[Apple iPhones - 11 Pro, SE 2022, another 11 Pro]
This year, 2023, the third phone I acquired is another iPhone 11 Pro. This second 11 Pro is for the Japan market. The first one, given by my sister, is for the Korean market. This was owned by my father, also given by my sister - in her attempt to bring us to the walled garden 😅. But, before she decides to buy another one for Mom, she quits and goes back to Android - thus I also acquired her phone which I reviewed right before this phone. And this 11 Pro? I got it for free since my Dad barely uses it.
[Apple iPhone 11 Pro (b)]
Since this is the second iPhone 11 Pro I acquired, I have similar impressions about it, except for some variations. For instance, I assume that this phone was refurbished. When I slide my finger from the back cover to the side frame, the transition is not as seamless or smooth as that on my first 11 Pro. The battery is also at 100% battery health. Thankfully, its battery is performing well. More on that on the battery test results. Also, it maintained 100% battery health even after I updated it to iOS 17. This leads to my assumption that the battery was changed with an authentic one. On the bright side, this phone has significantly less scratches than the first one. Besides those, there is no significant difference between the two 11 Pro that I officially owned as I start reviewing this phone.
Battery Test Results
I am going to start with the most objective part of this review and somehow unique from my first 11 Pro. Consider that I reviewed this phone with iOS17, while the first one was on iOS15. This also has 100% battery health, while the first one has 90% while being reviewed. Expecting it to have slightly better battery life.
Charging duration timelapse
Starting with charging test. In 30 minutes, it was charged to 46% of its capacity. It was fully charged in exactly two hours. The first 11 Pro I reviewed charges faster in 30 minutes, with 51% of charge. However, it fully charged 33 minutes (2 hours, 33 minutes) later than this 11 Pro currently on review (2 hours). I used the charging brick that comes with the phone.
Now, here is the usual battery score card.
Its battery life is 1 day, 6 hours and 21 minutes. This battery life is good enough if you intend to fully charge it once a day. It is also on par with most of the phones that I have. Recall that the first 11 Pro lasted for 1 day, 5 hours and 44 while SE 2022 records 1 day, 3 hours and 37 minutes of battery life.
As for screen-on-time, I got 7 hours and 21 minutes. This is slightly shorter than the first 11 Pro I reviewed. Because that phone lasted for 7 hours and 44 minutes. That is despite "this" 11 Pro having 100% of battery health, which is better than "that" 11 Pro with 90% of battery health. Maybe, their iOS versions made the difference or I pushed "this" 11 Pro more than "that" 11 Pro. But, since that is just a mere 23 minutes difference, it is easy to just move on.
Finally, here is the detailed battery score card.
Task 1 - Music Playback
[Apple music app]
Honestly, I just want to lead you to my review on my first 11 Pro since it is pretty the same - loudspeakers are not that balanced but the bass is nice. This phone comes with lightning earphones, but i have not tried it, yet. And again, there is no LDAC on the iPhone for wireless audio. Do we need to say again that iPhones do not have 3.5mm audio port?
Task 2 - Web Browsing
[Safari web browser on 11 Pro]
And again, web browsing is good on iPhone, I think in general, except for notch on 11 Pro that could not be hidden. Colors seemed to be optimized to mimic a printed material.
Task 3 - Casual Gaming
It is fine. Aside from my Subway Surfer test, it can run other casual gaming apps nicely.
Task 4 - Photo Shoot
[Camera UI]
So, aside from encouraging you to read my review on my first 11 Pro, I included here some shots using 3 focal lenghts - Wide, Ultrawide and Telephoto. Also, some shots using the portrait mode.
[Wide - Wide - Ultra Wide]
As for screen-on-time, I got 7 hours and 21 minutes. This is slightly shorter than the first 11 Pro I reviewed. Because that phone lasted for 7 hours and 44 minutes. That is despite "this" 11 Pro having 100% of battery health, which is better than "that" 11 Pro with 90% of battery health. Maybe, their iOS versions made the difference or I pushed "this" 11 Pro more than "that" 11 Pro. But, since that is just a mere 23 minutes difference, it is easy to just move on.
Finally, here is the detailed battery score card.
Task 1 - Music Playback
Honestly, I just want to lead you to my review on my first 11 Pro since it is pretty the same - loudspeakers are not that balanced but the bass is nice. This phone comes with lightning earphones, but i have not tried it, yet. And again, there is no LDAC on the iPhone for wireless audio. Do we need to say again that iPhones do not have 3.5mm audio port?
Task 2 - Web Browsing
And again, web browsing is good on iPhone, I think in general, except for notch on 11 Pro that could not be hidden. Colors seemed to be optimized to mimic a printed material.
Task 3 - Casual Gaming
It is fine. Aside from my Subway Surfer test, it can run other casual gaming apps nicely.
Task 4 - Photo Shoot
So, aside from encouraging you to read my review on my first 11 Pro, I included here some shots using 3 focal lenghts - Wide, Ultrawide and Telephoto. Also, some shots using the portrait mode.
Sample Photos
[Wide - Ultra Wide - Ultra Wide]
[Wide - Wide - Ultra Wide]
[Wide - Wide Portrait - Wide]
[Telephoto - Wide - Telephoto Digitally Zoomed]
[Telephoto - Telephoto - Telephoto]
[Telephoto - Wide - Ultra Wide]
[Wide - Ultra Wide - Ultra Wide]
[Ultra Wide - Ultra Wide - Wide]
[Wide - Telephoto - Wide]
[Ultra Wide - Telephoto - Wide]
[Wide - Telephoto - Wide]
[Wide - Ultra Wide - Ultra Wide]
[Ultra Wide - Wide - Wide Portrait]
[Telephoto Digitally Zoomed - Wide - Telephoto]
[Wide - Ultra Wide - Telephoto]
[Wide - Ultra Wide - Telephoto]
[Telephoto - Wide - Wide Portrait with slightly weak separation]
[Wide Portrait - Wide - Wide]
[Ultra Wide - Ultra Wide - Wide]
Task 5 - Video Recording
And as usual, stabilization impresses me. But, here are some video samples, too, to let you see it for yourself. And if you are fine with its image quality.
Sample videos
And as usual, stabilization impresses me. But, here are some video samples, too, to let you see it for yourself. And if you are fine with its image quality.
Sample videos
Task 6 - Video Playback
Aside from the notch, there are no complaints I can make on this phone. They made outrageous marketing on dynamic island. So, we might wait a little longer to have an uninterrupted display on an iPhone. That is, if they will ever do it. Apple seems to love disturbing displays, so they put notches on their tablets and laptops. The unbalanced loudspeakers are not deal-breakers since most phones have such set-up.
[Video playback on a notchy iPhone, a thing of the past? What could be worse? Punched hole that resizes.]
Conclusion
My general impressions on iPhones is being evident on my previous posts -
My Work Phone through the Years (and the unintended switch to iOS)
phone 39 – apple iphone 11 pro
phone 40 – apple iphone se 2022 – throwback phone for ifans
They may have some negative points especially if I am considering it for a work phone. Personal phone? It is fine, to the point that I switched to SE 2022. Though, I acknowledge the fact that it is the better choice as a work phone for some people, especially when their company is invested in the apple ecosystem. This is where personal preference and experience comes in - that there is no absolute best smartphone on the market; that the top phones enumerated by tech influencers are based on their experience (or cash that comes into their account - at least acknowledge this one as well).
That is why I do not get some iPhone users (at least, those who claim to be) are butt-hurt when somebody states their not-so-good experience with iPhones. As if their phones do not really manifest any issues (most probably they just brush off issues to avoid being nagged by apple that they are "using their phones wrong"). But, I digress.
In a nutshell, despite having some negative impressions on iPhones, I can still say that apple produces good smartphones. Not perfect, mind you, but good ones. I enjoy it as a spare phone, or even as a personal phone. But, who knows, when I get the crucial features on an iPhone, I can use it for work without facing issues. So, for a spare phone what do I get with a 4-year old iPhone? Good display calibration especially for web browsing and viewing documents (as always, except for display cut-outs - notch or punched hole is not my cup of tea). Good bass on its loudspeakers. Raw performance is ideal as it runs most apps nicely (maybe just a little short on multi-tasking). Photos are just average for me. But of course better than many phones when it comes to saturation, contrast, sharpening and white balance. They almost meet my preference. But, videos? Image quality is on par with their photo outputs. But, I am more impressed with its stabilization.
So, there you go. A point of view coming from someone who will never be an iSheep, but neither a hater. My experiences may differ, but it is totally an honest take on a walled garden I never been too until this year. And next year? You will find this phone, along with other two iPhones, a part of the run down of my collections. It could join the top 10 recommended phones next year, or even my top 5 phones of 2024, who knows? Just... hey, everybody, let us enjoy both worlds of Android and iOS without invalidating anyone's experience!
Re-unboxing Video
Aside from the notch, there are no complaints I can make on this phone. They made outrageous marketing on dynamic island. So, we might wait a little longer to have an uninterrupted display on an iPhone. That is, if they will ever do it. Apple seems to love disturbing displays, so they put notches on their tablets and laptops. The unbalanced loudspeakers are not deal-breakers since most phones have such set-up.
Conclusion
My general impressions on iPhones is being evident on my previous posts -
My Work Phone through the Years (and the unintended switch to iOS)
phone 39 – apple iphone 11 pro
phone 40 – apple iphone se 2022 – throwback phone for ifans
They may have some negative points especially if I am considering it for a work phone. Personal phone? It is fine, to the point that I switched to SE 2022. Though, I acknowledge the fact that it is the better choice as a work phone for some people, especially when their company is invested in the apple ecosystem. This is where personal preference and experience comes in - that there is no absolute best smartphone on the market; that the top phones enumerated by tech influencers are based on their experience (or cash that comes into their account - at least acknowledge this one as well).
That is why I do not get some iPhone users (at least, those who claim to be) are butt-hurt when somebody states their not-so-good experience with iPhones. As if their phones do not really manifest any issues (most probably they just brush off issues to avoid being nagged by apple that they are "using their phones wrong"). But, I digress.
In a nutshell, despite having some negative impressions on iPhones, I can still say that apple produces good smartphones. Not perfect, mind you, but good ones. I enjoy it as a spare phone, or even as a personal phone. But, who knows, when I get the crucial features on an iPhone, I can use it for work without facing issues. So, for a spare phone what do I get with a 4-year old iPhone? Good display calibration especially for web browsing and viewing documents (as always, except for display cut-outs - notch or punched hole is not my cup of tea). Good bass on its loudspeakers. Raw performance is ideal as it runs most apps nicely (maybe just a little short on multi-tasking). Photos are just average for me. But of course better than many phones when it comes to saturation, contrast, sharpening and white balance. They almost meet my preference. But, videos? Image quality is on par with their photo outputs. But, I am more impressed with its stabilization.
So, there you go. A point of view coming from someone who will never be an iSheep, but neither a hater. My experiences may differ, but it is totally an honest take on a walled garden I never been too until this year. And next year? You will find this phone, along with other two iPhones, a part of the run down of my collections. It could join the top 10 recommended phones next year, or even my top 5 phones of 2024, who knows? Just... hey, everybody, let us enjoy both worlds of Android and iOS without invalidating anyone's experience!
Re-unboxing Video
