We’ve heard a number of reports of the iPhone 11 beating expectations in terms of early sales. A new supply-chain report today backs the idea that it’s the base model that is leading the way.

That always seemed a likely bet, with the LCD model arguably offering the best bang for the buck, and relatively few reasons to opt for the more expensive Pro model …

Differences between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

The executive summary is that you have to have a good reason to buy the $999+ model over the $699+ one. Many of the specs are mirrored.

Both get the new ultra-wide camera, Night mode, video recording capabilities, and close-to-identical still photography features. The only difference here between the two is that the Pro model gets you the 2x telephoto lens.

The Pro does have the better screen — OLED versus LCD, and higher DPI — but the base model display is still excellent. The slightly thicker bezels would be noticeable if coming from the iPhone X or XS but not really otherwise.

The Pro has the lovely textured matte glass back and stainless steel chassis, versus conventional glass and aluminum, but most people use a case, so that’s not a huge benefit in practice.

The Pro has slightly better water resistance (4m versus 2m) and the option of a 512 GB storage tier (versus 256 GB), as well as an extra hour of battery life.

For me, personally, I couldn’t downgrade to the larger bezels, and I use the telephoto lens a lot, but my recommendation to friends has been to go for the base model, unless one or more of the differences really jumps out at you as worth the price premium.

Base model iPhone 11 beating expectations

A CIRP report last week suggested that, in the US at least, the base model iPhone 11 was selling almost as many units as the Pro and Pro Max combined.

Its data suggests that sales of the latest models were split approximately: iPhone 11: 9%

iPhone 11 Pro: 6%

iPhone 11 Pro Max: 4%

Supply-chain sources cited by Digitimes today suggest Apple is boosting production of the LCD model.

Apple reportedly has ramped up component orders for its LCD-based iPhone 11 that has seen better-than-expected demand but reduced those for iPhone 11 Pro Max that has seen flat sales, according to sources from Taiwan’s IC supply chain.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard reports of Apple boosting production in order to meet the strong demand for the new models across much of the world, but this one does indicate some balancing between LCD and Max models.

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