From IPhone 8 To IPhone 11 Pro: This Is How The Change Feels Like After 10 Days

2023 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 04:29

My iPhone 8 usually manages to get up from bed to bed on one charge. As expected, the iPhone 11 Pro is more persistent, but also a slightly more complicated case. Specifically: I achieved a runtime of 48 hours (Saturday 9 a.m. to Monday 9 a.m.) with one charge and "normal" use - which I think is a very good value, especially because there were also energy-intensive tasks such as airplay and video recordings. The OLED screen was activated for a total of 6.5 hours, the "dark mode" was set to "automatic". The standby endurance has always been outstanding with iPhones, which is also exemplary with the iPhone 11 Pro: If you hardly touch the phone or not at all, the battery drains practically in super slow motion. Conclusion battery life: The iPhone 11 Pro runs much longer than the iPhone 8 - even if you take into account that the 8 battery has already been two years behind. A 24-hour day is guaranteed; more also, but then with moderate use and optimizations (dark mode, economy mode).

The camera of the iPhone 11 Pro is considered the best in the trade press that can currently be found in smartphones - I agree with this assessment. I would like to mention two aspects. First: The iPhone 8 tends to warm colors and "bright" areas. This can be clearly seen here using the example of “Photo under artificial light”, where the iPhone 8 shows the ceiling lighting too yellowish and makes a “spot” from the light cone that is too large. The iPhone 11 Pro stays much closer to the real situation here and also better reflects details (structure of the ceiling):

The second aspect is image stabilization when filming: with the iPhone 11 Pro, I was able to shoot videos from one hand while running that looked as smooth as if I had used a gimbal. The stabilization is outstanding, in addition, sharpness, light and colors are great. The actually quite good iPhone 8 is clearly beaten in the video area by the new generation - there is a clear added value to the changeover, no question. It is quite possible that I will now record more videos than was previously the case.

Original article:

Here is the original article, which shows the impressions and experiences from the first two days:

iPhone 11 Pro instead of iPhone 8: experience report after two days

Be honest: The first few hours with a brand new iPhone are always great. All the technical improvements, the different feeling in hand - no wonder there are still a few persistent campers in front of the Apple stores when there are new models in the fall. I got my privately used iPhone 8 right after it appeared in 2017 (without camping) and have been happy with it ever since.

But as it is, many mobile phone contracts that were concluded at this time are currently expiring and there is an “opportunity” to switch to the current generation. The iPhone 11 (RRP 849 euros), which is attractively priced, would come into question here. With a view to the more compact housing and the triple camera, some people also consider the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro (RRP 1,149 euros). From 8 to 11 pro - I made some notes about this.

1. The design

Overall, I like the simpler design of the iPhone 8 better than that of the iPhone 11 Pro. It doesn't really look bad, but three lenses on the back and a notch (display cut) in the front - this is technical progress at the expense of design. Fortunately, Apple continues to avoid colorfully shimmering backsides and aesthetically questionable collaborations. Nice on the iPhone 11 Pro: the perfect curves of the OLED display (outside and on the Notch), as introduced by the iPhone X (2017). "Visually extremely appealing," industrial designer Sarang Sheth stated in a geometric analysis. Yes, he's right.

2. The housing

A little bigger, a little heavier - the iPhone 11 Pro is not a huge leap in size and weight compared to the iPhone 8. For me personally, however, the iPhone 8 was a touch too heavy, it won't get any better with the new model. Well, that's the price for the elegant glass trend of recent years. In addition, Apple has probably also heard the demands of many iPhone users: Instead of the thinnest possible housing, better runtimes (larger battery + efficiency) are more important - I agree. But airy and light like the former top model iPhone 6 - the handling of the iPhone 11 Pro has come a long way. At least it is quite balanced in the hand, even with a case.

If you want to take a closer look at the iPhone 11 Pro, you can do it here:

Start photo gallery (14 photos)

3. The operation

As a fan of the home button, I was skeptical in advance whether Face ID and swipe gestures could really be an adequate replacement for an undoubtedly proven feature. This skepticism was swept away in less than an hour. Unlocking with a facial scan works very well and the new gestures (e.g. swiping upwards for the home screen) are a matter of course faster than you can think about them. What is missing, of course, is the soothing click that the home button conveys.

4. The display

Where the iPhone 8 with 4.7-inch diagonal and 326 ppi (LCD) fulfills the claim of “good enough”, the iPhone 11 Pro with 5.8-inch diagonal and 458 ppi (OLED) goes all the way. That hardly matters when checking the Twitter feed or the weather report, but as soon as it comes to media consumption, things look very different. The screen of the iPhone 11 Pro is extremely good, especially when compared directly. I ran the Batman film "The Dark Knight" in parallel on both devices via the TV app - the advantages of the "Super Retina XDR display" are undoubtedly enormous, contrast and sharpness are great. Not that the iPhone 8 has a bad display, but here the technical advantage between the generations of mobile phones can be experienced very easily.

5. The sound

When watching films, the better speaker sound of the iPhone 11 Pro is also noticeable: louder and fuller, you can hear that immediately. Apple advertises “3D sound” and Dolby Atmos, I initially thought that was marketing nonsense. But if you let the above Batman stripe run and get absurdly close (approx. 15-20 cm distance) to the cell phone, then it really works - you are enveloped by an impressive sound cloud that the iPhone 8 cannot manage. Do you urgently need that? No. Will you be happy lying in bed in the evening when you pull the latest movie trailers under the covers? Yes.

6. The performance

Both are fast, there is no significant difference in everyday life.

7. The camera

Watch iPhone 11 Pro at MediaMarkt

Finally slofies, my life makes sense! For two years, the iPhone 8 not only accompanied me as a phone and pocket computer, but also as a reliable point-and-shoot snapshot for Instagram and travel memories. After the Android faction has made impressive advances in various areas (especially low-light photography), Apple has regained a place at the top with the 11-series iPhones. I can't say too much about this yet, but my first photos and videos were able to meet and even exceed the high expectations. I will not judge whether the suffix "Pro" on the iPhone 11 Pro is really justified with regard to the camera, because I am not a professional photographer. However, my impression is that we have finally reached the pointwhere an average user also sees their smartphone as their main camera. For me it was already the case with the iPhone 8, now Apple should also pick up the more demanding users.

8. The battery

Even after two years (battery status: 89 percent), my iPhone 8 still comes through a "day" of normal use. Here, “day” is defined as the period between getting up and going to bed. The iPhone 11 literally understands the “day”, that is, 24 hours. I had a few percent left the next morning after the first day of ambitious use, which is a good sign. I can say more about that later.

48 hours with the iPhone 11 Pro: first conclusion

Get by contract: iPhone 11, Pro and Max at Deinhandy

Even if the iPhone 11 Pro turns out to be the better smartphone in practically all respects (after a few minutes) - I would not recommend it to anyone. Unless I know that they put immense emphasis on display quality and camera skills (and money doesn't matter). As a solid everyday companion, the iPhone 8 (RRP € 529) is simply so good that the gain comes when you change places where there may be no need. What I can already say for sure: The familiarization is much milder than I imagined in advance. A little more volume and weight in hand, plus the changes that Face ID brings with it - it's like when you switch from a VW Polo to a Golf, there is no major shock or unpleasant learning curve. Apple has made the iPhone an iPhone and that's a good thing.

Could I tell you how it feels to switch from iPhone 8 to iPhone 11 Pro? I look forward to questions and comments in the comments. The iPhone 11 Pro was kindly made available to GIGA by o2.