[Closed] Should i buy an iphone 11?

I say this as a dyed in the wool iPhone user.
Have you considered other android phones before you throw the baby out with the bath water?

We moved from the iPhone 6 to the 11 several months ago. Managed to barter with EE and get them for really not much. In our eyes, they are superb, work brilliantly, ace camera and cracking battery life. 🙂 it’s years since a I’ve had an android but there isn’t anything else I want from a phone!

Have you considered other android phones before you throw the baby out with the bath water?

This.

We're an Android family. In the last decade we've probably had 15 Android phones between 5 of us. We've had one that had issues - a Nokia 8.1 which was yeeted across the room a few times and dropped often...

I wouldn't say Android phones are unreliable.

I know im being rediculous about reliability. But i'm interested to know what peoole think. I also kind of fancy a change.

My work phone is an iphone 11, all our comapny has them, and so did my last company. I've had them from the iphone 3 personally, now have a personal XR. My brothers family have had them since the 3, my wife has had my hand me downs and all of our iphones have lasted at least 4 years and have been subsequently been sold to someone else (generally for a decent sum) or given away to friends and they are all still working 100%.
Sometimes I feel like I should try Android one day but I can't fault the iphone experience so am reluctant to change!

My work iphone 11 is used to take photos of my wifes professional artowrk to be made into limited edition prints. We paid a pro photographer to do it at first (£6k worth of SLR) and they weren't as good or well colour matched as the iphone 11. Have a look here - https://www.louiseatkinart.com/whitney-view- you'll have to take my word for it that they are true to life colours!

I am sure the latest Android phones are as good taking pics though.

One thing I do like (not sure if other makes do this) is that if you take your iphone in to an Apple store while its in warranty you will often just walk out with a brand new phone as long as its not your fault its broken. Even at 3.5 years old I took my XR in as the call volume was bad and they cleaned it out and checked it over, now works perfectly (it was gummed up with dust etc) and they didn't even ask for a receipt or anything. Thats the sort of thing thats keeps me coming back to Apple phones. We don't have any other Apple stuff though apart from an old ipad.

I tend to just find most phones are good these days, i've got the XR at present, does the job, i am a bit stuck due to photos and connection to the rest, but there aren't many bad phones now, the battle between android and iphone is pretty much even stevens in most ways, so if you want an iphone 11, it'll be a good phone, do the job and so on once you get set up and learn, but you could do the same with the latest samsung or whatever as well.

As always, just give whatever phone time to get used too, i've been quick to moan about stuff on my phone, but then a little time and learning and it's ok again.

Apple is hideously and hilariously overpriced out of date sh!te. All the android phones are just names on devices manufctured in the same set of factories. Just buy the best Motorola you can afford..

Personally, I think USB-C sucks, from a practical point of view. I draw this conclusion from having a Samsung tablet for work that uses USB-C, and which I use outdoors every day. Whenever it rains the socket fills up with water, and is an absolute pig to dry out enough for it to charge. The problem is the contacts are on that silly ‘blade’ in the centre, so you can’t push a bit of tissue into the hole to soak up the water. By the same token, carrying a device in a pocket the socket gets lint and fibre stuffed into it, also compromising its effectiveness. There’s also no international standard for what cables will do what things, so there’s no real guarantee that a particular cable will do everything required for a particular device. I spent at least half an hour with tissues, toothpicks and a hairdryer trying to get my tablet to start charging without a warning showing on screen.

The Lightning system is a doddle to dry out, and if it does get lint packed into it, it’s so easy to hook it out with a toothpick or cocktail stick. Cables are pretty robust, I’ve got Apple Lightning cables that I’ve been using since the system was introduced, and not broken one yet.

I’m using an iPhone 11 Pro Max, with 512Gb, and it’s a superb phone. It’s going to be replaced this year when the 14 comes out, by which time it’ll be three years old, and working perfectly, the 6+ it replaced was five years old when it got replaced - I’ve still got it around somewhere, but it’s battery was showing it’s age, the 11 isn’t showing any signs yet of the battery having and issues with holding a charge, I often get a couple of days out of it.
As far as not having a 3.5mm socket, I’ve not found that to be a disadvantage, my headphones and earphones all have replaceable cables, and I found a 3.5mm >Lightning cable for around £7, that I use with my Taotronics headphones, it would work with the top-end Sony ‘phones, and my MeeAudio Pinnacle P3 earphones, which use a MMCX plug, I found someone in New Zealand who does excellent cables with a Lightning connector to fit  them, which I think cost about £14, and the sound is superb, because the D/A converter is in the plug.
They do make a cable with a USB-C plug, if you’re going to stick with Android - no idea if you can get a 3.5mm > USB-C headphone cable, I’ve got no need for one.
Using TomTom on my phone along with CarPlay in the car is brilliant as well, set up the route indoors, start the car, plug the phone in and it comes up on the screen ready to go. I don’t like Google for satnav, and Apple Maps still isn’t quite there in a car, there’s still one or two things it lacks compared to TomTom, but I’ve been using that for five years, and nothing else matches as far as I’m concerned.

Nokia 8.1 which was yeeted across the room a few times and dropped often…

Having been an all out Android fan since my first HTC Desire(?) it was a Nokia 8 that finally made me try an iPhone 6S. The Nokia had so many niggles & issues that I managed to get John Lewis give me my money back after about 4 months. Previous Android phones were retired for various reasons, often no longer supported, occasionally dropped or got unreliable.

As for reliability my iPhone 6S & now XS have both been faultless (The 6S was only retired last year due to the battery life). My wife has had iPhones for about the last 10 years, her current XS the face ID has stopped working on, but apart from that she has never had an issue AFAIK. So our sample of 2, Apple wins hands down.

I'm still tempted. Not many waterproof Android phones are cheaper. But the panic is much reduced as my daughter found my previous phone and it still works. Today at work would have been PITA without Whatsapp

Just upgraded from an 8 plus to a 12. I miss the finger print sensor. Son2’s android does both face and finger and I think that’s a better solution. If you use fingerprint ID a lot, you’ll miss it. Also although the screen of the 11/12 is longer than the 8 plus, it is narrower and feels smaller. Do you want a phone or a phablet? The pro sized Apples are very good but I wonder if they’ll bring back a home sensor button.

Having fished the 8 plus out of the bottom of the canal basin, I am happy to confirm that they are waterproof.

New work have just given me an SE, and rich Grandma just brought Jnr a 12 mini. Its made me think I should re-join the family Apple network instead of remaining on Android for all the joined up stuff I get excluded from.

Do you want a second hand S10e Op? Great condition, 😀

I've had an 11 since they came out and I am very happy with it. But I'm happy with the Apple OS and their products overall and I've had an iPhone since the 4. The 11 does me fine for what I use it for and did consider upgrading to a 13 when my contract came up but couldn't justify it.

If I was to get a new iPhone now it wouldn't be an 11 as it is a few years old now. If I couldn't afford a 13 I'd go to a 12.

Do get people not use the face recognition on the iphones? Does that not replace the finger print sensor?

I’ve moved to iPhone to Android and hate the way Apple think you should set things up e.g. focus for notifications, schedules in health to set up a bloody alarm! I can’t see how anyone would think it was a better way of doing it. Each platform does certain things better, and there’s little overlap between the 2. FWIW the battery seems better on the 2 iPhones I’ve had compared to 3 Samsungs, but am seriously regretting choosing the iPhone. Stick to what you’re used to.

No fingerprint sensor from X series on.

I love the face recognition and surprising how well it works in near pitch black. I for one have never missed the home button.

schedules in health to set up a bloody alarm!

err, clock, alarms…

I for one have never missed the home button.

+1, and if you have an Apple Watch connected, it’ll unlock even when you’ve got a mask on.

Stick to what you’re used to.

If you are happy with Android I agree with this statement. I briefly went to a Samsung S9 when they were launched and hated it. Within a couple of months, I went back to Apple as that's what I was used to and everything else I have is Apple and it all works so well together.

Yes you should, I really like mine, it just works.

So to set up an alarm on Android that goes off at different times in different days I just go in to clocks > alarms and set the pattern there. To do that in iOS I have to go in to schedules in health because it’s my sleep pattern. I can also set up multiple alarms that I just turn in and off in Android, and don’t get me started on filtering notifications on my Garmin device! On Android it’s all configurable about which apps send me notifications in Connect, but not in iOS, I need to set up a focus and even then it’s so bloody complicated and can’t actually do what I want.

I’m upgrading from an XR to a 12 mini tomorrow. The potential stupidity of going to a smaller screened phone with late middle aged eyesight is not lost on me. 🤦‍♂️

Apple is hideously and hilariously overpriced out of date sh!te

Ah, the voice of reason.

Apple is hideously and hilariously overpriced out of date sh!te

pick a side and be a dick about it. Sums up the internet really.

I’m upgrading from an XR to a 12 mini tomorrow.

I'm interested to know why you don't just go for a 13 mini and extend the useable life a bit?

I'm so out of touch - I had a look at phones after posting yesterday and was almost shocked at the £679 its going to demand of me, ouch. I now thinking I'll stick with the S10e for a bit longer, although I appreciate the sale of that will give me some money back.

I for one have never missed the home button.

There’s a lot more to the home button than just unlocking. App switching with swiping is little different and payment with Face ID much less reliable when I’ve been using it. Mask wearing in a shop?

Android offers both. I still miss a proper wkeyboard 😂

Fwiw i bought a huawei less than two years ago, the microphone and speaker has packed up, (I bought it 2nd hand from a mate, but it was brand new)
I’m looking to go back to samsung.

I'm still on my iPhone X and haven't seen a need to upgrade, though I may do later this year if the new phone looks shiny. FaceID is great IMHO, the first time it swirls around and inputs your password for you is magic. Overall, I massively prefer the non-button iPhone interface with swipey app-switching, but I guess it's subjective.

I had zero problems with FaceID until we all started to wear masks and it's a bit annoying now (mitigated substantially with an Apple watch to unlock and pay for stuff without FaceID). Hopefully the mask business might come to an end soon.

I have thought before about changing from the succession of iphones i have had, currently on an iphone 11, was going to upgrade to the 13, but going to wait til the 14 now i think..

What i like is that it simply works, i have never had any issues with any of them, whereas my wife has had Nokia, Motorola and now 3 Samsung in a row, all of have had issues, current Samsung randomly turns off and does not allow 90% of stuff to be transferred to SD card despite most of the storage being on the card.

Plus everything linked to iphone just works, Apple Lossless over Airplay to amplifier for music, to TV etc, never had an issue.

Especially when coupled with Apple Watch, the 2 interact so well, and been really useful especially health tracker with long COVID issues.

I upgraded from an 11 to a 12Pro (and k did the same for a 12) and sold our 11's to our nephews (who were about to buy reconditioned 11's)

Cameras have improved, but you'd not notice in most situations. No different in perceived speed. 11 will be supported for latest software for another 4 years or so and even it's not an issue to run older versions in any case (they still get security updates) - we've had iPads on very old software and it's fine.

a new 11 is probably a smart buy if they price is right

@oldtennisshoes, I'll echo what Kryton57 has said, if you can jump up to a 13 Mini, do it! It's a big step up in battery life and I can get pretty much 2 days out of mine on a single charge. I've always been a bit of a tech noob but in the last 6 months I've got a bit more savvy (still probably way behind the average 30 year old mind!) and gone for a full Apple "ecosystem" with a Macbook Air and watch to go with a 13 Mini (had Iphone's since a 4S in 2012) and the way they all function together is impressively easy and intuitive. If I can work it out, anyone can. I bought a cheap-ish Amazon tablet last Christmas (2020) as I had some vouchers and will likely get an iPad later this year as it's just so nice to be able to Airdrop from one device to another. The camera on the 13 Mini is ace too as its basically what the 12 Pro Max had minus the Telephoto lens. Shame it doesn't have ProRaw for photos and the ProMotion screen would be nice, but I struggle to fault the 13 Mini for the money, it's chuffing ace! I'm actually loving MagSafe as well, I got the Magsafe wallet and not only has let me cut down my wallet to just 3 cards (which I've wanted to do for years, hate having a bulky wallet) but I find it makes the phone ever nice to hold too. I was a fan of Apple before, but the last 6 months have converted me for life I think! (though I will still only buy Samsung TVs, even though I don't touch anything else they make!)

Just one potential fly in the ointment. I have an 11 on a SIM only plan, can't fault the phone, it's really simple to use, camera is fantastic, etc etc, BUT my plan supports 5G, the phone doesn't. Only iPhone 12 and on supports 5G.

if you can jump up to a 13 Mini, do it!

The 128GB is only £50 difference to the 12 mini.

My wife has answered the financial justification, by reminding me to view this as a 4-5yr cost rather than a 1yr cost and making sure I get the right phone to accomadate that period of time....

+1, and if you have an Apple Watch connected, it’ll unlock even when you’ve got a mask on.

I finally got an Apple Watch yesterday and I think this is going to be the single most useful thing about it!

BUT my plan supports 5G, the phone doesn’t.

the only place i've ever had any 5G coverage was in the waiting hall after having my booster shot...

i have a 12mini, its what was on offer from our work plan. i much prefer the form factor to the Xs I had before. I passed the Xs onto my wife and everytime I pick it up now, it feels like such a brick.

I know I raved about the Mini before, but in my mind it is the PERFECT size for a phone, work phone is an 8 Plus and it's a right brick in comparison. IF they made a Pro Mini, that would be the perfect phone in my mind. It will be a huge shame if the Mini is dropped from the 14 series as is rumoured 🙁

I’ve switched between iPhones and Android over the years.
Being honest I prefer Android. But the Apple ecosystem just works so easily.
I’m now on an iPhone 13 Pro Max, went from an SE. I’ve not sold the SE yet….don’t know how the other guys similar age to me cope with the mini style phones. The Pro Max is bulky and cumbersome, but I’ll take that as it’s much easier to see when I haven’t put my glasses on.

I don’t miss the home button. Once so got used to not using it, it’s kind of intuitive. I have no issue with the notifications from apps, open settings, in the search bar type Notifications. Click on notifications. This displays all the apps.

The only issue I’ve noticed so far is every now and then the Assistive Touch button comes on. I think there may be a shortcut way of adding this, because I’m not doing it via settings. Easy enough to remove, just shouldn’t do it.
Ah while I remember, one other bug. If using zzz the browser during the cut over from day to night settings, the text in the address bar can be unreadable. Requires the browser completely shutting down and restarting. Restarts with all the pages previously open so it’s not a big deal.
Oh one more. The double tap on the side button when installing new apps. That took a while to figure out!!

don’t know how the other guys similar age to me cope with the mini style phones

a) Reading glasses

b) Its not the entry point to all media for me. I took a move to digital minimisation last year, so I allocate time on an iMac for browsing Facebook, Instagram and watching videos etc should I feel I need to (actually this move has vastly reduced that need), hence as it's principally a communication device for me for calls, texts, whatsapp and email availability should I need it, a mini isn't an issue.

@ampthill yes it does but, having just moved from an iPhone 8 to a 13, there’s pros and cons. Face recognition is much more consistent, finger print would need a re jig of the finger every 1 in 3. Also my wife doesn’t have fingerprints on several fingers, (or not any that can be read by a slew of finger print readers) so really struggled. But… facemasks are a pain and so means you end up using the passcode anyway. On balance though, I think face recognition swings it.

To the OP: had iPhone and android over the years, I stick with IPhone now… I’m not a phone geek at all and just need the basics. the ecosystem just works nicely and the phones are pretty reliable.

a) Reading glasses

or just turn the text size up. a guy I work with fits about 1 word per line on his...

12 mini is at home waiting for me to set it up. I’m sure the 13 is great too, but I’ve bought a refurb for a bargain price - there aren’t many 13 mini refurbs around. It’ll do for me I’m sure.

@w00dster

every now and then the Assistive Touch button comes on. I think there may be a shortcut way of adding this, because I’m not doing it via settings.

Maybe you have an 'accessibility shortcut' enabled. It could be either Double or Triple Tap the back, or Triple Tap the side button. Try looking under: Settings - Accessibility - Accessibility Shortcut or: Settings - Accessibility - Touch - Back Tap.
These are actually useful features for anybody who would like a shortcut to a particular function.

what I discovered recently, that if you click the side button 5 times in quick succession, an iphone by defualt makes an emergency call.

I got to the bottom of hunters tor on boxing day to a voice from my top tube bag asking me which emergency service I required...i apologised a lot...

you can turn the setting off.

There’s a lot more to the home button than just unlocking. App switching with swiping is little different and payment with Face ID much less reliable when I’ve been using it. Mask wearing in a shop?

Never had an issue without a mask, with a mask just double click the side button choose which card, and then input your passcode.

I was an android die hard until i got an iphone as a work phone and got used to using it. quit the job so the phone went back. My Samsung Galaxy died after a couple of years so bought an iphone 8. This was I guess over 4 years ago and it's still doing just fine. I dropped it while in Mexico and it stopped working....whein i got back home i popped into the local apple shop and got it fixed. It was out of warrantee but only cost a few quid to replace the screen! I just looked today to see how much to replace the battery...49 quid which I don't think is too bad tbh. All in all my iphone has served me much better than and previous android I've ever had!!

All interesting stuff. I'll order a phone tomorrow. Probably an iphone

FYI and iphone 11 is 489 quid (64Gb). A refurbished 13 is 579. That's the same memory and from Apple. New case and battery so properly refurbished not a polished second hand phone.

The 12 has a similar speed processor. But night mode on the wide angle is a big plus for me. Other benefits of the 12 are things that don't matter to me like the display.

They seem about the correct size to me. I looked at a colleagues today. It's the same size as the junk phone I'm typing on today, which is an ok compromise

The down side of spending more is that I have destroyed phones.

If the phone does 4 years it will be cheap. If it does 1 year it won't be