With the iPhone 14, Apple has delivered the most comprehensive innovations to its phones in many years – at least for the Pro variant. For the regular iPhone 14, most things remain the same. But even here, there are some new features that we hope we’ll never need.
The current iPhone comes in 4 variants: The smaller devices – iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro – with a 6.1-inch display, and the larger ones with a 6.7-inch screen – the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
In the Pro models (starting at 1,299 euros), the concise notch on the top (“notch”) has been replaced by an elongated hole in the display. Apple calls this “Dynamic Island.” The selfie camera and sensors are located there.
This “dynamic island” adapts to notifications and harmonizes with their display. For example, the album cover and an animated waveform are permanently displayed if you listen to music.
The “dynamic island” gives the new Pro iPhones a fresh and distinctive look. Apart from the aesthetic design, this innovation hardly brings any added value in everyday use.
In the case of music playback, the “Dynamic Island” is even a bit annoying because something is constantly moving with the animated waveform on the screen, which causes unnecessary unrest on display. Unfortunately, this display can neither be personalized nor deactivated.
New always-on display
An always-on display has been added to the screen for the first time. This allows notifications, dates, times, and any widgets to be displayed even when the screen is disabled.
Even though this feature has been implemented flawlessly in terms of design, there are some limitations with the always-on display that are sorely missed.
How the “Dynamic Island” and the always-on display prove themselves in everyday use and all the details about these new features can be read in the detailed review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
New camera for the Pro
Apple has increased the main camera’s resolution from 12 to 48 megapixels in both Pro models. In addition, the wide-angle camera is also based on a new, more powerful sensor.
All of this benefits the photo quality in low-light situations in particular. The camera of the 14-series iPhones can boast impressively high quality.
As far as video quality is concerned, the iPhone has been in a class of its own for years. A new feature for video recordings is a stabilization mode, which is supposed to prevent shaky recordings.
Many sample photos and videos with the iPhone 14 Pro Max can be seen in the detailed review, which can be found here.
Few innovations in the standard iPhone 14
The innovations for the regular iPhone 14 (starting at 999 Euros) and the Plus iPhone are limited: These devices come without “Dynamic Island” and continue to rely on the bar in. There are no noteworthy innovations in the camera, screen, design, or processor.
iPhones with satellite emergency call
However, two noteworthy innovations apply to all 14 new iPhones and will hopefully never have to be used. The first is the satellite phone function, which allows you to make an emergency call without cellular reception.
However, this feature is only available in the US and Canada. When and if this feature can also be used in Europe is still open. How Apple implements the satellite emergency call can be read in this article.
Automatic accident detection
On the other hand, the new iPhones can detect if you are involved in a serious car accident and subsequently make an automated emergency call. This innovation also works in Austria and Europe.
This function sounds reasonable, but it isn’t easy to test. However, modern cars in Europe have had to have the eCall function for emergencies since 2018 anyway.
Conclusion
The innovations introduced with the regular iPhone 14 are more than manageable. Thus, there is no reason not to buy an iPhone 13 from the previous year, up to 200 Euros cheaper.
The new features are more visible in the Pro versions, but they hardly justify an upgrade from a 12 or 13 iPhone. For all those who use an iPhone 11 (Pro) or older, purchasing a new iPhone 14 Pro could become interesting again.
- source: futurezone.at/picture: apple.com
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