Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is 11 Pro worth the extra $300 vs 11?

  • Yes, the 11 Pro is worth the extra $300

    Votes: 166 57.8%
  • No, get the "regular" 11 and save some money

    Votes: 121 42.2%

  • Total voters
    287
Difference in ppi? Depends on your viewing distance and side by side its possible but it wont be ja huge one. Its less than 50 sppi difference because of the pentile matrix. I day to day use the display is crisp and sharp. More obvious are the blacks in a black Environment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: uecker87
If you can’t see the difference between OLED and lcd side by side might be time to see about glasses.
Contact lenses give me 20/20 vision, but thanks for your concern.
The problem I have is I don't know what difference I am looking for; generally web browsing and app usage doesn't throw up any major differences. Perhaps gaming would but I don't game so I can't use this to compare the two.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ste_J
When I’ve compared OLED I’ve found in daylight it’s slightly more yellow than LCD although it’s difficult to get a perfect panel but the difference is seen in the dark when viewing black backgrounds. You may notice it when viewing videos as with LCD is more a dark grey where the backlight illuminated the darker areas. Some people see this as a major positive of OLED but personally I couldn’t care less. It’s all subjective and how much emphasis the individual places on these differences. There is no right answer for buying choices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mac2019
Funny the Android fans have been raving about OLED for years and bagging the apple fans for not having it, now apple has it the apple fans are at each other over OLED v lcd lol.
Won’t be long there won’t be lcd so won’t matter.

OLED is much nice using dark mode. Better outside too.
 
Person A- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro as they like the smaller size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person B- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro Max as they like the larger size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person C- Buys an iPhone 11 as the size is larger than the Pro, the colour options are preferred, LCD is fine for their use case, the dual camera is good for their needs, and price is about the threshold they are willing to pay for a phone.

Question: which person is correct?

Answer: All of them are because not everybody has the same criteria when buying a phone. Some people have to have the very best features, some don’t see the benefits and don’t wish to pay the premium for them. In a nutshell.
 
Person A- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro as they like the smaller size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person B- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro Max as they like the larger size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person C- Buys an iPhone 11 as the size is larger than the Pro, the colour options are preferred, LCD is fine for their use case, the dual camera is good for their needs, and price is about the threshold they are willing to pay for a phone.

Question: which person is correct?

Answer: All of them are because not everybody has the same criteria when buying a phone. Some people have to have the very best features, some don’t see the benefits and don’t wish to pay the premium for them. In a nutshell.

PERFECT ANALYSIS!
 
  • Like
Reactions: The-Real-Deal82
Person A- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro as they like the smaller size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person B- Buys an iPhone 11 Pro Max as they like the larger size, the OLED screen, the fact it has a premium feel in the hand with the stainless band and the third camera lens for telephoto pictures. Price isn’t a concern as they want to best iPhone available and the features are a welcome addition.

Person C- Buys an iPhone 11 as the size is larger than the Pro, the colour options are preferred, LCD is fine for their use case, the dual camera is good for their needs, and price is about the threshold they are willing to pay for a phone.

Question: which person is correct?

Answer: All of them are because not everybody has the same criteria when buying a phone. Some people have to have the very best features, some don’t see the benefits and don’t wish to pay the premium for them. In a nutshell.

I fall into person B albeit the price is a sting. The 3rd lens, bigger screen, longer battery life are all appealing
I’m out walking at least 3 times a day in all light conditions with the dog and always neglect to take my camera but always taking pictures with my XR.
whilst the Max won’t get a great zoom it will help me to get that elusive shot of the local foxes and deer that the XR can’t quite reach

Not fussed about the stainless band but battery, screen size and camera are definitely a major factor
 
Worth it is subjective. But if you got the money and you want an oled display and a telephoto lens then go for it by all means.
 
X has the better camera than what? The 11? LOL. The 11 has the same Wide and Ultra Wide cameras as the Pro's. Can the X do Night Mode? How about better video stabilization? Can the X do 4K60 with the front camera?
I think he’s winding people up. All the posts seem to be disagreeing with anybody who is positive about the 11 but never explains in any detail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: uecker87
After this the extra $300 is easily justified for camera alone. Just released DXOMARK review, 11 didn't even make the top 10. Budget at best.

Achieving an overall DXOMARK Camera score of 109, the iPhone 11 is a very capable device for both stills and video. Falling outside the top ten in our database, its image quality isn’t quite as strong as the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s, which ranks 4th with 117 points, but the new dual-camera iPhone 11 offers a slight improvement over last year’s iPhone XS Max at 106.

Without a dedicated 3rd tele-lens camera, however, it isn’t nearly as good for zoom shots; and Portrait mode shots are less successful due to the wider focal length they have to be captured with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wide opeN
After this the extra $300 is easily justified for camera alone. Just released DXOMARK review, 11 didn't even make the top 10. Budget at best.

Achieving an overall DXOMARK Camera score of 109, the iPhone 11 is a very capable device for both stills and video. Falling outside the top ten in our database, its image quality isn’t quite as strong as the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s, which ranks 4th with 117 points, but the new dual-camera iPhone 11 offers a slight improvement over last year’s iPhone XS Max at 106.

Without a dedicated 3rd tele-lens camera, however, it isn’t nearly as good for zoom shots; and Portrait mode shots are less successful due to the wider focal length they have to be captured with.
So you think the cost difference is worth it for you and you are absolutely right. You’ve bought it, even though you got a massive discount and didn’t pay anywhere near full price, but still, you think it’s worth the price increase over the 11 for your personal subjective needs and preferences. You are absolutely right in that instance and nobody can say you are not.

My question to you is why you can’t accept it when others state they don’t think it’s worth it ‘for them’ and are happy with the aluminium frame, LCD screen, lack of telephoto camera lens etc? Why can’t their justification be just as valid as yours? You mock everybody who has this point of view on this thread and dismiss their views like yours is the only right opinion. So why can’t you accept everybody has different values on these phones and what they want from them?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ladybug
So you think the cost difference is worth it for you and you are absolutely right. You’ve bought it, even though you got a massive discount and didn’t pay anywhere near full price, but still, you think it’s worth the price increase over the 11 for your personal subjective needs and preferences. You are absolutely right in that instance and nobody can say you are not.

My question to you is why you can’t accept it when others state they don’t think it’s worth it ‘for them’ and are happy with the aluminium frame, LCD screen, lack of telephoto camera lens etc? Why can’t their justification be just as valid as yours? You mock everybody who has this point of view on this thread and dismiss their views like yours is the only right opinion. So why can’t you accept everybody has different values on these phones and what they want from them?

Not sure why you think i didn't pay full price, i am paying full retail here $1999 spread over 2 years, the XR i had i got for over $500 off retail privately.. Actually sold it for $900 before pro came out.
For the record from your posts if the XS max was $1 and 11 was 70c you would still buy the 11 as its cheaper.
But No worries will agree to disagree or smoke peace pipe or whatever lol.
 
Not sure why you think i didn't pay full price, i am paying full retail here $1999 spread over 2 years, the XR i had i got for over $500 off retail privately.. Actually sold it for $900 before pro came out.
For the record from your posts if the XS max was $1 and 11 was 70c you would still buy the 11 as its cheaper.
But No worries will agree to disagree or smoke peace pipe or whatever lol.
I assumed you didn’t pay full price because you said on a couple of occasions you got a ‘big tax discount so don’t notice the cost anyway’. I took this to you not paying the same amount others would be paying?

I’ve never compared the XS Max to the 11 and claimed to want the 11, where have you got that from? I’m happy to buy a previous years device as you well know. I haven’t ruled out buying the 11 Pro this year when the 12 is released. If the 11 Pro was £50 more expensive now than the 11 I’d probably buy the Pro, but it’s not, it’s £300 difference and I personally think the 11 is nearly as good as the Pro and is an excellent phone in its own right. I’ve been very consistent on that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ste_J
Person C- Buys an iPhone 11 as the size is larger than the Pro, the colour options are preferred
Not sure why you think i didn't pay full price, i am paying full retail here $1999 spread over 2 years, the XR i had i got for over $500 off retail privately.. Actually sold it for $900 before pro came out.
For the record from your posts if the XS max was $1 and 11 was 70c you would still buy the 11 as its cheaper.
But No worries will agree to disagree or smoke peace pipe or whatever lol.
Ridiculous statement. May be the same difference on a % basis but decisions like this are surely considered in absolute terms.
 
I assumed you didn’t pay full price because you said on a couple of occasions you got a ‘big tax discount so don’t notice the cost anyway’. I took this to you not paying the same amount others would be paying?

I’ve never compared the XS Max to the 11 and claimed to want the 11, where have you got that from? I’m happy to buy a previous years device as you well know. I haven’t ruled out buying the 11 Pro this year when the 12 is released. If the 11 Pro was £50 more expensive now than the 11 I’d probably buy the Pro, but it’s not, it’s £300 difference and I personally think the 11 is nearly as good as the Pro and is an excellent phone in its own right. I’ve been very consistent on that.

Not sure how anyone gets a huge tax discount, I would of said I can claim back our gst which is only 10% and phone is tax deductible.
I meant 11 pro v 11 which you have 100 times.
 
After this the extra $300 is easily justified for camera alone. Just released DXOMARK review, 11 didn't even make the top 10. Budget at best.

Achieving an overall DXOMARK Camera score of 109, the iPhone 11 is a very capable device for both stills and video. Falling outside the top ten in our database, its image quality isn’t quite as strong as the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s, which ranks 4th with 117 points, but the new dual-camera iPhone 11 offers a slight improvement over last year’s iPhone XS Max at 106.

Without a dedicated 3rd tele-lens camera, however, it isn’t nearly as good for zoom shots; and Portrait mode shots are less successful due to the wider focal length they have to be captured with.

Thank you for pointing us to this article. Now tell me how the 11 is a downgrade from the X where it scores a whopping 97. It's even lower than the XR.

I can also cherry pick from the same article you sourced. Copy and pasting is fun! The main reason the Pro's scored higher is because of the third lens which is to be expected. Looking at the score alone doesn't give you the whole picture (pun intended).

The iPhone 11’s ultra-wide-angle camera is as good as the more expensive Pro model’s, however, and the performance of the main camera in such key categories as Exposure, Color, Detail, and Autofocus is very comparable.


Detail preservation is very slightly improved on the iPhone 11 compared to the Pro, but the difference is marginal, so in essence we can say the real-world results are the same.

Apple has implemented an effective ultra wide-angle second camera on the flagship iPhone and the 13mm-equivalent focal length offers one of the widest fields of view that we’ve measured to date. Results among the iPhone 11 and the Pro models are essentially the same, with generally accurate exposures in most conditions, and pleasant color rendering and accurate white balance.

The iPhone 11 offers video quality very comparable to that of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, achieving almost identical scores in each of our tested video categories.


Conclusion

The high price tag of flagship iPhones means that people who are wedded to the Apple eco-system and looking for an upgrade might be attracted to the more pocket-friendly iPhone 11. If photography is an important factor in that choice, the good news is that by and large the less-expensive device lives up to the excellent all-round image quality of the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
 
Last edited:
I just picked up a red iPhone 11 the other day coming from a XS Max. Having had OLED screen phones in the past I definitely noticed the difference. Its not major and most people will be perfectly happy with it but its there. But what I realized is that since I use my phone for everything (work, calls, text, social media, Netflix, pictures etc) I want the best there is. I don’t want “ok” or “good enough”. I want the best screen, best battery, best camera. And yes I know I have to pay a premium for that and I’m willing to pay it. Will be exchanging the 11 for the Pro next week.
 
I just picked up a red iPhone 11 the other day coming from a XS Max. Having had OLED screen phones in the past I definitely noticed the difference. Its not major and most people will be perfectly happy with it but its there. But what I realized is that since I use my phone for everything (work, calls, text, social media, Netflix, pictures etc) I want the best there is. I don’t want “ok” or “good enough”. I want the best screen, best battery, best camera. And yes I know I have to pay a premium for that and I’m willing to pay it. Will be exchanging the 11 for the Pro next week.
I wonder what car you drive 😂
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Wide opeN
I just picked up a red iPhone 11 the other day coming from a XS Max. Having had OLED screen phones in the past I definitely noticed the difference. Its not major and most people will be perfectly happy with it but its there. But what I realized is that since I use my phone for everything (work, calls, text, social media, Netflix, pictures etc) I want the best there is. I don’t want “ok” or “good enough”. I want the best screen, best battery, best camera. And yes I know I have to pay a premium for that and I’m willing to pay it. Will be exchanging the 11 for the Pro next week.
Nothing wrong with your preferences there. There is no right answer to this thread as our purchases are subjective. Some will see the worth of the Pro, some won’t. You see the worth and are willing to pay the extra, that’s great.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rui no onna
I just picked up a red iPhone 11 the other day coming from a XS Max. Having had OLED screen phones in the past I definitely noticed the difference. Its not major and most people will be perfectly happy with it but its there. But what I realized is that since I use my phone for everything (work, calls, text, social media, Netflix, pictures etc) I want the best there is. I don’t want “ok” or “good enough”. I want the best screen, best battery, best camera. And yes I know I have to pay a premium for that and I’m willing to pay it. Will be exchanging the 11 for the Pro next week.

Agreed. People won't admit it but they are buying the 11 as it's cheap with a big screen. $1200AUD here for a 11 64gb with a IP8 quality screen is not good enough and over priced imo.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: coney718
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.