Everything You Need to Know About Apple's iPhone 11 Series
Tim Cook took the Steve Jobs stage in Cupertino, California on Tuesday morning to announce the Next Big Thing from Apple: a new iPhone model called the iPhone 11—which is not an extension of the two-year-running iPhone X series, but is a successor to the iPhone XR, with an upgraded dual camera. For those looking for a follow-up to the iPhone XR, the iPhone 11 looks like your winner—and it costs just $699.
Apple also introduced the iPhone 11 Pro with a 5.8-inch OLED display and the iPhone 11 Pro Max with a 6.5-inch OLED display, both with a hefty triple camera that is certainly the most enticing selling point. That means the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have a telephoto camera, an ultra-wide camera, and a wide camera on the back of the phone. They'll go for $999 and $1,099 respectively, and will launch with the iPhone 11 on September 20.
Apple had a lot to live up to with this Keynote announcement. All of its recent phones are priced at or above $1,000 besides last year's iPhone XR, which came pretty damn near close with a starting price of $749. But despite the price tag, Apple has lagged behind some Android phones, especially in terms of camera capability. In 2016, Apple introduced Portrait Mode to the iPhone 7 Plus, but that was the last update to really make a buzz. Last year, Apple kicked up the camera capabilities in the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and XR, but it still was outperformed by the Google Pixel 3 and the Samsung Galaxy S10+, for example.
Apple no longer has a monopoly on really good smartphones, and even though the company is still pulling in major money, iPhone sales aren’t what they used to be, because most people can’t afford to or are uninterested in pouring big money into an upgrade every year or two.
And even though the hype surrounding this Keynote (and, to be fair, every single Apple event) is considerable, the tech experts are already looking ahead to 2020, when Apple is expected to seriously revamp the iPhone's design, and upgrade it to work on the still-infant 5G network.
Should you want a phone upgrade, stay tuned for more information on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. Here's what we learned at the Keynote.
What We Know About the iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 is the cheapest phone Apple debuted at its Keynote—by a lot. It costs just $699 to start, and it comes with a 6.1-inch Retina display and new, fun colors: purple, green, red, black, white, and yellow. Its dual camera has a few updates, like wide and ultra-wide cameras that you can switch between while taking a photo without sacrificing quality. The same goes for video mode, which supports 4K up to 60 fps. Plus, Apple added Night Mode to improve low-light picture taking, which its phones have struggled with in the past. For selfie enthusiasts, the front camera now has slow-mo mode, too.
The iPhone 11 comes with Apple's new A13 Bionic chip to improve speed and performance; Apple says it's the fastest chip ever in a smartphone. The battery life lasts an hour longer than the iPhone XR. It will be available to purchase on September 20, a pre-ordering starts September 13.
What We Know About the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
The big news with the iPhone 11 Pro is its triple camera, the Pro Camera. This thing is big, taking up a good chunk of the back of the phone with a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto camera. You can take photos with all three cameras from one vantage point. Additionally, the triple camera supports Night Mode and impressive video-taking features.
The 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro will start at $999, and the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max will start at $1,099—and the absence of a huge price jump is refreshing for Apple. The OLED screens have the highest pixel density on an iPhone yet, which Apple dubbed the Super Retina XDR display. The iPhone 11 Pro models have that same A13 Bionic chip for speed and efficiency, and the battery life for both is significantly longer than the iPhone Xs models. They come in space grey, silver, gold, and a very cool midnight green. They'll be available to preorder on September 13 and to purchase on September 20.
Everything Else Apple Announced at Its Keynote
Of course, this wasn’t just an iPhone event. Apple announced the launch of Apple Arcade, its new subscription-based video game service that will have exclusive content from a variety of big-name and indie game developers. Apple Arcade will hit the App Store on September 19. Apple TV+, which has huge celebrity talent from the likes of Jason Momoa, Oprah, Jennifer Anniston, and Steve Carell, will debut on November 1. Both cost just $4.99 per month.
In terms of gear, Apple revealed a new seventh-generation iPad with a 10.2-inch Retina display and upgraded speed to compete directly with PC laptops. Plus, the enclosure is made with all recycled materials. It starts at $329. For the health trackers, Apple Watch Series 5 was debuted, with a display that never goes dark and improved features, starting at $399.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
