iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro review – setting a new benchmark for smartphones

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• VERDICT

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro offer class leading design and features Plus one of the best cameras you'll find on a smartphone. It all adds up to an irresistible package for anyone already invested in the Apple ecosystem – and those who want to dive in for the first time.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are without a doubt the most advanced iPhones Apple has ever produced. But that’s what we’ve come to expect every year since the first iPhone was released 15 years ago.

This year there are some key improvements that are common for each new iPhone while the iPhone 14 Pro differentiates itself with its own set of premium new features.

In fact, we think this year there is there is a bigger gap between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro.

DESIGN

On the design side, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro look almost identical to the previous models.

They have the same flat edge look with Ceramic Shield displays and water and dust resistance.

iPhone 14 is made from durable aerospace aluminium while the iPhone 14 Pro has a more premium and glossier look and feel with surgical grade stainless steel.

And once you get then in your hands you can feel the excellent build quality that Apple is famous for.

For our review we used the new blue iPhone 14, the space grey iPhone 14 Pro and the new deep purple iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro both have 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR displays while the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max takes the size up to 6.7-inches.

The difference here is the iPhone 14 Pro models also have adaptive frame rates of 120Hz for super smooth motion.

And this time Apple is offering a 6.7-inch entry level iPhone with the iPhone 14 Plus for those customers who prefer a larger iPhone but couldn’t afford an iPhone Pro Max.

The changes from the iPhone 13 to iPhone 14 in terms of design are almost indistinguishable.

The only difference we could see was the slightly higher and wider camera bump on the iPhone 14. As a result, the cover for the iPhone 13 wouldn’t fit on the iPhone 14.

It’s the same story with the iPhone 14 Pro which has a noticeably larger camera area with taller lenses than the iPhone 13 Pro.

PROCESSOR

The iPhone 14 has inherited the same A15 Bionic as the iPhone 13 but with an additional GPU core which enables several features.

This is still one of the fastest smartphones chips on the market and provides impressive performance.

iPhone 14 Pro, meanwhile, has the new A16 Bionic – the first built on a 4-nanometer process. What does mean? It means faster performance, more memory bandwidth while still offering a remarkable power efficiency so the battery lasts even longer.

Whether it’s switching between apps, watching a movie, capturing great images and video, playing games with cutting edge graphics and longer battery life – it’s all because of the A15 and A16 Bionic chips.

DYNAMIC ISLAND

One of the biggest changes to the iPhone 14 Pro is the fact the notch is no more.

In its place is a new feature called the Dynamic Island.

And it’s like an optical illusion.

There is a pill-shaped cut-out for the front camera and sensors that is always there.

But, unlike other brands who do nothing with this space and don’t do anything to disguise it, Apple has taken a different approach.

With Dynamic Island, that area now serves as a notification space that appears to change shape depending on the notification.

Naturally all of Apple’s native apps like Apple Music, Apple Podcast, Face ID and many more have taken advantage of Dynamic Island and some third-party apps like Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and many more are already compatible.

This is a feature that we think other phone makers will copy.

ALWAYS-ON DISPLAY

The iPhone 14 Pro has Always-On Display which means even when the iPhone locks you can still view the time and your other widgets.

The screen in this mode drops the refresh rate to just 1Hz so it’s hardly using any power.

A lot of users are rightly claiming that this has been a featured on Android phones for some time – but for the millions of iPhone users who purchase the iPhone 14 Pro – it is a first.

CAMERAS

Both the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 pro have improved cameras on the front and back.

The iPhone 14 has new 12-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera Along with a larger sensor and larger pixels for taking even better images and videos.

The main camera has a faster f/1.5 aperture which means a 49 per cent improvement in low light situations

Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro have improved front TrueDepth cameras and now with autofocus so you can achieve sharp focus at all distances. So next time you try a group selfie – everyone will be sharp and clear.

But the big leap with the camera comes with the iPhone 14 Pro and the new 48-megapixel with quad-pixel sensor that’s 65 per cent larger than the one aboard the iPhone 13 Pro.

This increases image quality significantly and works wonders with low light conditions.

The iPhone already took amazing images but the iPhone 14 Pro takes that to another level.

If you enjoy your photography and want to see quality results, then the new iPhone 14 Pro is the device for you.

With the middle 12-megapixel camera, Apple has added a 2x zoom option.

Users can also shoot ProRaw and capture image files that are more than 80MB In size which really opens up the editing options.

On the video side, Apple has added Cinematic Mode in 4K to both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro with automatic focus changes from one subject to another.

Another excellent new addition is Action Mode which can dramatically stabilise your videos even when not shooting with a gimbal.

It supports up to 2.8K video at up to 60 frames per second and achieves rock steady footage by using an increased overscan and applying advanced roll correction.

CRASH DETECTION

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro both have crash detection – a feature customers will hope they’ll never use.

Crash Detection employs a range of new sensors and the accelerometer to detect sudden force, loud noises and air pressure changes that characteristic of a car accident.

If detected, the iPhone will automatically dial emergency services and play a voice loop reporting there has been a crash and provide the location.

EMERGENCY SOS

This safety feature allows users to send an emergency text message via satellite when they are out of cellular or Wi-Fi range.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro can even tell you where to point the device to pick up the best satellite connection.

This is a feature currently only available in the US and Canada but it’s sure to be deployed in Australia in the coming months.

But if you were to travel to the US with an iPhone 14 purchased in Australia, this feature will still work because it’s based on your location not the device.

BATTERY

The other big winner for customers with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro is the excellent battery life which easily powered through the day with 45 per cent battery remaining when we sat down to dinner.

This impressive battery performance is a result of the outstanding power efficiency created by the A15 Bionic and A16 Bionic processor in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro respectively.

PRICE AND CAPACITIES

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will have 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB memory variants.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be offered in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB capacities.

The iPhone 14 Pro is priced from $1,749 with the iPhone 14 Pro Max starting at $1,899

The iPhone 14 will be priced from $1,399.

iPhone 14 Plus will be released in October.

VERDICT

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro offer class leading design and features Plus one of the best cameras you’ll find on a smartphone. It all adds up to an irresistible package for anyone already invested in the Apple ecosystem – and those who want to dive in for the first time.