The Ultra-Wide Camera Lens

Now, Apple spent a lot of time onstage talking about the new camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro, and this is easily its most significant feature.

The biggest reason you would upgrade to the most expensive high-end iPhone is because of the camera system. There are now three lenses found on the iPhone 11 Pro. There are the same two lenses from last year, the telephoto and the regular lens. But, they’ve added an ultra wide-angle lens, which opens up some incredible possibilities when shooting photos or videos.

Now for me, the wide-angle lens has been the best new feature on the iPhone. I’ve used it consistently in the last month, taking plenty of pictures of my kid as well as taking videos with a more grand look to them.

Night Mode Is a Game-Changer

Now the other major upgrade that Apple added to the camera this year was Night Mode. Previously, Apple was a bit behind with Night Mode, because just about every other smartphone manufacturer had already put out some variation of Night Mode (and some of them are really good).

The Google Pixel has been the leader in Night Mode photography. However, as Apple has historically done, they may not be first to market, but they generally do it the best. And I think Apple has truly knocked Night Mode out of the park.

The Pixel’s photos can come out looking really good sometimes, but they’re often over-processed, they don’t typically look like “night” shots. Apple takes a more natural approach. The shots that are taken using Night Mode still look like they were taken at nighttime, but they have so much more detail and drama now than you would’ve gotten taking a night shot last year on a previous phone.

Battery Life Has Actually Improved (A Lot)

Now generally, the battery life on the new iPhone is not something that you would put at the top of the list of best new features, but this year’s different. Apple usually maintains the same battery life or maybe an extra half hour or hour of battery life. This year Apple is claiming four to five extra hours of battery life on the Pro models, which is phenomenal.

Four to five hours of battery is a massive deal, and it’s a huge upgrade. And if you’re on an iPhone XS, or if you’re on an iPhone X, the battery life may be one of the biggest reasons for you to upgrade. 

It’s More Durable

Now the next big feature for me has been durability. All iPhones have had various levels of waterproofing since the iPhone 7. But again, Apple has improved this a lot this year.

Apple says the iPhone 11 Pro can stay underwater in a meter of depth for about a half-hour, but there’s been a lot of tests done, and many videos on the internet showing people leaving their iPhone in much deeper water for a much longer period (and it still works great). Increased durability is important because I’m certainly not the most careful person with my phone.

Apple claims that the screen is more durable this year, as it features Gorilla Glass 6, which hopefully will keep it from getting scratched as easily as previous models.

Midnight Green

This may sound silly, but the final, best new feature of the iPhone 11 Pro is its new color and the unique texture on the back. Many people will upgrade their iPhone just to get a new color. That happens all of the time. And to be honest, some of the colors on the regular iPhone 11 model I’m a little jealous of, but having a new option to go with on the Pro model is fantastic, and I’m loving this Midnight Green color.