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iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max - First impressions thread
- Thread starter Boardiesboi
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I pray that I never become so frail and weak that the miniscule weight increase that the 11 Pro Max brings is a Herculean task to carry.
I’ve had my 11 Pro Max for about 36 hours now, after returning my originally purchased 11, and I have some thoughts.
- First off, what a beautiful design. I purchased the space grey variant. Even though I’ll be using a Saddle Brown leather case, I can’t help but adore the matte finish.
- The camera bump is not nearly as bad as the early leaks made it look. Actually, I think it looks pretty cool. I can’t say I care for it much on the silver and gold versions though.
- The cameras, man, these cameras. Apple absolutely nailed it. Night Mode is fantastic, the telephoto lens is MUCH improved and shooting with the ultrawide is so much fun.
- Can’t speak much to battery yet since it’s so early on, but it appears it will be anywhere from great to phenomenal.
- This thing isn’t really heavy, but hefty, if that makes sense. It’s big all around, but nicely balanced.
- The speakers are much improved and loud. I can’t say I’m hearing “Dolby Atmos” surround with it, but they’re great nonetheless.
- The only disappointment is the experience is still mostly the same. And iOS 13 is still quite buggy. Next years devices should be quite the change. A much needed one I’d say.
- Again, these cameras.
Came from XS Max. Both 64 GB.
Screen is awesome. Next to my XSM,the screen on Pro Max is whiter (less blue) and looks clearer.
Sound seems a little better.
Battery life is definitely better. I get about two to three more hours, on average.
I love the matte feel. It feels premium and solid. The triple camera setup definitely catches the eye and looks better in person.
I get better reception with this phone than XSM (Verizon).
Face ID seems a bit better/faster.
It seems a bit faster.
Not a pro photographer, but the photos do look better.
All in all, I love this phone.
Screen is awesome. Next to my XSM,the screen on Pro Max is whiter (less blue) and looks clearer.
Sound seems a little better.
Battery life is definitely better. I get about two to three more hours, on average.
I love the matte feel. It feels premium and solid. The triple camera setup definitely catches the eye and looks better in person.
I get better reception with this phone than XSM (Verizon).
Face ID seems a bit better/faster.
It seems a bit faster.
Not a pro photographer, but the photos do look better.
All in all, I love this phone.
It’s not about being hard to carry, it’s about hand and wrist pain from the excessive weight and the way you hold a phone.
I’ve had my 11 Pro Max for about 36 hours now, after returning my originally purchased 11, and I have some thoughts.
- First off, what a beautiful design. I purchased the space grey variant. Even though I’ll be using a Saddle Brown leather case, I can’t help but adore the matte finish.
- The camera bump is not nearly as bad as the early leaks made it look. Actually, I think it looks pretty cool. I can’t say I care for it much on the silver and gold versions though.
- The cameras, man, these cameras. Apple absolutely nailed it. Night Mode is fantastic, the telephoto lens is MUCH improved and shooting with the ultrawide is so much fun.
- Can’t speak much to battery yet since it’s so early on, but it appears it will be anywhere from great to phenomenal.
- This thing isn’t really heavy, but hefty, if that makes sense. It’s big all around, but nicely balanced.
- The speakers are much improved and loud. I can’t say I’m hearing “Dolby Atmos” surround with it, but they’re great nonetheless.
- The only disappointment is the experience is still mostly the same. And iOS 13 is still quite buggy. Next years devices should be quite the change. A much needed one I’d say.
- Again, these cameras.
You nailed this. I'm coming from XS Max. I don't notice weight difference with Pro Max. People forget that cases adds even more weight. The case I had on XS Max was thicker heavier than what I have on Pro Max. I got the midnight green. Love it. The camera bump isn't bad at all. When people see it in person ''oh doesn't look that bad" Battery is freaking awesome. Cameras? Wow these cameras.
Question for both of you and anyone coming from a XS Max to a Pro Max, how are the speakers on the Pro compared to the XS? My XS Max is very tinny at times especially during calls (speakerphone) and of course Apple claims there's no problem. Just wondering if you've noticed any difference. Thanks!
I also came from an XS Max.
- The screen is a little brighter, most noticable outdoors in bright sun. Not a huge difference though.
- The phone gets less hot, less often - which means I am seeing a LOT less "screen dim, slow down cause I'm too hot" action happening. Or when it does, it recovers quicker. No one talks much about the improved thermals in this device, but it's real
- Battery life is a good improvement, but coming from an XS Max with the smart battery case it isn't. Taken alone though, absolutely. Turn on dark mode, and not play games and I can probably get 14-15 hours solid out of it. Typical heavy use day I am getting about 12 hours (total, with about 7-8 hours on screen). With the XS Max it was closer to 8 total.
- The wide angle camera is a lot better in moderate to low light, but the telephoto is a LOT better. It's kind of amazing how good it is, though I think overall Apple is applying too much sharpening compared to last year
- 4K 30/60 Video is a lot smoother (much more stable) and seems to have better dynamic range (especially in 4k/60), but the slow motion still looks horrible. I compare the video to a Sony A7III (with a deep DOF) as a reference point btw.
- The selfie cam is a significant and real nice improvement. Having 12 Megapixels and a wide-ish angle is really wonderful. And the video looks good too.
- The audio is wider
- The mics pick up better, cleaner overall
- The processor really does seem to be faster with intensive processing - yet doesn't get as hot
- The ultrawide is nice and fun - in bright light. In moderate to low light: it's a muddy mess. Luckily the main wide angle is great so that compensates.
- Others have reported to me their reception is improved, but I have not seen any of that. Feels the same.
Will try to add some perspective from other models.
Spent last year with an XR that I chose over the XS due to battery life. Prior to that, all Plus size iPhones.
The XR is a great phone. I liked the size and LCD screen for consistent colors when editing photos. I did not like the smaller default text in Safari.. and I set my Display Text settings to the second smallest level (this does not affect text size in Safari). For the $ the XR/11 may be the best phones you can buy.
Gave the 11P a try for a few days. AWESOME phone with CRAZY battery life but I needed a bit more space... looking at and editing pictures. Kudos to Apple for allowing full-screen view in Photo app Editing with the Edit controls overlaying the image.
Picked up the 11PM yesterday in SB over the MG I had with the 11P. The Apple leather case might be more slippery than the actual phone. Maybe some ‘oil’ will add some grip. Grabbed the silicone case today. The device.. is appropriately named. You know what you are getting into. It’s a big honkin’ phone. I am not a small guy and it is slightly bigger than I would want but I am not going back. I love the screen and if the battery life beats the 11P (I know it should) that will be nuts. After updating to 13.1 last night and first full charge cycle it’s almost 1:00 and I am at 90% remaining (off charger at about 6:30). I did have to update via my Mac as the phone could not get the OTA update to show up. I was worried for a minute..
The screen is amazing. I never really bought into the blacker blacks but there is a difference. The SleepWatch app is a good example of this. All the colors on that black screen. Gorgeous contrast. Text is a bit more crisp and I like that it is slightly larger than that of the XR/11 in Safari. I LOVE the slightly warm screen.
No sharp edges, no yellow screen, no particles in the lens.. if we want to get crazy.. it’s not quite as slick as the 11P was but same as my IPP 11. Feels super smooth.
Honestly, you cannot go wrong with any model this year. Kudos to Apple.
Spent last year with an XR that I chose over the XS due to battery life. Prior to that, all Plus size iPhones.
The XR is a great phone. I liked the size and LCD screen for consistent colors when editing photos. I did not like the smaller default text in Safari.. and I set my Display Text settings to the second smallest level (this does not affect text size in Safari). For the $ the XR/11 may be the best phones you can buy.
Gave the 11P a try for a few days. AWESOME phone with CRAZY battery life but I needed a bit more space... looking at and editing pictures. Kudos to Apple for allowing full-screen view in Photo app Editing with the Edit controls overlaying the image.
Picked up the 11PM yesterday in SB over the MG I had with the 11P. The Apple leather case might be more slippery than the actual phone. Maybe some ‘oil’ will add some grip. Grabbed the silicone case today. The device.. is appropriately named. You know what you are getting into. It’s a big honkin’ phone. I am not a small guy and it is slightly bigger than I would want but I am not going back. I love the screen and if the battery life beats the 11P (I know it should) that will be nuts. After updating to 13.1 last night and first full charge cycle it’s almost 1:00 and I am at 90% remaining (off charger at about 6:30). I did have to update via my Mac as the phone could not get the OTA update to show up. I was worried for a minute..
The screen is amazing. I never really bought into the blacker blacks but there is a difference. The SleepWatch app is a good example of this. All the colors on that black screen. Gorgeous contrast. Text is a bit more crisp and I like that it is slightly larger than that of the XR/11 in Safari. I LOVE the slightly warm screen.
No sharp edges, no yellow screen, no particles in the lens.. if we want to get crazy.. it’s not quite as slick as the 11P was but same as my IPP 11. Feels super smooth.
Honestly, you cannot go wrong with any model this year. Kudos to Apple.
This doesn’t help but I loved both of them.. but note that I have ALWAYS been a space black guy. Both look great. I prefer the gray camera showing through navy blue or tan cases.
The speakers are better. What I do notice is sound is more balanced. When you cover a speaker it is not muffled, but almost muted. I like that.
I haven’t been able to try Atmos etc.
We’re talking about something that weighs just under 8oz. That is excessive weight? If that’s too much then what do you use? Even the smaller version is only about 1oz less.
1oz (closer to 1.5) on an 8oz device for someone with carpal tunnel issues is a big, big deal.
Hey thanks, as much as I love my Max, the speakers not so much, way too tinny at times. I've had Apple look at it and they say it's fine.
I eventually made the decision of passing my 3 years old 7Plus (amazing phone with a 1 year old battery) to my son and upgrade to an 11 PRO Max 256GB Silver.
Went to Apple store last Saturday without any reservation and I was able to find exactly my model.
Here are my first impressions:
Look and feel
- the phone looks great with no defects
- the screen shows homogeneous luminosity and is not yellowish at all (apart from night mode)
- the silver color is amazing: classy and elegant, perfect for both men and women
Setup
- A few issues experienced after having selected language and region as iOS several time brought me back to the initial page.
- restore from iCloud has been quite smooth
- not able to pair my AW4 at the first attempt, I had to de-associate it and re-associate again
- restore from 3 years of activities took a life and I eventually lost my current monthly progress on the activity challenge (good Lord I was really close to reach 27.900 active calories)
All the above has obviously nothing to do with the phone as it may be related to bugs still impacting iOS 13.1.1.
General use
- battery duration is incredible: two solid days in normal use conditions
- with a folio cover is a little bit bulky and heavy but I have no issues with that since I have big hands
- done a couple of shots only so I cannot really say much about the camera but being an iPhoneographer I have huge expectations on that
Final comment
So far I’m really delighted of what I got and I really appreciated the big jump from the 7Plus.
I really hope that the next version of iOS13 will make the user experience more consistent and I cannot wait to see the new fusion feature in the photography compartment.
Great great phone so far, super happy!
Went to Apple store last Saturday without any reservation and I was able to find exactly my model.
Here are my first impressions:
Look and feel
- the phone looks great with no defects
- the screen shows homogeneous luminosity and is not yellowish at all (apart from night mode)
- the silver color is amazing: classy and elegant, perfect for both men and women
Setup
- A few issues experienced after having selected language and region as iOS several time brought me back to the initial page.
- restore from iCloud has been quite smooth
- not able to pair my AW4 at the first attempt, I had to de-associate it and re-associate again
- restore from 3 years of activities took a life and I eventually lost my current monthly progress on the activity challenge (good Lord I was really close to reach 27.900 active calories)
All the above has obviously nothing to do with the phone as it may be related to bugs still impacting iOS 13.1.1.
General use
- battery duration is incredible: two solid days in normal use conditions
- with a folio cover is a little bit bulky and heavy but I have no issues with that since I have big hands
- done a couple of shots only so I cannot really say much about the camera but being an iPhoneographer I have huge expectations on that
Final comment
So far I’m really delighted of what I got and I really appreciated the big jump from the 7Plus.
I really hope that the next version of iOS13 will make the user experience more consistent and I cannot wait to see the new fusion feature in the photography compartment.
Great great phone so far, super happy!
I really can not judge and Face ID improvements at this point. It may ultimately be faster, but Face ID seems to set up from scratch (at least mine did) even if directly transferring from an existing phone (XS in my case). After 'learning' for a year, Face ID on my XS was pretty flawless. It even learned my various pairs of sunglasses. Now I am having to enter my passcode in those situations until the profile rebuilds. Any incremental performance enhancements are greatly out-weighed by this for now.
As far as angle improvements, we shall see, but as of now I still have to pick the phone up when it is on my desk.
Also, I'm still adjusting to the loss of 3D touch.
Face ID information is stored locally, never backed up, hence you having to set it up again. You always have the option to setup an alternate appearance with your face for greater accuracy. You can also set it up again and ensure you are in a well lit room, etc. It has been working fine since my transition from XS Max.
Glad you’re happy with your new phone but, absolute bollocks: the only fail was your decision to buy it in the first place without doing a bit of research.
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