Almost everything about Apple’s iPhone 11 range has leaked. The good, the bad, the inexplicable and even Apple wants us to know the release date. But it turns out Apple still had some surprises hidden. Until now.

Combining forces for a major leak, popular YouTuber Filip Koroy (aka EverythingApplePro) and XDA-Developers’ Max Weinbach have revealed Apple is making surprising design, camera, Face ID and storage upgrades no-one knew about (video embedded below). And they have the potential to inject life into an iPhone 11 range already ridiculed for its odd design and even stranger branding. 

In terms of design, Weinbach reveals Apple will give all its new iPhones a matt finish which will feel tangibly different to previous generations (hopefully grippier) as well as a new rainbow shimmer to the Apple logo on the back. The ‘iPhone’ branding is also expected to disappear from the back of the phones for the first time in their 12-year history. 

As for the camera, we learn Apple will introduce machine learning into the image capture of the iPhone 11 thanks to a smart feature called “Siri Intelligence”. Huawei has already gone down the AI route on its smartphone cameras with great success. In addition, Koroy explains that Apple will now use all three lenses for capturing Portrait mode data and 4K 30fps recording will be available on the new 120-degree wide-angle camera - an iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Maxexclusive. Mics will also be improved for better stereo video recording. 

Perhaps most likely to please fans, however, is news from the duo that Apple will double entry-level storage on the iPhone 11 Pro range to 128GB, a far more appealing amount than the current upsell-motivated 64GB. The full range will be 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. 

Weinbach also says that Face ID is getting big performance improvements for its third generation and speeds will be inline with the second (and final) generation of Touch ID. This would be a massive speed increase (Face ID is currently far behind) and, given the number of times owners unlock their phones every day, perhaps the most practical benefit of everything here. 

Other tidbits include improved anti-aliasing in the corners of the iPhone 11 (aka the iPhone XR2 - yes, really) display though this will still leave it far behind the Samsung-inspired iPhone Pro panels. Apparently, Apple also tested a version of its new iPhones without a mute switch but, thankfully, that idea was dropped. 

No, none of these upgrades justifies the Pro in Apple’s new ‘iPhone Pro’ branding (Geskin was right, they should’ve had ProMotion displays which will only arrive next year), but they are a combination of useful, interesting and genuinely exciting improvements. 

I would still advise you wait until Apple’s massive 2020 iPhone redesign but, for determined upgraders, it looks like the iPhone 11 just got a second chance. 

Source: forbes