From the Editor's Desk: Why I'm coming around on Apple rebranding the iPhone "Pro"

Months ago, when we first got wind of Apple's new naming scheme for the iPhone lineup, I was disappointed to think that Apple might be "tricking" us by calling, what was at the time, the entry-level iPhone, the new standard and then rebranding what was the current standard as a "pro-level" device. Basically, the iPhone XR becomes the new iPhone while the iPhone XS becomes some new elite iPhone.

When Apple officially announced the new iPhone11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, my first thought was, indeed, disappointment. I wasn't on-board for this rebranding thing.

Price-wise, the iPhone 11 Pro stayed the same even though it received a very big upgrade (much longer battery life along with the new triple-lens system). To me, this fits what Apple does every year; improve the standard. Why was this now a "Pro?"

What really threw me for a loop, however, is just how fantastic the iPhone 11 became. This is the model I previously considered the entry-level model. Though the iPhone 11 has an LCD screen instead of an OLED screen, and a dual-lens camera system instead of triple-lens, those are pretty much the only things that keep it from being the same specs as the Pro models, at least where it matters.

It runs the same A13 Bionic chip, two out of three of the same camera lenses (wide and ultra-wide), almost the exact same video recording specs (minus the zoom differences, which also relates to two lenses instead of three), and the exact same TrueDepth camera (front-facing) specs.

There's no more 3D Touch to make one phone special over others. The iPhone 11 also has almost all the same camera features as the Pro models, including Night mode and Portrait mode for pets (or "Petrait mode," as Rene likes to call it).

There are a few other nerdy spec differences, like LTE and Wi-Fi support, but most people won't notice the difference and the iPhone 11 is for most people.

All of this and Apple actually dropped the price to $50 below what the entry-level iPhone XR launched at last year.

By buffing up the iPhone 11 to the most powerful technology can allow it to be, Apple has made the iPhone 11 the new standard, and I get that. This is not an entry-level iPhone. It's the iPhone everyone should get. Leave the Pros to the pros.

What did you think of Apple's rebranding the iPhone to a pro? Do you think the iPhone 11 is the new standard? Let me know your thoughts!

Lory Gil