Camera – The iPhone 11 camera is an excellent improvement in so many ways
As the camera is such a vital part of the new iPhone 11 series, and because its just so darn good, we’ve got a dedicated iPhone 11 camera review page featuring an extended, in-depth look at the duo of cameras on the back of this phone – along with a look at how it compares to two of our favourite competing Android phones.
The shorter verdict is that these new rear cameras are excellent. Even though the iPhone 11 is a lot more affordable than the Pro models, it retains exactly the same wide angle 12-megapixel optical image stabilised (OIS) main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and the same 12-megapixel ultra wide angle camera (f/2.4).
The only thing you’re missing out on is the telephoto, 2x ‘optical’ zoomed camera that sits on the Pro. I’d take ultra wide angle over zoomed any day, so it’s a fair trade in my eyes. When comparing photos from the Pro and 11 I can’t see any differences at all.
This ultra wide camera lets you cram so much more into your shots and it’s ideal for landscapes, however it’s a smaller sensor with a slower lens so it can’t match the main sensor for pure quality. Still, the versatility it adds is fun to shoot with and I have constantly been jumping to it when I think there’s an interesting shot available.
iPhone 11 (left) vs Pixel 3 (right) (drag the slider to compare the two photos)
It’s far from a new thing for phones to pack such a sensor, but it’s great to see Apple adding one here anyway. Apple has also added 4K60 video recording, made improvements to its Smart HDR feature that was introduced last time around and has finally built a Night mode into the camera app for much better shooting when the light is poor.
Snaps taken with the Night mode automatically enabled are, on the whole, fantastic. You get clean, crisp photo which matches – and can exceed – the Pixel 3 and P30 Pro. There seems to be more detail retained with the P30 Pro, but that’s something which is only hugely noticeable at larger sizes than a phone screen.