iPhone 11 Pro SE -> 11 Pro - some first thoughts on pros and cons

[RestlessCaviar]

I really loved my SE - but the touch screen gave up the ghost. Official replacement not worth the cost (given cost of buying a whole second hand one). I got it fixed at a local store for £35 - but then it was subtly not quite right. Think I’ll keep it as a cheap backup.

I therefore decided to get the newest and smallest model - the 11 Pro.

Some thoughts:

Pros:

obviously much faster
Way better battery
FaceId
Cameras are excellent. I especially like wide angle.
Bigger screen - mostly because as time goes on I find web and app developers are clearly not testing on smaller phones. Sometimes on the SE layout was awkward, or worse, I simply couldn’t see or use a crucial UI element.
Fast WiFi making most of my broadband.

Cons:
Weight. I didn’t notice in shop, but honestly I find it really quite uncomfortably heavy after 10 minutes.
Slow screen response: Scrolling black text on white background, I really notice ghosting trailing the text. Makes it look almost blurry while moving. Shockingly slow for an OLED screen.
Delicate feeling: I feel like I’ve got this slippery glass jewel in my pocket. The SE’s flat sides much easier to grip
Size: I miss one-handed use.
Keyboard/Home bar: I feel there’s lots of wasted space under keyboard. I also find the bar doesn’t disappear soon enough, or sometimes at all.

 

[AustinIllini]

These are really good feedback, particularly for a customer going from something very small to something now considered "small".

iPhones are heavy. The battery is bigger in this model so I would expect it to be very heavy. My wife had the same complaint with the iPhone XR. All I can say is you'll probably get used to it.

It's definitely on the borderline of what is considered single hand or not. I can one handed use the iPhone 11 Pro, but the Max is too big for one hand. If my hand were all that much smaller, I couldn't one hand the iPhone 11 Pro either.

You're also hitting a number of the pitfalls of the iPhone X form factor. The "safe zone", which is defined in Xcode as that space below the keyboard and the area including the entirety of the notch, is something you get used to and some developers are creative in how they use that space. The nice thing is that safe space can be used by the device for videos, games, etc.

The Keyboard/Home bar behavior is way better than it used to be but for some apps it does seem like it doesn't go away fast enough.

 

[tps3443]

I really loved my SE - but the touch screen gave up the ghost. Official replacement not worth the cost (given cost of buying a whole second hand one). I got it fixed at a local store for £35 - but then it was subtly not quite right. Think I’ll keep it as a cheap backup.

I therefore decided to get the newest and smallest model - the 11 Pro.

Some thoughts:

Pros:

obviously much faster
Way better battery
FaceId
Cameras are excellent. I especially like wide angle.
Bigger screen - mostly because as time goes on I find web and app developers are clearly not testing on smaller phones. Sometimes on the SE layout was awkward, or worse, I simply couldn’t see or use a crucial UI element.
Fast WiFi making most of my broadband.

Cons:
Weight. I didn’t notice in shop, but honestly I find it really quite uncomfortably heavy after 10 minutes.
Slow screen response: Scrolling black text on white background, I really notice ghosting trailing the text. Makes it look almost blurry while moving. Shockingly slow for an OLED screen.
Delicate feeling: I feel like I’ve got this slippery glass jewel in my pocket. The SE’s flat sides much easier to grip
Size: I miss one-handed use.
Keyboard/Home bar: I feel there’s lots of wasted space under keyboard. I also find the bar doesn’t disappear soon enough, or sometimes at all.

Great first impression

The iPhone 11 Pro is much more durable than the iPhone SE.

I think the iPhone SE was the most fragile iPhone in history. I’ve owned several and have used one for 3+ years every single day.

I have shattered screens from only a 6 inch drop on to concrete with a iPhone SE.

Even though the Pro Max feels like a jewel and feels pretty heavy, it is actually tough as nails! when I get home I remove my super thin minimalistic clear rubber case and use my phone with no protection at home. I have dropped it numerous times on my hardwood floor, and not even a scuff is on the body or glass.

the glass, and mostly the stainless steel are extremely tough and crazy resilient to scuffing or scratching.

I have owned my Pro Max in midnight green since launch day. And it has been a great experience, and a fun learning curve! The phone is reliable, crazy fast, with extreme battery life.

I do think I could have lived with just an iPhone 8 just fine! But, I gave that one to my son.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I'm with you all the way on the home bar. It's completely unnecessary (who's going to forget how to get home after the initial learning experience?) and there's been instances where I'm sitting tapping my foot waiting for the damn thing to go away so I can take a screenshot. Dumb.

As far as the weight goes, it really is a non-issue. The difference between the SE and your new 11 Pro is 75 grams which is 2.64 ounces or .16 pounds. Of course it's going to seem excessive right off the bat because you're so used to how light the SE was but even if you were to hold out for the new SE coming next year the chances of it weighing anywhere near what the original did are slim. They're likely going to add wireless charging which calls for a glass back and that adds weight. It's also rumored to be very near or identical in form to the iPhone 8 so a bigger body as well.

I can't fault you on the one-handed use part. If they do end up releasing the rumored 5.4 inch model I'll be all over it. I'm 5'10 and have average sized hands and I still have issues reaching the top of the Pro screen without shimmying my grip. As far as the black crush/smearing goes, I don't even notice it anymore unless I'm looking for it. Small trade-off for a much better screen IMO.

Delicate feeling? Definitely. Back in my 5/5S days I was all about going without a case but after I shattered my 6s I discovered the leather case from Apple and have hardly looked back. Today's phones are functionally better with a case due to the camera hump on the back. I know many will disagree with that and that's fine but I've gone from buying several cases and always ending up on the leather to just buying one leather case and riding it for the year.

If these issues are still bugging you when your return period is coming to a close, I'd recommend swapping the Pro out for an 8. You can get it for less than half the cost of the Pro and you'll be able to use it for years to come.