The iPhone 11 - Why It Is Still A Smart Choice

The iPhone 11 is obviously not the first iPhone to come to mind when anyone says "Apple". Usually, the first product that comes into play would either be the latest iPhones from Apple for the current year or the Pro series, however, despite the growing popularity of the more popular iPhones, the iPhone 11 still stands out boldly in 2024.

This article talks about my experience regarding this particular smartphone and I will be sighting some talking points as to why it matters, why you should and shouldn't consider it and if it is worth buying in 2024.

The iPhone 11 - In The Beginning,

Back in 2019 of September, Apple launched the iPhone 11, if you check social media be it Twitter (at the time), Instagram, Facebook, most of the comments of every follower of consumer tech in the market said the exact same thing (or at least similar) "It was just a refresh of the highly popular iPhone XR". This statement is actually true to a certain extent but it goes a bit deeper than just that.

The iPhone XR was arguably one of the most cheapest and affordable iPhones released by Apple overseas, in the Philippines, this was sold at a staggering 50,990 pesos for the base model and would actually go up to around the 60, 000 peso mark if you chose to go the installment route. The Xr was quite the popular iPhone simply because of 4 characteristics

• It came with 6 different color variants, which was reminiscent of the iPhone 5C that was released years ago
• A 2,942 mAh battery which in Apple world was relatively big and can last 1-2 days on a single charge, 3 on standby
• A 6.1 " Liquid Retina Display (LCD) but didn't look like an LCD panel
• A form factor that felt like the original iPhone 6s that everybody loved and adored so much

In a nutshell, the iPhone Xr was the perfect go-to iPhone for anyone who was in the market for a new iPhone but didn't want to pay the premium fee for Apple's flagship devices which was the Xs and the Xs Max.

The iPhone 11 took center stage giving consumers a refresh of that much loved Xr by incorporating a few upgrades while keeping the same formula on what the Xr brought to the table and this are as follows:

• A relatively more affordable price tag starting at 47, 990 pesos for the base model
• A bigger battery at 3,110 mAh in contrast to the iPhone Xr's battery which was only at 2, 942 mAh
• A Dual camera configuration giving consumers a primary and an ultra wide lens for versatility
• An upgraded front facing camera to 12 MP

There are a few more upgrades such as the A13 bionic chip (which is expected), support for Wi-Fi 6 and a refresh of color options giving consumers the ability to choose their preferred color variant depending on their taste and so on.

In a nutshell, the upgrades acquired from the iPhone 11 from the Xr are basically what most consumers would need plus the lowered price tag which from Apple's perspective capitalizing on the popularity from the iPhone Xr. 

It is by far a win/win situation as consumers instantly flocked to every Apple store to acquire the upgrade and for most consumers in the market, this still holds true to this very day.

There were even reports stating that a huge number of Android users had migrated or traded-in their Android devices for an iPhone simply because of what iPhone brings to the table and how much value has been wasted on Android when most consumers are just looking for a device that just works and is dependable without the flashy glittery candy coated designs of what most Android devices come with.

Fun Fact - I was one of the first!

If you've ever seen those grand launch events from any smartphone brand where they celebrate some random individual to being the "first" consumers to buy a certain product, well this happened to me too, but not officially. The iPhone 11 was officially announced globally on September of 2019, if you live in the Philippines, usually these new iPhones would hit the shelf by the following month (October) which would also have their own launch events.

I was already due for an upgrade and because having to wait an extra month wasn't really my style, I opted to purchase the new iPhone 11 overseas, hence being "one of the first" to use an iPhone 11 in the Philippines back in 2019.

I actually remember a time where I completely forgot about the idea and went to random stores looking for a case, and most of the store attendants were confused with the model that I was using at the time, to which I would then realized the "Oh S#!T" moment since the iPhone 11 has not been officially launched in the Philippines yet, but the feeling was indeed great.

The iPhone 11 - The Now

Fast forward to 2024, one amazing thing that I have not seen in a long time is the fact that Apple decided to have the iPhone 11 be left available for purchase brand new. Although not all colors are available, consumers are still able to at least choose between white or black, and with storage configurations limited to 64 Gigabytes or 128 Gigabytes.

The reason why this is rather interesting is, for one iPhones usually get about 5 years of software updates or the next iteration of iOS and a few years extra for security updates. If you count the years from when the iPhone 11 was released, 2024 would be marked as the 5th year for the iPhone 11. 

In Apple world, most often than not, older iPhones get removed as soon as the next new iPhone is released, however, this changed after the iPhone 11. If you actually go to any Apple authorized reseller stores, at least the popular ones like Power Mac Center, you'd be surprised that they're still selling the iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, and in some cases the plus counter parts too.

What's really interesting is amongst all the previous models, the iPhone 11 has garnered a massive discount wherein it is currently being sold for only 19,990 pesos for the 64 Gigabyte variant and around 24,990 for the 128 Gigabyte variant. 

Understandably, this is already a given considering it has been 4-5 years since it's release in the Philippines, originally at 47,990 to now at only 19,990, plus the fact that it is brand new, that is really impressive.

Pros & Cons

Generally when we talk about the pros and cons for a product, this usually applies more common to the newer products, simply because the newer products are a gamble for most people considering the price tag, or perhaps no resources are available online that talks about the said product. However, with the iPhone 11, it has been talked about a lot, video reviews are abundant and posted on social media, it is virtually everywhere from the good the bad and the ugly.

This time around, I'll be mentioning the pros and cons of what really matters in my professional opinion for the general consumer, starting with the pros:

• Very affordable starting at 19,990 for the base model, 24,990 for the 128 GB model
• It has an A13 Bionic chip which is considered a flagship chip at launch and still performs just as good in 2024
• It can run 99% of all applications found in the App store, even demanding games from MOBA to FPS and so on
• Camera optics are great, can shoot 4k videos, image processing is excellent
• Battery Life is superb despite having a below 5,000 mAh battery
• Build quality is superb, very much durable and if you slap on a case it'll be a lot more enduring
• IP 68 water and dust resistant - If you live in the Philippines, this is important

Now let's talk about the cons:

• Can feel a bit slow compared to newer iPhones when launching games
• No 5G Connectivity
• No MagSafe

Not exactly a lot of cons but I will be expounding on those to shed some clarity on this subject.

No 5G Connectivity - Although 5G is being widely being promoted on social media in the Philippines, it is quite rare for me to actually experience 5G speeds regardless of what smartphone I am using, be it a flagship or an entry level device that supports 5G. There would be instances that I would a surge of speeds, but it isn't exactly sustained for long.

That being said, this isn't a major factor for me, it is "future proofing" to have, but I wouldn't say it is a major con, especially if you have access to Wi-Fi. If you're on the commute, checking out social media or binge watching on Netflix, LTE connectivity can already do those things with ease so again, not a major deal breaker.

No Magsafe - Since 2021 to the present, I've used an iPhone 12, 13, 14 Pro, 15, 15 Pro, and a 15 Plus, all of which has MagSafe, and although I do use cases that is MagSafe compatibility at times, I personally don't use MagSafe that often. I still use the traditional wired charging simply because it is still more efficient. You still get to use Qi Wireless charging, but MagSafe isn't an important factor in my opinion.

The iPhone 11 - Why It Is Still A Smart Choice

The reason why I think the iPhone 11 is a smart choice in 2024 for most consumers is pretty simple and straight forward, it still performs just as good as any current iPhone model in the market giving consumers the same user interface experience as you'd get on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. This can also be an opening to any long time Android user who is curious about iOS or just how an iPhone operates as a daily driver without spending a big chunk of money, basically to get your feet wet and see if it is worth it or not.

Given that 2024 might be the last year the iPhone 11 gets a major update (iOS 18), the iPhone 11 will be what I would call a "Golden state". The reason behind the " Golden State " is that, after the last update, this smartphone will still run and operate for the next 2-3 years without having the need of waiting for a bug fix or patch to fix something, it'll be operational as is unlike the older models like the Xr, or the X that has officially been removed from the list.

Obviously, there will be some differences if you compare the iPhone 11 to the 12, 13, 14, and so on, but these are mostly just incremental upgrades that may or may not really matter to you as a consumer.

The Verdict

As a long time iPhone user (with having to use Android on the side every now and then), if there's anything I can say about this journey so far is that, Apple has been impressive in making sure that whatever an iPhone 11 user experiences, will be the same thing what an iPhone 15 Pro Max user is experiencing the same, or if not, at least close.

This is actually important simply because, the upgrades that you as a consumer pay for, is actually something that you would be leaning towards getting. This basically means, even if you don't upgrade every year to the newest iPhone, the experience will still be the same. There will be some slight changes on how certain features operate on newer iPhones, but in a general sense, the experience is left unchanged.

Feel free to check out my review video and don't forget to subscribe for future consumer tech reviews on the channel.