Apple continues to stick to the angular design that was (re)introduced with the iPhone 12, on the back the camera module has grown again and sticks out a little more than usual. The new Deep Purple – the exclusive color of the Pro models – is extremely elegant and not too obtrusive. Depending on the light situation, the dark purple also looks like a light black.
But apart from the color, the design is very similar to the two previous models – if it weren’t for the new notch called Dynamic Island. This not only gives the Pro models of the iPhone 14 an unmistakable design with a high recognition value, according to Apple:
The new Dynamic Island is a true Apple innovation that is hardware, software and everything in between. it brings music, FaceTime and much more forward – without you having to interrupt what you are doing.
We have already dealt with the Dynamic Island in detail elsewhere and explain why Apple’s new notch is so revolutionary. In the commercials, the focus is strongly on the Dynamic Island. In just a few seconds, Apple shows what the new notch is capable of: Apple has turned a boring notch at the top of the screen into a customizable black pill transformed, which is sometimes large or sometimes small, sometimes oval or square, sometimes long or sometimes short, depending on the application.
In practice, however, it quickly turns out that the Dynamic Island is also primarily a recess for the front camera and Face ID and does not change its appearance every second – as one might get the impression from Apple’s advertising clips, although this is not impossible . The features of the Dynamic Island are basically available to all app developers, so it is only a matter of time before not only Apple’s own apps will benefit from them, but also the apps of all third-party manufacturers. Apps like Spotify or Audible, which can already be displayed in the dynamic island thanks to the “Now Playing” API, show that this is already possible.
The new Notch is currently being celebrated on the Internet, and many users are enthusiastic about the Dynamic Island. But there are also problems: Under strong sunlight, the magic behind Apple’s latest stroke of genius comes to the fore: The black pixels that Apple uses for the variable appearance of the notch are ultimately not as dark as the recess in the display itself. We were able to do this in our test as well observed occasionally and under particularly bright light conditions, although we did not find this particularly disturbing and if a different description than Apple leaker Jon Prosser had used:
the dynamic island looks like ASS in sunlight ???? pic.twitter.com/p6iSgUOqvj
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) September 15, 2022
The camera in the Pro models got a major upgrade this year:
|
model |
iPhone 14 Pro |
iPhone 13 Pro |
iPhone 12 Pro |
|
main camera |
48MP (f/1.78) |
12MP (f/1.5) |
12MP (f/1.6) |
|
ultra wide angle |
12MP (f/2.2) |
12MP (f/1.8) |
12MP (f.2.4) |
|
tele |
12MP (f/2.8) |
12MP (f/2.8) |
12MP (f.2.0) |
|
action mode |
Yes |
no |
no |
|
Photonic engine |
Yes |
no |
no |
|
OIS |
2nd gen |
1st gen |
Dual optical image stabilization |
|
Apple ProRAW |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Even better photos are possible with the larger 48 MP sensor in the main camera of the iPhone 14 Pro (Max). Apple dares a major upgrade with this, after all, the two previous models still used a 12 MP sensor. Compared to the Android competition, the sensors have almost become outdated in the past two years, as there were already smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, which came with a 108 MP sensor.
With the new 48 MP sensor, iPhone photographers now have completely new possibilities, the so-called pixel binning thank you Apple describes this as follows:
Most photos need better light capture. To do this, the new sensor groups four pixels into one large quad-pixel. This captures 4x more light and ensures impressively better photos in the practical 12 MP size.
If you want to experience the full power of the new 48 MP sensor, you have to go into the Settings > Camera > Formats Enable ProRAW mode under Photo Capture. But beware: The resolution of the images is then so high that a single image can easily reach a size of around 80 MB. If you tend to take a lot of snapshots with the iPhone, you should expect the memory to fill up quickly. The difference between 48MP and 12MP ProRAW photos is particularly noticeable when you change the composition of the image and the small details become more visible.
The ProRAW format with a 48 MP sensor will therefore be particularly advantageous for those users who consciously use the iPhone 14 Pro to take photos, change image sections and use image processing. If you don’t want to use the ProRAW format – or forget to activate it – you will also get better pictures with Apple’s so-called new Photonic Engine, according to Apple:
It allows deep fusion – the stitching together of the best pixels from multiple exposures into one phenomenal photo – to take place with uncompressed images. Significantly more image data is preserved, for more brilliant, true-to-life colors and impressively detailed textures in less light than ever before.
The Photonic Engine is also used in the non-Pro models of the iPhone 14 generation. However, the advantage of the Photonic Engine is not obvious at first glance.
Also worth noting is the new Action Mode, according to Apple:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re filming from an off-road vehicle or walking alongside your subject, the action mode ensures smooth videos – without a gimbal.
It is questionable how often you will use this feature. You can best answer this for yourself and use it to judge whether the new action mode justifies an upgrade for you. The action mode clearly convinced us. When walking slowly, the optical image stabilization with sensor shift in the iPhone 13 Pro is sufficient, but the difference is actually particularly noticeable in more action-packed projects. The result is extremely impressive when you consider how much the iPhone 14 Pro wobbles during the recording. Apple’s statement “smooth videos – without any GImbal” is by no means an exaggeration. You can see the first video tests including action mode in our video on the iPhone 14 Pro hands-on:
As with the iPhone 12 Pro and 13 Pro, the Super Retina XDR display is also used in the iPhone 14 generation. Image content looks brilliant as usual, HDR content is particularly enjoyable. In addition, Apple was able to improve the peak values in terms of brightness:
Tag: iphone design, iphone 14, apple iphone, iphone release