Big and not messy – according to this motto, Apple has stuffed the new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max with innovations. The test reveals whether they can also score in everyday life.
“Far Out” – far out there. That’s what Apple called its event to launch the new iPhone. And although the motto probably refers to the new satellite connection and the cheering popular with extreme athletes, it could also emphasize the gap between the new iPhone models. The iPhone and its Pro model have never been so far apart. In the test you will find out how big the difference actually is in practice.
iPhone 14 Pro: a real eye-catcher
The biggest innovation can be seen at first glance with the iPhone 14 Pro: While the iPhone 14 uses the same display as its predecessor, Apple has made two fundamental changes to the premium model. The display only switches off completely in exceptional cases and otherwise continues to show information. In addition, the so-called notch at the top edge has disappeared – and has been replaced by a hole that is supposed to change the use of the iPhone under the name “Dynamic Island”.
But first things first. The idea of an always-on display is not new. As early as 2015, manufacturers began introducing OLED displays, which made it possible to keep part of the screen always active. Experts speak of an “always-on-display”. But Apple wouldn’t be Apple if you just copied it. Instead, the group has thoroughly reconsidered the concept – and delivered the most convincing variant of the always-on screen to date.
It starts with the fact that the iPhone 14’s display is much less darkened than other models. At 500 nits – out of a maximum of 2000 – the bright areas are still clearly visibly illuminated. Colors are retained, and details of the background image can also be made out. As well as notifications and updates to the widgets that will continue to appear. The display is simply less intrusive. That makes it perfect for leaving on the table next to you and just glancing at it occasionally—all without having to interact with the device.
The fact that the battery is not drained is due to the smart implementation. During the dark mode, the image refreshes only once a second instead of up to 120 times as usual. In addition, the iPhone recognizes the environment. If you put it in your pocket, the display turns off. Even if the front is on the table, it doesn’t show anything. So it’s really only active when it has a use. Good: If the iPhone switches to night mode or if you use the “sleep” focus, the display also turns off completely. So no nocturnal light disturbs. For other focus selections, however, you can only darken it further, not switch it off completely.
island of bliss
The second major innovation, the Dynamic Island, also demonstrates Apple’s ability to rethink technology. Samsung and Co. have been doing without the typical wide notch of Apple devices for a few years now – and let the camera look directly through a hole in the display through a so-called punch hole. Apple is now also taking over the hole – but making a whole new experience out of it.
The Dynamic Island does not only consist of the hole, but expands the black area depending on the context. If you connect your Airpods, a black area folds out on the left to indicate this. The battery level appears automatically on the right side. The music control works the same way. If a second extension is added, such as a timer, the iPhone separates this from the previous one, and the surface becomes a kind of horizontal i. The facial recognition FaceID is displayed there as well as an incoming call.
If you tap on the Dynamic Island, extended controls often fold out, such as the music control. This also works for third-party providers who use one of the interfaces. You will be included automatically. It doesn’t matter whether you use Spotify to listen to music or the call comes via Whatsapp.
The Dynamic Island quickly feels very natural as a result. Instead of seeing the small, black pill on the top display as an ugly foreign body, it becomes the anchor of a completely new user experience. Apple seems to want that too: While the previous standard backgrounds were often black at the top to make the notch disappear, the iPhone 14 Pro is exactly the opposite: the edge around the pill is almost radiant – and emphasizes it all the more more.
It remains to be seen whether this admittedly very cool-feeling novelty wears off quickly or is also permanently captivating. So far, the benefits have been rather rudimentary, but hopefully Apple and third-party providers will tease a little more out of the “island” in the long run. The wow factor is always great, especially at the beginning.
Old look, new technology
Together with the always-on display, this makes the iPhone feel extremely fresh. And it’s easy to forget that there really isn’t much else that’s new in terms of design. The basic look is the same as the two-year-old iPhone 12, with the stainless steel frame and glass back it feels the same too. But that’s not meant in a derogatory way, the new design at that time was not unjustly acclaimed and still looks very chic.
Apple only had to change the camera a bit: the bulge is now even larger than the already larger one of the iPhone 13 Pro. However, there is a reason for this. According to Apple, the camera unit of the iPhone 14 Pro has been completely rebuilt, and the image sensor alone is now a good two-thirds larger. This not only enables the main camera to take pictures in 48 megapixels, the camera should also capture considerably more light and thus deliver significantly better pictures in poor light. The so-called “Photonic Engine”, the software substructure of the camera setup, has also been revised. Post-processing of the images can now take place at an earlier step in the process, Apple said. This should provide more details and better lighting.
Accurate looks
In practice, these full-bodied promises lead to some disappointment. Not because the pictures and videos are bad – they are some of the best on the smartphone market. But because the differences are sometimes more difficult to discover than one might wish.
In daylight, they can be seen above all when you photograph in RAW mode, i.e. save largely unprocessed image files. Then the 48 megapixels can achieve their full effect, the photos are visibly more detailed and can be enlarged more.
Unfortunately, they also show you something else: When I first looked at one of the RAW photos, I initially thought that something had gone wrong. Compared to the standard photo taken shortly before, it almost looked blurry. The opposite was the case: In the default setting, the iPhone 14 Pro sharpens very strongly, pulling edges that could cut you. That looks pretty good if you look at the picture. But it doesn’t look particularly natural.
A real night owl
The iPhone 14 Pro can really shine when the light conditions deteriorate. Thanks to the more light-sensitive sensor, it also discovers details when the previous model or the iPhone 14 has to fit. This has two effects: On the one hand, only one second of night mode is often required, where the other models need two seconds. On the other hand, dark areas are partially brightened less, but still remain rich in detail. Colors often remain distinguishable with even more nuance. I didn’t see the difference as groundbreaking. It’s all about smaller details, not a camera revolution. The exciting question here will be whether Apple can get even more out of software in the next updates.
But Apple still has a clever trick up its sleeve. Although the iPhone 14 Pro has three lenses, just like its predecessor – an ultra wide-angle (0.5x), the wide-angle used as the main camera and a telephoto lens with 3x zoom – Apple managed to add another, native zoom level. And thus bring back the 2x zoom known from older models. A trick was used for this. Instead of zooming in optically, the camera simply snaps to 48 MP with the main camera in dual mode – and cuts out the part to be enlarged. So the photo is lossless, but in the same resolution as with the other lenses.
Incidentally, the plus in captured light is also clearly visible in videos: In poor light, clips filmed with the iPhone 14 Pro appear much more detailed than with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 14 used for comparison. In daylight, the differences are significantly smaller.
Unfortunately, this is of little use for the new action mode, in which camera shake is automatically removed by post-processing. If the light is too weak, almost nothing can be seen in it. The iPhone also warns accordingly. The mode itself is very successful. As is also known from the action cams from GoPro, the iPhone 14 calculates out the shaking caused by footsteps or trembling by recording a larger section and simply cutting off the wobbles around the desired image. This creates impressively calm tracking shots that appear almost cinematic. In the test, this worked without any problems when walking around a moving subject, when cycling or running. However, it is not suitable as a unique selling point of the iPhone 14 Pro: The action mode is also available in the basic model.
A new divide
A unique selling point is the processor. After years of all new iPhone variants with the same new chip coming onto the market, Apple is daring to make a break with the iPhone 14. The new A16 Bionic processor is only available in the Pro model. In fact, the chip brings more performance. It is between 15 and 25 percent in various benchmark programs. According to Apple, the plus in performance and the higher memory bandwidth should bring advantages, especially for image processing and controlling the always-on display. The chip also consumes less power. In everyday life, this does not make the iPhone 14 feel slower. So if you buy one of the basic models, you don’t have to worry about it.
The increase in battery performance was not noticeable in the test of the small Pro – but that could also have been due to the fact that I was using a “small” iPhone as my main device for the first time in three years. After almost five hours of use, the battery was dead. But that was certainly also due to the fact that the load with 4K and action mode recordings and countless photos was quite high. Still, I was a bit surprised not to make it to the end of the day. With the Max model, it was usually enough for a second day. Only a long-term test can show how long the battery actually lasts.
We couldn’t try out two of the most important innovations in the test – because hopefully nobody will ever need them. On the one hand there is the new ability to be able to connect via satellite in an emergency. So if you’re stranded in a remote area and have no signal, the new iPhones can connect directly to satellites to send a call for help. The function is initially only available in the USA and Canada. Incidentally, it is not free: Apple promises support for two years. After that, customers have to pay a fee from their mobile operator. So far no prices for Germany are known.
The second feature, which one would prefer never to see, is the crash detection. Thanks to new sensors and corresponding software tricks, the new iPhones are supposed to use typical movement patterns and ambient noise to recognize when they are in a car that is involved in an accident. As soon as a crash is detected, the iPhone then goes into emergency mode and independently makes an emergency call. Even if the driver or passenger is unconscious. How well this works could not be tested. Even very hard braking couldn’t fool the iPhone because it lacked the abrupt stop and noise of an actual crash. Here, customers have to rely on Apple’s promises. And hope they never have to put it to the test.
And then of course there is the most uncomfortable point: the price. The iPhone 14 Pro costs at least 1299 euros, and the Max model even costs 1449 euros. And that for the smallest memory size of 128 gigabytes. For comparison: The cheapest iPhone 13 Pro was 150 euros cheaper. In view of the current economic situation, that hurts even more.
Conclusion: Apple relies on high-end
The new iPhone 14 Pro feels like a completely new model despite the design remaining the same. Above all, the always-on display and the Dynamic Island ensure a completely different feeling of use. This makes it easy to get over the fact that the camera revolution is a bit smaller than you might have wished.
The gap to the iPhone 14 has grown noticeably. The old model retains the familiar look, does without the most important new functions and the new chip – and makes the Pro model even more attractive.
Whether it’s worth buying is another question. If you want the best of the Apple world, you have little choice. However, this has its price. The new iPhone 14 Pro is not only the best, but also the most expensive iPhone to date. Everyone else has to accept compromises. The iPhone 13 Pro or the iPhone 14 are both significantly cheaper, but neither have the most influential features.
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