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iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro (Max): How the new smartphones from Apple differ

18.9.2019

Translation: machine translated

11, 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max: there are three new iPhones to choose from and the prices are far apart. The reason for this are some differences between Apple's new smartphones.

I can't tell you which is the best of the new iPhones. But I can tell you where their differences lie so that you can then make a decision as to which model is right for you.

iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max: different sized twins

The iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max are like twins that have grown to different sizes for some reason. While the display of the iPhone 11 Pro measures 5.8 inches diagonally, the iPhone 11 Pro Max measures 6.5 inches. The resolution ensures the same pixel density of 458 ppi for both models.

With the display, the entire iPhone 11 Pro Max becomes larger and has room for a larger battery, which ensures a slightly longer battery life. However, at one to two hours per usage type, the additional time is not as massive as the four to five hours Apple promised compared to the iPhone Xs and Xs Max. No wonder: a larger display has more pixels that need to be supplied with additional power.

That's it. Even the available memory sizes and colours are identical. Only the prices are not. The iPhone 11 Pro Max costs a little more.

Smartphones

Apple iPhone 11 Pro

64 GB, Midnight Green, 5.80", SIM + eSIM, 4G

Smartphones

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

64 GB, Space Grey, 6.50", SIM + eSIM, 4G

iPhone: The medium-sized, not quite so beautiful triplet

In addition to the identical twins above, the iPhone 11 is a fraternal twin. The software is identical and there are also many similarities in the hardware. The main differences are the display, the camera, the exterior and the price. This is around a third lower than the iPhone 11 Pro.

With its 6.1-inch display, the iPhone 11 sits right between its siblings. However, its display is only a "Liquid Retina HD" and not a "Super Retina XDR". Specifically, these designations mean that Apple has installed an LCD touchscreen in the iPhone 11 and not an OLED display as in the Pro models. Among other things, this results in a significantly lower contrast ratio, which in reality is not as massive as the difference of 2,000,000:1 to 1400:1 sounds. The iPhone 11 is also slightly less bright. The 625 nits instead of 800 nits could be particularly noticeable in sunlight. The resolution is also slightly lower, but still achieves a pixel density of 326 ppi and therefore delivers a razor-sharp image for the human eye.

Instead of the triple camera, the iPhone 11 has a dual camera. You don't need the telephoto lens. Side effect: The digital zoom is halved to 5x for photos and 3x for videos. The rest of the camera's technology, functions and software are identical on all 11 iPhones - and so is the image quality. This was already the case with the iPhone XR.

The body of the iPhone 11 is made of glass and aluminium and is waterproof to a depth of two metres - the 11 Pro is made of glass and stainless steel and has a diving depth of four metres. While the difference between aluminium and stainless steel is definitely noticeable, 99.99 per cent of the time it shouldn't matter whether your smartphone can dive to a depth of two or four metres.

The battery life of the iPhone 11 is slightly shorter. Apple promises ten hours of video streaming, for example. That's one hour less than the iPhone 11 Pro, but should still be longer than the iPhone XS. The smallest storage variant offers you 64 gigabytes - just like the iPhone 11 Pro. There is also a choice of 128 and 256 gigabytes, which is less than the Pro models, which are still available with 256 and 512 gigabytes.

Theoretically, you can charge both smartphones quickly thanks to fast charging technology. However, Apple only includes the necessary charger with the Pro version. For the iPhone 11, you would need the power supply with 18 watts and the USB-C-to-Lightning-cable separately.

The iPhone 11 gives you more and much more colourful colours to choose from. Instead of midnight green, silver, space grey and gold, you can choose between purple, yellow, green, black, white and red.

Smartphones

Apple iPhone 11

64 GB, (PRODUCT)RED, 6.10", SIM + eSIM, 4G

Summary: short and sweet

The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro differ primarily in terms of size. You pay significantly less for the iPhone 11, but you get a display that is not quite as good, aluminium instead of stainless steel and have to do without the camera's telephoto lens. In return, you get more colourful colours.

11 people like this article

Jan Johannsen

Senior Editor

Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.de

When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.

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