Should You Buy the iPhone 11 in 2023?

Should you buy Apple’s iPhone 11 in 2023? The iPhone 11 is a suitable choice if that’s all your budget allows, but there are definitely reasons to avoid buying the iPhone 11.

The iPhone 11 was first announced in the fall of 2019, replacing the iPhone XR. Since then, its been replaced several times over by newer models like the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and most recently, the iPhone 14.

Apple doesn’t sell new iPhone 11 models, but you can find a refurbished iPhone 11 at countless retailers, auction sites, and wireless providers.

Given the steep price point of newer devices like Apple’s iPhone 14, the iPhone 11 might have caught your eye in your hunt for a new device.

Why You Should Buy the iPhone 11 in 2023

Here are some of the best reasons to buy an iPhone 11 in 2023. Everyone’s situation is different, but these should apply to most people shopping for a new device.

Price & Value

One of the main pros of buying an iPhone 11 in 2023 is the cost. It’s cheap.

Given that it’s older than Apple’s newest iPhone models, the price is naturally much lower than more up-to-date iPhones. If you shop around, you should able to find it for around $300.

This makes the iPhone 11 an attractive option for those of you with tight budgets who want to stay in, or get into, Apple’s ecosystem.

Performance

The iPhone 11 is powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic chip. It’s not the company’s best processor, but it’s holding up relatively well in 2023.

We’ve been using iOS 16 on the iPhone 11 since launch in September and it performs at a relatively high level. We’ve seen occasional lag and slow down, but nothing that will give you buyers remorse.

It stumbles a bit in areas like gaming and watching/streaming content. Not because they’re terrible experiences on the iPhone 11, but because newer iPhones have improved processors and screen refresh rates.

That being said, if you don’t care about those things and simply want a phone that is decently fast for answering email, using apps, and doing a bit of work, the iPhone 11’s performance should suit you just fine.

If you want to get deeper into the nuts and bolts, check out AnandTech’s overview of the iPhone 11’s processor, GPU, and more.

Longevity

If you plan on keeping your next smartphone for a while, the iPhone 11 is certainly an option because software support won’t end anytime soon.

Apple typically keeps its iPhones upgraded with new operating systems for four to five years. The iPhone 11 started on iOS 13, is now on iOS 16, and will get upgraded to iOS 17 later this year. It will likely get iOS 18 next year as well.

While the iPhone 11 won’t get every new feature Apple releases over the next few years, it will get a lot of them. It will also get upgraded with the latest bug fixes and, more importantly, the latest security patches from Apple’s engineers.

In fact, even when Apple cuts the iPhone 11 off from its latest and greatest iOS operating system, you can expect Apple to continue to roll out security patches for an additional year or more.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy the iPhone 11 in 2023

There are also some great reasons to pass on the iPhone 11 and buy a newer model like the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or even the iPhone 14 instead.

Battery Life

As we mentioned earlier, newer iPhone models benefit from more efficient processors and this results in better speeds, efficiency, and longer battery life. While the iPhone 11 has decent enough battery life, it won’t compare to the endurance of newer iPhone models.

Cameras

Cameras are another area where the iPhone 11 simply can’t compare to newer iPhones.

The iPhone 11 features a Dual 12MP camera setup which, back in 2019, was good enough for a lot of people. As you’d might expect, camera technology has come a long way since then and Apple’s made hardware and software improvements that in all honesty make the iPhone 11’s camera setup look, well, bad.

Improvements on newer iPhone models include better image stabilization for cleaner photos and videos as well as better low-light capture. If you like to take photos and/or videos at night, you’ll probably want to go with a newer model.

Missing Features

The iPhone 11 also misses some key features that newer iPhones have on board. Many of these features are software-related as Apple keeps some software enhancements exclusive to newer models due to hardware limitations on older iPhone models.

The iPhone 11 is also LTE-only which means unlike the iPhone 12 and newer iPhone models, it doesn’t have 5G connectivity. That might be a deal-breaker for some of you, especially those who stream a lot of content using cellular data.

The iPhone 12 also officially supports Apple’s MagSafe wireless charger while the iPhone 11 does not.

iPhone 12 is Cheap & Better

Overall, the iPhone 11 is a decent value buy in 2023, but if you can afford it, we recommend spending a bit more on an iPhone 12 or perhaps even an iPhone 13.

While the iPhone 11 is still a capable device with good-enough performance and ongoing software support, newer models like the iPhone 12 offer improved camera technology, better battery life, and additional features (MagSafe support, 5G, more durable design) that could make your overall experience much better.

Again, a refurbished iPhone 11 is right around $300 at Amazon while the iPhone 12 costs around $390. For many of you, that extra $90 will be money well spent.

Wait for Design Changes

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Last year, Apple introduced a brand new pill-shaped notch the company calls Dynamic Island. Unfortunately, this change is only available on the company's high-end iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. That will likely change this year. Analyst Ross Young believes Apple could bring Dynamic Island to the lower-end iPhone 15 models. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman does as well. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 15's proximity sensor will be integrated into Dynamic Island. The proximity sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro models is under the display outside of Dynamic Island. This could lead to Face ID improvements. This might give some of you considering Apple's iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus a reason to hold out and wait for the new models. On the flip side, Young doesn't think the standard iPhone 15 models will get 120Hz/LTPO like the iPhone 15 Pro models. This haas been backed up by another source who says the iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus won't get ProMotion and Always-On display capabilities.  We've heard the the iPhone 15 Max's design will be made out of titanium as opposed to stainless steel. Leaker ShrimpApplePro claims early information suggests Apple is indeed working on a titanium design. The leaker says the design may also incorporate curved rear edges and a glass back. In a newer tweet, the leaker says the iPhone 15 Pro models will "have thinner bezels" with curved edges. The display is reportedly still flat, however. ShrimpApplePro says additional sources now agree with the information and that the bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro models will indeed be thinner. In a tweet, well-known leaker Ice Universe says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the record for thinnest bezels on a smartphone. The record is currently held by the Xiaomi 13. Front glass panels for the iPhone 15 series have apparently leaked and they depict thinner bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.  Analyst Jeff Pu from Haitong International Securities also believes the company is working to deliver a new titanium design. So does Gurman. We've seen an iPhone 15 Pro dummy unit leak on the Chinese version of TikTok and it gives us a glimpse at what the device might look like. CAD images of the iPhone 15 Pro from 9to5Mac also show us what the final product could look like.  We've also heard the iPhone 15 Pro might have a multi-use action button instead of a mute button. This button would probably work like it does on the Apple Watch Ultra in that it will allow users to map it to different functions. You can see it in AppleInsider's video above.

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