Do you need an iPhone 11 Pro if you’re a professional?

Apple announced the iPhone 11 Pro in their yearly September Apple event amongst other devices. It has more performance and more feature than the previous generation and is setting a new high benchmark in performance and quality. But do you need it if you’re a professional?

Short answer: Probably not

The iPhone 11 Pro is a powerful device. The last iPhones were always ahead the competition and even faster than laptops when it comes to CPU & GPU performance. The A13 Bionic is another example of the high efficiency and performance and is easily the strongest smartphone currently existing.

The camera was the main focus in the keynote and tries to be the best smartphone camera (again). The iPhone can now offer an ultra-wide lens as well.

Apple is showing really good how you could create a whole movie with an iPhone. But would you want to do that?

But should a professional really buy an iPhone 11 Pro to be more productive and powerful? Or is Apple just selling more devices by calling them “Pro”?

I can’t really see a usecase why a professional photographer or videographer should buy an iPhone 11 Pro. And I guess most people who will buy it won’t use it to make money. It’s just another super fancy release with a price point above all other iPhones.

A real Pro will probably prefer a real videocamera with interchangeable lenses than an iPhone. A real Pro will probably use a MacBook or iMac to cut and edit videos than an iPhone. Apple is showing really good how you could create a whole movie with an iPhone. But would you want to do that?

Don’t get me wrong: I like the iPhone 11 Pro and I will probably get one. But not because I am a professional. I will buy it because it’s one of the best smartphones out there and iOS 13 is just very capable and user friendly. I am living and working in an Apple ecosystem and I’m totally fine with it.

I was okay with calling the iPad Pro, the iMac Pro and everyone likes the MacBook Pro. But what do you imagine if you hear iPhone Pro for the first time? Especially when it is having the same CPU than the default iPhone 11…

I just remembered this tweet I have recently seen:

Start.
Start now.
Start where you are.
Start with what you have.
Start with all of your insecurities.
Start with what you already know.
Start moving towards the goal.
Start and make mistakes.
Start small.
Start now.

Just start.

— Sean Cannell (@seancannell) September 8, 2019

You don’t need an iPhone 11 Pro if you’re a professional person. That’s why I don’t like the Pro naming on an iPhone. All you need is your will to create something. And you don’t need much for that.