Mehul Reuben DasSep 08, 2022 12:27:23 IST
Although Apple launched four new versions of the iPhone 14 series, only the Pro versions, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are true flagships which bring some fascinating changes and new tech that has got a lot of people talking.
For example, consider the iPhone 14 Pro’s new pill-shaped cutout. Apple is calling it the Dynamic Island, in what can only be called the most Apple thing ever. Thanks to a number of software tricks the new replacement for the notch gets a ton of new functionality, something which other smartphone makers are bound to copy at some point.
We take a look at a few of the new features of the iPhone 14 Pro series that make it the best iPhone yet, and quite possibly one of the best smartphones this year.
The Dynamic Island
The newly designed pill-shaped ‘cutout’ of the iPhone 14 Pro series will go down as the defining iPhone feature of the year 2022.
Make no mistake – other smartphone manufacturers will be copying the functionalities of the Dynamic Island in some form or the other in the months to come. It would be an understatement to say that Apple has completely reimagined what a display cutout is capable of being.
The newly designed Dynamic Island, is the first cutout in a smartphone that is completely interactive. You still get two physical cutouts in the shape of a pill and a hole. However, thanks to software, Apple has managed to present it as one integrated cutout or “island.”
Depending on what’s happening on your screen or what apps you’re using, Dynamic Island changes its appearance and functionalities. For example, you can control your music from this tiny sliver of the main display, while you’re browsing the internet or checking your emails, without switching apps.
It will also show you notifications when you receive them and prompt you to take an action. It basically turns into a mini multitasking UI, and lets users switch between apps, or better yet, take actions without switching over to a different app.
The display
If we go strictly by the specifications, the new display in the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max aren’t anything new. The iPhone 14 Pro gets a 6.1-inch display, with a resolution of 2556×1179 at a pixel density of 460 PPI. The iPhone 14 Pro Max on the other hand gets a 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 2796×1290 pixels at 460 PPI. Both of these are OLED panels, and have a variable refresh rate, which, Apple has named ProMotion.
As far as the specifications are concerned, the new displays aren’t groundbreaking in any way, not at least when you compare them to some of the Android flagships that we have had for some time now. The real magic lies with how Apple has tuned the display and the way it reproduces colours. Furthermore, you get a completely new LTPO system, that allows users to have an always-on display but in complete colour.
The display actually dims the background image or the wallpaper, but keeps the notifications and other icons bright. As a result, the battery doesn’t take a hit.
The new camera system
Smartphone cameras have gone crazy when it comes to pixel counts. We now have smartphones with 100MP and 200MP sensors. However, Apple has never been the one to chase pixel counts. With the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, we get a 48MP camera as the primary shooter, which has a focal length of 24 mm, an aperture of /1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, and 100 per cent Focus Pixels.
We also get two more cameras at the rear – a 12MP ultrawide shooter with a focal length of 13 mm, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 12MP camera 3X optical zoom and 15X digital zoom. Thanks to software trickery and a very powerful image processing system, we also get another 12MP 2X Telephoto shooter from the main camera, which is enabled by a quad-pixel sensor.
For videos, you get a ton of features. For starters, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max can shoot 4K videos at up to 60fps, shoot in ProRes and is Dolby Vision certified.
The A16 Bionic SoC
A16 Bionic SoC is much faster than any other mobile SoC that Apple has made, that’s obvious. It is a 6-core chip with 2 power cores and 4 efficiency cores, and is about 30 per cent faster than the A15 Bionic and about 40 per cent faster than the competition, and is built on the 4nm process.
Satellite connectivity
Its a real shame that Apple’s most radical feature, the new Emergency SOS satellite connectivity won’t be coming to India. The feature is one of many survival features that Apple has added to its lineup.
How it works, is that basically, the new iPhones 14 series, including the non-Pro versions, know when you’re out in the open, are not getting any cellular connectivity, and are under an orbiting satellite. When you get into an emergency, you hit the SOS button, and the phone sends opens up a screen which helps you in orienting your device to an overhead satellite.
It then lets users send an SOS message from a set of determined messages. The message is then relayed to the nearest emergency responders and search and rescue team. It essentially works like a satellite phone, but without internet coverage and a calling facility. This feature will be available only in the US and Canada to begin with, and will start functioning from November onwards.
Should you buy the iPhone 14 Max or the iPhone 14 Max Pro?
The iPhone 14 Pro has been priced at Rs 1,29,990 for the 128GB variant, Rs 1,39,990 for the 256GB variant, Rs 1,59,990 for the 512GB variant and Rs 1,79,990 for the 1TB varaint.
The iPhone 14 Pro has been priced at Rs 1,39,990 for the 128GB variant, Rs 1,49,990 for the 256GB variant, Rs 1,69,990 for the 512GB variant and Rs 1,89,990 for the 1TB varaint.
Whether you should go for the Pro models this year boils down to your use case scenario. If you’re a content creator who would just like to use a smartphone to shoot and have been using a smartphone other than the iPhone 13 series, then this is a no-brainer. The iPhone 14 Pro series’ camera will be the camera to beat this year, especially in terms of video.
On the other hand, if you have been using a flagship from last year, especially an iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, it really makes no sense to upgrade. Yes, the Dynamic Island is an awesome feature to have, and yes, you get a much better and faster SoC, but I doubt if that will be enough to push people into upgrading their devices.
