Now that the iPhone 11 Pro is out, many iPhone X owners are wondering if they should upgrade to it or not. If you are in a similar dilemma, read our decision calculator which should help you make this decision.
The iPhone X will soon reach its two year anniversary. The phone managed to wow a lot of people when it first hit the market but the rapid development in the smartphone world means the iPhone X is barely adequate in many departments. In comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro brings a lot of new features to the table and its a massive upgrade over the iPhone X in many areas. So should you upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro from the iPhone X? Read below.
iPhone X to iPhone 11 Pro – Upgrade or Not?
Display & Design
The iPhone X’s OLED display was crowned as having the best display in a smartphone in 2017. Just two years later, Apple is raising the bar once again with the iPhone 11 Pro’s new Super Retina XDR display. While the display size and resolution remain the same, the panel now features higher brightness levels, better contrast ratio, and more.
Despite these improvements though, one cannot ignore the fact that the iPhone X’s display is still more than good enough for daily use. Plus, it also has 3D Touch which Apple has replaced with Haptic Touch on the iPhone 11 Pro.
The iPhone 11 Pro does come with certain design improvements including the use of durable glass and improved water-resistance. While these things are nice to have, they are not big enough to make you upgrade from the iPhone X to the iPhone 11 Pro, especially since the former is also water-resistant.
Camera
The iPhone X’s dual-camera system can capture some pretty good shots in daylight. However, it tends to struggle in low-light scenarios which is what Apple has addressed with the iPhone 11 Pro this time around. The triple-camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro not only offers a higher degree of flexibility, but it is also able to capture better photos.
The iPhone 11 Pro also captures better looking videos than the iPhone X and while the jump in dynamic range and stabilization are noticeable, they are not massive per se.
The camera improvements brought about by the iPhone 11 Pro will definitely look attractive to many people right now. However, unless you click a lot of photos from your iPhone X, I will say it is better to hold out for another year and upgrade to the 2020 iPhone.
Performance
The iPhone X ships with an A11 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 11 Pro has the A13 Bionic inside it. The latter is not only more powerful but it is also more power-efficient.
However, despite its age, the iPhone X does not show any performance issues or struggle with heavy apps and games. It is more than capable of running games like PUBG and Fortnite at full settings albeit only at 30fps.
Until and unless you are doing something extremely heavy that brings the iPhone X’s A11 Bionic chip to its knees, there really is no reason to upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro from a performance viewpoint. With iOS 12 and iOS 13, Apple has also taken care to ensure that its older devices do not slow down as they age and that shows with the iPhone X holding up very well two years after its release.
The iPhone 11 Pro also ships with more RAM than the iPhone X which means it will have better multitasking performance than the latter. This might be a big deal for power users who frequently switch between apps on their iPhone.
Connectivity
The iPhone 11 Pro brings a lot to the table in terms of connectivity. It features a 1.6Gbps Gigabit LTE modem, faster Wi-Fi 6 support, Bluetooth 5.0, and even has Apple’s new Ultra Wideband chip. The iPhone X, in comparison, does not even have a Gigabit modem.
The faster LTE modem makes a massive difference in daily use, though it might not seem like much on the specs page. Apple’s new Ultra Wideband chip is also going to be extremely handy once Apple unveils Apple Tags. Plus, the chip is also used on the iPhone 11 Pro to offer a unique and enhanced AirDrop experience.
Battery Life
The iPhone 11 Pro offers up to four hours longer battery life than the iPhone XS which had almost the same battery life as the iPhone X. More than performance and camera, most users are likely frustrated with the battery life of their iPhone X.
If you are in the same boat, what you can do is buy a fast charger for your iPhone X. This will not improve the battery life of your phone but it will drastically reduce the time taken to charge it. And that’s equally important as well. Plus, you can also place wireless chargers strategically — on your office desk and bedside table — to regularly top off your iPhone X’s battery when you are working or sleeping.
Price
The iPhone 11 Pro carries the same starting price as the iPhone X when it first launched: $999. That makes it a very expensive phone. Given one purchased the iPhone X by paying $1000+ just two years ago, I don’t feel the jump to the iPhone 11 Pro is justified in any way.
Starting with the iPhone X series, I believe that one must look into upgrading their iPhone once every three years for the best value and gains. The yearly improvements are simply not big enough now to warrant an upgrade and the two-year upgrade cycle does not bring about enough new features to justify the price.
The 2020 iPhones are going to come in new display sizes, feature 5G, and a new design language which I feel will be big enough to justify an upgrade for an iPhone X user.
So, what have you decided after reading your decision calculator? Will you upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro from your iPhone X? Or will you wait for the 2020 iPhones to launch with 5G?
