The iPhone 11 is a smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the thirteenth generation lower-priced iPhone, succeeding the iPhone XR. It was unveiled on September 10, 2019, alongside the higher-end iPhone 11 Pro flagship at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, Cupertino by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Pre-orders began on September 13, 2019, and the phone was officially released on September 20, 2019, one day after the official public release of iOS 13. The prominent changes compared with the iPhone XR are the Apple A13 Bionic chip, and an ultra wide dual camera system. While the iPhone 11 Pro comes with an 18 W Lightning to USB-C fast charger, the iPhone 11 comes with the same 5 W charger found on previous iPhones, even though the 18 W charger is compatible with both models.
History
Details regarding the smartphone were leaked widely before the official release, with complete specifications and renderings of the phone being publicized, many of which turned out to be correct, such as advancements in the camera and the keeping of the 'notch' design from the frontal camera featured since the iPhone X. Official release event invites sent out to press featured layered colored glass elements organized to form the Apple logo, which some reviewers drew similarities to Apple's original logo, suggesting new colors for the phone, and to a patent Apple filed for a new camera design earlier.
Design
The iPhone 11 is available in six colors: Purple, Yellow, Green, Black, White, and Product. There is a notch at the front for the TrueDepth camera system and speaker, similar to its predecessor, the iPhone XR. There is a bump in the back for the cameras and the flash that is the same size as the iPhone 11 Pro, although the iPhone 11 only has two cameras compared to the Pro's three cameras. Also, the iPhone 11 has a matte glass rear camera housing and glossy glass back, while the iPhone 11 Pro has a glossy glass rear camera housing and matte glass back. The Apple logo is now centered on the back of the device with no text, a change from previous models.
Color
Name
Black
White
Purple
Yellow
Green
Product
Specifications
Hardware
The iPhone 11, along with the iPhone 11 Pro, uses Apple's A13 Bionic processor, which contains a third-generation neural engine. It has three internal storage options: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256GB. It also has 4 GB of RAM. The iPhone 11 has an IP68 water and dust-resistant rating along with dirt and grime, and is water-resistant up to two meters for 30 minutes. However, the manufacturer warranty does not cover liquid damage to the phone. Also, like previous iPhones, both phones do not have a headphone jack, and come with wired EarPods with a Lightning connector. The iPhone 11 is the first smartphone with built-in ultra-wideband hardware, via its Apple U1 chip.
Display
The iPhone 11 has a IPSLCD, unlike the Pro models which have OLED displays. The resolution is pixels with a maximum brightness of 625 nits and a 1400:1 contrast ratio. It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, True-Tone, and wide color gamut. As with the iPhone 11 Pro, XR, XS, and X, the display has a notch at the top for the TrueDepth camera system and the speaker. The display has an oleophobic coating that is fingerprint-resistant. Apple announced in September 2019 that both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro would show a warning notification if a display was replaced with an unauthorized part. Apple stated that problems with the phone could arise if the wrong parts or procedures were used during the repair process.
Camera
The iPhone 11 includes a dual-lens 12 MP rear camera array. There is one ƒ/2.4 ultra wide angle lens with a 120 degree field of view and 2× optical zoom out and one ƒ/1.8 wide angle lens. The iPhone 11 supports 4K video at up to 60 fps and 1080p slow motion at up to 240 fps. The phone also features an audio zoom feature which focuses audio on the area that is being zoomed in on, similar to the Pro model. Both of the cameras support video although only the primary lens has OIS. It supports a Portrait Mode with depth control and an advanced Bokeh effect. The phone also has an automatic Night Mode allowing the camera to take brighter pictures with reduced noise in low light environments. There is also a redesigned camera app that adds new features such as a scroll wheel for choosing between the different lenses and a feature called "QuickTake", which allows the user to long-press the shutter button to take a video. Apple has also announced a new Deep Fusion feature which takes advantage of AI and machine learning for image processing and was released via iOS 13.2 software update on October 29.
Software
The iPhone 11 shipped with iOS 13, which includes Siri, Face ID, Apple Pay, and supports Apple Card. It will be compatible with iOS 14 in Fall 2020.
Reception
The iPhone 11 drew generally positive reviews after its launch. Reviews generally praised the phone's performance, battery life, and cameras, while criticizing the display as passable, but aging quickly. Reviewers also criticized the notch as being far too large for 2019. According to Counterpoint Research's Market Pulse, it was the second best-selling model globally for 2019, in less than four months of launch.
