In my previous post, we discussed how to know if it is time to upgrade your iPhone or not. In this post, I'll help you pick which one is best for you.

You should get a current generation iPhone

If you are in the market for an iPhone, you should get one from iPhone 11 generation. I go into detail below about why you shouldn't get an older model at a discount so if you are not convinced from by this paragraph, please check this section out! The gist of it is that phones impact so much of our day-to-day that spending a little extra on a current generation phone will positively affect so many areas of our lives and are much more likely to last significantly longer than older models.

So that leaves us with…

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max, which one is right for me?

The iPhone for most people

The iPhone 11 with 128GB is the phone I would recommend to someone who I didn't know anything about. It provides a great balance between features and it's $749 price tag.

For $250 less than a 64GB iPhone 11 Pro you still get a lot of flagship features:

The latest generation A13 processor
- Very fast and energy efficient
- Helps ensures the most years of support from Apple and third-party developers
- Excellent battery life - 17 hours of video payback (one more hour that the iPhone XR)
Face ID
Improved rear camera and new ultra-wide camera (same main and ultra-wide cameras as on the 11 Pros)
- Night mode - intelligent long exposures for very low light
- Higher ISO options meaning better pictures in lower light
New front camera
- 12 Megapixels (up from iPhone XS and XR - 7 Megapixels)
- 4K, 60 frames per second (fps) video recording - up from 1080p 60 FPS (XR)
- 1080p 120 fps slow motion video recording
Apple's new ultra wideband chip
- This chip works a lot like radar to help the phone determine its precise location relative to other devices
- Will likely be used with Apple's Tile competitor rumored for this fall
Impressive water resistance, equal to last year's iPhone XS - 2 meters for 30 minutes
- Watch an iPhone XS survive soaking 2 meters deep in beer for almost 5 hours here.

It's important to note Apple made a subtle but important switcheroo this year. The iPhone 11 is not an update to the iPhone XS, but is instead an updated iPhone XR. It's the same dimensions and weight of the iPhone XR and shares the XR's "Liquid Retina" LCD screen. The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro max are updates to the iPhone XS and XS Max. I believe Apple made this switch to bring "the iPhone for most people" well below $1000 without too many compromises and I feel they have succeeded.

That said, there are definitely strong reasons to consider the Pro line. Let's dive in...

For superlatives, consider a Pro

The iPhone 11 could be described as the Goldilocks iPhone, but if you want the best camera, the smallest and lightest iPhone, the best screen, the most battery, or the most storage available for an iPhone, you should consider the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Camera

To me, the most compelling reason to upgrade to an iPhone 11 Pro is that is has the best camera available on an iPhone.

Both the 11 Pro and Pro Max include an additional 3rd camera on the back with telephoto lens. This camera gets you about 2× closer to a subject than the standard camera on the iPhone 11. This telephoto camera is improved over the XS’s with an ƒ2.0 aperture lens compared to the iPhone XS's ƒ2.4. This means more light will be captured by the sensor making photos look better. If you want to have the best camera that is also a phone, get the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max.

Size and weight

iPhones are getting big (and heavy). If you want the smallest and lightest phone with the latest generation technology, iPhone 11 Pro is the phone you should get.

iPhone 11 Pro		iPhone 11		iPhone 11 Pro Max
Height	5.67 in	Height	5.94 inch	Height	6.22 in
Width	2.81 in	Width	2.98 inch	Width	3.06 in
Depth	0.32 inch	Depth	0.33 in	Depth	0.32 in
Area	15.93 in²	Area	17.7 in²	Area	19.03 in²
Volume	5.10 in³	Volume	5.84 in³	Volume	6.09 in³
Weight	6.63 ounces	Weight	6.84 ounces	Weight	7.97 ounces

Screen Quality

Another large advantage of the Pros are their screens. The OLED screens used on the Pro line have both better black levels and get brighter than LED screens used on the iPhone 11. These screens are also brightest screens Apple has ever put on an iPhone which helps them be more visible in direct sunlight. The third advantage of these screens is they have the highest pixel density (458 pixels-per-inch vs. the iPhone 11's 326 pixels-per-inch) making text, images, and video as crisp as possible. All of this means pictures, video, any everything else will look will amazing! If you want the best screen available on an iPhone, get an iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max. If you want the biggest, get the Pro Max.

iPhone 11 Pro Max	iPhone 11 Pro	iPhone 11
2688 pixels × 1242 pixels	2436 pixels × 1125 pixels	1792 pixels × 828 pixels
3,338,496 pixels	2,740,500 pixels	1,483,776 pixels
458 pixels-per-inch	458 pixels-per-inch	326 pixels/inch

Battery

For the best battery life, no iPhone beats the iPhone 11 Pro Max. That difference in volume above is all mostly battery. The iPhone 11 Pros also use an OLED screen which is more energy efficient than the LCD used on the iPhone 11 which is why you see longer video playback on the iPhone 11 Pro than the iPhone 11.

iPhone 11 Pro Max		iPhone 11 Pro		iPhone 11
Video playback	Up to 20 hours	Video playback	Up to 18 hours	Video playback	Up to 17 hours
Video streaming	Up to 12 hours	Video streaming	Up to 11 hours	Video streaming	Up to 10 hours
Audio playback	Up to 80 hours	Audio playback	Up to 65 hours	Audio playback	Up to 65 hours

Storage

One last reason to consider the 11 Pro line is it has the largest storage option, 512 GB. The iPhone 11 can only be upgraded to 256GB. If you are going to be taking a lot of 4K video, downloading half of Netflix for an overseas flight, installing every app you could possibly want (like someone I know... 😬), or other storage intensive tasks, an iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max (with upgraded storage) is your best option.

TDLR

If you want the best iPhone, the best camera, the smallest phone, the most battery life, the best screen, or the most storage, get the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max. Otherwise, I think you'll be very happy with an iPhone 11 😊. If the current prices are too high, keep an eye out for deals this holiday season! Also, don't forget to upgrade the storage!

One important note about storage:

I do have one blanket suggestion that applies to Apple's entire iPhone lineup: the base storage configuration is likely not enough. I'm not convinced 64GB will allow a hassle free experience for the average user over the life of the phone. Photos, videos, apps, and games each seem to get larger every year. These phones all are capable of shooting 4K 60 fps (frames per second) video which eats storage for breakfast. Just 1 minute of video is about 700 MB (.7GB)! 64 GB (actual storage after OS and apps are loaded onto the phone will be lower) would be gone in about 90 minutes of recording. I recommend upgrading each model of phone to the next storage teir to help ensure a good experience.

The case against older iPhones: Your phone is a multiplier

Your phone is probably the most versatile thing you own. Sure, it receives calls, texts, emails, and video call in realtime from anywhere in the world, but we use our phones for so much more.

A phone is also a camera, gps, mp3 player, flashlight, notebook, timer, calculator, game boy, voice recorder, remote control, calendar, scanner, photo album, atlas, compass, phone book, newspaper, book, tutor, membership, credit card, store, cash register, parking-meter, instruction manual, authenticator, weather forecaster, and so much more.

Plus, bringing all of these capabilities into one device opens up even more possibilities.

Each of these uses is multiplied by the quality of phone you have in your pocket. If you have a older phone, it may be frustrating or impossible to use it basic things. If you have a great phone, some capabilities are likely better than many devices dedicated to the task, reducing the need to purchase additional tools and devices over the life of the phone.

I think it's also important to notice that if you buy an uncompromised phone, you will have a superior phone for its entire life and the phone's usable life will be longer than buying an older model. You'll have had a better camera this whole time, every single time you used the phone it will have been faster, every day your battery life will be longer than if you had the older phone in your pocket.

On average, Apple supports its phones with updates for about 5 years from the day they are released. This means that if you purchase a model that is a year or two older, Apple will stop updating it that much sooner. You'll be locked out of apps and features enabled by later updates and your satisfaction with the phone will diminish more quickly and a more recent device would. Purchasing a phone released 2 year ago means it will likely only receive 3 years of updates and the phone will last you only 3-4 years. This contrasts with purchasing a latest generation phone which will probably receive 5 years of support for the latest iOS and apps, reducing the feeling of needing to upgrade, plus you'll get to enjoy a flagship phone for much of that time! I expect a latest generation device to have ~5 1/2 years of comfortable usage.

If you can't afford a latest generation phone, consider waiting to upgraded until you are able to. Not only will investing in a latest generation phone make your experience be multiplied every time your use your phone over the life of the phone you'll be able to use the phone longer.

I hope you found this post helpful. Reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook if you have any questions!

Which iPhone should I get?