This year's crop of iPhones just became official. At a just-concluded live event broadcast for the first time on YouTube, Apple unveiled the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max featuring new cameras, faster processors, and improved battery life.
The new lineup succeeds Apple's iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max and marks the end of the "X" naming scheme after it was first used for the iPhone X in 2017. In terms of design, the new models differ only a bit from last generation's, retaining the slim bezels and the Face ID notch atop.
This time, though, Apple is rolling out a bevy of new color options, including a new matte finish on the back of the iPhone 11 Pro. Below is a breakdown of the entire lineup, detailing their foremost new features and more.
iPhone 11
The iPhone 11, the base model and the cheapest of the bunch, gets a new dual-camera system, an Apple A13 Bionic chip, and six colorways, mimicking its predecessor's multi-color options.
Apple calls the 6.1-inch display "Liquid Retina," which is just a fancy way of rebranding LCD. It does, however, boast TrueTone, tap or raise to wake, and Haptic Touch, the latter of which replaces 3D Touch.
On the back are two 12-megapixel shooters — one wide and one ultra-wide. iPhone 11 shoots 4K video at 60 fps across its two cameras, and there's also a new audio zoom feature so users can close in on an audio source and have it amplified even without moving closer. This also marks the debut of Night Mode, Apple's answer to Google's Night Sight, although whether it's better, worse, or on par remains to be seen.
Apple also upgraded the Face ID camera so it can now shoot in slow motion and in 4K at 60 fps. It also coined a new term for videos shot this way — Slofie, which is pretty self-explanatory.
iPhone 11 Pro And iPhone 11 Pro Max
For those who want a better model, there's the iPhone 11 Pro, which features a triple-camera system on the back housed inside a rounded square-shaped camera bump. It works the same as the iPhone 11's shooters but gets a telephoto lens. Apple is clearly pushing the cameras as an ample tool for making cinematic videos, even demonstrating slick-looking videos onstage shot with its newest iPhones.
The iPhone Pro gets a 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display while the top-tier iPhone 11 Pro Max gets 6.5 inches of screen space. Apple says the displays are brighter, have higher resolutions and better color, and take less of a toll on the battery.
One big thing missing from these phones? 5G. While the availability of the next-generation mobile network is spotty at best, the rollout is expected to reach many major towns and cities by the time 2019 ends. Other manufacturers have released phones that support 5G, including Samsung, OnePlus, and more.
iPhone 11 Pricing
The iPhone 11 will cost $699, $50 less than last year's iPhone XR. The iPhone 11 Pro, meanwhile, will cost $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will retail for $1,099. The phones are expected to ship on Sept. 20.
