Apple’s new iPhone 14 series has arrived with a host of new features for safety, satellite connectivity and 5G.
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
Both the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max use a new Super Retina XDR display with Pro Motion, which dynamically switches the screen’s refresh rate between 120Hz and 1Hz. Apple uses the ultra-low refresh rate to include an always-on, full-screen display that uses minimal battery. The screen also now reaches 2,000 nits at its peak, twice as bright as the iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Image credit: Apple
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max get Apple’s latest and greatest A16 Bionic system-on-a-chip (SoC). The chip comes with a new hexa-core processor consisting of two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Its 5-core GPU increases memory throughput by 60 percent, and its 16-core Neural Engine can perform 17 trillion operations per second.
With the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple massively upgraded the main camera to use a new 48MP sensor. The sensor combines (or “contains”) four pixels to act as one, increasing the pixel size to the equivalent of 2.44um to capture more light in dim environments. Combined with the Photonic Engine image processor, Apple says the hardware and software improvements improve image quality by 2x on the main camera compared to the previous generation.
The other two cameras, a 3x telephoto camera and a true depth camera, also benefit from the Photonic engine, boosting image quality up to twice that of the previous generation. The iPhone 14 Pro still supports special shooting modes like night mode, but it also offers ProRes and Dolby Vision HDR recording, as well as 4K video at 30 frames per second.
The notch is still there. Apple’s FaceID is too ingrained in the user experience, and the camera has to go somewhere. In this generation, the notch shrunk into its own notch, and Apple made it part of an interactive process called Dynamic Island. The island provides more context and controls by expanding and shrinking in shape according to the displayed information. It’s unclear if Apple is working on placing the front cameras behind the display like Samsung did with the Galaxy Fold4, but it wouldn’t surprise us if they did in the near future.
But this time it’s not just about the hardware upgrades, Apple literally wants the iPhone 14 to save your life. With crash detection, the iPhone can detect when a car crash occurs (which the company says often involves only one vehicle) and call emergency services on behalf of the driver (the driver has a short window to cancel the call if emergency services are it’s necessary). In conjunction with the gyroscope changes, the iPhone 14 also takes into account changes in cabin pressure and the loud noise generated in a crash. By triangulating data from multiple sensors, the phone has a better chance of getting it right. Apple says it built the system around an AI system trained using “millions of hours” of real-world driving and crash data.
The iPhone 14 series supports satellite connectivity for emergencies. Image credit: Apple
Adding to its safety features is Emergency SOS via satellite. Apple says it made this possible by combining deeply integrated antennas and software to allow the phone to connect directly to a satellite, enabling emergency service messages when cellular or Wi-Fi service is unavailable. The initial questionnaire and follow-up messages are then transmitted to centers staffed by Apple-trained specialists who can call for assistance on the user’s behalf. This service will be available to users in the US and Canada in November. Apple says the service will be free for two years, but hasn’t announced how much it will cost after the “trial period” ends.
To access the satellite feature, Apple says the user will launch the app, which will automatically direct the phone to locations with the best signal.
Also, the company decided the time was right to finally turn on 5G. But the SIM tray is gone for the US models. Although Apple says the internal eSIM will make it easier to switch carriers, it will be a pain when users travel abroad, especially in Asia and Europe, where prepaid plans are common. One eSIM can support multiple carriers, but only two can be active at the same time.
The SIM tray removal seems to only affect the US model. Canadian iPhone 14 models will still get a SIM tray.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in Dark Purple, Silver, Gold and Space Black in storage capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. The iPhone 14 Pro can be pre-ordered from CA$1,399, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at CA$1,549. Pre-order is available now and the devices will ship on September 16
iPhone 14 and 14 Plus
The iPhone 14 is now available in a new 6.7-inch form factor. It also gets the same safety features and an improved camera, though not as beefed up as the Pro version.
Let’s take a look at the basic hardware first. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus continue to use the A15 Bionic system-on-chip, so performance should be relatively the same compared to the last generation. That doesn’t mean it’s slow, though. With a six-core processor and five-core GPU, the A15 Bionic is still fast by today’s standards and can easily handle intensive multitasking.
Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Image credit: Apple
The OLED display of the iPhone 14 supports a brightness of 1200 nits. Its refresh rate is still 60Hz, but it boasts a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 thanks to increased brightness. The screen is covered with Ceramic Shield, which Apple claims is stronger than smartphone glass.
It also has a new camera. The main camera has been updated to a new 12MP sensor with larger 1.9um pixels. Generally speaking, larger pixels can capture more light, which is usually good for low-light photography. Complementing the new sensor is the Photonic Engine, an image processor designed to improve performance in medium and low light. Apple boasts that the software and hardware improvements double the image quality of the telephoto camera and up to 2.5 times that of the main camera. Flash is 10 percent brighter and has more uniformity to preserve skin tone.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have improved rear cameras. Image credit: Apple
The front-facing TrueDepth camera has also been improved. In addition to a larger aperture, it now features autofocus for faster focus in all lighting conditions.
There are also new shooting modes. Action mode automatically stabilizes motion to a gimbal-like stability suitable for sports photography. Cinematic mode is now available in 4K.
Like the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus also get new safety features, satellite emergency messaging and 5G.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available in midnight, blue, star, purple and product red in 128, 256 and 512 GB storage capacities. The iPhone 14 starts at C$1,099, while the iPhone 14 Plus starts at C$1,249. Pre-order is available now. The devices will ship on September 16.
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