Originally Posted: September 18th, 2019

Is the iPhone 11 Pro Worth It?

The obvious answer is no, but the real answer is more complicated.

The iPhone 11 Pro is Apple’s latest top of the line iPhone. It replaces the iPhone XS and XS Max at the same price points. If spending $999 and up on a smartphone seems insane to you, turn back now. Look into the iPhone 11, XR or 8 which start at $699, $599 and $449 respectively. Used or refurbished X and XS models can also be a good option, if you know where to look. For those of you who want the best, who don’t mind setting some money on fire for something nice - the iPhone 11 Pro is a great phone. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s a short list of reviews that have been published:

If you want read a good overview, John Gruber at Daring Fireball does it best. For examples of the new camera in action, Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch has great examples of Night Mode and other new camera features. For even more camera coverage check out Nilay Patel at The Verge. If reading long articles isn’t your bag, Joanna Stern at WSJ continues to have some of the best tech review videos around. If you want a long in-depth video discussing all things iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, Rene Ritchie’s YouTube channel is where you should look.

I agree with nearly everything these reviewers say, especially Joanna Stern’s bottom line recommendation of the iPhone 11 (non-pro) or the iPhone XR. I currently own an iPhone XR and it really is a fantastic phone. It misses out on the battery life and camera improvements of the 11 and 11 Pro models, but retains nearly all the other features of home-button-less iPhone design Apple has been pushing since the X was released in 2017. I personally would never want to go back to having a home button. Once you get used to FaceID and the gesture navigation, the home button seems like an anachronism. It really is that good.

iPhone X Version 3

The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are best thought of as the 3rd version of the iPhone X. Just like how Apple went from iPhone 6 to 6S to 7, the X, XS and 11 can be seen as a series. The iPhone 6 introduced a new industrial design. The 6S focused on performance improvements. The iPhone 7 focused on new finishes and the camera, especially with the introduction of the dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus. The same story played out with the iPhone X line. The original X in 2017 was a new design (and price) in the lineup. The XS focused on performance and refinement. Clunky naming aside, the iPhone 11 is following the same strategy as the iPhone 7. Camera improvements, new finishes and other nice-to-haves, but nothing as earth shattering as a new design like the iPhone 6 or X were.

This focus on refinement might lead some people to see theses phones as boring or iterative - they’re not wrong. But modern smartphone design is mostly a solved problem. Most phones are going to look like a rectangular slab for the foreseeable future. Sure, foldable phones, AR glasses and other innovations may be on the horizon, but I would argue they are not here yet. Foldables come with big compromises, even if their potential is exciting. AR glasses may be just around the corner, but they aren’t here yet. The iPhone 11 Pro is.

So it may be just another new version of last year’s phone, but is it worth it? As always, the answer depends. If you want the best phone money can buy, if you need the best battery life an iPhone can give, if improved camera features are worth a few hundred dollars for you - I have no problems saying the iPhone 11 Pro is worth it. If you are coming from an iPhone that has a home button - iPhone 5, 5S, SE, 6, 6S, 7 or 8 - I would highly recommend you look to the 11 first. If that phone doesn’t seem like enough, then check out the iPhone 11 Pro. You are most likely better off saving those few hundred dollars and putting them towards something else.

It’s worth taking a second to mention exactly what the iPhone 11 misses out on compared to it’s Pro siblings. The list is not long. Improved display, battery life, zoom lens, included quick charging, color options and better waterproofing. Seriously, they are not that different. It still saddens me Apple hasn’t made a smaller iPhone X style phone, but its worth noting for those of you with small hands - the iPhone 11 Pro is the smallest they offer. The iPhone 8 or SE may be better picks for you if you value smallness over any other feature.

iPhone 11 Lineup

Getting back to the 11 lineup — The OLED display on the Pro is brighter, higher resolution, has more contrast and blacker blacks. The iPhone 11 improves on the previous battery record holder (iPhone XR) but the Pro models feature yet more battery. All three of the new phones are all day endurance champs, especially if you are comparing to a years old model with a tired battery.

The biggest difference between the 11 and 11 Pro is the camera. All iPhone 11’s have a wide and a ultra wide lens, allowing you to capture a wider field of view than before. The Pro adds a third telephoto lens to allow you to zoom in without reducing quality. It’s worth noting that a lot of the camera features — Night Mode, Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, Smart HDR, optical image stabilization, Deep Fusion and the better front facing camera — apply to both phones.

It Comes Down to the Camera

If reading that paragraph made you think “So what”, just buy the regular iPhone 11. It is a much better value than the Pro, and it’s why I would recommend everyone take a good hard look at the 11 first. However, if you really, truly want the absolute best, the Pro (and it’s Pro price tag) is for you.

If you are an iPhone X or XS owner who is considering an upgrade, I’d recommend holding on to your current phone and waiting for the 2020 models. There are plenty of rumors on what they will end up being, but it’s a safe bet they will feature bigger changes to than this year’s phones. The 11 is all about refinement - making the X design as good as they possibly can. Next year I expect a new industrial design, a revision to the infamous “notch” in the display, FaceID hardware improvements and plenty of other minor changes alongside.

For now, the iPhone 11 Pro is as good as it gets, and it’s ultimately up to you to decide if that is worth the cost of entry.