𝟵𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗶𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟭 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮! 🇨🇦 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲!🔥

When you first hear the names of Apple's new iPhones -- the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max -- you may have some questions. Where's the iPhone X ($899 at Amazon)? And what makes the iPhone Pro... Pro? What happened to last year's XS and XS Max ($1,000 at Amazon)? This year's new phones are polished sequels (literally and figuratively) to the three we got last year. For some people the iPhone 11 just needs to be better than the XS. And it indeed is. But for others, it's nice to know where Apple stands in the larger landscape of phones. There are wild 5G speeds on the horizon, plus bizarre and expensive foldable phones like Samsung's Galaxy Fold. And then there's the more expensive $799 Google Pixel 4, which actually makes the $699 iPhone 11 look like an even better value.

Apple did a great job with new features, including some serious camera improvements like Night Mode for taking photos in dimly lit situations and Deep Fusion, a new way the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro to process photos taken in situations where the lighting is bright enough for you to see, but nothing like being outside on a sunny day. 

But there's a good reason why the company named its more expensive and fancier phones "Pro" this year: Price. Apple is smartly targeting the $699 (£729, AU$1,199) iPhone 11 as the phone for most people, in the same mold as the iPhone XR ($749 at Amazon) last year.

Essentially, the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are 85% the exact same phone. If you want a dedicated telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, different size options, a better screen and finish, you're going to pay 30% more. That is not to say the $999 iPhone 11 Pro and $1,099 11 Pro Max aren't great phones. It's just that the iPhone 11 is actually that good. And that is why Apple's "value" phone with its wonderful cameras, solid build (which survived CNET's drop and water tests) and iOS 13.2 earns the iPhone 11 a CNET Editors' Choice Award.

Editors' note, Nov. 6: Updated with results from CNET's battery tests, water tests and evaluation of Deep Fusion photo processing. The original review, published on Sept. 17, follows below.

Essentially, the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are 85% the exact same phone. If you want a dedicated telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, different size options, a better screen and finish, you're going to pay 30% more. That is not to say the $999 iPhone 11 Pro and $1,099 11 Pro Max aren't great phones. It's just that the iPhone 11 is actually that good. And that is why Apple's "value" phone with its wonderful cameras, solid build (which survived CNET's drop and water tests) and iOS 13.2 earns the iPhone 11 a CNET Editors' Choice Award.