This year I’ve written two iPhone reviews. This one has my testing results of the new iPhone 11 models. The other, found here, is an advice column for the many readers we’ve heard from who have older phones—I’m looking at you, iPhone Sixers!

One day, I’ll tell my grandchildren of a time before the iPhone 11.

I’ll regale them with stories of portable chargers the size of cinder blocks strapped to the backs of our phones. I’ll tell them how we scoured walls in search of power outlets. I’ll describe the panic that set in when the red empty-battery icon dipped below 5%.

In the scheme of iPhone upgrade history, the new iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max sure seem boring. Same designs…but new colors! Cameras…but three of them! Glass…but stronger?! After a week of testing, I can tell you that’s mostly just smoke-and-mirrors marketing, except for one thing many of us have wanted all along: phones that are a bit heavier and thicker—but work when we damn well need them to. Yes, longer battery life.

If you haven’t been following along, here’s the lineup, which arrives Friday: