Apple’s iPhone is a cultural phenomenon - the first truly usable touch-screen smartphone that everyone else followed, and still setting the tone some 15 years after it changed everything. The appetite for information about what the latest handsets will do remains insatiable - there are still myriad web sets that trade solely in rumours about upcoming models.
And so, when Apple revealed the four versions of this year’s iPhone 14 you could read about nothing else on the tech pages of any publication. During iPhone intro week, nobody else does anything - it’d just get drowned in the noise.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on three of those new phones ahead of their launch this week. Do they live up to the incredible hype? More importantly, should you buy one? Let’s find out.
READ MORE: Review: Apple iPhone SE 2022
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
Available once again in two sizes - the regular 6.1in screen, and the Max 6.7in version - the Pro models are for those who want the best. And in the hand they certainly feel premium - beautifully designed, well-built, there’s a feel of weight and solidity to these devices. Of course, anyone who’s ever used an iPhone will feel familiar with how it works, but there is some new stuff in there.
Dynamic Island
At first I thought it might be the destination for some kind of Apple Fitness+ boot camp, but no - as it turns out, the Dynamic Island could just be the most interesting user-interface innovation anyone has come up with for years. It's almost a mini-multitasking system.
The Pro models this year do away with ‘the notch’ - the black cutout at the top of the screen that houses the front-facing True Depth camera and sensors. Instead we get the Dynamic Island - a grand name for sure for what is a pill-shaped cutout that houses all the stuff that last time was in ‘the notch’.
But it’s a very Apple thing to do to draw attention to this black space by using it as an anchor for a software trick that can expand it to house notifications and indicators - it’ll grow sideways to host an indicator to tell you the mic is being used, or to show you a timer is active.
It’s both playful and useful at the same time - you can keep an eye on info displayed while using other apps without taking up a lot more space. It's also, crucially, interactive, so you can tap it to open an app, or touch-and-hold to access more controls for quick interactions without ever leaving the app you're in.
Sometimes Apple introduces things like this that look cool, but you use only once and then forget about (Force Touch anyone?). The Dynamic Island is not going to be one of those - I’m already convinced it’ll be one of my most favourite ways to interact with the device. It'll only get better as more developers bring support for it to their third party apps, although it already works with some audio and voice calling apps out of the box.
Always-on display
The 14 Pro models are the first to have a display that never goes off - when you send it to sleep it dims the screen, and the screen's refresh rate slows down to save battery. But you can still see the time and your lock-screen photo, as well as some customisable widgets showing things like weather and your activity, and any notifications that have come in. More widgets will arrive when third-party developers add support.
It is, of course, beautifully done. But is it useful? Well, the info is there at a glance and you don’t even need to touch your phone to see it. Once you get over the nagging worry that you haven’t turned your phone off properly, it’ll change the way you use your phone - you won’t pick it up as much… and so you won’t get lost in other things as easily.
I still have one of the old Apple iPhone charging stands with a lightning connector - the iPhone sits upright, and the always-on display turns it into a useful desktop clock. I'm surprised Apple hasn't built a modern version of this with MagSafe to take full advantage of this new feature.
Two other cool tricks the always-on lock-screen has up its sleeve - it'll turn off if you place the phone face-down on a table. And if you're wearing an Apple Watch linked to the phone, it'll also switch off if you leave the room, and back on when you return. Small ways to save battery life add up.
Mega megapixels
New on the Pros this time, too, is a massive 48MP sensor in the main wide camera. It can be used at that resolution, of course, but by default it’ll spit out 12MP images, grouping four pixels together to help gather more light. It’s a sacrifice of resolution in favour of light capture, but being able to snap in low-light conditions is what most people want.
The images the phone produces are spectacular, of course, easily rivalling those of any pocket camera you’ll find. That’s out of the box with the standard settings, too - there’s much to dive into for those with an interest in more control, but even point-and-shoot amateurs will find their shots will shine.
Video, too, gets an upgrade - there’s a new Action mode which reproduces the effect of SteadyCam motion, ironing out bumps and jumps for smooth cinematic shots. It works superbly and adds another layer of professionalism to your video without any effort on your part. And the Cinematic Mode that pulls focus from one face to another mid-shot also receives a boost to 4K resolution.
Faster, brighter, and with more stamina
Of course there’s a new chip in the iPhone 14 Pro - the A16 Bionic - that’s faster and more power-efficient than the one that went before. And it’s these brains that make much of what we’ve described possible. Not only that, but despite the extra features, battery life remains an all-day affair… even while I was testing and using the phone considerably more than I would normally I still made it to the end of the day with juice to spare.
The beautiful OLED screen on the phone has also received a brightness update - it can now boost to around twice its previous peak brightness for use in strong sunlight. And another addition to the hardware is various sensors that can detect if you’ve been in a car crash - and then call the emergency services if you don’t respond. I’m happy to report I’m unable to tell you how well this works.
iPhone 14
The non-pro version of this year’s iPhone is not much of an upgrade on last year’s - it has the same design, and is powered by the same chip. There is an upgrade to the camera - a bigger sensor and a faster lens on the main camera, and it certainly improves the phone’s image output in low light.
Other improvements include a new front-facing True Depth camera that features auto-focus for the first time so group shots can ficus at multiple distances. A faster lens also improves capture in lower light.
Action mode for video capture and crash detection is also included - nice to have, but not, perhaps, worth the upgrade from a 13 for most. The biggest news for iPhone 14 is the addition of a new size, a Plus version with a 6.7in screen, but that won’t hit the shops for a few week’s yet with a release date of October 7.
Conclusion
There’s enough in the Pro models of this year’s iPhone to make it a compelling device for those looking to upgrade - chances are if you’re a Pro user you like to have the latest and greatest and there are a few things about the Pro that you can’t get elsewhere. The always-on display and the Dynamic Island make the Pros feel like genuinely new devices - I'm sure they will have a big impact on the way people use their iPhones. The leap in image and video capture quality makes the 14 Pros a must-have if you're counting on them to be your only camera.
For the 14 the upgrade bait isn’t really there for users of recent phones - but then, standard iPhone users are not likely to be the kind of people who upgrade every year anyway. If you’re coming from an iPhone 11 or earlier, now is the time to pull the trigger, no doubt.
How to buy
iPhone 14 Pro starts at £1,099, while the iPhone 14 stars at £849.
All models of the new iPhone 14 lineup can be pre-ordered now on apple.com/uk and on the Apple Store app. iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available for delivery starting Friday, September 16. iPhone 14 Plus will be available in stores and for delivery beginning Friday, October 7.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 16, 17, 18
UK Apple stores open at 8am for pick-up reservations only - there will be no no walk-ins. All new product introductions are via reservation only. Some services, such as the Genius Bar, will be limited. There will be no Today at Apple sessions.
See details at Apple Store Arndale, or Apple Store Trafford Centre
Monday, September 19
All UK Apple Stores will be closed for the day.
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