If you’re an Apple fan, read on. We’ll be running through the best iPhones you could use, making note if they’re worth your money or not.
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Before we dive in, let’s run through the phone’s specs.
| Phone | RAM (GB) | Weight (G) | Processor | Screen Size (Inches) | Camera (Rear) | Camera (Front) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 8 | 64 (2 GB RAM), 256 (2 GB RAM) |
148 | A11 Chip | 4.7 | 12 MP, f/1.8 28mm (wide) | 7 MP, f/2.2 |
| iPhone 8 Plus | 64 (3 GB RAM), 256 (3 GB RAM) |
202 | A11 Chip | 5.5 | 12 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 57mm (telephoto), PDAF, 2x optical zoom |
7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) |
| iPhone XR | 64 (3 GB RAM), 128 (3 GB RAM) , 256 (3 GB RAM) |
194 | A12 Chip | 6.1 | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS | 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) |
| iPhone 11 | 64 (4 GB RAM), 128 (4 GB RAM), 256 (4 GB RAM) | 194 | A13 Chip | 6.1 | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide) |
12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) |
| iPhone 11 Pro | 64 (4 GB RAM), 256 (4 GB RAM), 512 (4 GB RAM) | 188 | A13 Chip | 5.8 | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide) |
12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) |
| iPhone 11 Pro MAX | 64 (4 GB RAM), 256 (4 GB RAM), 512 (4 GB RAM) | 226 | A13 Chip | 6.5 | 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide) |
12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) |
The iPhone 8 is barely larger than the 7. It also has the same 4.7-inch screen. In today’s world, this is not impressive as the majority of phones on the market have displays that are 6-6.5 inches.
The 4.7-inch screen doesn’t make up the entirety of the display. Most of it is the bezel, so there’s only a 65.4% screen-to-body ratio.
The fact that its display is LCD doesn’t help either. However, LCD displays are still a thing, so we’re not too disappointed. What you should be worried about is the phone’s pixel density. There is a 326 PPI which is the same as the practically ancient iPhone 6. Nowadays, you won’t find phones with such densities, so if you really care about screen quality, stay away from the iPhone 8.
Instead of bashing its screen, let’s discuss a couple of good things about it. It comes with TrueTone so the colours are very vivid. It does this by adjusting the ambient light coming off the display.
The 8 comes with the same build as the 6. The only difference is the swapping of the aluminum unibody for a glass back.
The phone is fast too. It has the flagship A11 bionic chip. In 2020, the A11 chip isn’t too bad but the latest A13 chip is better by leaps and bounds.
Speaking of battery power, the iPhone 8 comes with an 1821 mAh battery. It can last up to 14 hours on talk time, maybe less with heavy use. In 2020, this isn’t the best as many phones can last much longer. This is especially the case with newer iPhones.
Fast charge is available but you’ll need to get hold of Apple’s pesky lightning cable. As we all know, it isn’t the cheapest thing in the world (then again, you are buying an iPhone).
In terms of its camera, it’s exactly like the iPhone 7. If you didn’t realize it, the 7 is four years old. Speaking of age, the 8 was released in 2017.
You’d be a fool to think the 8 and the 8 plus are the same phones. Although they’re similar, they have different specs and frankly, we think the 8 plus is a better fit for life in 2020.
The main feature is its large battery. Before you get too excited, it’s not that big but for an iPhone, but it’s considerable. Instead of the 1821 mAh battery in the iPhone 8, there’s a 2691 battery in the 8 plus. This is a major improvement and we love the change.
We could easily use the 8 Plus for much longer. It gave us around 21 hours of talk time. As you’ll see, this is incredible because the newer iPhones can’t beat this. But truth be told, the phone only has a better battery as it’s so huge.
Other than this, it has the same charge as the iPhone 8. They both come with a 15 w fast charger that can take you from 0-50% in about half an hour. It comes with a 5.5-inch screen which by today’s standards is poor but it isn’t the worst thing out there. This is especially true as the 8 Plus has a decent pixel density of 401 PPI.
Although the screen is 5.5 inches, its overall display is huge. It’s around 6.5 inches which makes it a big phone, fit for 2020. That being said, its screen-to-body ratio isn’t the greatest. Although it’s not as bad as the iPhone 8, it has a 67.4% screen-to-body ratio.
We love the fact that its screen is Full HD. This makes the colours very vibrant and we’re here for it.
In terms of its processor, the same A11 Bionic chip is present. As we established, we have no complaints about this.
We have to talk about its camera:
There are two of them on the rear, instead of one. The additional one is another 12 MP sensor which gives more detailed shots.
Along with the A11 chip, you can use the 2 cameras to capture a lot of depth and detail.
Not only are the 8 and 8 plus similar, but they both also launched in September 2017.
Unlike the above two, the iPhone XR has a huge screen.
When the X came around, Apple changed up the IPhone’s design considerably. They got rid of the thick bezels and made the display almost all screen. So, you get a 6.1-inch display along with a screen-to-body ratio of 79%. For a phone that came out recently, this isn’t the best as there are cheaper android phones with 90% ratios, but 79% is considerable for an iPhone.
The fact that its display’s resolution almost makes it Full HD is appreciated as well.
The XR is a lot like the XS and XS MAX, but is cheaper. Since it’s more affordable, it’s worth your time as its features are certainly not lacking.
When compared to its counterparts, It’s lacking in terms of the display. It’s almost Full HD and is LCD. The the other two models are OLED so colours on the XR aren’t as vivid as they should be in comparison.
Its pixel density isn’t the greatest. Its 326 PPI (the 3-year-old iPhone 8 has 326 PPI too) is nothing compared to the 458 PPi of the XS and XS Max. That being said, you won’t really see much of a difference unless you put all three phones next to each other and compare.
The XR comes with an IP67 rating which means it can take quite a dunk. However, the two XS’ are IP68.
It has a 2962 mAh battery which isn’t the largest, but it’s much better than in previous iPhones. Considering that the XR has a better battery than the XS (2658 mAh), we’re not too mad.
Something we did like is its fast charger. It has the same 15 W fast charger as the 8 and 8 plus. So, it goes from 0-50% in half an hour. Although this is a nice feature, the XR stuck with the same charger as a phone that came two generations before it.
Its camera is amazing. The iPhone XR’s 12 MP camera has an aperture of f1/.8. This is identical to the XS’. Unlike the XS, the XR doesn’t come with a telephoto lens which is unfortunate. However, its portrait mode is really good and Apple says “it trained the Neural Engine in the phone’s A12 Bionic chip” to make note of specific faces.
If you’re wondering when it was released, the XR launched in September 2018.
The iPhone 11 is a near carbon copy of the XR. The only difference is the placement of the rear cameras. Other than this, they share the same height and dimensions.
Can we talk about its design? The colour selections are out of this world and would drive anyone wild, especially the foam green.
In terms of its display, the 11 comes with a 6.1-inch screen. The fact that it is a 720p LCD isn’t the best considering cheaper Androids come with Full HD. That being said, Apple is known for producing the best LCD displays in the world.
Something that you’ll enjoy about the 11 is its water resistance. It got a rank up from an IP67 rating to IP68. This means it can last longer underwater, at deeper depths.
Although the 11 is cheaper than the 11 Pro and Pro Max, it comes with the same processor. All three of the phones have the A13 Bionic chip with 4 GB of RAM so using the 11 is a dream.
In fact, if you were to Geekbench the 11 and 11 Pro Max, they’d come out with very similar ratings.
The XS Max had the biggest battery, but the XR’s battery lasted the longest. The XR’s crown was taken away by the 11 pro-MAX. Thankfully for you, the 11 has a similar battery to the pro-MAX.
It comes with a 3110 mAh battery which is huge compared to earlier iPhones. And according to Apple, the phone has a talk time of 17 H.
Unfortunately, the 11 comes with a less-than-great 5 W plug. It charges your phone in three hours. The 11 Pro and 11 Pro MAX come with an 18 w fast charger which you can use for the 11 too, which is a silver lining at least.
Along with the 11 and 11 pro max, the 11 series is the fastest iPhones currently on the market. They have the A13 Bionic chip, so they are worth your while. The A13 is so fast that it can last for years to the future.
The phone comes with a 5.8-inch display which isn’t the largest by any means. It has one of the best displays we’ve seen though, as it boasts a super retina OLED display. This not only lets colours pop, but in the harsh Sri Lankan sun, you won’t have issues with viewing angles.
It has one of the best screen to body ratios of any iPhone at 82.3%. Compared to Androids on the market, this isn’t the best, but it’s good.
The fact that it comes with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is the true icing on the cake as everything in HDR is in true colour.
The phone has a pretty big battery. It’s 3046 mAh so it can last you a while. According to Apple, 18h of talk time is at your disposal.
As discussed in the 11’s review, the Pro (and Pro Max) actually comes with the 18 W fast charger. So, get ready to go from 0-50% in half an hour.
Since it’s a phone from 2019, Apple is fully aware of how clumsy smartphone users are today. This is why the 11 Pro is IP68 rated.
The 11 Pro’s camera is out of this world. In short, it’s extremely detailed and has a marvelous depth sensor. The 11 Pro’s camera along with the 11 Pro Max’s are easily the best Apple has ever put out.
It differs from the 11 as it comes with a telephoto lens. In regards to the 11 Pro Max, it comes with this too. The telephoto lens allows the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max to zoom all the way from 0.5x to 2x.
The 11 Pro Max is a large phone. It towers over the 11 Pro by 0.4 inches and is heavier. It’s 226 g while the iPhone 11 Pro is 188 g. This makes the device feel extremely premium (you are paying an arm and a leg for it, after all) .
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, the back is matte. This makes it suitable for its price tag and more. Best of all, the matte finish makes the phone easy to hold.
That being said, we think the phone is rather unappealing. Its camera set up is atrocious compared to the iPhone 11. Camera-wise, it’s pretty identical to the 11 Pro. This is a good thing as we established how out of this world the 11 Pro’s camera is.
As the phone is so huge, it requires an enormous battery. It comes with a 3969 mAh one that can last long. Apple promises up to 18 hours of talk time with it.
Similar to the 11 Pro, the Max has an 18 W fast charger. If you guessed it, yes, it can take you from 0-50% in half an hour.
Don’t even get us talking about its display! It’s beautiful. It has a Super Retina XDR O LED screen which is basically a custom OLED. As we’ve established, OLEDs are incredibly vivid.
Similar to the 11 Pro, the fact that it comes with HDR10 and Dolby vision makes everything in HDR pop more.
The 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max were all released in September 2019.
Having run through the iPhones available in our country, you know which are worth your money, and which would perform the best in 2020. With that out of the way, let’s go through a couple of things you should know about Apple.
iPhones are a common commodity when it comes to the rich and famous. They’re some of the first to buy new iPhones when they come out, which is why so many of them have the IOS devices. This is especially the case with Hollywood. The Hollywood stars who use them include:
And so many more are fans of the devices. In terms of Bollywood stars, not many use Apple.
However:
There are a couple of tid-bits that you should know about Apple.
Everyone thinks that the iPhone is Apple’s only take at smartphones. Before the iPhone came out, the Rokr E1 came out alongside Motorolla. As you can imagine, it tanked which made way for the iPhone.
Technically, Apple wasn’t the first to put out the “iPhone”. The name was around for a while. A brand called Cisco named their VoIP network phones ‘iPhones’. They’ve been at it since 1998 which predates the first iPhone by 9 years.
When a patent in 2015 was released, it showcased Apple’s blueprints to add a spring-loaded joystick to the iPhone's home button. As we all know, it didn’t happen. But who knows, they might try and revive it in the future.
It’s scary how accurately Apple predicted the future. In the 1980s, then CEO of Apple, John Sculley envisioned a personal assistant strikingly like Siri. He said the assistant would be part of Apple devices in the 2000’s, and voila!
If you’re planning on owning an iPhone, you’ll be glad to know that Apple is very consistent with their updates. They schedule updates every year around fall. To be exact, it usually takes place in September.
There’s no clear timespan for when Apple stops updating their devices. If you were to look deeper, it seems Apple stops updating its devices 3-5 years after their launch.
With each version of IOS that comes out, Apple adds new features. We’ll be discussing what we love about the IOS 13.
With Dark Mode, your phone turns pitch black and gives its interface a sleek look. We’ve all wanted it and Apple finally delivered.
You can have the dark mode switching on and off depending on whether it’s sunrise or sunset.
Siri is better than ever and makes suggestions based on your habits. The voice is different too. It’s not as artificial as Apple now uses neutral text-to-speech instead of voice clips.
With IOS 13, you can add a profile picture and display name to your iMessage account.
One of the biggest updates of IOS 13 has to do with the health app. Apple lets you track your menstrual cycle more effectively now.
Privacy is very important to Apple which is why IOS 13 has many safety features. For example, with location sharing, whenever you want to share your location, the app will ask you for your permission.
In 2020, we can expect the iPhone 12 to come out in September. We don’t know much about it, but we have heard a few rumors.
Three iPhone 12s would come out this year. They would have a 5.4 inch, 6.1 inch and a 6.7-inch display respectively. The two larger iPhones would be the higher-end iPhone 12s and would boast an OLED display.
The phones would have a metal frame like the iPhone 4 which is a serious redesign. If the rumors are true, the phones would come with an all-new navy blue model.
Most of all, we’re betting that the iPhone 12 would come with 5G.
Although many of these phones can still be used in 2020, you might not want to do so as the 8 and 8 Plus aren’t up to par with the current generation of smartphones. This is especially true for battery. That being said, the iPhone 11 and Pro phones can be used for years into the future considering how advanced the A13 Bionic chip is.
