- Apple announced the new iPhone 11 on Tuesday during its September event, and it’s essentially the new version of the 2018 iPhone XR.
- While both iPhones look identical, Apple made 10 major changes to the iPhone XR to create the iPhone 11.
- The biggest changes are in the cameras and the chips.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Apple on Tuesday announced the iPhone 11, the successor to the popular iPhone XR that was released in 2018.
One of the most surprising things that Apple announced during its annual September event was the iPhone 11’s pricing: It starts at $700, which is $50 less than the iPhone XR’s $750 starting price when it launched.
And the price of the iPhone XR is now $600, which makes it a pretty tempting option, even if it is a smartphone from 2018.
But then again, an extra $100 gets you the latest iPhone 11, which comes with some notable improvements over the iPhone XR, especially with the camera.
For anyone checking in to see if the iPhone 11 is worth an upgrade from the iPhone XR, that's a decision for you to make. Apple will let you trade in your iPhone XR in good working condition for up to $370 if you want the iPhone 11, bringing the iPhone 11's price tag down to $330. You'll have to gauge whether its extra features are worth $330 on top of what you paid for the iPhone XR in 2018.
Here are the most important things to consider when choosing between the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11:
Battery: The iPhone 11 lasts up to one hour longer than the iPhone XR.
Apple doesn't list battery sizes, but according to GSM Arena, the iPhone 11's battery is slightly bigger, at 3,110 mAh, than the iPhone XR's 2,942-mAh battery.
Screen: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 have the same screen — same 6.1-inch size, same 828p resolution, same bezels, same everything.
Design, size, and weight: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 are exactly the same size and weight. They look identical, except for the iPhone 11's rear camera system.
Power: The iPhone 11 runs on Apple's new A13 chip, while the iPhone XR runs on last year's A12 chip. The A12 might be older, but it's no slouch.
The iPhone XR runs on Apple's 2018 A12 chip with 3 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 11 runs on 2019's A13 chip with 4 GB of RAM. (Apple doesn't list how much RAM each phone has, so the RAM number is according to GSM Arena.)
It's tough to gauge the difference that the iPhone 11's specs will make. New iPhones are always more powerful and faster than older iPhones, but the performance gap between the old and new is narrowing more and more every year.
Face ID: Apple says Face ID on the iPhone 11 is 30% faster than the previous generation, including the iPhone XR.
Rear cameras: The iPhone XR has a single-lens 12-megapixel camera, and the iPhone 11 has a 12-megapixel dual-lens camera system. See the differences below.
- The extra lens on the iPhone 11 is an ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view.
- The iPhone 11 can do 2x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. The iPhone XR can do only 5x digital zoom. Digital zoom is artificial and not as good as natural optical zoom.
- The iPhone 11 can take portrait-mode photos of pets and objects, while the iPhone XR can take portrait shots only of people.
- The iPhone 11's portrait mode has Apple's lighting effects, like studio, stage, and high-key mono. The iPhone XR's portrait mode doesn't have those effects.
- The iPhone 11 has Apple's new night mode for better low-light shots.
- The iPhone 11 has Apple's "next-generation" smart HDR for photos, which Apple says is better than the iPhone XR's smart HDR.
Source: Apple, and a photo taken with the iPhone 11's ultrawide camera
Selfie camera: The iPhone XR has a 7-megapixel selfie camera, while the iPhone 11 has a 12-megapixel selfie camera. See more differences below.
- The iPhone 11's selfie camera can take 4K video up to 60 frames per second. The iPhone XR takes 1080p video up to 60 frames per second.
- The iPhone 11's selfie camera can take slow-motion "slofie" videos at 1080p resolution and 120 frames per second.
- The iPhone 11's selfie camera comes with Apple's "next-generation" smart HDR.
Video recording: The iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 have similar video-recording capabilities, with a few differences.
- The iPhone 11 can record video with its ultrawide camera.
- The iPhone 11 has 2x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom. The iPhone XR has only 3x digital zoom.
- The iPhone 11 has "audio zoom" to focus on a subject's audio.
- The iPhone 11 has video stabilization for 4K resolution, while iPhone XR did not include stabilization for 4K.
Storage: Both the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 are available with 64 GB or 128 GB of storage, but the iPhone 11 has an extra 256 GB option.
Water resistance: The iPhone 11 has IP68 water resistance (2 meters, 30 minutes), which is slightly better than the iPhone XR's IP67 water resistance (1 meter, 30 minutes).
Data speeds: The iPhone 11 has "gigabit-class LTE" for faster data than the iPhone XR, depending on your carrier and which area you're in. It also supports WiFi 6.
Apple says you can download things up to 38% faster on WiFi 6 - but you'd need a WiFi 6 router and the internet speeds to take full advantage of WiFi 6.
AirDrop: iPhone 11 has an improved AirDrop function, powered by Apple's new U1 chip, letting you AirDrop things more easily when you're pointing the iPhone 11 toward other Apple devices with the chip.
