Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: Pros And Cons

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 13, 2019

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, which can be considered the successor to the iPhone XS Max. At the Apple event revealing the device, Phil Schiller pointed out that this is the first iPhone that the company called “Pro,” which means that this is a device for pros to use to get things done.

Are you thinking of buying an iPhone 11 Pro Max? Here are some of the iPhone 11 Pro Max pros and cons for you to consider before buying one.

Pro: Solid Design

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max both have an updated matte finish wrapped with a surgical-grade steel case thus making it durable and aesthetic at the same time.

Pro: Super Retina XDR

Apple has implemented a new display technology called Super Retina XDR into the iPhone 11 Pro, which provides a massive contrast ratio and improves HDR. The display is 15% more energy efficient thus providing better battery life (more on that below). And at 1200 nits peak brightness, it makes the iPhone 11 Pro display feel more immersive especially while playing games and watching videos.

Pro: Improved Front And Rear Cameras

The constant rumors about the iPhone 11 Pro having three cameras ended up being correct. Each of the cameras has 12-megapixel sensors. There is a 12-megapixel standard camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.4 aperture and 120-degree field of view, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. You can easily switch between the cameras by sliding your finger or tapping on the 1x button.

Pro: Portrait Mode Enhancements

Apple has added pet support on Portrait Mode. Plus a new Portrait Lighting feature called High Key Mono has been added.

Pro: Night Mode

The Night Mode feature takes long exposure photos automatically when in low lighting conditions. And it makes photos in the dark look even sharper. Adding this feature was essential for Apple since the Google Pixel line of devices has had a better reputation for the ability to take better photos at night.

Pro: Deep Fusion (Coming Soon)

Apple will soon be releasing a feature called Deep Fusion. The Deep Fusion feature uses machine learning to improve photos in low to medium light. It takes 9 images before you push the shutter button including 4 four short images and 4 secondary images. And when you push the shutter button, it takes one long exposure.

In one second, the neural engine analyzes the combination of long and short images and picks the best among them. And it selects all the pixels and goes pixel-by-pixel (going through 24 million pixels) to optimize for detail and low noise.

Pro: QuickTake

The iPhone 11 line of devices is gaining a feature called QuickTake. The QuickTake feature allows you to hold the shutter button to easily start recording without having to switch out of Photo mode.

Pro: Powerful Processor

Apple integrated the A13 Bionic chipset in the iPhone 11. The A13 is more power-efficient than the A12 so that it can provide a better battery life.

Pro: Upgraded Sound

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has spatial audio support built into the speakers and it has Dolby Atmos support. The spatial awareness feature is made possible with Apple’s newly designed U1 chip with Ultra-Wideband technology. This gives you a surround sound-like experience while you listen to music, watch videos, and play games.

Pro: 18W Charger

The iPhone 11 Pro Max supports fast charging capabilities so it can get up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes with the 18W adapter included in the box.

Pro: Improved Battery Life

The iPhone 11 Pro Max battery lasts up to 5 hours longer than the iPhone XS Max. And it gets up to 20 hours of battery life with video playback or 12 hours of battery life with streaming video playback. If it is just audio playback, then it can get up to 80 hours of battery life. Plus the iPhone 11 Pro Max supports fast charging capabilities so it can get up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes with the 18W adapter included in the box.

Con: Storage Starts At Just 64GB

The starting storage size of the iPhone 11 Pro is just 64GB. This could be a problem for those of you who store a lot of music, photos, and videos on your device. And the iPhone 11 Pro line of devices do not have a 128GB storage size option.

Con: Premium Price

The price of the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,099 for a device with 64GB storage. This is pretty high considering all the alternatives available at lower prices including the Apple lower-priced iPhone 11, Google Pixel 3 line, and Samsung’s latest flagships.

Con: Bigger Size Issues

One of the biggest issues with having a phablet-sized phone is that it may have a hard time fitting in your skinny jeans or wallet. Plus it can be difficult to use it while one-handed. I recommend that you try using the device at a local Apple Store before you buy one.

iPhone 11 Pro Max Specifications:

Colors: Gold, Space Gray, Silver, and Midnight Green

Display: 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display
– All-screen OLED Multi-Touch
– HDR display
– True Tone display
– P3 wide color display
– Haptic touch
– 800 nits max brightness
– Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Resolution: 2688 x 1242 resolution at 458 ppi (2,000,000:1 contrast ratio)

Processor: A13 Bionic with third-generation Neural Engine

Size: 6.22 inches (158.0mm) height x 3.06 inches (77.8mm) width x 0.32 inch (8.1mm) depth

Weight: 7.97 ounces (0.4981 lbs or 226 grams)

Storage Options: 64GB/256GB/512GB

IP Rating: IP68 (maximum depth of 4 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529

Rear Camera: Triple Camera: 12-megapixel ultra wide, wide, and telephoto camera
– Ultra-wide: f/2.4 aperture and 120-degree field of view
– Wide: f/1.8 aperture
– Telephoto: f/2.0 aperture
– 2x optical zoom in / 2x optical zoom out / digital zoom up to 10x
– Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
–  Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)
–  Dual optical image stabilization (Wide and Telephoto)
– Five‑element lens (Ultra Wide); six-element lens (Wide and Telephoto)
– Brighter True Tone flash with Slow Sync
– Panorama (up to 63-megapixel)
– 100% Focus Pixels (Wide)
– Night mode

Video Recording
– 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
– 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
– 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
– Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps
– Optical image stabilization for video (Wide and Telephoto)
– 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 6x
– QuıckTake video with subject tracking

Front Camera: 12-megapixel camera and f/2.2 aperture
– Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
– Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono)
– Animoji and Memoji
– 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
– 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
– Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
– Next-generation Smart HDR for photos
– Extended dynamic range for video at 30 fps
– Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
– Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
– Retina Flash
– Auto image stabilization
– Burst mode

Cellular and Wireless:
– Gigabit‑class LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA4
– 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO
– Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
– Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness
– NFC with reader mode
– Express Cards with power reserve

Power And Battery:
– Lasts up to 5 hours longer than the iPhone XS Max
– Video playback: Up to 20 hours / Video playback (streamed): Up to 12 hours
– Audio playback: Up to 80 hours
– Fast‑charge capable: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 18W adapter or higher (included in the box)
– Built-in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
– Wireless charging (works with Qi chargers),
– Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter

Price: MSRP of $1099 for 64GB storage, $1249 for 256GB, and $1449 for 512GB

Pulse 2.0 Score

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has received a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. It would have received a full five stars if the storage option was higher at the base price.

Read More On Pulse 2.0:

Apple iPhone 11: Pros And Cons
Apple iPhone 11 Pro: Pros And Cons
Google Pixel 3: Pros And Cons
Samsung Galaxy S10: Pros And Cons
Apple iPhone XR: Pros And Cons
Apple iPhone XS Max: Pros And Cons
Apple iPhone XS: Pros And Cons
iPad Pro 2 vs iPad Pro 3

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