Here's a roundup of early iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max reviews ahead of the smartphones' release on Friday, September 20th.
If you've pre-ordered, try this trick to track your shipment!
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The Verge:
The extra money for the Pro basically buys you a far superior display, a telephoto camera, and improved LTE performance. And if you want a smaller phone, the iPhone 11 Pro is a little smaller than the iPhone 11, which seems a tiny bit unfair to people who want smaller phones. (The entire lineup is huge, though, so if you were hoping for something to replace that aging iPhone SE, well, keep waiting.) I’m very picky about displays and cameras, so I’m going to get a Pro. In fact, the cameras on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are so improved that I think they’re worth the year-over-year upgrade from last year’s models for the first time in a long time. Add in the improved battery life, and the iPhone 11 Pro stands out as a major step forward from the XS, and one of the best flagship phones of the year.
Engadget:
Apart from a bigger screen and better battery life, the iPhone 11 Pro is functionally identical to the smaller model. That’s not a bad thing, though: It offers a trio of solid cameras and top-of-the-line performance (though you might not notice the difference much if you’re coming from a recent iPhone). iOS 13 packs plenty of handy new features too, though it doesn’t do anything new to take advantage of the Pro Max’s big, 6.5-inch screen. All told, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is well worth the upgrade if you need a big phone, but be sure to try out the fast, cheap iPhone 11 before you pull the trigger.
Wired:
WIRED - The nicest iPhone you can buy, with a stainless steel frame, OLED display, and a matte finish on the back. Ships with the new, blazing fast A13 Bionic chip. Triple-lens rear camera captures ultra-wide shots, impressive low-light photos, and better Portrait Mode photos. 4K video at 60 frames per second with extended dynamic range. Better sound from the phone’s speakers. The longest-lasting battery of any iPhone.
TIRED - Expensive. These Pro-model iPhones, particularly the larger Max, are thick and heavy. The phone still has a Lightning port, rather than the industry-standard USB-C.
BuzzFeed:
Apple claims that the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s battery can last an additional five hours over last year’s model, which is consistent with my experience dog-testing the newest iPhone. The device’s display is gorgeous and as bright as the contents of Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase. Finally, “spatial audio” — which uses some updated hardware to create a sort of 3D audio effect around your head — is kinda cool, even if I have no plans to watch Godzilla: King of the Monsters on a screen it was never intended for.
Tom's Guide:
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the closest Apple has come to the perfect smartphone. The cameras truly are a leap forward and put the company ahead of both Samsung and Google — at least for now. And the bright OLED display nearly puts the Galaxy Note 10 Plus' screen to shame. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also sports the fastest phone processor you can get in its A13 chip and the longest battery life we've seen from any iPhone.
Although some may want to wait for Apple to roll out a 5G iPhone next year, there are very few reasons to skip the iPhone 11 Pro Max. My only big complaint is the 64GB of included storage (it should be at least double), and this phone is a bit heavier than its predecessor. When you look at the phone landscape, there are plenty of great flagships, but right now the iPhone 11 Pro Max is at the top of the mountain.
CNET:
The best iPhone this year is the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's mostly because it has a full package of slightly better antennas, a better battery, a higher-quality OLED display, that added telephoto camera and an 18-watt charger in the box. (That charger should have been included with the iPhone 11 too.) But in most instances, except for that camera, I'm not sure I'd need it. I felt the same way last year when I compared the iPhone XR with the iPhone XS.
TechCrunch:
For people that want to address edge cases – the best video and photo options, a better dark mode experience, a brighter screen — the iPhone 11 Pro is there — for everyone else, there’s still fiscal 2020’s best selling iPhone.
Pocket-lint
The iPhone 11 Pro Max pushes everything up an notch, with the great display and new camera being the highlights, while the lack of 5G is a future consideration. But this is an expensive device and it's hard to ignore that you can get much the same from the iPhone 11. A great phone, but with a tempting cheaper alternative.
If you've pre-ordered, try this trick to track your shipment!
You can follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for more Apple news, videos, and tutorials.
The Verge:
The extra money for the Pro basically buys you a far superior display, a telephoto camera, and improved LTE performance. And if you want a smaller phone, the iPhone 11 Pro is a little smaller than the iPhone 11, which seems a tiny bit unfair to people who want smaller phones. (The entire lineup is huge, though, so if you were hoping for something to replace that aging iPhone SE, well, keep waiting.) I’m very picky about displays and cameras, so I’m going to get a Pro. In fact, the cameras on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are so improved that I think they’re worth the year-over-year upgrade from last year’s models for the first time in a long time. Add in the improved battery life, and the iPhone 11 Pro stands out as a major step forward from the XS, and one of the best flagship phones of the year.
Engadget:
Apart from a bigger screen and better battery life, the iPhone 11 Pro is functionally identical to the smaller model. That’s not a bad thing, though: It offers a trio of solid cameras and top-of-the-line performance (though you might not notice the difference much if you’re coming from a recent iPhone). iOS 13 packs plenty of handy new features too, though it doesn’t do anything new to take advantage of the Pro Max’s big, 6.5-inch screen. All told, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is well worth the upgrade if you need a big phone, but be sure to try out the fast, cheap iPhone 11 before you pull the trigger.
Wired:
WIRED - The nicest iPhone you can buy, with a stainless steel frame, OLED display, and a matte finish on the back. Ships with the new, blazing fast A13 Bionic chip. Triple-lens rear camera captures ultra-wide shots, impressive low-light photos, and better Portrait Mode photos. 4K video at 60 frames per second with extended dynamic range. Better sound from the phone’s speakers. The longest-lasting battery of any iPhone.
TIRED - Expensive. These Pro-model iPhones, particularly the larger Max, are thick and heavy. The phone still has a Lightning port, rather than the industry-standard USB-C.
BuzzFeed:
Apple claims that the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s battery can last an additional five hours over last year’s model, which is consistent with my experience dog-testing the newest iPhone. The device’s display is gorgeous and as bright as the contents of Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase. Finally, “spatial audio” — which uses some updated hardware to create a sort of 3D audio effect around your head — is kinda cool, even if I have no plans to watch Godzilla: King of the Monsters on a screen it was never intended for.
Tom's Guide:
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the closest Apple has come to the perfect smartphone. The cameras truly are a leap forward and put the company ahead of both Samsung and Google — at least for now. And the bright OLED display nearly puts the Galaxy Note 10 Plus' screen to shame. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also sports the fastest phone processor you can get in its A13 chip and the longest battery life we've seen from any iPhone.
Although some may want to wait for Apple to roll out a 5G iPhone next year, there are very few reasons to skip the iPhone 11 Pro Max. My only big complaint is the 64GB of included storage (it should be at least double), and this phone is a bit heavier than its predecessor. When you look at the phone landscape, there are plenty of great flagships, but right now the iPhone 11 Pro Max is at the top of the mountain.
CNET:
The best iPhone this year is the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's mostly because it has a full package of slightly better antennas, a better battery, a higher-quality OLED display, that added telephoto camera and an 18-watt charger in the box. (That charger should have been included with the iPhone 11 too.) But in most instances, except for that camera, I'm not sure I'd need it. I felt the same way last year when I compared the iPhone XR with the iPhone XS.
TechCrunch:
For people that want to address edge cases – the best video and photo options, a better dark mode experience, a brighter screen — the iPhone 11 Pro is there — for everyone else, there’s still fiscal 2020’s best selling iPhone.
Pocket-lint
The iPhone 11 Pro Max pushes everything up an notch, with the great display and new camera being the highlights, while the lack of 5G is a future consideration. But this is an expensive device and it's hard to ignore that you can get much the same from the iPhone 11. A great phone, but with a tempting cheaper alternative.