Apple reveals the powerful new iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max

While the iPhone XS and XS Max featured two cameras, one for standard wide shots and another for telephoto and portrait pictures, the Pro models add a new 12MP ultra-wide lens like the iPhone 11. Similar to how a telephoto lens can zoom into a shot, the ultra-wide lens will let you zoom out a bit, allowing you to capture more of a scene without stepping back. The big takeaway is that you’ll have a lot more flexibility when taking photos with iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.

For example, you can now choose from wide and telephoto modes for portrait photos, which will really help when you want to capture some nice bokeh in a tight space. The new 12MP telephoto lens also sports a large f/2.0 aperture, which lets it bring in 40 percent more light than last year’s phones. Even the interface has been optimized — you can hold your finger down on the shutter button to start recording video while you’re in photo mode.

A new feature called Deep Fusion (arriving in the fall), will take nine photos across all three cameras and stitch them together into a single high-quality image. All of that camera power can be used in truly unique ways, too. The app Filmic Pro will let you record from multiple cameras at once — so you’ll be able to get footage from the front shooter right alongside rear cameras without taking multiple videos. And of course, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max will sport all of the new features from the iPhone 11, like a night photography mode and slow-motion selfies (or, ugh, “slowfies”). The 12MP front camera is also getting a wider lens for photos, as well as wider FaceID sensing, allowing you to unlock your phone faster with your face.

Aside from new midnight green and gold steel finishes, those cameras also make up the one major visual difference from last year’s iPhones: a square camera hump. Your mileage might vary on that design choice, but it’s not entirely surprising. We know the Pixel 4 will also get a square rear camera module, though from Google’s renders, it looks to be less obtrusive than Apple’s implementation. To my eyes, the camera hump detracts from the minimalist aesthetic Apple has been moving towards with the iPhone X and beyond. But all of those cameras have to live somewhere, right?

The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are powered by Apple’s new A13 Bionic processor, which are reportedly around 20 percent faster than the A12 when it comes to CPU and GPU speeds. They also feature a faster neural engine to analyze photos and videos in real-time, as well as Machine Learning Accelerators to help the CPU reach over a trillion operations per second. Just like last year, Apple is also using the exact same chip in the iPhone 11, which makes the “Pro” badge seem a bit less meaningful. Instead, the big Pro benefits are the triple camera system and some glorious new screens.