By: Nick Gambino
At a special event this morning in the Steve Jobs Theater, Tim Cook and his band of geniuses took the stage to announce Apple’s newest releases, including Apple TV+ ($4.99 a month!), a new iPad, new Apple Watch and most exciting, the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.
The iPhone 11 isn’t too far off from some of the leaks and rumors we’ve heard over the past couple months. But enough of these whispers and guesses, let’s take a look at what makes these upgraded phones so special.
iPhone 11
The 6.1-inch liquid retina display isn’t where you’ll find the new innovations in the iPhone 11. For that, you’re going to want to look at the camera, or rather, the cameras. As predicted the newest iPhone features a dual-camera system with an ultra-wide camera taking up residence next to the one you’re familiar with.
The ultra-wide camera allows you to zoom out and capture a lot more of your surroundings in the frame without having to move positions. You’ll be able to take photos and video by simply tapping to switch to ultra-wide or use the zoom wheel for more control.
If it works as well as what they showed on stage, the new Night Mode is easily my favorite of the new features. Night Mode is the automatic solution to low-light photos, allowing you to capture the image from the shadows without a flash.
There are a bunch of new upgrades to the camera controls including a new immersive camera interface that allows you to see more of the image in the ultra-wide frame underneath your translucent controls.
QuickTake is one of the coolest new features that allows you to shoot video while you’re in “Photo” mode in the camera. Instead of a single tap, press down and hold the shutter button to start recording video. This is similar to how you take still photos while in “Video” mode.
The front-facing camera receives expected upgrades but one thing I didn’t see coming was the addition of slo-mo and the invention of a whole new way to entertain yourself. You can now take what Apple is calling a “slofie.” (Please God don’t let that catch on.)
There are a ton of additional upgrades including the new A13 Bionic chip for better and faster performance.
iPhone 11 prices will start at a low $699.
iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone 11 Pro is an impressive upgrade over anything we’ve had previously, but I’m hard-pressed to see how it’s not just a marketing name to sell a more expensive iPhone. After watching Phil Schiller show the product, the main “difference” I could glean was the inclusion of a third telephoto camera that allows you to zoom in.
The body seems more robust and the telephoto camera is definitely cool, but the guts seem about the same as the iPhone, including the new A13 Bionic chip. There was an impressive display of the Filmic app using all 3 cameras at the same time, so I think third-party apps are really what’s going to draw out the “Pro” aspect of the phone.
The iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 11 Pro MAX starts at $1099. There are those high prices I was looking for.
Pre-order for both the 11 and the 11 Pro will begin this Friday with shipping on September 20th.
