The latest episode of Connected was tons of fun, but there were two iPhones were I think there was one phone massively undervalued: the iPhone 11 Pro. Today I'm going to argue why I think this is the greatest modern iPhone, and one of the best the company has ever made.

The Everything Phone

Ultimately, my argument comes down to this being a great iPhone in many ways, and being one of the few generations of iPhones without a real downside. It checked all the boxes while adding on new things we didn't have before, and completely nailing them.

A Great Camera System

The three-camera layout we have today started in the 11 Pro, and it was an incredibly great camera system. The ultra-wide camera didn't auto-focus (that was 2 more years away), but it was a great addition to the phone that unleashed a new way to shoot on iPhones, even if it was possible on some Android phones before.

This is also the iPhone that brought us night mode, which is probably the most useful new camera feature since portrait mode.

And the selfie camera got upgraded from 7MP up to 12MP.

Finally, it's worth noting (as they did in the show) that this followed up the iPhone XS, which had the worst camera (relatively) in any iPhone I can remember. In most situations, I think iPhone 11 Pro photos are indistinguishable from those from the iPhone 13 Pro lineup.

Battery for Days

The iPhone 11 Pro line got massive bumps to battery life, with the smaller 11 Pro getting even more than the previous year's XS Max. The 11 Pro Max's battery shot it into the stratosphere.

We forget the iPhone 12 Pros got notably worse life than the 11 Pros, and the 13's got us back to where we were when the 11 Pro absolutely nailed it.

The Display

This was the first iPhone with a truly HDR display. This phone topped out at 1,200 nits compared to the XS's 625 nits.

Design

I know the edges were slippery, and I know many people prefer the flat sides of the 12 and 13 line, but I still think the 11 Pro was more comfortable in my hand than it's successors. The 12 and 13 Pro certainly look sharp, the problem is just that they're physically sharp as well, which has turned me into a case user for the first time ever. Yes, most people use cases, but this is my article, not most people's 😉

My Anger Level: 0

I'm in no way upset, I just wanted to give the iPhone 11 Pro some love because I think it's a great device.