As part of the mandatory ritual, Apple hosted its “By Innovation Only” event in Cupertino and brought forth the much-anticipated 2019 iPhone models — the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
With a new naming scheme for this year’s iPhones, Apple has new features to offer — aiming to make the devices one of the best flagships of the year. As I am an Apple fanatic, I had certain expectations from the company.
So, here, I will talk about all the new, exciting, or disappointing features the new iPhones come equipped with and whether or not they meet my expectations.
iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max Features
Design
The moment the first iPhone 11 render leaked, the large camera bump at the back was cringe-worthy, and I hoped it’s just a rumor. However, Apple rumors are mostly accurate. That’s what we saw at the recently-concluded Apple event — a square-shaped camera bump with camera sensors arranged in a weird fashion.
As a reminder, the new iPhones come with an amalgamation of stainless steel and glass, which the company touts as the most durable glass seen on an iPhone.
Expectation vs Reality: Accepting the reality, I expected the design and officially got it. While the renders appeared fugly, the real iPhone 11 lineup isn’t bad at all, given the refreshing palette of pastels we get to choose from.
Color Options
As we speak of the design, the color variants in which the new iPhones are painted need to be talked about. This year too, Apple hued its iPhone XR successor — the iPhone 11 — in new color options, namely purple, yellow, green, white, black, and red. For the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, we have four color options — gold, midnight green, silver, and space gray.
Expectation vs Reality: The moment I saw the color options, I was in awe. The 2019 iPhones appear refreshing and trigger an instant urge to get hold of them. The Midnight Green color option is a welcome treat to our eyes, and I hope the color becomes a permanent member of the iPhone color scheme.
Camera and Camera Features
Going by all the rumors and leaks, we knew that this time around Apple would adopt three rear camera sensors for its 2019 iPhone models. Hence, we have three rear cameras for the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max and two for the iPhone 11.
Configuration-wise, the iPhone 11 has two 12MP rear cameras and a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front. As for the other two models, they come with three rear 12MP sensors (Ultra Wide, Wide, Telephoto) and the same front camera as the iPhone 11.
Additional new features include the ability to record slow-motion selfie videos, which Apple lovingly calls ‘Slofies’ and the ability to click ultra-wide-angle pictures. Furthermore, you can take portraits of your pets.
Other features remain the same as the 2018 iPhones such as Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, 4K video recording, Smart HDR, Animoji, Memoji, and more.
Expectation vs Reality: This time, I wished the iPhones would finally come with support for low light photography (most-talked-about camera feature in the tech world) and guess what? The 2019 iPhones, at last, come with one — called the Night Mode.
I expected three cameras and got just that. Hence, my expected camera features became a reality. Now, I hope the cameras impress me the way iPhone cameras have always done.
Display
While the rear part of the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max have seen a relatively new design, the front part remains the same as the previous year’s iPhones. All three smartphones come with the ‘iPhone’ notch and lesser bezels.
The iPhone 11 spans 6.1-inch and is based on an LCD panel. The iPhone 11 Pro and the 11 Pro Max, on the other hand, sport 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch displays, respectively. Both screens are based on OLED display panels, known as Super Retina XDR displays.
Another noticeable thing is that Apple has dropped its 3D Touch tech. It has adopted the Haptic Touch tech, which was introduced with the launch of the iPhone XR last year.
Expectation vs Reality: Although I would have loved me a different display design, I knew this year’s iPhones wouldn’t see much display variation. Hence, the display part neither disappoints me nor impresses me.
Other Features That Made/Didn’t Make Their Entries
Apart from the visible 2019 iPhone features, various new features arrived. The features include improved IP68 rating which the iPhones water-resistant up to 4m for around 30 minutes, 30% improved Face ID, Spatial Audio, Wi-Fi 6, Fast Charging, Ultra Wideband technology, and better battery life.
Expectation vs Reality: I expected the devices to come with reverse wireless charging, which was the most anticipated feature. However, in reality, Apple didn’t include it in the 2019 iPhones, and I am slightly disappointed.
I had more expectations from the 2019 iPhones; in-display fingerprint scanning, a Type-C port, and possible support for Apple Pencil. However, these features failed to arrive with the new iPhones — making us wait for them for a longer time when other companies have added them long ago.
Price
While this year’s Apple event wasn’t that exciting (nothing surprisingly “innovative” launched), the prices at which the iPhones made their entry (especially the iPhone 11) ignited some excitement in us.
The iPhone 11 is priced at $699, the iPhone 11 Pro is priced at $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max retails at $1,099.
Expectation vs Reality: As per my expectations, the iPhone 11 is decently-priced and after a long time looking at the price proved to be a sigh of relief. The iPhone 11 Pro and the 11 Pro Max share the same price as the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max (where improvement could take place!)
Do 2019 iPhones Fulfill The Expectations?
Since 2019 wasn’t the “innovation” year for Apple iPhones, the 2019 iPhones do include certain features we have been waiting for, for a while.
Hence, Apple paid heed to some expectations while overlooked others. I expect the 2020 iPhones to finally include features that have been missing!
