I had the opportunity to spend some hands-on time with Apple’s new iPhone 11 yesterday after it was revealed, and I’ll say, this is a super interesting device. For $50 less than the iPhone XR, you get a smartphone with a significantly superior processor and dual cameras with automatic Night Mode. That’s a lot of value.
The iPhone 11 essentially keeps the same form factor as its predecessors, and you still get a 6.1-inch Liquid Crystal Display with a notch on the top that houses the True Depth Sensor front-facing cam system, which allows 3D modeling of your face for Facial Recognition, Animojis and other functions. But on the iPhone 11, that front-facing camera has been upgraded to a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera.
You can now also record in slow motion with the front-facing camera. It’s fun, but I’m not so sure the term “Slofie,” as Apple has dubbed it, will catch on. Check out mine below.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max (read our hands-on with them here), the iPhone 11 is powered by an Apple-made A13 Bionic chipset and is running iOS 13. It was fast and fluid with quick responses for everything I did during my limited time with the device. Apple says that efficient chip will also deliver an additional hour of battery life over the iPhone XR, which already had an insane battery life. I’m very eager to put that to the test.
But the best thing about the 11 has to be the dual cameras on the back. You get a 12-megapixel wide and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens. I was impressed by the new functionality that enables you to see the view of the lens not currently in use, and it was simple and quick switching from lens to lens in the updated Camera app. Like the Pro models, the iPhone 11 gets Night Mode as well and the test shots I saw were really good. Not only did it keep the integrity of the image, but you could zoom in and still make out details.
It comes in six colors, including a new light purple and (PRODUCT) RED.
So far, I’m impressed with the iPhone 11, and at $699, it seems like a very compelling smartphone. Apple will kick off pre-orders on Friday at 5AM PST/8AM EST.
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