Featuring the Always-On display, the first-ever 48MP camera on iPhone, Emergency SOS via satellite, and an innovative new way to receive notifications and activities with the Dynamic Island let’s see what the new iPhone 14 lineup offers.
The Punch Hole & the dynamic island
Let’s start with the most interesting feature. Apple has managed to swap out the notch of iPhones with this much sleeker symmetrical hole punch. It’s not just an aesthetic improvement, they have turned this into a feature called the dynamic island.
While I was watching the Apple Event I was mind blown by these animations that happened with the punch hole. It was just awesome. The dynamic island is a combination of hardware and software and this is not a punch-hole design like we see on Android phones; instead, it dynamically shape-shifts automatically based on different applications such as calls, battery charging indications, music, and much more. Instead of putting a dead notch, Apple has made the pill-shaped fun interactive area on the display that is supposed to be useful.
Satellite connectivity
Satellite communication is considered the holy grail of connectivity. It means that even if you’re out of range you can still send messages directly by the satellites orbiting the planets. No signal, No problem. For now, apple has limited it to purely emergency services. This feature is kind of ahead of the curve, the only downside is the fact that this is a subscription service. The first two years are free then you have to pay for satellite connectivity.
No more Mini
Apple has swapped out the iPhone mini, which used to be the cheapest entry-level iPhone, with the iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 Plus sits above the base iPhone 14 but below the pros. Now if you just want a bigger screen you don’t have to buy a Pro model. The iPhone 14 Plus gives you a bigger screen and a bigger battery. The entry-level iPhone 14 is $799 and the iPhone Plus is $899.
Always On Display
The biggest upgrade that we had with iPhone 13 pro was the pro motion display. It’s just a fancy way of saying that the refresh rate of the phone can scale all the way up to 120 hertz, which makes the phone feel very responsive and smooth. And this refresh rate could also bring down to just 10 hertz, which saves battery. This year that 10 hertz lower limit just become 1 hertz creating a really efficient always-on display
Dropping the refresh rate of the screen to once per second means the screen can show you the most important info at your fingertips at all times with practically zero extra cost to battery life.
Highest Brightness of Any Smartphone
iPhone 14 Pro models beat all other smartphones on the market when it comes to peak brightness outdoors. A new brightness level of 2 000 nits is the highest brightness ever recorded on a smartphone. This means that you can use the iPhone 14 even in direct sunlight without any issues.
A new 48-megapixel camera system
The iPhone 14 and 14 plus has a slightly better sensor, which has better stabilization and a faster shutter time but then the more significant upgrade comes from the software. They’re calling this photonic engine. Apple’s saying that this new image processing software can bring out two times more light when taking night shots.
Apple went further with the pros. Pro series iPhones get a new 48-megapixel camera system. Now 48-megapixel sensors aren’t anything new to smartphones. You can literally go to amazon and buy a $200 phone that has a 48-megapixel camera system. But the reason that I’m optimistic about this is that iPhones always had a 12-megapixel camera system. And we all know how good that 12-megapixel cameras were.
the Same A15 Bionic?
The base iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t get Apple’s latest processor. Instead, they are getting the last year’s A15 processor. The iPhone 13 was already so far ahead of androids with its A15 chipset in terms of performance. The A15 Bionic chip was a powerhouse. This is one of the reasons the base iPhone 14 and iPhone Plus get the same A15 processor. There’s another reason and I will get into that in a minute.
This also helps Apple to get around the current chip shortage whilst also getting some extra use from chips they’ve already made that might otherwise have to be thrown away.
The iPhone 14 Pro models are the only Apple product to feature the new A16 Bionic chip, Apple’s most powerful mobile chip yet. Apple claimed it’s 40% faster than the competition and uses 20% less power than A15 Bionic, which already had amazing power management.
The Divide
Apple is starting to create a noticeable divide in its user base. When this company first started releasing upgraded versions of their phones it was very simple. One phone is just bigger than the other one. There was no base model or Pro model. Just to identical phones with two different display sizes.
But at this point, it’s like the pro and the base model phones are a generation apart. I can see why apple’s doing it. They’re at a stage now where their base model phones are good enough for most people.
There’s an increasing majority of people who won’t just drop everything to buy the top-end model as soon as it’s announced. They will instead just wait until their current phone stops working and then upgrade to the base version of whatever happens to be the latest generation of iPhones at the time.
For all of these users who are just upgrading without really putting too much thought into it, Apple is trying to make sure that they’re not giving them too many good features.
The Grand Theory of Apple : Read Here
