Android smartphone cameras have managed to outperform Apple in the past few years, leaving many Apple users jealous. Check out our top seven smartphone cameras of 2018. Apple iPhone has been lagging in the camera department losing to competitors like Google Pixel and Huawei P series smartphones. Apple is trying to change that with the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, which now have critical camera upgrades. Let’s check out if the upgraded cameras make the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro a worthwhile purchase.
The Camera
The camera is the new upgrade for both iPhone 11 (new XR) and iPhone 11 Pro (new XS). The iPhone 11 Pro has triple camera setup and a dual camera setup on iPhone 11. The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have exactly the same specification except for the screen size and battery capacity. New this years is the ultra wide camera lens on both devices. So the iPhone 11 also gets an upgrade over the iPhone XR with a new ultra wide camera lens. The cameras are actually exactly the same between 11 and 11 Pro models, the only difference is that 11 Pro has a third telephoto lens. The telephoto lens on the iPhone 11 Pro has a wider aperture for better low light performance compared to last years iPhone XS.
During daily use, we enjoyed the extra versatility of telephoto lens with 2x zoom on the iPhone 11 Pro models, which let’s you capture images that are close to the subject. The telephoto lens is the only difference between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, so if you don’t need 2x optical zoom while shooting then iPhone 11 camera will be just fine. As far as the main camera is concerned, there are several image processing updates that Apple has added including smart HDR for better photos in high contrast scenarios. In comparison to the competition, the iPhone camera still manages to produce images with more natural colors. The main feature is night mode, unlike other phone where it is a dedicated setting, iPhone 11 does it automatically (2-3 second long exposure) with an option to use max setting (10-20 second exposure) depending on the surroundings. The low light performance of the iPhone 11 is a significant improvement over the previous generations. With long exposure in low light, you do have to stay very still to ensure you don’t get a blurry shot. Compared to the night sight feature on the Google Pixel, the iPhone 11 manages to produce images that are more natural as the Google Pixel is a little aggressive with changing the white balance of the photo.
It is important to note that the ultra wide angle lens doesn’t support night mode so you won’t get the same low light performance if you decide to use the ultra-wide lens. Speaking of the ultra-wide angle camera, there is nothing new here as it allows you to capture more of the scene in a single shot. The ulta-wide angle camera is a fixed focus lens so if you get closer than 1 meter to the subject, the photo might not be in focus. The telephoto lens on the iPhone 11 Pro models is definitely better than iPhone XS, especially in low light as the new night mode produces photos with more details in low light situations.
The portrait mode is also better on iPhone 11 compared to last year, once again in low light. One thing to note is that you can now take portrait mode photos with the standard camera as well as the telephoto lens on the iPhone 11 Pro models. The quality of the portrait shots is definitely better than the competition with more realistic blur effect on the iPhone 11. There is a new portrait lighting feature called ‘High-Key Mono’ that allows for cool portrait shots but there are some issues with outlining the subject. The selfie camera also gets a bump with 12MP sensor (compared to 7MP previously). However, initially it gives you a 7MP frame which can be converted to 12MP with a tap of the button, allowing you to take a larger frame photo.
There is also a feature called ‘SLOWFIE’, which allows you to take slow motion selfie videos. Speaking of video capture, there are improvements on iPhone 11 models with 4k 60fps video and extended dynamic range. However, it is the cinematic stabilization that is impressive producing buttery smooth videos at 4k 60fps. In conclusion, it is fair to say that iPhone 11 cameras are finally comparable if not better than the competition. It will be interesting to see what Google has in store for the Pixel 4, which is expected to be unveiled in few weeks time.
The Design
With Apple iPhone 11, thanks to the giant camera bumps on the back, you no longer have to worry about other people not noticing your upgraded iPhone. Ever since the iPhone 11 Pro was announced, there have been many jokes made about the resemblance of the triple camera placement to other objects like fidget spinner, electric shaver, or three holes found on a coconut. You either love it or hate it, we don’t particularly like it. The ugly camera design aside, the Pro models come with stainless steel and the iPhone 11 gets aluminum back. All models are wrapped in glass. The iPhone 11 Pro models have a matte texture on the back to hide fingerprints whereas the iPhone 11 has a glossy texture. The front of all three devices look identical to the previous year models.
The Performance
In terms of performance, we didn’t have any issues on either of these phones including playing games on Apple Arcade or LightRoom. The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro have the A13 bionic chipset. The other improvement is water resistance as all three iPhones are IP68 rated with a distinction for iPhone 11 Pro, which is able to go underwater for up to 4 meters for 30 minutes whereas iPhone 11 can go underwater for up to 2 meters for 30 minutes.
The Display
The iPhone 11 has a much lower resolution LCD screen compared to the OLED display on the iPhone 11 Pro models. This means that iPhone 11 Pro models have higher sharpness and brightness (800 vs 625 nits) compared to the iPhone 11. The iPhone 11 Pro models have a super retina HDR display that allows you to go even higher with brightness levels as high as 1200 nits when watching HDR content on Netflix. Most people will be satisfied with the screen on iPhone 11, however, it is nowhere near the competition when it comes to buying phones in the same price range. For instance, the OnePlus 7 Pro offers a much higher screen resolution and smoother 90Hz display for a little less than the price of a iPhone 11.
The Battery
There are substaintial battery upgrades as Apple is claiming 5 hours more on iPhone 11 Pro Max and 4 hours more on iPhone 11 Pro and 1 hour more on iPhone 11 over the last year’s models. Based on our testing, most people should be able to get a full day of use from these phones and maybe more if the phone is not used heavily. Charging is a little different between the Pro and the standard iPhone 11 as you get the 18w charger included in the box with iPhone 11 Pro models, which allows you to charge the Pro devices from 0-100% in about 1.5 hrs. With the standard charger, the iPhone 11 takes around 3 hours to fully charge. It is important to note that all models of iPhone 11 support fast charging.
In conclusion, the iPhone 11 models are definitely offer an improved camera that is able to offer similar if not better performance. If you are into the Pro models then you will also have an increased battery life. The iPhone 11 is still the best option for majority of the buyers as it offers all important features at a reasonable price.
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav