone XS, which already has one of the best cameras in a smartphone. The detail and dynamic range have been improved, and I really like the color accuracy. Even the best Android phones sometimes have too much color splashes or post-processing filters to refine their subjects, but the iPhone Pro produces the most realistic colors I've ever seen.  

The selfie camera has 12 megapixels instead of the current 7 megapixels, and the field of view is 15 degrees wider (85 degrees instead of the 70 degree field of the previous iPhone). The two make a significant difference. You can take sharper, sharper shots in more conditions, and group selfies are easier than ever before. I appreciate the fact that it's not wide enough to be unnaturally distorted. It's not on the same level as the ultra-wide camera on the back. 
 


This wider front-facing camera also gives Face ID a wider field of view. On the iPhone 11 Pro, Face ID is lightning fast, while the magnification is barely noticeable. If it's flat on your desk, you'll still have to bend it awkwardly to recognize it. 

Holding the smartphone vertically will automatically zoom out to the old 70-degree field of view. Just tap to make it wider again, and rotate to landscape mode to automatically switch to a wider angle (tap to narrow it too). The front-facing camera is currently capable of 4K 60fps video and slo-motion video (which is what Apple insists on calling 'slofies', probably won't use it again after trying 15-minute frames).