iPhone 11 Selfie Shooter impresses on DXOMark, but falls short of Top 10 ranking

Since its release late last year, the humble Apple iPhone 11 has been rather well received by fans and connoisseurs all over the globe. So well received was it that it had long taken over the role of the best selling iOS smartphone, though the new iPhone SE with its very low price point and impressive set of features might soon dethrone it from its exalted perch. Check out this tiny fella here.

The iPhone 11 has a comfy 6.1-inch display, plus a couple of hard-hitting cameras on the back, and a 12MP shooter on the front. Powering it is the phenomenal A13 Bionic chipset, and it has IP 68 dust/water resistance for when the going gets tough. It is junior to the iPhone 11 Pro models and is relatively cheaper.

The iPhone Marvel

The iPhone line is remarkable for the quality of its cameras and now DxOMark is helping show us all how well they stack up in real life. The latest DxOMark review and evaluation focuses on the selfie shooter of the iPhone 11. This front-facing camera is equipped with a fixed-focus 12MP sensor that is identical to that found on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

The sensor packs a 23mm focal length, plus an f/2.2 aperture. It has Apple’s Smart HDD locked and loaded, can shoot 4K vids at up to 60 fps in the video mode, and boasts a feature for blurring backgrounds for a properly stunning effect.

Since the iPhone 11 and Pro Max models have an identical selfie camera setup, it is not much of a surprise to learn that their performance is almost the same. For those who are after camera bragging rights, the iPhone 11 has a slightly less impressive selfie camera focus performance, compared to its beefier and pricier brethren. The fixed-focus selfie camera the phone is equipped with resulted in its focusing closer to its lens. What this means is that long-range shots are likely to be out of focus.

The selfie camera on the iPhone 11 got an overall score of 91. While commendable, that was not good enough for the device to make it to the top 10 listings. Instead, the score pushed it to number 13 on the hallowed DxOMark chart. 

In general, there was little performance variation between it and the iPhone 11 Pro. Daylight shots usually had good exposure, plus more than acceptable dynamic range. Highlight clipping was, however, an issue, but not one worth going to war for.

Like on other iPhone cameras, skin tones tended to appear somewhat yellowish, but colors are vivid. Long-distance shots were not impressive, with considerable loss of detail. This can happen for example when shooting selfies with a selfie stick.

 Most camera samples shot under a wide range of conditions also showed some noise, especially when shot indoors and in less than stellar light conditions. So folks might choose to refrain from shooting under conditions when the lighting is less than perfect.

Videos On A Roll

On the video front, the iPhone 11 selfie camera posted commendable results, with an overall score of 90. This is identical to that on the iPhone Pro Max.

Shooting in 4K at 30fps was a smooth experience, with videos showing all the detail one could expect. Even more surprisingly, there was lesser noise than on more expensive iPhone flagships, with video stabilization marked as effective. Coloring, details, and exposure were precise, in the face of variable shooting conditions no less.

However, video focusing tended to be an issue, and exposure can degrade in less than perfect lighting conditions. But these issues are unlikely to matter to none but a professional, looking for the perfect award-winning shot of a lifetime!

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