iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Hands-On: Much-Improved Cameras Within Unsightly Bump

Apple today introduced the new iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max at Steve Jobs Theater. The media had the chance to go hands-on with the devices after the keynote and have shared photos and first impressions.

iphone 11 pro hands on 1

‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro via SlashGear

First Impressions

Most of the first impressions focused on the camera upgrades and slightly tweaked design of each new ‌iPhone‌.

The Verge's Dieter Bohn said he prefers the matte finish and seamless camera bump of the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro:

From the outside, the phones look and feel slightly better than the iPhone XS, though quite a lot of that is the matte finish on the back, which I really prefer — though sometimes matte glass can be more slippy than glossy. Apple says the glass is more durable, and I really do like how it is one piece, with no seam on the camera bump.

So let's talk about the camera bump: it's big. But Apple has designed the lenses on it in such a way that it isn't trying to hide the giant square on the back. I don't love it, but everybody uses a case anyway, so that will help.

SlashGear's Chris Davies was not a big fan of the camera bump, but he does understand why it was designed the way it was:

I have to confess, I wasn’t feeling Apple’s big square camera array when I saw the leaked images and renders. Even now, I’m not 100-percent a fan, particularly when you look at the iPhone 11 Pro next to the iPhone XS Max.

Still, it’s easier to accept the aesthetic necessities when it’s constructed so expertly. Had the camera bulge been grafted on, it would’ve felt clumsy; by growing it out of the glass as a whole, it’s not necessarily pretty but it does feel intentional. Combined with the easier grip of the new texture, it feels far more changed than it looks.

TechRadar's Gareth Beavis on the lower-end ‌iPhone‌ 11's cameras:

But enough about how this bump looks - what does it actually do? Well, two sensors live in there, both 12MP. However, this time around it's the standard lens plus an ultra-wide angle lens, enabling you to pull back to see more of a scene, with an instant visual suggestion to do so. […]

The quality of the images we took was impressive, although we couldn't test the camera hard in low-light settings, which is a real test for today's high-end smartphones. Apple is touting the night mode versions, and the test options they had for us to see looked good indeed.

The front-facing camera has been improved too, with the sensor being upgraded to 12MP to facilitate wider-angle pics when you rotate the phone landscape, as well as being able to shoot slow motion selfies as well (which Apple is infuriatingly calling Slofies).

Photos

iphone 11 pro hands on 2
iphone 11 pro hands on 3
iphone 11 pro hands on 4
iphone 11 pro hands on 5

‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ via SlashGear

iphone 11 hands on 1
iphone 11 hands on 2
‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ via The Verge

Videos



MacRumors will have our own hands-on video of the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro in the days ahead and in-depth coverage of the new devices.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

'New' iPhone SE Product Listing Appears on French Website

Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real. The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
M4 Mac mini Apple Video

Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

Thursday February 13, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum. In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs. The issue is...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone 17 in New Sizes This Year: What to Know

Thursday February 13, 2025 2:45 am PST by
Last year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and this year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
Apple Ad on X

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

Wednesday February 12, 2025 2:18 pm PST by
Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk. For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has a...

Top Rated Comments

InVinoVeritasty Avatar
71 months ago
I've always been a big Norelco fan
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zubikov Avatar
71 months ago
We all need to accept that they stopped trying and move on with our lives.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
71 months ago
Unsightly certainly is the word. It does look like somebody’s welded something to the back of the phone. The X camera was an acquired taste but extremely understated in comparison.

I’m not fond of the smartphone camera war as it wields these products which I really don’t think will age well.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobbesInVA Avatar
71 months ago
The camera bump makes the phone ugly. That is the ugliest design I can remember seeing from Apple. It makes the X and XS look even better.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frosty18 Avatar
71 months ago
It looks better than it did in the leaks imo
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xxray Avatar
71 months ago
I started getting used to the new camera bump, then I saw the picture of the new 11 Pro Max next to the XS Max camera bump. Wow, the new iPhones are really ugly.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)