Is it possible to get professional results off an iPhone 11 pro? It might seem like an odd question and a vague one at that. In today’s social media infused world, image and video content is king, and it’s possible to make a living producing such content with very little start-up funds. For someone living a creative professional life, why would you even consider using your phone as a tool of your trade?
Well, when it’s a phone like the 11 pro, the prospects of obtaining professional results improve dramatically. Apple’s latest offering is as close to a professional level smartphone as we have seen so far, there are so many features, and functions that imply it indeed can be used by a creative professional.
All these specs look tasty on paper, but does the 11 pro deliver? Let’s have a look beyond the numbers and find out whether the iPhone 11 pro – which you can check out at Harvey Norman – is the best smartphone for professionals and if it can even replace some of your heavy and expensive gear.
Durability
All the power and functionality mean nothing if your device is brittle. Against other pro devices like DSLRs or video cameras, the iPhone has an edge in durability based on function alone. Because the iPhone is designed to be handled all day, it is a tough device to break.
Throw in a dust and water resistance rating of IP68, and the iPhone 11 Pro becomes a truly durable device. There aren’t very many pieces of camera gear that are completely impervious to dust, as well as being able to survive 4 meters of submersion for half an hour; the 11 Pro does it with ease. Some users have documented their phones submerged in nearly 10 meters of water for hours, impressive stuff.
Display
To create great content, you need a great screen to view it on. For most professionals, clarity and color accuracy is key to getting the big jobs done, and happily, the 11 Pro has one of the best screens in the business. Bright, crisp, and accurate, the screen is almost a creative professional’s dream.
Of course, even at ultra-high resolutions, a screen that fits in your pocket is no substitute for a large-format screen, this is where the 11 Pro falls as a professional tool. You would have a hard time capturing, editing, and publishing content all on the one device, but as a companion, the iPhone 11 Pro really shines.
Camera
This Is where things get spooky. The camera system on this phone is good, scarily good. Unlike phones before it, the 11 pro features a triple-lens system that utilizes an ultra wide-angle, standard and telephoto lens to create a huge focus length. Software controls this lens system, and it functions like one lens.
Not only does the 11 pro have an amazingly broad focal length, but the clarity and lowlight capabilities are also top-notch. The camera can capture 4k video at 60fps and is stabilized. For a similar capability out of a mirrorless camera system, you would be looking at around the same money as the 11 pro, if not more.
Couple great hardware with a nice inbuilt camera app and you have a device capable of professional results in the palm of your hands. But it gets better, as we can use software to expand the phone’s capabilities even further.
The App store
Apple has pioneered an ecosystem of devices and compatible apps and continues to expand and improve the quality and range. Professional quality apps can be purchased for any job and the support base is huge. Professional editing apps, as well as alternative camera apps, can be downloaded quickly and easily on route to a job.
THE POWER!
All those awesome apps would be wasted on a sluggish device. The 11 pro is the fastest phone we have ever tested, and it runs any app you throw at it with buttery smoothness. For a professional, all that power is essential for running power-hungry video apps and software suites.
The 11 pro comes in a variety of sizes, a nice 512 GB model should store most of your files, and if not, files can easily be backed up via iCloud. Big space in a little device means less weight and more space for other pieces of gear.
The 11 pro uses apple’s new a13 chip and boasts more power than a spaceship. It also has one of the largest capacity batteries seen in an Apple device, promising almost a full day of talk time.
So, the iPhone 11 pro has a monster of a camera set up, its faster than most laptops, and it fits in your pocket. Yes, it’s capable of professional results, but could it replace any of your gear? I guess that is for you to answer, but for me? Well, sort of.
The 11 pro has replaced my walk around, bash about camera, and it does a fantastic job. It also replaced my notepad and pen, as well as a diary and other bits and pieces I would carry around to keep organized. As an organizational nerve center, I prefer my 11 pro over even my MacBook.
If you are doing professional video or image work, I honestly can’t see the 11 pro replacing any of your gear. It’s not specialized, and it’s not modular enough. Why would I replace entire camera systems and corresponding lenses for something that is used for phone calls? No, my beloved gear isn’t going anywhere.
I think more interesting than acting as a replacement, the 11 pro and smartphones like it represent a new breed of pro tools. If you can work with a smaller screen, it would be entirely possible to capture, create, edit, process and publish professional-quality content all from a single device.
For a budding content creator (or even a seasoned one) a professional smartphone could be a one device wonder. With amazing cameras and powerful internals, the 11 pro represents the first true professional smartphone and a device that could really shake up entire industries and the way we think about creative professionals. And the tools they use to get the job done.
