It’s the iPhone buying season and with several options to choose from the decision can be a tough call. Here are some of things we love and hate about the new iPhones. Before making a final decision on which iPhone to buy most buyers want to know the difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.
When it comes to difference between iPhone 11 and 11 Pro the most obvious one and the one that most people will notice is the price difference. iPhone 11 is comparatively the most budget-friendly option out of the new models with a starting price of $699. Compared to this the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999 whereas the iPhone 11 Pro Max with its 6.5-inch display starts at $1099.
Since the only major difference between the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max is the screen size, we are going to compare iPhone 11 with iPhone 11 Pro.
If we only compare the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro there’s a significant $300 gap in their starting prices. Then naturally the first thing that will come to anyone’s mind is what exactly are you getting for that $300 difference apart from the ‘Pro’ name. That is exactly what we are going to explore in this article where we talk about the difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.
All three iPhones feature A13 Bionic Chip, new U1 chip, Wide and Ultra Wide lens, improved TrueDepth Front Camera, faster Face ID, IP68 water resistance, storage capacities etc. However there are also major differences that you need to consider before making a buying decision.
This comparison post will help you in deciding which iPhone to buy for 2020.
The Screen: Super Retina XDR vs Liquid Retina HD
The biggest and perhaps the most important difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is the screen technology. Both iPhone 11 Pros feature Super Retina XDR display, which is essentially an OLED display while the iPhone 11 features a Liquid Retina HD display, which still uses the LCD technology found in iPhone 8 or older iPhones. If you have ever seen an OLED display on iPhone X or later and compared it side by side with an iPhone 8 or XR’s display, then you would know that difference between OLED and LCD displays is pretty significant.
OLED panels are able to display true black color and are more power efficient than LCD based displays. The OLED iPhones 11 Pros feature the HDR display feature, which is missing from iPhone 11.
Super Retina XDR display of the iPhone 11 Pro is better than the iPhone 11’s Liquid Retina HD display in all aspects. It offers 458 pixels per inch compared to 326 pixels per inch offered on iPhone 11. Users also get 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio on iPhone 11 Pro’s display compared to 1400:1 contrast ratio on iPhone 11.
Super Retina XDR display also beats the Liquid Retina HD display in terms of brightness as the iPhone 11 Pro display goes up to 800 nits at maximum brightness where as Liquid Retina HD display only goes up to 625 nits max brightness.
While many users will not feel the difference in real world use, if you hold iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 side by side, then you will notice that the black border around the display is noticeably wider on iPhone 11 when compared with iPhone 11 Pro. Although those who are coming from iPhone XR won’t notice the difference, if you are coming from iPhone X, iPhone XS or XS Max the wider border will be noticeable.
If you compare this year’s iPhones with the iPhones released in last few years, then you will also feel the lack of 3D Touch on all three new models, as unlike last year’s iPhone XS and XS Max all three iPhones lack 3D Touch. Instead Apple has fully adopted the Haptic Touch technology that essentially lets users perform same actions but with long presses instead of pressure taps. Read on to learn what is the difference between iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.
Cameras: Dual Camera system vs Triple Camera system
If you look at Apple’s website, then you will immediately notice that the new iPhone 11 Pros have triple camera system while the iPhone 11 only has dual cameras. Apple is highlighting the presence of an extra lens on the Pro models as one of the biggest selling point. However unless you really want the extra Telephoto lens on the iPhone 11 Pros, then you will not notice a difference between the cameras on these two devices.
Apart from the third lens, the camera on all three new models are the same. On all three devices you get 12-megapixel Ultra Wide and Wide lenses, Night Mode, Auto Adjustments, True Tone Flash, Portrait Mode with advanced bokeh and depth control, portrait lighting effects and Smart HDR.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have advantage over the iPhone 11 when it comes to having a Telephoto lens, Dual Optical Image Stabilization, 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 10x. iPhone 11 only has 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 5x while it has single Optical Image Stabilization.
The front TrueDepth Camera system is exactly the same on all three models.
Stainless Steel Design vs Aluminium
One of the biggest differentiating factors between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is the design. Both devices are so different that you can easily recognize which model someone has by simply looking at the back and sides. Both iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come with Textured Matte Glass on back and Stainless Steel sides that give it a much more premium look and feel.
iPhone 11 on the other hand comes with the normal glass back and has aluminum design on the sides, which does not feel or look cheap by any means, however it also cannot match the premium feel offered by Stainless Steel.
Better Water Resistance
If you care about iPhone’s water, splash and dust resistance, then this difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro should interest you. All three new iPhones offer the IP68 rating however the one on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro is significantly better when compared to iPhone 11’s.
The Pro models can withstand maximum depth of 4 meters up to 30 seconds. Compared to this iPhone 11 can only withstand the depth of 2 meters up to 30 seconds. This year Apple has doubled the maximum depth that its iPhones can withstand.
Battery Life
Next difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is related to battery life. Apple has significantly improved the battery life on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, as it now claims they offer 4 hours and 5 hours more battery life than their predecessors respectively. Since iPhone XR already had a pretty good battery life, the improvement this year is quite marginal with Apple only claiming 1 hour more battery life on iPhone 11 compared to last year’s XR.
With the improvements now iPhone 11 Pro offers video playback of up to 18 hours while the Pro Max can offer the same for up to 20 hours. Compared to this iPhone 11 will offer video playback of up to 17 hours.
For audio Apple is claiming the iPhone 11 Pro will offer 65 hours of wireless audio playback while the Pro Max will go up to 80 hours. Compared to this iPhone 11 will offer 65 hours of audio playback.
Of course we will need to see real world tests to determine how accurate are Apple’s claims.
18W Charger Included in the box
All three iPhone models introduced this year offer fast charging. This means you will be able to charge your iPhone up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes. However for you to do so you will need an 18W charger. Apple is offering 18W charger for free inside the box with every iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. But if you opt for the iPhone 11, you will have to buy the 18W charger separately to take advantage of this feature. The 18W charger costs $29 at Apple’s online store.
Color choices
When it comes to color choices the iPhone 11 wins hands down. Apple is offering the iPhone 11 in six colors including Purple, Yellow, Green , Black, White and Product Red. iPhone 11 Pro on the other hand comes in four colors including Silver, Space Grey, Gold and the new Midnight Green color.
Price difference between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro
One of the most important factors and the biggest difference between iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 is pricing of the devices. iPhone 11 is available with a starting price of $699, which is $50 less than last year’s iPhone XR. This should make the device more exciting for budget buyers especially when the device does not have any major compromises when it comes to features and performance.
Here’s the pricing difference between iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max for various storage sizes.
| Storage | iPhone 11 | iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| 64GB | $699 | $999 | $1099 |
| 256GB | $749 | $1149 | $1249 |
| 512GB | $849 | $1349 | $1449 |
So now that you know the main differences between iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, which device are you going to buy? Let us know in the comments section below.
