iPhone 11 One Year Later - Better than the iPhone 12?? By JSL Review

What is going on everyone Jason here, and today we're taking a long-term look at one of the most popular smartphones that was released in 2019, the beloved iPhone 11. Now this device in particular caught my attention again, because in a recent article that showcased, which phone got the most activations over the Christmas holiday, guess who came in an overwhelming first place, that's right, not the new iPhone, 12 or the 12 pro, but the ever crowd, favorite, iPhone 11. And at first I was a bit surprised by that. Considering the hype around the iPhone 12's new design and upgrades, I would have thought that the new model would have taken the top spot this holiday season, but it didn't take too long for this to make a ton of sense. The iPhone 11 was hands down one of the best phones last year that is still extremely capable today and with apple dropping the price to 5.99. It's really no surprise that it continues to be the king amongst most consumers.

So today I thought I'd do a one-year later review of the iPhone 11, especially as it compares to the new iPhone 12 to ultimately determine if this is the phone you should be going for in 2021. Now, before we jump into this review, if you're new here, I'm basically the guy who tests out the newest and most popular tech out there before you buy them to make sure that you're informed and don't make any purchasing mistakes. That said, would really appreciate it. If you give this video a thumbs up, it really helps me out and of course, if you want to stay up to date with all the coolest tech devices and toys make sure to subscribe to the channel, so you don't miss out on anything now. The physical design of the iPhone 11 is something that went over very well with prospective buyers it uses the same high-end, build materials apple is known for and though it's familiar from previous iterations, it's no doubt still high quality.

The glass on glass with the aluminum frame, makes the phone feel great in the hand, and apple's execution of the collar seemed to have been better with this version, especially with the product red. Now, a major draw to the 11 when it was first released, was the size it was bigger than the iPhone 11 Pro but smaller than the huge iPhone 11 Pro max. Finding that sweet spot in the middle for optimal content consumption, as well as good ergonomics with the new iPhone 12 apple, decided to shrink down the dimensions of the phone and flatten out the frame. Personally, I like the look and the feel better on the 12. The more compact form factor makes it easier to hold in one hand, and it offers more of a refined and polished look but outside those minor cosmetic modifications.

The physical design of the iPhone, 11 and 12 are still very close. Both are built to super high standards of quality. They both have IP dust and water resistance, certifications. They have the same. I o and wireless charging capabilities and both are stunning to look at now.

Yes, the iPhone 12 does have additional features like MagSafe compatibility, ceramic shield, protections on the front display and a better IP certification, but I wouldn't characterize any of these things as core differentiators and honestly, most won't even notice the differences in day-to-day use. Now the major drawback to the phone, though something that many deemed unignorable, was the iPhone 11's display. The 6.1 inch liquid retina screen sounds high-tech by name only as the LCD panel in question has a sub 1080p resolution, a far cry from what virtually every other phone manufacturer was bringing to the table at that time, and I've always been one to say that the specs here, despite it being underwhelming to say the least, is kind of inconsequential when it comes to user experience. The iPhone 11's display continues to be one that performs well enough to where most people won't notice or care about a better resolution. Everything still comes out.

Sharp HD video content is still enjoyable to consume, and it's great for day-to-day use. Now, I'm not going to defend it by saying it's one of the best displays out there, but honestly it's going to be totally fine for most people. That said, this is one area where the iPhone 12, in my opinion, really stepped up. The newer iPhone is equipped with a super retina Dr display and, unlike its predecessor, the name actually aligns to modern tech specifications. It's an OLED panel that's way sharper gives you significantly better contrast and can take advantage of features like HDR plus from a design standpoint, even though the dimensions of the 12 are indeed smaller.

The display maintains its 6.1 inch size with its reduced bezels, making for a more immersive viewing experience to me, the greatest advantage of going with the iPhone 12 over the 11 is going to be the upgraded display and in many ways, fixes the major concern that many people have about the older phone, even if it is kind of overblown and outside physical design and display the iPhone 11 and 12 are pretty similar. The 11 has apple's a13 bionic processor. It may not be the most up-to-date chip that the new 12 has, but it's still no doubt an absolute powerhouse that will comfortably provide users with years of lab-free performance. One year later, everything is still buttery smooth, even with the latest software updates. I would also say that the overall battery performance is just as good, if not better, on the iPhone 11 when benched against the 12 kind of makes sense, as it does have a physically larger battery, and it may not be as power hungry with the lower resolution display, but I'm still getting comfortably around seven to seven and a half hours of screen on time, which is pretty solid, that the iPhone 12 does support 5g connectivity, which the 11 does not.

It really doesn't mean much for the here and now, if you're in the US, as the 5g network, is still a work in progress. But it's something to keep in mind if you're looking for a more future-proof device. But I would say when it comes to the most important area of performance, the iPhone 11's cameras. Again, it has far more similarities to the iPhone 12 than it does differences. You get the same dual camera setup with the primary wide angle and ultra-wide with the same 12 megapixel sensors.

The iPhone 11 can also take advantage of apple's advanced computational photography features like next generation, smart HDR and diffusion, and the image quality here is still class, leading going into 2021 pictures, come out sharp saturated and have some of the best dynamic range compared to its competitors, even when directly benched against the newer iPhone 12, the images are extremely close in quality. I don't see anything here that, I would say, significantly swings my preference over to the 12, which is great to see now when it comes to video shooting capability. Video footage is also going to be quite comparable between the iPhone 11 and the 12. But a notable difference here is that the 12 can shoot.4K video in Dolby Vision, HDR a much more powerful codec now shooting in Dolby Vision in the majority of cases is not going to provide a night and day difference when compared to 4k footage coming out of the 11. In fact, in many ways the 12's footage can seem a bit flat because the codec is more calibrated for it to be edited in post plus, if you don't have a phone or TV that supports Dolby Vision, you're, really not going to be able to see all that.

It has to offer all this to say that the video coming out of the iPhone 11 is still fantastic, far ahead of the non-iphone competition and even though you may be afforded the opportunity to take advantage of some unique video features on the 12. Again, I wouldn't say it's anything: that's a total game changer. So, at the end of the day, when you really break it down, the iPhone 11 still packs a pretty solid punch in terms of capability and when you factor in the reduced price tag of 599, there's a strong argument to be made that it's the best value iPhone available right now. It may not have apple's newer, more fine design or some of the latest bells and whistles, but it's still a beautiful device that continues to draw a lot of interest, and it's really proven itself as a reliable pleasing device. So it really shouldn't be too surprising that the iPhone 11 continues to be a major player in 2021, even though it's not the newest smartphone out there.

Okay, that's about it, for this review, don't forget to leave me a thumbs up if you guys found it useful again, I'd really appreciate it check out these reviews of the iPhone 12 and the 12 mini if you're looking for more. Let me know what your thoughts are below, and I'll see you guys in the next one you.

Source : JSL Review