{"id":1555,"date":"2020-12-03T12:56:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T12:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1322768"},"modified":"2020-12-03T12:56:06","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T12:56:06","slug":"the-iphone-11-pro-range-a-retrospective-on-apples-best-value-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=1555","title":{"rendered":"The iPhone 11 Pro range: A retrospective on Apple\u2019s best value phone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I sometimes ponder how successful I\u2019d be in charge of a phone that gets updated every year. In my less lucid moments, I believe I\u2019d navigate the choppy waters magnificently, each year releasing an engineering marvel that\u2019d send critics and the public into Dionysian revelry.<\/p>\n

But, more likely, I\u2019d end up releasing a FIFA-on-the-Switch-style upgrade one year, and then the smartphone version of The Homer<\/a> one year after. What I\u2019m saying is releasing a phone every 12 months is fucking tough.<\/p>\n

The reason I bring this up is because of Apple. More specifically, its release of the new iPhone 12 range<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While this is an exciting time for everyone and led to a gamut of new reviews, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to take a break. Relax. And, specifically, look at the success \u2014 and failures \u2014 of last year\u2019s iPhone 11 Pro range.<\/p>\n

Before we go into the why<\/em>, I should also let you know that we\u2019ve released a corresponding video that you can watch above. It\u2019s structured a bit differently to this article, but covers much of the same things. So go and watch that.<\/p>\n

But if you want words? Sweet, tangy words? Well, we\u2019ve got those in spades too.<\/p>\n

\"iphone
<\/i><\/a>Here are some people who are really happy about the iPhone 11 Pro range.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why are you looking at the iPhone 11 Pro?<\/h2>\n

Two main reasons. The first is I genuinely think it\u2019s useful to reflect on a device after it being in my life for a long time. At best, most reviews are published after a week or two of use. That really doesn\u2019t tell you a huge amount about the long term implications of a device \u2014 especially one you use as much as your phone.<\/p>\n

This iPhone 11 Pro range retrospective delivers that.<\/p>\n

Doing this a year after its release also works as an indicator for how you can expect Apple\u2019s current devices to fare in the future \u2014 something increasingly important as many of us have opted out of the yearly upgrade cycle.<\/p>\n

The second reason is a bit different: I believe the iPhone 11 Pro range is the best value Apple device you can buy right now. I\u2019m going to go over why<\/em> this is the case at the base of the article \u2014 so scroll down if you\u2019re after that. Until then? Well\u2026<\/p>\n

Welcome, friend, to the iPhone 11 Pro range retrospective<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s get the housekeeping in order. If you\u2019re looking for details about what the iPhone 11 Pro range actually is, I\u2019d go and watch this video<\/a>. On top of that, I also wrote a review of the iPhone 11 Pro here<\/a> \u2014 much of which still holds true today.<\/p>\n

\"iPhone
<\/i><\/a>THE COLORS!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But that\u2019s not what this<\/em> piece is about. No, this is the iPhone 11 Pro range retrospective, where we\u2019re going to talk about how the two devices (the Pro and Pro Max) have performed since their release date. So, in no particular order\u2026<\/p>\n

The phones are fucking tough<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve dropped my iPhone 11 Pro onto all kinds of surfaces: concrete, marble, wood, gravel \u2014 you name something hard, my handset has tasted it intimately. The same has happened with the standard iPhone 11.<\/p>\n

And you know what? Zero breakages. Yeah, the phones are scratched and scraped, but they\u2019ve not suffered in any proper way. I\u2019d always recommend getting a case, but it\u2019s reassuring to know that this is a baby you don\u2019t need to swaddle.<\/p>\n

The notch is still fucking annoying<\/h2>\n

When you love someone, their worst qualities are meant to morph into positives. That infuriating laugh, the way their teeth protrude from their lips, that old-milk odor they constantly exude; these crimes should evolve into quirks you quietly adore.<\/p>\n

I love the iPhone 11 Pro range, but I\u2019ve never found the notch anything but a fucking monstrosity. Apple, make it stop, please.<\/p>\n

\"iphone
<\/i><\/a>Ugh, that notch truly is ugly as sin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Battery life has remained consistent over the year<\/h2>\n

The bane of my life is an old phone that suddenly decides to switch itself off, or jump from 50% to 20% in a blink of an eye. Thankfully, the iPhone 11 Pro range hasn\u2019t been impacted by this one bit.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had the most experience with the Pro Max and, although the time between charges has dropped, I still only need to juice it up once every 30 hours or so.<\/p>\n

The Pro Max\u2019s screen size is wasted<\/h2>\n

Admittedly, this has improved since the introduction of iOS14 and its widgets<\/a>, but it\u2019s utterly baffling to me that we have this huge screen you can\u2019t use. Like, why can\u2019t I increase the number of apps that fit on the dock? Or across the screen? Or even their sizes? Fucking ridiculous.<\/p>\n

I love Night Mode, but I wish it was better at photographing people<\/h2>\n

Night Mode was a game changer on the iPhone 11 Pro range. Yeah, it was a bit behind night photography from other phone manufacturers, but it did a fantastic job. Well, if the scene was statue-esque.<\/p>\n

Basically, you incorporate a tiny bit of movement while taking a picture at night and you may well have not bothered to take a fucking photo at all.<\/p>\n

\"iphone
<\/i><\/a>A MESS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I understand the incredible technical challenges of night photography in itself, let alone when you add movement into the mix, but I still expect better.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m a big fan of ultra wide-angle camera on the iPhone 11 Pro range<\/h2>\n

Okay, maybe this won\u2019t be music to the ears of actual photographers, but for someone who likes to point and shoot, the ultra wide-angle camera on the iPhone 11 Pro range is incredible.<\/p>\n

With it, you can easily fit more people into a shot, or get a nice picture of a building, all without stepping into the road and perishing in a horrible Fleabag-<\/em>esque incident. Thanks for that, Apple.<\/p>\n

A baseline of 64GB of storage is stupid<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s so fucking dumb. Honestly? Why? Well, okay, the \u201cwhy\u201d is because it meant Apple could keep the iPhone 11 Pro\u2019s starting price under $1,000 \u2014 but this sort of shit is terrible for consumers.<\/p>\n

64GB isn\u2019t enough storage for anyone<\/em> these days, let alone so-called \u201cPro\u201d users.<\/p>\n

\"iPhone
<\/i><\/a>YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The iPhone 11 Pro range is still fast as fuck<\/h2>\n

It\u2019d be pathetic if the devices had slowed over the past year (they are meant to be for PROFESSIONALS after all), but I\u2019m glad to report the phones as zippy as the day I got them.<\/p>\n

I still miss TouchID<\/h2>\n

Look, FaceID is fantastic and is useful in loads of situations, but I really wish Apple included a fingerprint scanner. I thought this when the iPhone 11 Pro range was released, and I think it even more now I\u2019m moving through the world in a mask.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want the return of the old fingerprint scanner on the front, and I\u2019m not the hugest fan of them on the rear of phones, but why can\u2019t we have one on the power button? Please? Pretty please!<\/p>\n

The retrospective is over\u2026 but here\u2019s why the iPhone 11 Pro range are the best value Apple phones around<\/h2>\n

It all comes down to Apple\u2019s ever-increasing array of phones. I wrote about all this here<\/a>, but I\u2019ll sum it up again for you below, because I\u2019m just that sort of guy.<\/p>\n

Basically, Apple stopped selling the iPhone 11 Pro range on its own website when it released its latest devices. To understand why, we need to look at the starting prices of its current phone line-up:<\/p>\n