iPhone XR vs. iPhone 11 Buyer's Guide

[Dented]

Those screens have higher resolution. The 8/8+ series is actually probably the most underrated iPhone model. They ended up selling very well over the two or three years, are built great, run fast, have great screens and cameras. Wireless charging, etc.

You're lumping in the regular 8 there, but that has the same resolution (PPI) as the XR and 11, it's only the plus models (equivalent to the Max variants of the past two years) that are higher resolution.

I don't think people underrate the 8 at all, I think most people recognise it for what it is, a solid but unexciting iphone that played second fiddle to the X from the day it was released.
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Funny how they always test the battery life for video streaming an listening to music. Might give good results. Try using it for web browsing, business apps and mail and you end up with figure half or one-third of what they advertise. Crossing my fingers 11 Pro would last through one normal work day without charging. If not, back it goes.

Presumably they produce their figures using the same tests they ran on the XR, in which case you've nothing to worry about at all.

 

[aggressiveberries]

I'm not sure what to do at this point. The Pro is too pricey. For me it's a toss up between the XS and the 11. Waiting to what carrier deals come out for our corporate plan...

I have an XS, and I'm honestly considering going to the 11 to reduce my monthly payments. Seems like the only things I'll lose are the OLED screen and the 3D touch, which aren't dealbreakers to me personally.

 

[NickName99]

Those pinkish-purpelish artifacts on both sides of rug(?) as a result of low DR and drastic NR look horrible. Wondering how this compares with Night Mode in 11 / Pro.

I don’t see what you’re referring to. The hardwood floor is illuminated by light coming in from beneath the door. It could be that something looks weird since it’s not obvious what it is you’re looking at?

I was searching for dark corners since it wasn’t dark out yet.

 

[bookcase]

I originally had the iPhone X and loved it, but went with the XR last year. The only shortcoming was lack of portrait mode for non-humans. Otherwise, I couldn't tell a difference in everyday use. With the upgraded camera, I'll definitely be upgrading this year, and the price drop was an unexpected surprise!

 

[Arndroid]

But I’m talking about xr vs 11 here,

I’m sorry but How many times must I explain the same thing ... it’s really not difficult guys

It appears * same * specs * same * screen and * same * everything else (barring a second camera module) - with only one hour more of battery life

All other things being constant, there’s a supposed 40 percent more power efficient processor in this updated iPhone compared to last years

So How does that HUGE figure equate to merely one hour and not a lot more? Did they shrink the battery size 30% too from xr? That’s the only way I can wrap my head around the little practical gains

Analogous to- I f you had two identical cars, except for one had a 40 percent more gas efficient engine dropped in, assuming same
Driving patterns, why would that more efficient one not get close to 40 percent improvement in practical gas use, rather than let’s say just a few mpg?

Because the processor is not the only thing draining the battery or even the biggest. So that 30% is on 30% of overall battery use which would be like ~10% more overall life.
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So - let me get this straight, they reduced the water resistance from the XR to 11?

Opposite.

 

[PastaPrimav]

The real question is whether or not iPhone 11 is an upgrade for iPhone X.

 

[CarlJ]

Why did the iPhone 11 Pros get more battery life if it's A13 chip is more power efficient when the regular iPhone 11 is more or less the same as the iPhone XR?

The Pros have OLED screens vs. the 11's LCD screen. Apple changed the OLED screen on the Watch to get crazily better power use - allowing always-on with about the same sized battery and about the same projected run time. It wouldn't be surprising to find that some of that same tech is in use on the 11 Pro iPhones. And this wouldn't apply to the base 11.

Front page article also suggests the 11 Pros have noticeably larger batteries than last year.

 

[Unity451]

I see no reason to upgrade from my XR with these new phones.

As time passes, the changes and upgrades will become less compelling. The camera upgrades do nothing for me, all I take are snapshots of stupid stuff like a trip to the zoo, or a day at the beach.

As Apple has obviously noticed with the price drops, people are seeing less and less reason to upgrade their phones. When the balance comes between price, features, and the cost of a new battery, that will be the tipping point.

Phones are becoming (if they weren't all ready) toasters. If it toasts, it toasts. You don't buy a new one until the current toaster no longer toasts, or someone comes out with a toaster that makes the perfect bagel in 6 seconds, with cream cheese on it and wrapped to take to work.

Apple is smart to get into the services business. Eventually, the phones will be "loss leaders" used to lure people into the services, as opposed to profit makers themselves...

Well said. I also like the toast analogy... If it toasts, it toasts. lol

 

[Refasin]

I’m pretty sure support for Atmos requires a tweak in the hardware, given that it is spatial audio. The Xr supports wider stereo speakers while the 11/Pros support spatial.

If you could provide evidence to support, of course.

i found this :v

 

[FuzzMunky]

Will we finally be able to authorize more than 1 face in faceid?

It’s very useful at times for my wife and I to both have an accepted finger on touchID.

My wife and I have been using FaceID for ages on her XS. You can add an alternative appearance, and that would just be the other person. Works no issues whatsoever.
[doublepost=1568303996][/doublepost]I don't understand all these people wondering if the latest phone is a worthy upgrade from only the previous model. No. They never will be. You have to be such a wasteful, spoilt brat to need a new phone every year. The real question is whether or not these are decent upgrades for people who have a 3+ year old phone. Yes is the answer to that.

 

[JLD94]

It’s exclusive to newer iPhones only

Thanks

 

[toke lahti]

Battery Life

Apple says the iPhone 11 has up to one hour longer battery life than the iPhone XR overall. Based on Apple's internal testing, the iPhone 11 is rated for up to 17 hours of offline video playback, up to 10 hours of streaming video over Wi-Fi, and up to 65 hours of audio playback per charge.

What amount of hours is "overall"?
It is nice that you repeat what Apple has daid / written, but it would be nicer, if you'd ask Apple about these mysteries.

Is it one hour more to some kinf of average of those 17, 10 & 65 hours?
Meaning 1 hour more to 31 hours? Whopping 3% increase!

Cameras

The rear camera system is easily the iPhone 11's biggest upgrade over the iPhone XR. The wide-angle f/1.8 lens is now accompanied by an ultra-wide-angle f/2.4 lens for a 120° field of view. The ultra-wide-angle lens allows users to "zoom out" to "0.5x" and capture four times more scene, according to Apple.

The wide-angle lens also has an updated sensor that enables Night Mode for markedly improved low-light photos that are brighter and have less noise. This feature is similar to Night Sight on Google's latest Pixel smartphones.

The iPhone 11's third-generation Neural Engine enables next-generation Smart HDR for more natural-looking photos. And coming later this fall, it will enable a new Deep Fusion system that uses advanced machine learning for pixel-by-pixel processing of photos, including texture, details, and noise.

Is there any evidence, that these new features; Night Mode, Fusion, etc. won't come to XR after iOS13 update?

I'm about to buy either XR or iP11.
If iP11 would have tele lens, I wouldn't even consider XR. Ultra-wide is more like meh.
Is the "wide angle" 60°?

Storage and Pricing

The iPhone 11 is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage capacities for $699, $749, and $849 respectively in the United States. That's $50 cheaper than the iPhone XR, which at launch was also available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage capacities for $749, $799, and $899 respectively.

Apple continues to sell the iPhone XR, which now starts at $599, but the 256GB model has been discontinued.

Once again, it would be easier to compare the prices, if you'd be too lazy to put the here.
XR vs. 11 64GB is what?
XR vs. 11 128GB is what?

 

[JLD94]

*edit* just like with Google Night Sight, this isn’t for moving subjects, you have to hold still a few seconds using this app!

Here’s a good Night Mode solution for $2.99, I bought it for my iPhone X and it works really well:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neuralcam-night-mode-camera/id1474856599

Quick test I did last night, standard Camera app vs NeuralCam:
View attachment 857465

So do you have to take the picture through that app? Can't just open your camera and it be there? Just making sure I understand

 

[w5jck]

As usual, same ol' same ol'.... Just an incremental update as far as I'm concerned. I could care less about the new camera tricks or having two cameras. If I want to take photos that look professional I'll use one of my prosumer ILC cameras. For social media garbage and other photos that I don't care much about I'll use the iPhone XR camera. Certainly not worth the upgrade from a XR. But then I never expect the new phones to be that much better than the ones from the previous year. But that is a good thing since I only update every 3 to 4 years due to the high prices of smartphones.

 

[thadoggfather]

As usual, same ol' same ol'.... Just an incremental update as far as I'm concerned. I could care less about the new camera tricks or having two cameras. If I want to take photos that look professional I'll use one of my prosumer ILC cameras. For social media garbage and other photos that I don't care much about I'll use the iPhone XR camera. Certainly not worth the upgrade from a XR. But then I never expect the new phones to be that much better than the ones from the previous year. But that is a good thing since I only update every 3 to 4 years due to the high prices of smartphones.

The XR really does feel like a solid buy now for people who went for it, now that its their main phone they're pitching with 11, it’s successor. Its aging extremely well.

I don't want to make anyone feel like they'd regret their purchase, but at the same time, the XS is feeling like the one where people are feeling some burn / getting hosed especially for the price. Wasn't that different than X battery life wise with a half hour boost advertised, and X wasn't even slow to begin with processor wise. Even an XS Max I might not feel the burn as much as XS, because even with +5 hours of battery boost on Pro Max from it, my understanding is the XS Max didn't have horrible battery life, even if it was not XR level incredible. And it was a Plus sized X style phone that some people held out for from the start that were Plus diehards.

thats just my two cents

 

[bacaramac]

Can we get same comparison of 11Pro Max vs Xs Max

 

[Dented]

The XR really does feel like a solid buy now for people who went for it, now that its their main phone they're pitching. Its aging extremely well.

I don't want to make anyone feel like they'd regret their purchase, but at the same time, the XS is feeling like the one where people are feeling some burn / getting hosed especially for the price. Wasn't that different than X battery life wise with a half hour boost advertised, and X wasn't even slow to begin with processor wise. Even an XS Max I might not feel the burn as much as XS, because even with +5 hours of battery boost on Pro Max from it, my understanding is the XS Max didn't have horrible battery life, even if it was not XR level incredible. And it was a Plus sized X style phone that some people held out for from the start that were Plus diehards.

thats just my two cents

Agreed, if I owned an XS I'd be feeling pretty bad about the 4-5 hours extra battery life in the Pro. In that sense the XS/Pro line is just playing catchup to the XR, and while the Pro now exceeds even the 11 on battery the fact is the XR is still a solid all-day performer in that regard where the XS was not.

 

[crsh1976]

No doubt it's a better XR, but not by much (unless of course you really care about better cameras).

It's a decent phone, but two things bug me about it: the price, and the weight.

Apple ought to make an effort on pricing if it's not going to repeat the SE "exception", and the weight - well even on the 11 Pro and Pro Max, the weight is out of control. I get that it's far more durable than an all-plastic device, but the weight is problematic - I've had metal and glass Android phone for close to two years now, the Moto X4, and it's overweight with its 162g - the 11 is 194g, what gives?

 

[thadoggfather]

Agreed, if I owned an XS I'd be feeling pretty bad about the 4-5 hours extra battery life in the Pro. In that sense the XS/Pro line is just playing catchup to the XR, and while the Pro now exceeds even the 11 on battery the fact is the XR is still a solid all-day performer in that regard where the XS was not.

That’s what I’ll be curious about is how much if at all Pro / pro max edges out over xr/11

It makes zero sense to me why they wouldn’t talk up pro / pro max being markedly superior to 11 in battery, and not just focus on 4/5 hour gain from the weak predecessors if they wanted to REALLY upsell it ..

Always skeptical of marketing. But in any case sounds like we’re getting great battery across the board this generation which im happy about

 

[jonnysods]

I have an XS, and I'm honestly considering going to the 11 to reduce my monthly payments. Seems like the only things I'll lose are the OLED screen and the 3D touch, which aren't dealbreakers to me personally.

I think Steve Jobs says the eye can't do much more than 326ppi, that was on the iPhone 4, and the 11/XR. I don't know if I could pick up and iPhone 4 screen right now and see any pixels, so maybe we won't notice.

I'm going from an X, the only reason I'm getting a new phone is because the wife asked for my X because she likes the camera. So I don't know how to play it - get an XS for cheap, or get an 11 for an 'ok' price when compared to the Pro.

First world problems my friend!

 

[ChrisMoBro]

What I don't understand is the trade off on the screen. Why is it so difficult for Apple to offer 1080p at $699 ?

It’s crazy right. Technically, due to the aspect ratio, it’s not possible to use 1920 x 1080 but they could increase the DPI to make it clearer

 

[Drogba11]

The real question is whether or not iPhone 11 is an upgrade for iPhone X.

This is the question I am asking too, but I just can't see myself switching from OLED back to LCD. I have only owned my X less than a year and I love it. If the 11 was an OLED screen I think it would be an instant upgrade

 

[skitidetdu]

Curious how much apple will offer for the Xr as a trade-in for the 11.

 

[thadoggfather]

Curious how much apple will offer for the Xr as a trade-in for the 11.

I believe up to $370 I think you’re way better off with a private sale this go round unless you’re just really lazy which fair enough

X is up to $400 haha They wanna gut that OLED panel for service parts for X/XS

States on their site right now

 

[bluespark]

I need a Product(RED) iPhone Pro. It would be beautiful.

I suspect there will be one mid-cycle.