[ad_1]
The recently revealed iPhone 14 lineup marks a big change for Apple. It signals a clear divide between the standard iPhone and its “Pro” counterparts, and most notably, marks the beginning of the end for Apple’s Face ID notch. This is a glimpse into the future of Apple.
Unfortunately, you’ll only experience the future of Apple if you pay for an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max. The standard iPhone 14 offers very few improvements over its predecessor, and looks outdated next to the Pro models.
Goodbye iPhone Mini, hello iPhone Plus
There are four devices in the iPhone 14 lineup. You have the standard iPhone 14, a new iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. That’s how it is; Apple ditched the iPhone Mini.
It seems that the iPhone Mini experiment was a failure. Customers were not interested in paying less for a smaller device. So Apple thinks an iPhone 14 Plus upgrade might be more appealing.
- iPhone 14 (6.1 inches): $799
- iPhone 14 plus (6.7 inches): $899
- iPhone 14 Pro (6.1 inches): $999
- iPhone 14 ProMax (6.7 inches): $1,099
The new iPhone 14 Plus costs $100 more than the standard iPhone 14, but offers a much larger 6.69-inch screen and improved battery life. In the past, you had to buy the more expensive iPhone “Pro Max” to get these upgrades. (Apart from the display and battery life, the iPhone 14 Plus is identical to the base iPhone 14.)
Note that all iPhone screens are slightly larger than last year’s models. iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro use a new 6.1-inch (was 6.06-inch) display, while iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 4 Pro Max use a 6.7-inch (was 6.68-inch) panel. inches).
All iPhone models get satellite connectivity to send messages outside the network. You have to point your iPhone towards a satellite using an on-screen guide, and it all looks pretty complicated, but it’s a great start. (This feature launches in November and is exclusive to the US and Canada. It will eventually cost money.)
Also, all iPhone 14 models use eSIM. They do not work with physical SIM cards. This makes it easy to activate your phone and switch carriers. It also eliminates the possibility of someone stealing your SIM card.
And just like the new Apple Watch Series 8, the iPhone 14 lineup offers car accident detection using internal microphones, gyroscopes, and accelerometers.
Death notch, Sorta
After several years of whining and complaining, it looks like Apple fans are finally getting what they want. The new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max ditch the Face ID notch for a smaller pill-shaped cutout. And crazy enough, this cutout can be resized.
well you can’t Really change the size. Apple uses the new pill-shaped Face ID cutout as a “Dynamic Island.” When you use Apple Pay, for example, the Face ID cutout grows into a larger notification shade with a preview of a credit card. You can also touch the “Dynamic Island” to interact with whatever app you’re using, like Apple Music, Maps, or a timer.
Developers can leverage the “Dynamic Island” API to take advantage of this new feature. It’s an amazing idea, and frankly, it makes the basic iPhone 14 look outdated.
Also, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have an improved display. There is a new maximum brightness of 2000 nit (which is incredibly bright), plus a new always-on display mode. The new display mode takes advantage of an adaptive refresh rate to constantly display information without sacrificing battery life. And unlike the Apple Watch, the iPhone 14 Pro won’t change your wallpaper to green when Always-On Display is enabled.
These updates are exclusive to iPhone “Pro” models. But we’re expecting lozenge-shaped Face ID array and always-on display mode to come to standard iPhone 15 models. If you want these upgrades but don’t want to pay for a “Pro” iPhone, you’ll have to wait. until next year. (Of course, we’re just speculating. Maybe the iPhone 15 will still use a notched Face ID array!)
Professional models finally get professional performance
In the past, iPhone “Pro” models offered little more than a camera upgrade. They did not offer a noticeable increase in performance or usability. But that changes with the iPhone 14 lineup.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max use a new A16 chipset. It provides much faster CPU, GPU and RAM speeds than the standard A16. It also introduces fast DDR5 memory to the iPhone lineup. Plus, the upgraded high-efficiency cores ensure long-lasting battery life during daily tasks.
Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus reuse last year’s A15 chipset. While the A15 chip is still quite capable, it’s disappointing to see Apple holding back the iPhone just to make the upgrade to the Pro model seem more significant.
upgrade room
All iPhone 14 models use a new autofocus selfie lens with an improved f/1.9 aperture. This should increase sharpness during FaceTime calls and improve low-light performance when taking selfies. The iPhone 14 lineup also uses a new “Photonic Engine” that supposedly doubles detail and color when taking photos in low light.
The standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus also get an improved 12MP main camera with an f/1.5 aperture. Apple claims that this camera will provide sharper images when subjects are in motion, as well as improved low-light performance.
Additionally, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus use Apple’s six-element ultra-wide camera, which was introduced last year with the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. This improved camera increases sharpness and reduces noise when taking night photos.
But Apple’s most notable camera upgrade is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Finally, after more years than we can count, Apple is ditching its 12MP main lens for a new 48MP sensor. It’s a massive upgrade that could dramatically improve camera quality. (The iPhone 14 Pro also has a slightly improved 12MP ultrawide lens, although the difference is quite minor.)
Unfortunately, we have heard rumors (via @LeaksApplePro) that the new 48MP lens is not ready for night photography. The larger sensor can create noise when shooting in low-light settings, and to early adopters, it might feel like a downgrade from last year’s camera.
We can’t say anything decisive about this 48MP lens until we review the iPhone 14 Pro. But if you regularly use the iPhone for night photography, you might want to wait and see how this plays out.
Where can I buy it?
Pre-orders for the iPhone 14 lineup start on September 9. Pricing starts at $799 for the base iPhone 14, $899 for the larger iPhone 14 Plus, $999 for the iPhone 14 Pro, and $1,099 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Units ship September 16 (iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t ship until October 7, however). If you buy an iPhone 14 from the Apple store, don’t forget to trade in a device to save a lot of money. You can also buy the phone from your carrier, who may offer discounts for upgrades, trade-ins, pre-orders, and more.
We will update this article when pre-orders open.
[ad_2]