The iPhone 11 Pro is an impressive smartphone which comes with an impressive triple-camera system and display. However, the $699 iPhone 11 will likely catch the attention of many people because of its lower price tag and the fact that it offers almost the same experience as the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro. So, what are the differences between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro?

What compromises have Apple had to make to reach the lower price tag of the iPhone 11? Is it worth spending the extra moolah towards the iPhone 11 Pro? Find out in our detailed comparison below.

iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Comparison: What Are the Differences?

Display

• iPhone 11 – 6.1-inch True Tone Liquid Retina HD LCD display, 1792 x 828 pixels (326 ppi), Haptic Touch
• iPhone 11 Pro – 5.8-inch True Tone OLED, 2436 x 1125 pixels (458 ppi), 82.9 percent screen-to-body ratio, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Haptic Touch, Retina Display XDR

The iPhone 11 comes with a bigger 6.1-inch display when compared to the 5.8-inch display of the iPhone 11 Pro. However, that’s the only advantage it has. In every other aspect, the iPhone 11 Pro’s Retina Display XDR is better — its a higher-resolution OLED panel with higher brightness levels, better viewing angles, supports a wider color gamut, better contrast ratio, and has HDR10 support.

The iPhone 11’s display simply does not hold a candle in front of the iPhone 11 Pro. The former has a great LCD panel, but it is still an LCD panel which cannot rival the iPhone 11 Pro’s OLED panel.

Design

• iPhone 11 – 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 194g, IP68 certified
• iPhone 11 Pro – 144 x 71.4 x 8.1mm and 188g, IP68 certified

While both phones are IP68 certified and feature the strongest glass ever in a smartphone, they are very different from each other in terms of design. While the iPhone 11 features an anodized aluminum chassis, the iPhone 11 Pro features a stainless steel chassis. This gives the latter a heft and premium feel which the iPhone 11 cannot match.

The iPhone 11 Pro also has a matte finish which should make it less slippery to hold than previous iPhones and the iPhone 11.

Despite both iPhones carrying IP68 certification, the iPhone 11 Pro has an advantage here as well. It is rated to survive at up to 4m depth of water for 30 minutes while the iPhone 11 is rated for depth of only up to 2m.

The iPhone 11 does have one advantage in the design department: it is available in six colors. The iPhone 11 Pro, on the other hand, is only available in four colors. However, I really like the iPhone 11 Pro’s new Midnight Green color and would prefer it over the bright and bold colors in which Apple offers the iPhone 11.

Processor

• iPhone 11 – A13 Bionic, 7nm+ EUV, Third-generation Neural engine
• iPhone 11 Pro – A13 Bionic, 7nm+ EUV, Third-generation Neural engine

This is an area where both phones are similar. The iPhone 11 makes several compromises to reach its lower $699 price tag. However, Apple realizes the importance of a powerful chip and ensures that the same A13 Bionic chip powers the iPhone 11 as the iPhone 11 Pro.

Storage

• iPhone 11 – 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
• iPhone 11 Pro– 64GB, 256GB, 512GB

Both phones start with 64GB of base storage. While this is acceptable on the iPhone 11, it is a bit of a shame to see the iPhone 11 Pro carrying the ‘pro’ moniker and ship with 64GB of base storage. Apple does offer the iPhone 11 Pro with a massive 512GB of storage space, but it charges a premium for it.

The iPhone 11 starts at 64GB and tops out at 256GB, with the middle 128GB variant offering the most value for money.

Camera

• iPhone 11 – Dual 12MP camera setup f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture, OIS for Primary sensor, 100% Focus Pixels for primary camera, Improved Smart HDR, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Brighter True Tone Flash
• iPhone 11 Pro – Triple 12MP camera setup f/1.8, f/2.0, and f/2.4 aperture, OIS for Primary and Telephoto sensor, 100% Focus Pixels for primary camera, Improved Smart HDR, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Brighter True Tone Flash

This is another area where the iPhone 11 Pro is better than the iPhone 11, however, the improvement might not matter to many people. While the iPhone 11 comes with a dual-camera system, the iPhone 11 Pro features a triple-camera system. Both phones feature a primary 12MP f/1.8 shooter along with a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle shooter. The iPhone 11 Pro packs a 12MP f/2.0 telephoto sensor as well which allows it to offer 2x optical zoom.

Barring the telephoto sensor, the camera experience on both devices is the same. They both feature improved Smart HDR, brighter True Tone flash, automatic Night mode in the Camera app, and more.

Front Camera

• iPhone 11 – 12MP TrueDepth Camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Smart HDR
• iPhone 11 Pro – 12MP TrueDepth Camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth control, Smart HDR

Both phones feature the same improved TrueDepth camera system which includes a new 12MP sensor. They are both capable of recording ‘slofies’ along with 4k videos at 60fps as well.

Connectivity

• iPhone 11 – 1.2Gbps LTE modem, VoLTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi 6 with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with Reader mode, Ultra-Wideband chip
• iPhone 11 Pro – Dual SIM/eSIM, 1.6Gbps Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, VoLTE, NFC with reader mode, Ultra Wideband chip

The iPhone XR last year did not ship with a Gigabit LTE modem which was a shame. This year, Apple is fixing that and including a Gigabit LTE modem on the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro. The latter can reach higher LTE download speeds but at least the iPhone 11 is also capable of delivering download speeds in excess of 1Gbps over LTE theoretically.

In all other connectivity aspects, both these devices are the same and even feature Apple’s new Ultra Wideband chip.

Biometrics

• iPhone 11 – Face ID
• iPhone 11 Pro – Face ID

The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro both feature improved Face ID. The new 12MP camera with a wider field of view means Face ID on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro works at wider angles.

Battery Life and Charging

• iPhone 11 Pro – Lasts up to 4 hours longer than iPhone XS, 18W USB-C charging brick
• iPhone 11 – Up to 1 hour longer than iPhone XR, 5W charging brick

The iPhone 11 Pro brings a massive jump in battery life when compared to the iPhone XS by offering up to 4 hours longer battery life. The iPhone 11 also lasts an hour longer than the iPhone XR which was already known for its battery life.

The iPhone 11 will likely still offer the best battery life on an iPhone but this time around, the gap between the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 won’t be as big as it was the last time around. Apple does claim the iPhone 11 Pro will offer longer video playback time than iPhone 11 but the latter should win in real-life use due to its more power-efficient LCD display.

The iPhone 11 Pro does have another advantage up its sleeve as well, it no longer ships with a 5W USB power adapter. Apple is finally getting around to bundling an 18W USB-C fast charger with the iPhone 11 Pro series. This means the handset will take only around 30 minutes to charge from 0-50%.

The iPhone 11 will continue to ship with a 5W USB-A adapter which means it will take its own sweet time to charge from 0-100%.

Price

• iPhone 11 Pro – Starts from $999
• iPhone 11 – Starts from $699

This is an area where the iPhone 11 trumps the iPhone 11 Pro in a big way. The iPhone 11 makes a number of compromises to reach its lower price tag of $699 which is what ultimately makes it more tempting than the iPhone 11 Pro.

The iPhone 11 Pro does have some advantages over the iPhone 11 but its notably higher price tag means that many people will end up having to reconsider their decision.

So between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro, which phone would you buy? Will it be the iPhone 11 due to its lower price? Or are you ready to spend extra towards the iPhone 11 Pro for its better display, design, and camera setup?