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When Did The iPhone 11 Come Out? A Quick Guide [2023]
The iPhone 11 was introduced in September 2019, and Apple continued selling it until 2022 as a lower-priced option alongside subsequent iPhone releases. Is it still worth a buy in 2023?
iPhone 11: Key Takeaways
What Year Did The iPhone 11 Come Out?
The iPhone 11, Apple’s highly anticipated successor to the iPhone XR, officially made its debut on September 20, 2019. This release introduced a new era of technology for Apple enthusiasts, delivering a blend of enhanced features and refined design elements that built upon the foundation laid by previous models.
Does The iPhone 11 Have 5G?
None of the iPhone 11 models support 5G connectivity, as Apple decided to introduce this feature starting with the iPhone 12. If you are interested in 5G capabilities, you should look at newer models such as the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14.
Notable iPhone 11 Specs & Features
The iPhone 11 has some impressive specifications, including an A13 Bionic chipset, 4GB of RAM, and storage options of 64/128/256GB. It has a dual-lens 12MP camera, which is still considered good for casual photography in 2023.
The iPhone 11 does not have an OLED display; this feature was reserved for the Pro models in the 11 series. Those interested in OLED technology may want to consider the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max.
Can You Still Buy The iPhone 11?
Apple may have halted the production of the iPhone 11, signaling the end of its shelf life as a new product, but the device hasn’t vanished from the market. Those looking to snag this once-coveted piece of tech can still find refurbished models available for purchase.
These units come at a substantially reduced cost, offering a budget-friendly alternative to the latest iPhone releases. But I’d definitely go with a newer model; the iPhone 11’s lack of 5G and ageing camera module don’t do it any favors in 2023’s bustling market.
Plus, there’s plenty of excellent, newer iPhone models to choose from – here’s a detailed iPhone buying guide for a quick overview of what’s available.
The iPhone 11 is not a new phone by any stretch of the imagination. Apple’s latest range of iPhones is currently the iPhone 14 series iPhone 15 series which is made up of several models: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Read on for a full breakdown of what makes Apple’s iPhone 11 kick, including its specs, its release date, why it doesn’t 5G, and what kind of storage options and colors are available.
We’ll also explore whether the iPhone 11 is still available to buy and how much an iPhone 11 will costs right now.
When Did The iPhone 11 Come Out?
On September 10, 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the iPhone 11 series at the Steve Jobs Theater within Apple Park. The launch included the standard iPhone 11 model and additional variants. Customers could start pre-ordering these new devices from September 13, 2019. The iPhone 11 series officially went on sale on September 20, 2019.
As of 2023, these phones are now 4 years old. In phone years, this is pretty ancient but because they’re iPhones, they’ll run perfectly well and get yearly iOS updates for at least another four to five years.
The same, however, cannot be said for the vast majority of Android phones which is why, despite its age, the iPhone 11 – and its Pro and Pro Max counterparts – still represent decent value for money in 2023 for the right type of user. But as always, there are some things you need to be aware of which we’ll cover below…
Does It Have 5G?
There are a couple of things that make the iPhone 11 a rather novel handset, or series of handsets. The first thing – and it is a major point – is that none of Apple’s iPhone 11 models, including the Pro and Pro Max, support 5G. Apple decided to not include 5G on the iPhone 11 range, saving it instead for the iPhone 12 when the standard was more readily available.
For this reason, if you want an iPhone with 5G you’re going to have to avoid the iPhone 11. My advice? Get the iPhone 13 or the iPhone 14. Apple’s iPhone 12 was not a good update; the battery performance dropped significantly and there wasn’t too much else to get excited about.
The iPhone 13 fixed nearly all of the iPhone 12’s issues, so if you’re after a cheaper way to get an iPhone and you need 5G, that’d be our recommendation right now. Otherwise, just get the iPhone 14. If you’re running an older iPhone, the iPhone 14 will feel like a massive update. Its CPU alone is about 6x more powerful than the iPhone X’s, for instance, and it’ll run rings around the iPhone 8 Plus or older.
iPhone 11 Specs
- Weight: 194g
- Dimensions: 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm
- Display size: 6.1-inch
- Resolution: 828 x 1792
- Chipset: A13 Bionic
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64/128/256GB
- Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 12MP
- Pre-installed software: iOS 13
- Battery: 3,110mAh
- Charging: 18W
In terms of specs, the iPhone 11 was a very impressive and potent phone. It has brilliant battery life, in fact, its battery life is so good, it ran rings around its replacement, the iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 was Apple’s first 5G phone and the inclusion of 5G really hit its battery life hard. The upshot of this was that the iPhone 11 lasted, on average, around four hours longer than the newer iPhone 12.
Does iPhone 11 Have An OLED Display?
The iPhone 11, while packed with a plethora of features, does skip on one of the more premium offerings found in its contemporaries—the OLED display.
Instead, Apple opted to equip the iPhone 11 with an LCD screen, a technology that, while reliable, is considered by many to be a step behind the more modern OLED panels.
This decision was a strategic move to differentiate the iPhone 11 from its more upscale siblings, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and to maintain a more accessible price point.
For those with a discerning eye for screen quality, the absence of an OLED display in the iPhone 11 might be a dealbreaker.
OLED technology is renowned for its superior contrast ratios, deeper blacks, and more vibrant colors compared to LCD screens. It also contributes to improved viewing angles and can offer better power efficiency, as each pixel is individually lit, allowing for true black by turning off pixels.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, on the other hand, showcase the OLED technology, making them the go-to choice for users who prioritize display quality. Not only do these models offer enhanced visual experiences, but with the passage of time, they have also become more wallet-friendly.
The depreciation of smartphones is inevitable, and these once-premium models have seen their prices drop to levels that are now considered quite reasonable, especially in the refurbished market.
Investing in the Pro or Pro Max versions not only nets you the OLED advantage but also other high-end features that were reserved for these models, such as improved camera systems and materials.
For those who are in the market for an iPhone and consider screen quality to be
Is The iPhone 11 Camera Any Good?
The iPhone 11 runs a dual-lens 12MP camera made up of an ultra wide and a wide lens. There is no telephoto lens, as you get on the Pro models, and it does not come with LiDAR. As we noted inside our iPhone 11 Review, the iPhone 11’s camera – even by 2023 standards – is still pretty good.
It is more than enough for social media posts and the like, so as long as you don’t want to do anything too impressive with it, you should be more than fine with the iPhone 11’s camera.
Here’s a detailed overview of the iPhone 11’s camera performance via DXOMark:
The iPhone 11 has increased its overall score to 119 after testing under our new protocol and in many respects continues to offer excellent smartphone photography capabilities.
Photos from the main camera display accurate exposure with wide dynamic range in most tested conditions, delivering very similar overall quality to the larger iPhone 11 Pro Max. Color is a nice strength for the iPhone 11, too, with vivid and pleasant rendering in almost all images.
The only exception here is under some low artificial lighting where white balance has a warm cast, but it’s not overly offensive. Detail is good in most conditions, aided in part by an excellent autofocus system that delivered fast, accurate and reliable performance in our new and more challenging benchmark tests.
Source
How Much Does iPhone 11 Cost Now?
As we said in the intro, the iPhone 11 is not a new phone – and Apple has now discontinued it, alongside the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. But you can still buy the iPhone 11 and it is a hell of a lot cheaper than a new iPhone 15 or the iPhone 14 for that matter.
If you’re feeling the pinch and want to cut down on your monthly phone bills, an iPhone 11 – or Pro / Pro Max – could be a really easy way to do just that.
If you’re in the USA, you can pick up the iPhone 11 128GB for $319 via Gazelle. If you’re in the UK, the iPhone 11 costs around £259 via REBOXED. Both of these options are for refurbished models.
But do not let that put you off – a refurb iPhone looks and functions as good as a new one, only you’ll pay around 40% less for them because they cannot be sold as new as they’ve either been used and/or returned by retailer/customer.
My advice, if you’re going to buy an iPhone 11 in 2022, would be to spend a little extra and get the iPhone 11 Pro Max. You’ll get a significantly better camera, improved battery life, and an OLED screen. Plus, Apple will support all of its iPhone 11 models for years to come, so you’ll get plenty of usage out of them and save a considerable amount of money in the process.
Similarly, if you’d prefer to get your iPhone 11 and a data plan from the same place, Visible is selling it for $339 right now – and its unlimited data plans start from $30 a month.
The moral of the story here is simple: the iPhone 11 is pretty old, but it still has more than enough power and tech under its hood to remain a solid phone for at least the next several years. If you want to save some cash and still run an iPhone, the iPhone 11 is a great option with its solid design, excellent software and performance, and stellar battery life.
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