It has hardly been a few weeks since the official release of the iPhone 11 and orders are already flooding in for the new and upgraded device. According to sources, the iPhone 11 is selling a lot better than its predecessors pretty much everywhere from the US to China, a phenomenon in part but not entirely due to reasonable pricing.

Even with all the competition in the market coming from big brands such as Huawei, Google, and Samsung, as well as others, Apple seems to be doing pretty well with its iPhone 11.

What’s On the Menu?

As most of us already know, Apple debuted three mobile phone devices belonging to the 11 family this year. These included the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. All three phones promised users numerous upgraded features as well as greater functional efficiency.

The Million Dollar Question

Theoretically speaking, the iPhone 11 was preceded by the iPhone XR. The iPhone 11 Pro was preceded by the iPhone XS and the 11 Pro Max by the XS Pro. In a sense, upgrading from one of the aforementioned to its direct successor (e.g., from the iPhone XS to the iPhone 11 Pro) may be an easy decision to take. On the other hand, you might not have the budget to invest in the iPhone 11 Pro Max or even the iPhone 11 Pro. If you’re someone who currently owns an iPhone XS, would it be a good idea to upgrade to an iPhone 11? Let’s find out.

Is Switching from an iPhone XS to an iPhone 11 Really an Upgrade?

In many ways, the iPhone 11 will offer you features that are superior to those offered by the XS. That said, given the fact that the iPhone 11 is Apple’s new entry-level phone, and the XS was an intermediate level device during its time, there are certain areas where the iPhone XS reigns stronger than the 11.

You probably want to know exactly which aspects and features of the iPhone 11 supersede those of the iPhone XS and which ones don’t. To help you do this, we’re going to compare the two devices for you one feature at a time so you can make a more informed decision.

Design and External Aesthetic

Before we start getting into specs and system features, let’s just look at the overall design of the two iPhones we’re comparing. From a design standpoint, it’s really a matter of preference. If you’re someone who prefers a phone that feels lighter and is aesthetically minimal, stick with your iPhone XS. If you’d rather something a little bulkier and heavier (though not by too much), the iPhone 11 is what you want. Furthermore, the iPhone 11 has more distinct bezels as compared to the XS that is almost bezel-free! All said, if you’re not too attentive to detail, these differences are hardly noticeable.

Finally, the iPhone 11 offers you more choice by way of color – six colors as opposed to the previous three to be exact!

Camera Features

Once again, whether or not this aspect of your phone’s function is important to you depends on what you’re priorities are. If you’re a phone-photographer or a photography enthusiast, upgrading from your iPhone XS is probably a good idea. Taking this forward, however, it might help to make sure it’s not the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max you want if camera features are that important to you. The reason for this is the latter two offer a three-camera setup with zooming capabilities that the iPhone 11 does not have.

When comparing the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XS, the two are identical as far as one of their dual cameras is concerned. One camera within the dual camera setup of each of these devices is a 12megapixel wide-angle. The second camera in the setup is where the difference is. XS offers a 12megapixel telephoto lens. The 11 offers users a 120-degree ultra-wide lens in the same pixel count.

Telephoto lenses are more about allowing photographers to zoom. However, any phone-photographer knows that phone camera zooms are best avoided in the interest of picture quality. Concerning camera features, we’d go with the iPhone 11 or better yet, the 11 Pro or the 11 Pro Max and we can develop iOS app also.

Smartphone Processor Chip & Battery Life

The iPhone XS is powered by the A12 Bionic, a reasonably powerful processor chip. The iPhone 11, however, is powered by what is currently the most powerful processor chip globally – the A13 Bionic. Without getting into the nitty-gritty regarding specs, what we will tell you is that the A13 is a monster with 18 cores and 8.5 billion transistors. Apart from being 20% more efficient by way of processing than its predecessors, the chip also offers up to 300 minutes of extra battery life!

What this means for iPhone 11 users is that the iPhone 11 will be a lot more efficient when it comes to in-phone editing and will also be a better option by way of battery life.

Display Specs

When it comes to phone display, the iPhone 11 is equipped with a 6.1inch LCD offering users a pixel-resolution of 1,792 X 828. The iPhone XS, on the other hand, comes equipped with a 5.8inch OLED with pixel specs at 2,437 X 1,125. For those of you who do not know this, the OLED screen is a lot richer in terms of color quality offering a higher contrast ratio. Putting it simply – the iPhone XS has better display quality than the iPhone 11 hands down!

Our Two Cents

Keeping in mind the points above, some of you may still be wondering where to or not to put your money down. One argument that many make is that the iPhone 11 is of better value. If ‘value’ is all you’re looking for and you already own an iPhone XS in running condition, investing in the iPhone 11 may not be the best idea.

We feel there are some situations where dishing out the extra few hundred dollars to upgrade from an iPhone XS to an iPhone 11 may be justified. The first is if your iPhone XS isn’t working for whatever reason. The second is if you could really do with an extra few minutes of battery life. The third is if the iPhone XS camera isn’t quite up to what you’d want and you’d rather a set with better camera specs. The fourth is a combination of the situations above.

That said, we still suggest that if it’s just a better camera you’re looking for, maybe save a little and invest in the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max. Camera features in these sets beat the XS and other predecessors by a landslide.

Finally, if you’re an iPhone user who is using a device that was released before the X series, upgrading to an iPhone 11 is, without a doubt, a great idea. Even if the iPhone XR is what you were using, we recommend an upgrade if you can afford it. The iPhone XS and the iPhone 11 are closely matched, but that’s not to say that the iPhone 11 isn’t an absolutely brilliant mobile phone device to own!