iPhone 11 Pro review – the Android-slaying superphone built for ultimate Apple fans

APPLE has launched its first "Pro" iPhone and it's an expensive powerhouse that gadget geeks will love.

I've spent a week testing out the iPhone 11 Pro – is it the Android-slaying Apple phone of your dreams?

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iPhone 11 Pro – what is it?

There have always been two types of iPhone buyers: people who want a new iPhone, and people who need the new iPhone.

But Apple has always struggled to arrange its iPhone range like that. Instead, for years "better" models were simply bigger.

We saw inklings of a solution last year, and now we finally have the answer. An iPhone, and an iPhone Pro.

The new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are turbo-charged versions of this year's formidable (and great value) iPhone 11.

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They cost a lot more, but they're also aimed at Apple super-fans and the gadget-savvy.

iPhone 11 Pro design – what's new?

Let's dive straight into the design.

Like all models since the iPhone 6, the iPhone Pro has a familiar curved-rectangle design.

It's a popular look across the industry, and it's tough as nails – both in terms of looks, but also literal toughness.

Apple claims the iPhone 11 Pro has the "toughest glass ever in a smartphone". And it's now water-resistant to depths of four metres for up to 30 minutes.

Cool, and genuinely useful given the starting price for this handset is £1,049. Damage isn't just costly any more – it's month-ruining.

The most obvious exterior change is the triple-camera set-up, which is squared off along with a flash on the phone's back.

According to the internet, opinion is split – as ever.

But I like it. It shows the technical chops of the camera plainly, and highlights the fact you've just forked out over a grand for a phone. Why buy a Lamborghini if it looks like a Ford from the outside?

The "iPhone" branding has been scrubbed from the back of the phone.

This is a little jarring at first, but it's classic Apple minimalism – and fits the brand well.

Plus who actually needs their iPhone to say "iPhone", when there's a huge Apple logo stamped across the back?

Lastly, there are four colours available, including Black, Silver and Gold.

The fourth colour is new and is named Midnight Green.

I've always been a sceptic of phones coloured anything other than black, but Midnight Green is surprisingly beautiful.

It's dark and matte, and looks really sophisticated. It also appears silvery or grey depending on the light.

In a surprise twist, Midnight Green is actually my colour of choice for the iPhone Pro. I can't believe it either.

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iPhone 11 Pro specs, features and price

Enough about the design. This phone is a Pro model, so it's all about performance.

One of the big enhancements this time around is the screen.

It's the first iPhone to feature Apple's new Super Retina XDR display.

I won't bore you with the details, but it's a premium OLED panel with tremendous colour accuracy.

And it boasts the highest brightness of any iPhone to date, topping out at a ludicrous 1,200 nits.

Everything looks stunning on this phone. In fact, it's probably going to make your TV look a bit rubbish – so prepare yourself for that bizarre realisation.

There are two sizes available. The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch panel, while the Pro Max has a 6.5-inch screen.

I think that a bigger screen is the better choice, but people with very small hands might want to avoid it. The Pro Max is very large, and won't suit everyone.

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Powering this mobile Ferrari is an A13 Bionic chip, which is roughly 20% faster than last year's iPhone processor.

It's a nippy beast that chews through over 1trillion operations per second. That's mind-boggling for a mobile chipset, and app makers will be clamouring to harness this newfound power.

But the iPhone has been fast for years, and 20% on top of hyper-speed is hard to grasp during use.

Instead, the biggest tangible improvement the chip brings is to battery life.

Apple has managed to eke out an additional four to five hours of usage per charge compared to the 2018 models.

That's phenomenal, and in my experience takes me through a hard day's use with no bother.

Gone are the days where you're desperately scrambling for a charger every four hours.

And even if that were the case, the iPhone 11 Pro is the first model to ship with an 18W fast-charger in the box. That means zero to 50% charge in around 30 minutes.

Face ID has improved slightly. Apple claims it's 30% faster, but it was already so fast I haven't really noticed a difference.

Perhaps more important is that more extreme unlocking angles are now supported.

It means accessing your phone while it's lying flat on a desk is much easier.

I can now unlock the phone with a very slight lean forward, rather than having to pick it up completely.

It's a big win for anyone with a sore back and a tired soul.

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The elephant in the room is 5G.

Apple's rivals have all doubled down on the tech, offering 5G-ready smartphones. Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus are all circling, hoping Apple has misstepped and underestimated 5G.

But 5G is still teething, with limited UK coverage and download speeds that will take years to ramp up to their maximum.

That's why it's no bad thing that the iPhone 11 Pro is missing on 5G.

However, you might start to feel left out in three or four years' time.

So if you're planning to hold on to this phone for longer than that (it's a £1,049 phone, after all), it might be worth waiting to upgrade in 2020 – a 5G iPhone is much likelier then.

The iPhone 11 Pro comes equipped with Apple's new iOS 13 software.

It's available for older smartphones too, so even if you're not upgrading, this section is still worth a read.

My favourite addition to iOS 13 is Dark Mode, which re-skins the entire user interface to a black theme.

It means using your iPhone at night (or more useful for me, in the morning) is far easier on the eyes.

There's also a new Sign In with Apple button that will soon appear on web-pages, giving you a safer alternative to Sign In with Facebook.

And the Maps app has been redesigned to look and work better than before.

Finally, Apple has improved the volume slider so it's off to the side of the phone, and appears as a thin strip. It's a welcome change from the bulky volume square that previously blocked the middle of your screen.

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iPhone 11 Pro camera – the super snapper you've always dreamt of

Without a doubt, the camera is the main reason to upgrade to an iPhone 11 Pro.

It's miles ahead of even last year's iPhone XS, and easily goes toe-to-toe with costly Android rivals from Samsung and Huawei.

Much of the advancement comes from the triple-camera arrangement.

You now have Wide, Ultra-Wide and Telephoto cameras built in to the phone.

It gives you so much more choice when snapping photos: Ultra-Wide is particularly impressive, letting you cram four times as much scene into a single shot.

Some of my favourite shots on the iPhone 11 Pro have been taken with the Ultra-Wide lens.

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There is some frustrating curvature if you try to snap very large scenes (like a distant horizon) using Ultra-Wide mode. But you can always switch to Pano mode as an alternative.

There's also plenty of computation going on in the background to improve the quality of your images.

Every time you hit the shutter button, multiple images are taken at different exposures. These snaps can then be combined to create a perfect image.

This is the sort of camera that makes you a decent photographer, whether you've got any skill or not.

It's easier than ever to take a great shot – even in difficult circumstances.

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For example, the new Night Mode captures impressively well-lit photos in dark environments.

In fact I took one photo in a kitchen with all the lights turned off, and it looked like a bright scene thanks to Night Mode.

The iPhone also knows when it's sitting on a tripod, and offers even longer Night Mode exposure. You can see the spectacular results in the image of the plant above.

The detail captured in extreme low-light is astonishing.

Importantly, the photos look brighter without losing the "dark" essence of low-light shots. You get more visible detail without sacrificing the scene's ambience.

It requires a relatively steady hand and can sometimes over-smooth images. But the result is generally exceptional.

Importantly, you can always switch it off or use flash instead – it's an optional feature you can take or leave. Take it.

Portrait Mode also now works on both the Wide and Telephoto lenses. On the iPhone XS, only the latter lens worked.

So now you can get wide-angle Portrait Mode shots, keeping the subject in sharp focus while blurring the background. It's great, and I think it looks even better than Telephoto Portrait Shots.

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Video is better now too. Each camera can record 4K video, with extended dynamic range and "cinematic" video stabilisation.

This includes the Ultra-Wide camera, which is great for landscape video capture.

And the new QuickTake mode lets you recorded video without switching from photo mode. Simply hold the shutter down, just like Snapchat.

iPhone 11 Pro review verdict – should you buy it?

This is the best smartphone I've ever used, bar none.

It was hard to fault last year's model. Now with a few tweaks, the iPhone 11 Pro is your old phone on steroids.

Every inch of this gadget is built for extreme performance.

The processor is class-leading, the camera is phenomenal every time you hit the shutter button, and the design feels both fresh and iconic.

It's also a loaded spring, ready to pop with more Apple tricks. App makers are tapping it to increased processing power as we speak. And the camera will soon be improved with Deep Fusion technology, via an update.

It's not without fault: £1,049 is a high price to ask people to pay for something you'll keep for just a few years.

But this is a "Pro" model and isn't aimed at your mum. Unless she's a gadget nut.

This is the MacBook Pro or iPad Pro of the iPhone. It's a tool to get proper smartphone work done, and it's a bold statement for dedicated Apple fans who want to show off their kit.

It feels like we've been building up to this moment for years.

Innovation across the industry is stalling, and every minor change is about inching closer and closer to perfection.

This is about as good as a smartphone can realistically get (1) without costing ludicrous amounts of money, and (2) before 5G internet goes mainstream.

It's not miles better than last year's iPhone XS. But how many people are upgrading every year?

If you're using an iPhone 8, getting a hold of this handset will feel like stepping in to the future.

Sure it costs loads, but it's aimed at people who want to spend big for the very best smartphones have to offer. And if you really love gadgets, you won't be disappointed.

The Sun says: The iPhone 11 Pro is the super-charged smartphone Apple fans have dreamt of for years. It's a classy, high-spec mobile that makes hard jobs look easy – and does everything with style. If James Bond were a phone... ★★★★★

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Thinking about buying a new blower? Check out our simple guide to the iPhone Upgrade Program.

Already got an iPhone? Check out the best iPhone apps here.

And here are 10 easy tips to boost your phone's battery life.

Will you be upgrading to the iPhone 11 Pro? Let us know in the comments!

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