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iPhone 11 Smart to buy an iPhone 11 (vs the 12)?

wayne905

wayne905

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 9, 2012
174
120
Maple, Ontario, Canada
I just purchased an iPhone 11 yesterday from Apple, but I'm now wondering if I should have gone for the 12. I'm coming from a 6S+ phone (so I keep my phones for several years). I only bought the phone because on my 6S+ the camera was having issues. I just didn't think the jump in price from $919 for the 11 vs $1199 for the 12 (Canadian pricing) would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts if buying the 11 was a wise choice with regards to longevity or if I should have went for the 12. Thanks!
 
You’re looking at similar support from Apple between the phones. So you’re good as far as being supported for the long haul.

I say it’s worth the savings, but that depends on the features you care about. Since you’ve been on a 6S+ all this time, I can’t imagine there being any feature you would need from the 12 that you won’t get with the 11.
 
Feature-wise, I might have gone for the 12 just for the higher-res screen, but in terms of longevity, both phones are going to last for a long time, as previously said.
 
Sorry I'm not much help here, but it all depends on what you're looking for in a phone. The 11 is a great phone and will be for years to come. Case in point, look at the longevity you had with your 6S+.

Some argue that the 12 is better simply because of the screen, but I've never been disappointed in Apple's use of LCD. It's got to be one of, if not the best in the business.

Now the wide-angle camera of the 12, and night mode do offer a different experience, maybe that's worth trying out.
 
Unless you’re planning to subscribe to 5G service, the iPhone 11 is a better value for nearly $300 less. There aren’t significant improvements to camera and the memory remains at 4GB.
 
Having owned both the 12 is worth the jump IMO. Better oled display, subjectively better design which is smaller and lighter, and better camera specs. Can notice quite a difference in with the 12 selfies camera with deep fusion/improved hdr 3 and night mode. Assuming you’re someone who holds onto their phone long term, the extra year of support and updates you’ll likely receive for the 12 is also a nice incentive.

However, I’d still say the 11 is great value overall, arguably the best value iPhone you can get. It’s a great upgrade from what you have, so if you want to save quite a bit of money then go for the 11. Considering you seem to hold on to a phone long term however I do think the 12 would be the slightly wiser option just for future proofing.
 
The iPhone 11 is still a quality buy. Example: with the military discount the 11 can be had in the 256GB config for $575 on Apple’s refurb page. That’s a great deal for what it is. Realistically both devices will last for the same amount of time. A13 vs A14, 4GB of RAM in both and dual cameras on both. The new add-ons will just make the 12 a bit nicer of an experience for that time: enhanced night mode, 5G, OLED and noticeably lighter feel.
 
I had the 12 pro and returned it. The 11 refurbished is a great deal and I don't feel like I need to get AppleCare for it (just a good case and will be careful), whereas the 12 pro I needed to protect my investment, jacking up my outlay even more. If price doesn't matter to you (or you aren't bothered by PWM on OLED screens) then the 12 and 12 pro are great phones. Reception is also better on the 12 from what I can tell (it finally uses a Qualcomm modem, and I'm only talking about LTE here). But I'm happy with my 11 and the screen is fine unless you are holding it up against the 12, which you'd only do at a store anyway.
 
I bought a used iphone11 A couple months ago before Apple offered them on the Refurbished page. It was much easier paying $490 for it rather than the new priced phones. Mine was perfect and the battery was 100%, the only thing missing was the warranty and packaging. In the twenty-two years I’ve had cellphones I have never needed warranty work.
 
iPhone 11 has more of a ‘Cool screen ‘
Meaning whitish blue as opposed to warm which is yellowish. So if you like A Cool screen iPhone 11 is a good choice as well as being an excellent iPhone iPhone
 
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Go with the 12, smaller form factor, lighter phone, while having the same size screen as the 11, the OLED display on the 12 destroys the 720p panel on the 11. A!4 bionic beast.
 
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wayne905 said:
I just purchased an iPhone 11 yesterday from Apple, but I'm now wondering if I should have gone for the 12. I'm coming from a 6S+ phone (so I keep my phones for several years). I only bought the phone because on my 6S+ the camera was having issues. I just didn't think the jump in price from $919 for the 11 vs $1199 for the 12 (Canadian pricing) would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts if buying the 11 was a wise choice with regards to longevity or if I should have went for the 12. Thanks!
Click to expand...
My old (non-Apple) phone died due to a water accident just a month before the release of the new Apple phones in 2018. I had been waiting to upgrade at the time of new releases, but upgraded earlier than expected and am still going strong on the iPhone X (2017 model). You should be fine and even got savings!
 
wayne905 said:
I just purchased an iPhone 11 yesterday from Apple, but I'm now wondering if I should have gone for the 12. I'm coming from a 6S+ phone (so I keep my phones for several years). I only bought the phone because on my 6S+ the camera was having issues. I just didn't think the jump in price from $919 for the 11 vs $1199 for the 12 (Canadian pricing) would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts if buying the 11 was a wise choice with regards to longevity or if I should have went for the 12. Thanks!
Click to expand...

You made the correct decision for your needs. I love my 11 and have no plans to upgrade (unless Under Screen Touch ID is a real thing.)

That's the only reason I'd consider. The 11 will handle iOS 15 easily. Plus, with Apple's dedication to reward compatibility you can sleep at night. Responsible fiscal expenditures are a rare occurrence during these times of 30m payment plans. ;)
 
wayne905 said:
I just purchased an iPhone 11 yesterday from Apple, but I'm now wondering if I should have gone for the 12. I'm coming from a 6S+ phone (so I keep my phones for several years). I only bought the phone because on my 6S+ the camera was having issues. I just didn't think the jump in price from $919 for the 11 vs $1199 for the 12 (Canadian pricing) would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts if buying the 11 was a wise choice with regards to longevity or if I should have went for the 12. Thanks!
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The 12 is slightly smaller in overall size ehich may matter to you. I went from an 11 to a 12 pro. Along with slimmer case and like the size better. And have stopped wishing that Apple had retained the 11 pro screen size.
 
We bought the iPhone 11 Pro Max about a month ago. Where we are, LTE is just fine. I might have gone with the 12 Pro Max, the salesman argued that it was a better deal, but……

One of my priorities in phones has always been getting the maximum size offered for the model sold. There is an extremely serious difference in price between the 11 Pro Max 512GB and the 12 Pro Max 512GB - at least on T-Mobile.

I'm happy with my choice.
 
wayne905 said:
I just purchased an iPhone 11 yesterday from Apple, but I'm now wondering if I should have gone for the 12. I'm coming from a 6S+ phone (so I keep my phones for several years). I only bought the phone because on my 6S+ the camera was having issues. I just didn't think the jump in price from $919 for the 11 vs $1199 for the 12 (Canadian pricing) would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts if buying the 11 was a wise choice with regards to longevity or if I should have went for the 12. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you like the 11 then why not? It’s a good and widely respected phone.
 
wayne905 said:
Thank you everyone for your comments. I read them all. I decided to return the 11 and get the 12 based on these comments. Plus, I want to make sure my new phone will last as long as possible....as you can see I keep my phone for a while. Thanks again for all your input.
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Smart man, screen on the 12 alone is worth the upgrade over the 11.

Screen Shot 2021-03-21 at 7.51.09 am.png
 
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wayne905 said:
Thank you everyone for your comments. I read them all. I decided to return the 11 and get the 12 based on these comments. Plus, I want to make sure my new phone will last as long as possible....as you can see I keep my phone for a while. Thanks again for all your input.
Click to expand...
Smart choice. I went from the 11>12 and its a bigger upgrade than it looks on a spec sheet. If you're going to hold onto a phone for years the price difference becomes negatable long term anyway.
 
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The 11 makes zero sense. Might as well get the XR if looking to save money as that’s pretty much the same as the 11. The 12 is a huge upgrade over the 11 meanwhile. The 11 is in no mans land
 
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I bought my 11 in November 2019 and have no regrets coming from a 7. It’s a little big, but is an awesome phone and I’ve been very happy with it.

That said, if I were going to buy one now I wouldn’t get an 11. I’d get a new 12 instead. There’s just enough nice extra features in the 12 to make it worth the extra cost (for me). I’d probably even go for the 12 mini. I got one for my wife for her birthday and it’s such a nice size.
 
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