Apple promises a whole new way to interact with your phone, but the iPhone 14 Pro isn’t a game changer.
In a world where even Android phones costing around Rs. 20,000 can do almost all the ordinary person needs, Apple’s Pro class of iPhones, which all cost well over Rs. 1,00,000, must go above and beyond. Each new model must either advance the state of the art or seem fresh and stylish. This is the path Apple has gone with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max – they don’t do anything revolutionary and don’t look much different, but there are a few upgrades that may persuade you to upgrade if you haven’t already.
We’re looking at the iPhone 14 Pro, but its bigger brother, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, has the same features but a larger screen and improved battery life. I felt the iPhone 13 Pro Max to be a little too hefty and awkward for regular usage in my review, and that hasn’t changed with this version. After spending some time with both at Apple’s major announcement event, it was time to make a decision, and I believe the iPhone 14 Pro provides the best balance for me. Continue reading for my entire review.
Price of the iPhone 14 Pro in India
Unfortunately, Apple has boosted costs in India, despite the fact that both of these phones cost the same as their counterparts in the United States. Both versions include storage capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. The iPhone 14 Pro costs Rs. 1,29,900, Rs. 1,39,900, Rs. 1,59,900, and Rs. 1,79,900 in each of these capacities. The iPhone 14 Pro Max costs Rs. 10,000 extra for each, making the corresponding variations Rs. 1,39,900, Rs. 1,49,900, Rs. 1,69,900, and Rs. 1,89,900.
There is still no charger or headset included in the packaging, simply a Lightning cord and a SIM eject pin. If you want a 20W or greater USB Type-C converter, you’ll have to pay extra, since even if you get one with an earlier iPhone, it won’t be as quick.
Gold and Silver are still available, however Graphite has been replaced with a deeper Space Black option. Deep Purple is the trademark color for this launch, and I have it with me. If Apple continues to provide an extra color choice mid-cycle for the following two generations, we could see something new around March next year.
Design of the iPhone 14 Pro
The big news, of course, is the Dynamic Island, which, according to Apple, was built as a mix of hardware and software capabilities to make the greatest use of the pretty large camera hole. While the Android industry has been eager to attempt to replicate it, it’s clear that no other firm had ever considered creating anything along these lines before, and they may not reach the same degree of integration. We’ll go over this more in a moment.
In terms of general design, not much has changed in recent years. Apple’s MagSafe accessory ecosystem demands a flat back, and we’ve kept the flat stainless steel band with rounded edges that runs around all four sides. The iPhone 14 Pro isn’t the most comfortable phone to handle, and the bigger iPhone 14 Pro Max is much more difficult to carry without a cover. The weights are 206g and 240g, respectively. If you look carefully, you’ll see that the screen’s margins are thinner than on earlier versions.
Inside, the Deep Purple unit seems fairly solemn that you would not notice it isn’t grey. When the panel catches the light, though, it reveals a deep plum color with an almost metallic tone. The stainless steel band and metal rings that surround the three cameras match the color of the back panel but are easily smudged. The elevated camera island is constructed of transparent glass, and its edge might be irritating if you aren’t wearing a case.
Apple’s proprietary Ceramic Shield material is still used for the display, as is reinforced glass on the rear. All current-generation iPhones are IP68 water and dust resistant. Units sold in the United States lack a physical SIM tray since Apple prefers to use eSIMs solely, although those sold in India still accept one Nano-SIM and one eSIM. There’s still a Lightning connector on the bottom, so if you’re expecting for a USB Type-C switch, you may have to wait another year.
Dynamic Island and always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro
The most noticeable difference between the iPhone 14 Pro siblings is their screens. The good news is that Apple has finally abandoned the notch, which, although immediately recognizable, has grown dated. The bad news is that the Dynamic Island that takes its place isn’t any better. It seems incredibly sleek in advertising films – and it is, at least superficially. This is due to Apple’s great control over hardware and software, which allows them to optimize animations with anti-aliasing and make the homescreen seem to “flow” around it. In a world when so many phones are physically identical, the notion is also tremendously innovative and feels novel.
The notion of utilising the vacant space between camera holes, and actually extending it rather than attempting to blend it in, surprised the whole crowd at Apple’s launch event. Supply chain leaks provided us a glimpse of the hardware, and if you look closely at the front of the iPhone 14 Pro in bright light, you’ll see the edges of the pill-and-hole cuts that we anticipated. It is software that enables Apple to employ the area surrounding and below these gaps, organising information and symbols so that everything seems unified. There are no dead zones for touch sensing, so you may even tap over the actual camera hardware. However, this may cause smudges on the lens.
Apple has effectively relied on the pretty ancient notion of a second screen. LG models from 2016, such as the X screen (Review) and V20 (Review), experimented with a larger screen area covering the lateral gap adjacent to the front camera, which was utilized for background information and controls. What was lacking back then was more OS-level integration, and it will be fascinating to watch how Apple encourages developers to engage with the Dynamic Island and what they produce.
On each side of the front camera and Face ID hardware, there’s generally enough for two tiny icons or text labels, and everything is encased in a single black oval. Long-pressing this will cause the “island” to grow to display additional context or controls. If you’re listening to music, for example, you’ll see a little album art icon and an animated waveform, but clicking the island will bring up a complete set of controls, including a progress meter, larger thumbnail, and artist/album information. Some signs are simpler than others, such as a padlock when the screen is locked, a bright green symbol while tethering, and a bell + text label when enabling or deactivating quiet mode. A second app may also be shown as a single icon on a separate “island” to the right.
Even when fully blank, the “island” is rather wide and unwieldy. It, like the notch, necessitates that content and controls in most applications begin below it, so it often seems as if there’s a thick band at the top of the screen doing nothing but taking up space. When using certain programs, it took some getting accustomed to the visual distraction of the island, and yes, video and some games show all around it when expanded to full screen (though without any status icons).
In terms of usability, I like the dynamic island throughout my evaluation period, although there were moments when I wished it could be turned off. It’s convenient to be able to swiftly choose between music tracks while browsing around Reddit, for example, however the moving waveform was continuously annoying, and a skip button would be more helpful.
The Dynamic Island is easily envisioned in secondary screen use cases, such as keeping an eye on real-time sports scores or situational updates while doing something. When transferring large files using AirDrop, I loved seeing a progress indication ring. In contrast, I didn’t need a big, glaring green tethering indicator in my face all the time. Other system animations, such as enrolling for Face ID recognition or connecting AirPods, do not need the island and are just used for aesthetic purposes. More notification kinds may have been included here. In reality, the design could be simply tweaked to operate around and below the notches on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and even earlier handsets, but it may not look as good.
The always-on display mode is another notable special feature. This has been a feature of Android phones for years (and Symbian phones for more than a decade), but Apple has done it differently. The business seems to have waited for its SoC, display, and software to be good enough, and you shouldn’t notice much of a difference in battery life.
Instead of turning off, your screen dims, but your lockscreen widgets and background remain. Because Apple may adjust the contrast and brightness, information and even details in your background picture are still visible. Because the refresh rate decreases, certain widgets and active alerts may not update as often. Apps may be able to remain partly active even while the phone is locked. If the phone is left idle for a bit or put in a pocket, the always-on display will switch off, as will low power mode.
The always-on display bothered me, and considering that all contemporary iPhones unlock immediately when your face is in the frame, even unintentional touches on the screen might result in unexpected interactions. It seems like the screen is turned on. There’s also the issue of iOS 16 automatically condensing alerts into a pile, resulting in less information at a look than on other Android-based versions. It would have been helpful to have icons for applications that have issued alerts. Overall, the always-on display was useful while I was working on the iPhone 14 Pro while it was sitting on a table or sofa, but it will take some getting used to.
Specifications and software for the iPhone 14 Pro
Specifications are less essential in Apple’s universe than total user experience, but we still want to know what’s going on within our gadgets. Because the new A16 Bionic SoC is limited to this year’s Pro iPhones, the performance difference is wider than ever. This is especially noticeable in picture and video processing, graphics, and power efficiency. According to Apple, this SoC has 16 billion transistors and is built on an industry-leading 4nm technology. Apple’s in-house silicon has been able to surpass competition from Qualcomm and MediaTek for years, and the firm claims a 40% speed boost over today’s top rivals.
The A16 Bionic has two performance cores and four efficiency cores, as well as a five-core integrated GPU and a 16-core “Neural Engine” enabling AI and machine learning acceleration on-device. There are additional separate blocks for image processing (now known as the “Photonic Engine”), display management, and a variety of other subsystems.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro both contain 6GB of RAM across all models, which Apple does not publicly publish for whatever reason. Although battery capacity are not indicated, third-party teardowns reveal that the two versions contain 3,200mAh and 4,323mAh units, respectively. The battery life is solely specified in terms of time, with the two versions offering up to 28 hours and 29 hours of local video playing, respectively.
The charging speed is also not defined, but has been set at 27W, which is considerably below current Android standards; maybe the changeover from Lightning to USB Type-C, which is generally predicted next year, will eventually enable Apple to boost this. Also, when it comes to Lightning, you’re still limited to USB 2.0 speed for wired data transfers, which is a bummer given that you might be transferring up to 1TB of photographs and movies. Wireless charging with authorized MagSafe accessories works at up to 15W, and there is no reverse wireless charging.
The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display features a resolution of 1179×2556 pixels and is powered by an LTPO OLED screen. The refresh rate may range between 1Hz and 120Hz. HDR peak brightness has been increased to 1600nits, with the display capable of temporarily reaching 2000nits outside if necessary. Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG HDR standards, as well as Dolby Atmos sound, are all supported.
Other minor hardware upgrades include a switch to dual-band GPS for improved accuracy, a far more sensitive accelerometer and gyroscope for accident detection, and the addition of satellite connection hardware to allow Apple’s new Emergency SOS functionality (which is not yet available in India).
Apple distributes iOS 16 with the iPhone 14 series, and a few small upgrades received throughout this review have got us up to version 16.0.3. Lockscreen widgets and personalisation, AI tweaks such as automatic image cutouts and text recognition in videos, a Fitness app that works even without an Apple Watch, and various tweaks across many of the default apps are among the major new software features, many of which are also available on older models. Users in India may now engage with Siri in many languages. Later this year, more capabilities such as iCloud Shared Photo Library and Live Activities will be available.
iOS has acquired a lot of functionality recently and is starting to seem a little disconnected. Adding lockscreen widgets, for example, is not fully obvious. If you wish to display the global time widget, it doesn’t pick cities that you’ve previously entered inside the clock app, and it takes a while to find out that you need to press it while the widget selection panel is open to bring up a distinct list of cities that you may change. It will also not immediately display your home city if you are going abroad. You may also have numerous lockscreens, each with its own wallpaper and widget configuration and each tied to a distinct Focus mode state. If you just want to change the Focus but maintain the same widgets, you’ll have to repeat the process for each lockscreen.
Performance and usefulness of the iPhone 14 Pro
The iPhone 14 Pro, with its 120Hz display, feels buttery smooth. The animations are smooth, iOS 16 is responsive, and you’ll have no trouble getting things done. There are several preloaded programs, many of which you may never use, but virtually all are removable. The main drawback in daily usage was the rather sluggish charging. I also observed the iPhone 14 Pro becoming a little heated while charging (with an authentic Apple 30W USB Type-C converter).
The iPhone 14 Pro isn’t going to change your life. It’s basically an iterative upgrade, with the addition of the Dynamic Island and always-on display as novelties. Having said that, it’s familiar, comfy, and simple to use.
Gaming will not be an issue. I had no problems playing Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends. I also played several less hard games, such as Alto’s Odyssey and Fieldrunners 2. (which unfortunately showed that older titles need to be optimised for the screen resolution, rounded corners, and Dynamic Island). If you play a lot of video games, you may choose the iPhone 14 Pro Max because of its larger screen and battery.
The new 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test, which renders in 4K, scored 3,381 points with a frame rate of 20.2fps on the iPhone 14 Pro, whereas the conventional Wild Life test scored 59.3fps. In the same two tests, an iPhone 13 Pro running iOS 16 achieved 18.7fps and 54.4fps, respectively. I also did the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test for 20 minutes in a row. This made the whole back of the phone nearly unbearably hot, but it also demonstrated that thermal throttling isn’t a major issue, since the lowest loop score was 2,051; around 60% of the best run. The iPhone 14 Pro also performed well in all of GFXBench’s test scenarios, including the most difficult Aztec Ruins (High Tier).
The single-core and multi-core CPU scores for Geekbench 5 were 1,884 and 5,305, respectively, compared to 1,739 and 4,862 for an iPhone 13 Pro. The browser-based Basemark Web 3.0 test scored 1,295.82 points, while Jetstream 2.0 scored 266.893, compared to 1,172.84 and 188.152 for the previous year’s model.
The video in streaming applications seemed bright and clear. If you wish to fill the screen, the Dynamic Island is quite annoying, however most 16:9 movies will not overflow it. Apple also continues to provide high-quality stereo speakers that enhance visual immersion and conversation clarity.
The battery life was adequate for a flagship phone. I got through a whole day with a lot of camera usage, including video recording, and gaming. My day concluded with roughly 20% remaining. I didn’t notice much of a difference when I turned off the always-on display, but that might be because it turns off after a time and isn’t active while the phone is in a pocket. Our HD video loop test lasted 19 hours and 41 minutes.
As previously said, charging is nowhere near as fast as what many Android phones provide these days. I reached 29 percent in 15 minutes and remained at 86 percent after an hour. Apple promises a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, which seems to be accurate. It’s still disappointing that such an expensive phone doesn’t come with a fast charger.
Cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro
This year’s Pro iPhones have a significant update, although this is something we’ve seen in the Android market for years. Instead of a 12-megapixel main camera sensor, you now get a 48-megapixel sensor with four-pixel clusters that work as one. This increases the surface area of each pixel, enabling more light to be gathered and so improving overall quality at short shutter speeds. In classic Apple manner, the consumer has no option – this is the only method to shoot images. Only by switching to ProRAW mode can you take 48-megapixel images, which is obviously not intended for casual users.
This also enables Apple to take 12-megapixel images by utilizing just the center of the sensor area, thereby providing 2X optical magnification. This 2X zoom setting falls between between regular photographs with the main camera and 3X images with the telephoto camera. Capturing frames with a significant buffer on all four sides enables a whole new degree of video stabilisation, potentially equivalent to utilizing a gimbal to adjust for hand shaking, bumps, and uneven motion. Action Option joins Cinematic Mode from last year, but for some reason it’s designed as a toggle button rather than a distinct mode that you can pick from the carousel – and it’s not always evident when it’s engaged.
Although the sensor quality, software, and A16 Bionic “Photonic Engine” could bring overall improvements, the 48-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera have lower apertures than their counterparts on the iPhone 13 Pro. There is now sufficient computational capacity to perform improvement operations on uncompressed sensor data considerably sooner in the processing pipeline. Low-light images are expected to improve 2-3X depending on which camera is utilized for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, implying that specifications don’t tell the entire story. Another advancement is focusing for the front camera, which allows for greater sharpness even with creative compositions.
In practice, images shot with the iPhone 14 Pro in daylight looked fantastic. The colors are natural without being overpowering. 48-megapixel images are large in terms of file size, but using Lightroom or another post-processing program will reveal a lot more detail and character. Close-ups are very detailed, but Apple still defaults to macro mode, which might interfere with efforts to frame a close-up subject. This may be turned off in the iOS Settings app. Macros are a touch blurry, but still quite useful.
Daytime exposures were handled effectively, and you won’t be dissatisfied with any of the cameras. Even with distant objects, ultra-wide images kept a lot of information and weren’t too awful in terms of exposure, color, or distortion at the margins. Using the 2X zoom level gives you an effective 48mm focal length, which is useful for portraiture, and detail is excellent when it comes to things like animal hair texture. The main and telephoto cameras have excellent depth of field. For distant things, 3X is almost always preferable than 2X, although it’s wonderful to have the choice.
Low-light images are recorded rapidly, and sceneries have outstanding clarity and bright colors. In terms of low-light sharpness and resolution, the telephoto camera’s 3X optical photos are a touch poorer than the main camera’s 2X cropped shots, but you still get very useable shots and a lot of versatility when it comes to framing and composition. At 1X, the main camera performs well at night, capturing crisp images with a very wide dynamic range, with very little latency and nearly no motion blur.
Except for a new option to shoot in 4K HDR at 30fps or 24fps, Cinematic Mode remains identical. The primary new video feature is Action Mode. It works on all cameras, but to varied degrees of success. This seems to be significantly more helpful to most people than Cinematic Mode, although it isn’t exactly novel or ground-breaking for smartphones.
Standard video from all three cameras was also excellent, both during the day and at night – the telephoto camera is, of course, the most shaky while walking and shooting. Colors are realistic, and action is fluid in both 1080p and 4K.
Selfies featured excellent detail and depth of field. The exposures are highly weighted towards your face rather than the surroundings. Portrait effects use the same 3D depth detecting technology as earlier iPhones.
Verdict
The iPhone 14 Pro is a significant step forward from its predecessor. In the United States, there has been no price hike, which makes logical. Unfortunately, we are not that fortunate in India. What was previously a luxury is becoming more difficult to justify. If you want the greatest iPhone in terms of features, camera quality, and general performance, you’ll purchase this phone (or its bigger sister) regardless of price, but it’s just out of reach for many people. Many modern Android phones (and even older iPhones) provide all of the functionality that most people want for considerably less money, but maybe not with the same degree of polish.
The Dynamic Island is something you may want to show off or experiment with. The novelty wore off quickly for me, and I found it less helpful than I had thought, but I’ll see how I feel when Apple and app developers come up with new ways to utilize it. Crash detection and satellite-based emergency communications are not currently viable options in India. However, many of the little quality-of-life improvements add up; I’m attracted by the improved low-light picture quality across all cameras, and, to a lesser extent, the always-on display.
Anyone with an iPhone X (Review) or older may want to consider upgrading, and the iPhone 14 series has a lot to offer. However, the iPhone 13 Pro is still available and costs much less at each storage tier, particularly during the holiday season. You wouldn’t be losing out on anything if you went with that option instead. It’s also becoming more probable that USB Type-C and fast charging will be included in next year’s model, and you can’t blame yourself for wanting to wait for that.
pic by – iPhone 14 Pro