The iPhone 11 Pro is undoubtedly the king of Apple’s iPhone lineup thanks to its three rear cameras, all-day battery life and high-resolution OLED screen. But it commands a steep price, starting at $999 (£1,049, AU$1,749). With so many new iPhones out there, including the $699 iPhone 11 and the $399 iPhone SE, you may be wondering which one to choose. I wanted to compare Apple’s flagship to the budget iPhone to see what difference that $600 makes.
Realistically, if you want the top-of-the-range iPhone (and it fits within your budget) you probably won’t even consider the iPhone SE. But as I found out after using both the 11 Pro and SE for a few weeks, I don’t feel like I missed out on all that much when I switched over to the less expensive iPhone.
While the iPhone SE may look like an older iPhone on the outside, don’t be fooled. Paired with the same A13 Bionic chip found on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, it offers great performance and a very capable camera for an entry-level price of $399. The battery won’t last as long as the more expensive phone, but Apple has made some smart trade-offs to keep the price low.
With a sleek stainless-steel chassis, great battery life and a high-resolution OLED display, the iPhone 11 Pro really does feel deserving of the “Pro” label. It’s the most robust iPhone you can buy and has three rear cameras that give you flexibility from ultrawide through to telephoto. There’s also the option of bumping up the screen size from 5.8 inches to 6.5 if you choose the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and you also get a larger 512GB storage option at the top end, whereas the iPhone SE taps out at 256GB.
iPhone SE is the most compact, while the 11 Pro is extremely durable
With a 4.7-inch screen, the iPhone SE shares the same overall design as the iPhone 8. That means the home button is back! Or, it never went away if you’re upgrading from something like the iPhone 6 or 7. The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch screen and sports the newer iPhone design without a home button.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
The iPhone SE has an aluminum frame, while the iPhone 11 Pro is made of stainless steel. All of Apple’s phones are covered in custom glass on the front and back, made by Corning, and Apple claims the iPhone 11 Pro has the most durable glass of all. I’ve dropped the iPhone 11 Pro countless times (both in our formal drop test and when using it for the past six months) and it hasn’t sustained any significant damage.
Even so, I still recommend putting a case on your phone just to be safe, as not all drops are created equal. We haven’t yet conducted a durability test on the iPhone SE, but would expect it to perform similarly to the iPhone 8 given it’s the same design. (The iPhone 8 suffered a cracked screen when it was dropped from five feet.)
Both phones also offer water resistance, although to slightly different degrees: the iPhone SE is rated IP67, which means it can reach a maximum depth of 1 meter (3 feet) for up to 30 minutes, while the iPhone 11 Pro is IP68, or 4 meters (13 feet) for the same time. But in my extreme water test, I found the iPhone 11 Pro survived much deeper water than Apple claims, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the iPhone SE also outlived its rating. Regardless, water damage is not covered under warranty for either phone so don’t go crazy trying to test the limits of your phone (leave that to me!).
Winner: The 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro hits the size sweet spot for me, even though the iPhone SE is easier for one-handed use.
The iPhone 11 Pro has that gorgeous OLED display
The iPhone SE has an LCD liquid retina display, while the 11 Pro has an OLED Super Retina XDR display. There’s no question that the 11 Pro’s screen looks gorgeous thanks to a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 and HDR support. Its OLED tech is able to produce deeper black levels than the LCD on the iPhone SE.
That said, I wasn’t disappointed when I switched over to the iPhone SE. Colors look accurate and the screen is easy to read in bright, outdoor light. To my eyes, watching a movie looked better on the iPhone 11 Pro thanks to the screen being physically bigger.
Winner: It’s hard to compete with the iPhone 11 Pro’s OLED display.
Touch ID vs. Face ID: Home button or facial recognition?
After using the new iPhone SE for several weeks, I count myself among the many people who prefer using a fingerprint to unlock their phone. Face ID is solid, but has limitations despite becoming more responsive as time goes on. Touch ID just works better for me in a lot of situations. Face ID struggles to recognize me first thing in the morning after I roll out of bed — maybe I look drastically different in the a.m., but I honestly don’t think I do. (It’s also incompatible with face masks.) Switching to the iPhone SE and using my fingerprint to unlock my phone always works.
On the iPhone SE, you do sacrifice screen real estate to accommodate the home button and I noticed the bezels a lot on the SE compared to the almost edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone 11 Pro (even though there’s a notch for the TrueDepth camera).
Winner: iPhone SE for seamless Touch ID.
The iPhone 11 Pro has three rear cameras, but do you need them?
There are three rear cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro: ultrawide-angle, wide and 2x telephoto. The iPhone SE has a single, wide rear camera. But as I found when looking at photos from both side-by-side, the difference was not as dramatic as I was expecting.
The main cameras on both phones use Smart HDR to even out shadow and highlight detail. The iPhone 11 Pro produced images with greater dynamic range in challenging lighting conditions, but on some shots, it was hard to tell them apart in terms of color and overall processing. The iPhone 11 Pro has Apple’s Deep Fusion processing, which helps to produce sharper shots in medium-lighting conditions (think indoors). Read more on how Deep Fusion works in my colleague Patrick Holland’s great explainer.
You can see the difference Deep Fusion makes when looking at the same photo on the SE and 11 Pro at full magnification — see the photo of the orchid below.
Take a look at the 100% crop (inset) showing the effect of Deep Fusion on the iPhone 11 Pro compared to the iPhone SE, which has no Deep Fusion.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Naturally, the iPhone 11 Pro offers greater flexibility when composing your shots thanks to its ultrawide and telephoto lenses. I love the ultrawide perspective and it’s the biggest thing I miss when using the iPhone SE.
Also, that camera on the iPhone 11 Pro means you get more flexibility with selfies, like making Animoji and Memoji that mimic your facial expressions, and filming in 4K.
The biggest difference between these two cameras is night mode — the iPhone 11 Pro has it while the iPhone SE does not. Photos from the 11 Pro look way better in low light than those taken on the SE as night mode helps illuminate the scene and deliver a clearer, brighter shot. Stay tuned for my full camera comparison between these two phones coming soon, where I’ll also cover video recording and the selfie cameras.
Winner: iPhone 11 Pro if you want different cameras and night mode.
The A13 Bionic chip makes both iPhones blisteringly fast
It’s no secret that these phones share the same processor and as a result, I didn’t notice significant differences in performance when using them both side by side. I ran a few benchmarks on both phones and the results were close, with the 11 Pro pulling ahead for multicore performance on Geekbench.
In the real world, both loaded apps fast and didn’t have any noticeable lag when trimming down a 4K video. In fact, the cheaper SE was a hair faster in my anecdotal test.
Apple doesn’t disclose official battery capacity for any of its phones, but we do know the iPhone SE has a similar battery to the iPhone 8. The iPhone 11 Pro, meanwhile, has a higher capacity battery than the cheaper phone. (Unofficial third-party teardowns revealed the 11 Pro has a 3,046mAh battery and the 11 Pro Max 3,969mAh.)
Angela Lang/CNET
There’s no question the battery life differs significantly in day-to-day use. The 11 Pro easily got me through a day, sometimes to a day and a half of fairly heavy use while the iPhone SE lasted a full day with lighter use. If I was watching video or using the camera quite a bit, I reached for the iPhone SE’s charger to be able to make it through an entire day. Both phones also support wireless charging and fast charging, but only the iPhone 11 Pro ships with an 18-watt fast charger in the box.
Winner: Overall performance feels like a tie, but the iPhone 11 Pro pulls ahead for battery.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
