Apple iPhone 11 upgrade: the good, the bad and the ugly

iPhone 11 With Dual Rear Cameras, Apple A13 Bionic SoC, Liquid Retina Display Launched: Price, Specifications

Apple on Tuesday unveiled the new iPhone 11 smartphone, as a successor to the company's iPhone XR. According to the Cupertino, California-based company, iPhone XR was its biggest selling smartphone in the 2018 iPhone lineup and with iPhone 11, the company is making things even better on its cheapest new iPhone. In addition to the iPhone 11, the company also showcased the new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max phones that will sit at the top-end of the company's smartphone portfolio. Notably, Apple will retain the iPhone XR in its lineup.

iPhone 11 price in India

Apple iPhone 11 price will start at Rs. 64,900 in India and at $699 (roughly Rs. 50,000) in the US for the base 64GB variant. The phone will also be offered in 128GB and 256GB variants that will retail at Rs. 69,900 and $749 (roughly Rs. 53,600), and Rs. 79,900 and $849 (roughly Rs. 60,800), respectively in India and the US. The iPhone 11 will come in six colors – Purple, White, Green, Yellow, Black, and Red - and its pre-orders will open on September 13 in the US and over 30 countries around the world. The sales will begin September 20 in the first batch for countries and September 27 in India. 

Apple says iPhone 11 is jam-packed with great new abilities and features, including the brand-new dual rear camera setup, Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos support, and improved battery life. As we mentioned, Apple will retain the iPhone XR in its lineup despite unveiling its successor, and it will be priced at $599 (roughly Rs. 43,100).

iPhone 11 specifications

iPhone 11 features a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and is powered by Apple's new A13 Bionic chip. Apple claims that the A13 Bionic SoC brings the “the fastest CPU” and “the fastest GPU” present in any smartphone to the iPhone 11. iPhone 11 runs on iOS 13 that bring features like dark mode, Sign in with Apple, and expanded Haptic Touch support.

Among the biggest improvements in the iPhone 11 over the iPhone XR are the camera capabilities. The iPhone houses a dual-camera setup on the back that packs a 12-megapixel wide-angle main shooter with f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and a 12-megapixel secondary ultra-wide-angle shooter with f/2.4 aperture and 120-degree field of view. New camera software features include next-generation Smart HDR, improved Night Mode, an enhanced Portrait Mode. Additionally, the dual rear cameras support 4K video recording at 60fps and are paired by 36 percent brighter flash than the one in iPhone XR.

The front shooter on the iPhone 11 is also a step up over the iPhone XR. Apple has included a 12-megapixel front shooter that is capable of shooting video in 4K as well as slo-mo videos. It offers a wider output if you switch to the landscape mode.

In terms of the battery life, Apple claims the iPhone 11 will offer “one hour more than iPhone XR” on a single charge. To give you a reference point, in our review, iPhone XR easily lasted a full day and the phone went on for over 13 hours in our HD video loop test.

Apart from the Apple iPhone 11, the company also introduced the new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Max smartphone.

Apple iPhone 11 upgrade: the good, the bad, and the ugly

iPhone prices cut in India: Here are prices of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and new prices of old iPhones
Apple will bring the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro in India soon with prices starting at Rs 64,900. Meanwhile, Apple has dropped the prices of older iPhone models in India.

Apple has revised the prices of older iPhone models in India. The company has dropped the prices of the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max that were launched last year as well as older models like the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus. The new prices have been listed on Apple’s website and are expected to come into effect soon on e-commerce platforms and via Apple Authorised Resellers.

Starting with last year’s iPhone models, the iPhone XR is now available starting at Rs 49,900 for the 64GB storage option. The iPhone XS 64GB model will be available for Rs 89,900, iPhone XS Max 64GB variant is priced at Rs 89,900 and the older iPhone X will be available for Rs 91,900.

• iPhone XR 64GB - Rs 49,900 -- iPhone XR 128GB - Rs 54,900
• iPhone XS 64GB - Rs 89,900 -- iPhone XS 256GB - Rs 1,03,900
• iPhone X 64GB - Rs 91,900 -- iPhone X 256GB - Rs 1,06,900

Going back further, the iPhone 8 price in India has now dropped to Rs 39,900 for the 64GB base model, while the iPhone 8 Plus starts at Rs 49,900. The iPhone 7 Plus is even lower at Rs 37,900 while the iPhone 7 will be available for Rs 29,900.

• iPhone 8 64GB - Rs 39,900 -- iPhone 8 128GB - Rs 44,900
• iPhone 8 Plus 64GB - Rs 49,900 -- iPhone 8 Plus 128GB - Rs 54,900
• iPhone 7 Plus 32GB - Rs 37,900 -- iPhone 7 Plus 128GB - Rs 42,900
• iPhone 7 32GB - Rs 29,900 -- iPhone 7 128GB - Rs 34,900

As for Apple’s newest iPhones, the iPhone 11 is the most affordable among the three new models with a starting price of Rs 64,900 in India. The iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max start at Rs 99,900 and Rs 1,09,900, respectively. The iPhone 11 models will be available in India starting September 27.

• iPhone 11 64GB - Rs 64,900 -- iPhone 11 128GB - Rs 69,900 -- iPhone 11 256GB - Rs 79,900
• iPhone 11 Pro 64GB - Rs 99,900 -- iPhone 11 Pro 256GB - Rs 1,13,900 -- iPhone 11 Pro 512GB - Rs 1,31,900
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB - Rs 1,09,900 -- iPhone 11 Pro Max 256GB - Rs 1,23,900 -- iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB - Rs 1,41,900

Man miraculously catches falling iPhone X on a roller coaster ride

Nothing ruins a day out at a theme park quite like dropping your pricey $1,000 phone while riding a roller coaster.

Unless there’s a guy like Samuel Kempf sitting behind you, that is. Kempf recently shared a video showing how he snatched a dropped iPhone X out of mid-air all while riding a roller coaster at speeds of 130 kilometers per hour.

He said, I was in Spain at Port Aventura on Shambhala ride and saw the person a few rows ahead drop their iPhone X. Long story short, I caught it. This roller coaster is moving at over 130kms. It was once Europe’s tallest and fastest coaster, only recently beaten.

Since being posted late last week, the video has already racked up more than 5 million views. Sadly, it doesn’t show the eventual reunion of the iPhone dropper and their beloved handset after the roller coaster ride. However, Kempf spoke to the New Zealand Herald about the interaction.

He said, he couldn’t believe it, he gave me a big hug. The funniest reaction was when we had got off the roller coaster and you go down to look at the photos and videos they take. Half the people there seemed to be watching our screen and then everyone started cheering and clapping when it happened.”
Kempf, who hails from New Zealand, was in Europe representing NZ in the Fistballing (similar to volleyball) World Championships.

iOS 13 releases on September 19, iPadOS will be available month-end: Features and eligible devices
Apple's official website reveals iOS 13 will be coming to iPhones on September 19, while iPadOS will release for iPads on September 30.

With so much going on, the company did not spend a lot of time talking about the new software updates and when it would release its new operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Luckily, Apple has mentioned the timeline on its updated website, which now reveals that iOS 13 will be officially released on Thursday, September 19, while iPadOS will come to iPads on September 30.

Apple first announced iOS 13, iPadOS, watchOS 6, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina at its WWDC developer conference a few months ago. Since then, Apple has released public beta builds for its new operating systems. Next week, Apple will release the stable iOS 13 for iPhones on September 19, which is a day before the iPhone 11 releases.

IOS 13, iPad, and watchOS 6 eligible devices

iOS 13 will be available for iPhone 6s and later models all the way to iPhone XS Max. The new iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max phones will ship with iOS 13 out of the box. iPadOS is a new dedicated operating system for the iPad and will be coming to iPad Air 2 and later models, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later. The new 7th generation 10.2-inch iPad will come with iPadOS out of the box.

Apple has also announced that watchOS 6 will be available for Apple Watch Series 3 and later on September 19, while Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 will get the update later this fall. The company has not announced a specific date for the release of macOS Catalina, but it plans to roll out it in October.
iOS 13, iPadOS and watchOS features

A big feature coming to iOS 13 and iPadOS is Dark Mode, which turns the background of the UI deep black or grey. On OLED iPhones, dark mode will help conserve battery life. iOS 13 and iPadOS will also be big on privacy features such as location tracking protection and Sign in with Apple. iOS 13 also brings a swipe-supported keyboard, redesigned Apple apps like Reminders, Mail, Music, and so on.

iPadOS is a forked version of iOS 13, designed to offer better functionalities on the iPad. With iPadOS, you will see a redesign home screen with the Today widget now available on the main page, an improved multitasking experience with Split View, and the ability to switch between multiple apps using Slide Over. iPadOS also brings external drive support in the Files app and other iOS 13 features as well.

Meanwhile, watchOS 6 will bring a dedicated App Store, which will allow users to install apps directly on the Apple Watch without having to install them via the iPhone. watchOS 6 also brings new watch faces that include gradient face, digital face, solar face, and California dial as well as new health and fitness features.

iPhone 11 price in India starts at Rs. 64,900 and the phone will be offered in three storage variants.

                 

Yesterday Apple unveiled the iPhone 11 alongside the two iPhone 11 Pro models. Its predecessor was Apple's best-selling phone so it has big shoes to fill.

Despite the clever naming change, the iPhone 11 is the successor to the iPhone XR and not the iPhone XS. It has a lot in common with the iPhone XR and brings a number of improvements. But it also failed to bring some expected upgrades and actually has a downgrade or two.

So let's take a dive into the iPhone 11 and see which is good, which is bad and which is straight up ugly.

The Apple iPhone 11 packs Apple's latest 7nm chipset, the A13 Bionic. While chipsets like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855+ (7nm) and Samsung's Exynos 9825 (7nm) have closed the gap to the Apple A12 Bionic, it's still the most capable chipset on a smartphone. The A13 will push Apple's lead in processing power even further.

The iPhone 11 gets a new main camera - 12MP f/2.4 ultrawide. Some people would have preferred to have a telephoto instead of an ultrawide, but most would pick the latter for its ability to pack more into the frame and offer a dramatic perspective. And at 13mm, Apple's ultrawide is very close to Samsung's 12mm one (which is noticeably wider than other ultrawide cameras on high-end phones).

There's also a new selfie camera. The 12MP f/2.2 selfie snapper can record 4K video and has a slightly wider field of view.

The Apple iPhone 11 is now IP68 water-resistant, which translates into the ability to survive under up to 2 meters of water for 30 minutes. The iPhone XR was IP67 - 1m for 30 min.

Better battery life. Apple claims 1 hour more than the iPhone XR, which is already lauded for its endurance.

But at least the iPhone 11 is slightly cheaper - in the US, the base 64GB model is now $699, down from the iPhone XR's $749 of last year.

Colors - the iPhone 11 comes in Black, Yellow, Product Red, White, and the new Green and Purple (though we're sad for the missing Blue).

The screen of the iPhone 11 is the same 6.1-inch 828x1792px LCD of the iPhone XR. At this price you could have a 1440x3120px AMOLED with a 90Hz refresh rate. However good the Liquid Retina of the iPhone 11/XR is, it feels distinctly outdated in 2019.

The base storage is 64GB. It's past time Apple made the base storage at least 128GB. These are not cheap phones and you can find devices that cost half as much and still have more storage in their base versions.

The two-year-old notch. This exact same-sized notch has been around since the iPhone X, which came out in September of 2017. Apple has made Face ID better and fitted the notch with a better selfie (slowfie?) camera since then, but it remains one of the biggest display cutouts around.

The iPhone 11 still uses a Lightning connector, which is inferior to USB-C in both speed and abilities. Nearly everything nowadays uses the better and universal USB-C, even Apple's own iPad Pros and Macbooks, it was time to bring Apple's breadwinner device into the fold.

The ugly camera module. The iPhone 11 Pro might have an excuse for the messy setup because it needed to fit more rear cameras (we've seen better solutions there too though). Yet the vanilla 11 has a dual setup, not unlike the XS and XS Max and still moved to the square module.

The 5W charger in the box. The iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max ship with an 18W-capable charger in the box, the iPhone 11 ships with the comical 5W one, despite having support for 18W fast charging. But hey, if you're in the US, you could use that $50 saved from the entry price to get an 18W charger!

There's a reason the iPhone XR is selling like hotcakes. At its lower-than-the-Pro's price point, the iPhone 11 is the cheapest entry into the world of current-gen iPhones and many people will be happy to shell out $699/€799/£729 for a 64GB iPhone 11. And most of the people that won't buy the iPhone 11 will buy a discounted iPhone XR, which might still be a win for Apple.