The notch on the top of the phone was used for years to obscure the Face ID component and the selfie camera. It was a nuisance, a compromise that allowed for a slimmed down display but not a continuous one.
It's not any more. With the new iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has reduced the notch into a pill-shaped, black cutout on top. The Dynamic Island is an entirely new feature, and it's called the notch because it's no longer a passive thing that's only there to hide.
The 14 Pro and Pro Max are the same size as before and their prices have not changed. New features that may help save your life include an upgraded display, a new processor, and improved cameras.
The Dynamic Island works like this: when certain apps perform certain types of actions, they show up in the Dynamic Island, which changes shape and gets new characteristics as it happens.
If you play a song in Apple Music and then minimize the app, it will get swallowed by the Dynamic Island, which will show a tiny icon with the album artwork and an animation. When you start a timer, it will be added to the Dynamic Island, which will split into two bubbles, each a miniature version of the corresponding app. It will launch the appropriate app if you touch any of the bubbles. The Dynamic Island will grow larger if you touch and hold a bubble.
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Sometimes the Dynamic Island is inactive. When the phone wants to notify you of something, such as an incoming call or Face ID, or when the app is playing music, it will start to live. This can be used for all apps that ping Apple's Now Playing or CallKitAPI.
The Dynamic Island can be found in the phone's other functions. It looks cool, is easy to use, and makes you forget that the Dynamic Island hides the Face ID components. It becomes a new feature, something that brings new functions and is almost desirable, instead of being something you would want to get rid of. The Dynamic Island stops being anything other than a small, black cutout if you flip the phone horizontally.
The Dynamic Island can be used for any app on the App Store. It was the same as it was with Apple Music and phone calls when I tried it out with other services. With third-party app support baked in from the beginning, app developers will flock to take advantage of the new features, making the Dynamic Island more dynamic over time. The Dynamic Island will work with Live Activities when it is released later this year.
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I have concerns about the island. It's difficult to use the phone with one hand because it's on top of the phone. The constant touching of that area will cause smudges on your camera lens. The Dynamic Island is still inactive most of the time, which makes me wonder if people will just forget about it after a few days of use.
Apple has tried something new here. All modern phones have a cutout for their front cameras, but until now no one thought of turning that into an interactive feature.
There are other changes to the display of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. For the first time, Apple has introduced an always-on feature, which means that the display doesn't black out when it's not in use.
Can you tell that the displays are "asleep"? Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
The implementation of Apple's always-on displays is a bit more powerful than that of theAndroid phones. Apple is giving users a full but dimmer view of their home screen instead of reducing the display to a smaller, simpler version. When the phone goes to sleep, your wallpaper, time, date, and all of your apps will still be visible. The display will not be animated in this state. If you have music playing and the song changes, this will be visible even when the display is a sleep.
Apple's new screen tech can reduce the refresh rate to just 1hertz, which is down from the maximum refresh rate of 120hertz. When you put the phone down on its face or away from it, the display will turn off. It's in place so that the always-on feature doesn't eat away at the battery life. It didn't seem like the battery life was worse with the always-on display enabled than it was without it.
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I don't like the always on display. It feels like the display is intrusive. When I put the phone down on the table, I'm not sure I need it to show me anything. A display that's always on feels almost counterintuitive, and Apple's own Focus modes are there to make sure you don't spend too much time with your phone. It's hard to fault Apple for including the feature since it's easy to turn it off. Turn it off if you do not like it.
The display of the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max can achieve a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits, which is double the maximum brightness of the 13 Pro. In the bright sun, the 14 Pro was noticeably brighter than the 13 Pro. It was only when I had white letters on a black background that the difference became noticeable.
The Dynamic Island and always on display features make the new iPhone 14 Pro models instantly recognizable from the front, which is important for people who like their new phone to look fresh when compared to last year's version.
Deep purple and space black. Well, that's what they're called, at least. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
The new colors are deep purple, space black, gold, and white. The gold is yellow and the white is not as white as it was in the past. The black version has a black frame and dark grey back, and I think it's a good choice for many people. The deep purple is nice, but not as bright as it could be. I would go for the deep purple if I knew it wasn't the best color.
The models are the same as last year's. They have a ceramic shield on the front and a steel frame.
There are subtle differences. The thickness of the iPhone 14 Pro is 0.2mm thicker than that of the previous model. The camera bumps are larger than before, but you can only see this with a measuring tape. The good news is that I was able to fit the iPhone 14 Pro into the official Silicone Case for the iPhone 13 Pro. It's time to pay for a new case.
The Pro variant of the phone has Apple's new A16 chip. You won't really notice the speed improvements as there's not much to report here.
Last year's models are as fast as the 14 Pro and Pro Max. One and a half days for the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the same as when it was first released. I used roughly a day of use on the iPhone 14 Pro.
You only start to notice slowdowns after a few years of use, because Apple's chips are so ahead of the rest. My GeekBench score on the iPhone 14 Pro Max was 1,869 for the single-core and 5,461 for the multi-core, which is more than any other device on the market. It's nice to have the latest chip, but it's not important.
Apple is so fond of the Dynamic Island that it stays there in screenshots. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
It's worth noting, however, that the more powerful chip enables Apple to do more with computational photography and powers many of these phones' new features.
We don't know how much memory the new phones have, but I didn't feel like they needed more. Even the most demanding users can get plenty of storage with storage starting at 128 gigabytes and going up to 1 terabytes.
While smartphone makers were racing to cram as much as they could into their phones' cameras, Apple's iPhones were maxed out at 12MIPs.
The new main rear camera in the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max has a bigger sensor than the 8 to 12 used in the 6s and 7s.
A 48-megapixel camera is a first for the iPhone. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
The new sensor allowed Apple to make some changes to the camera. The most obvious way to improve low-light performance is to combine the information from the 48- and 12-megapixel sensors into a single image.
I've taken the image of this same scene in 12 and 48 megapixels, and the latter photo provided me with more detail without any degradation in quality. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
When there's enough light and you want to get as much detail as you can from a scene, the ability to take a photo with a 48mm resolution is an advantage.
Left: The 12-megapixel shot gets blocky as you zoom in. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Right: The 48-megapixel shot of the same scene is far smoother, revealing tons of additional detail. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
I've found that on other phones, that maxing out the megapixel count yields a worse photo, as it did on thisXiaomi phone When you really want a top-quality image, you should take a 48-megapixel photo on the iPhone, because there is no degradation in other aspects of image quality.
Portrait mode has gotten to the point where it can compare with a real camera. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
In Night Mode, photos can be as high as 12MP. You can only take pictures in the ProRAW format. It will take about one to two seconds to store the photo. The photos are 75MB in size and they'll take up a lot of space on your phone.
It took just a second to get this sharp, detailed image with vibrant colors. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Maybe not in the way you would think, but the zoom on the iPhone 14 Pro has improved. The last year's Pro models only allowed you to choose between 1x and 3x zoom, but the new ones allow 2x. This is a digital crop-out from a larger image. You won't be able to tell the difference between digital and optical when using 3x. You will get good results at any magnification if you zoom in.
The zoom works, though figuring how much of it is real and how much is digital can be tricky. You can even go to 15x, as I did here, and get a decent photo. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
The big benefits of the new cameras, according to Apple, should be in low-light photography, not only because of the 48-megapixel sensor, but also due to the Photonic Engine which was only reworked and applied.
Left: This scene would be tough to crack for any phone because the lighting was very warm. The iPhone 13 Pro tried to make the image whiter than it should've been, but otherwise produced a good image. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Right: The iPhone 14 Pro Max performed admirably, preserving the colors accurately. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
The benefits were small when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. I was able to get a good low-light photo from last year's iPhone because the colors were a little more accurate in low light. The low-light performance of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max isn't as good as Apple would want you to believe.
Left: The iPhone 13 Pro's photo leans yellow, but it's otherwise pretty good. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Right: The iPhone 14 Pro Max's photo has far more accurate colors and is sharper, but it's noisier. It wins, but only by a hair. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
The cameras have a new feature called action mode. When a picture is bouncing all over the place, it's called image stabilization. It didn't make a difference if you turned it on or not, it just applied a bit of image stabilization during regular video capture, which is why it didn't make a difference if you turned it on or not.
The difference was more pronounced after I took things to the extreme and moved my hand up and down frantically. The videos were still good enough to turn your action shots into something watchable, even though they weren't as good as having a pro-grade Gimbal.
Selfies were sharp, with tons of detail. In bad light, they tend to lean red, though. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
The photonic engine helped the selfie camera. Great selfies are taken during the day. In low light, it's not overly aggressive in trying to make the subject matter brighter, but it is slightly darker.
There are two features that are peculiar because you won't ever use them, but you will be happy they are there.
Crash Detection uses the iPhone's various sensors to detect if you've been in a car crash, and if so, it will let you call for help.
It's a feature that people with kids who are old enough to drive will probably consider when buying a new phone, and I hope I never get to test it. This one is available all over the world.
Emergency SOS is interesting for its practical aspects and tech innovation that makes it possible. You can send an emergency message when there are no cell towers nearby. To find a satellite, you need to go through a setup process with questions about the nature of your emergency and then point the phone towards the sky.
Going out camping? The new iPhone could come in handy, even when there's no reception. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
It worked well after Apple set up a test near Apple Park for me to try, only taking a few seconds for me to lock the satellite in. The test was set up under parasols which did not cause any problems with reception.
It will be difficult to beam a signal to a satellite. It would be difficult to use a phone when seriously injured. It's better when you get lost in the wilderness and don't have water. It's great for mountaineers and people who like to camp or hike in the wilderness because you can beam your location to friends or family.
It was nice to be able to talk to a satellite with a regular phone. It opens up the possibility of using satellites for sending actual messages to friends in the future, even though the scope of usage is narrow right now.
You won't notice a lot of changes when you first look at the phone. The Pro models now have dual ambient light sensors on the front and back, which should help improve how the phone's display behaves in different light conditions. I took the 14 Pro and the 13 Pro in my hands, held them against bright light, and then turned away, and the 14 Pro was more responsive in adjusting the display's brightness.
The upgraded sensors in the phones should help with the Crash Detection feature, but may be useful in other ways.
There is no way to tell the difference between the 14 Pro and the 14 Pro Max displays. The 14 Pro has a 2,556 x 1,179 resolution, while the 13 Pro has a 2,534 x 1,170 resolution. The Pro Max has an increase in size as well. The old model is heavier than the 14 Pro.
The new iPhones don't have a physical sim slot in the U.S. It's all about eSIM these days, which may take some getting used to. I set up a U.S. version of the phone and it worked perfectly. I was given a European market-bound phone from Apple, which had a standard physical sim card, and I was able to use it.
The all of the phones still have Apple's proprietary lightning port. It feels weird since most of the rest of the world has switched to theusb-c I would really like to have just one set of cables for all my devices.
Smartphones don't change a lot from version to version. With Apple coming in late, we've seen a lot of innovation in the mobile device industry. One of the most annoying features of modern phones is the front-facing camera, which Apple has turned into the Dynamic Island. The jury is still out on whether people will use the Dynamic Island or not, but I think Apple has done a great job of differentiating their product.
A worthy upgrade. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Crash Detection and EmergencySOS are both innovative. It says a lot about Apple's certainty into the robustness of its tech to launch these widely on its most popular devices.
Other new features, including the always-on display and the 48-megapixel camera, could easily be dismissed as things that other phones have had for a long time, but Apple has made some changes that make them stand out.
I can't think of a single downside that doesn't apply to the previous generation of iPhone. The new Pro models have been improved in many ways, and they even have a new look thanks to the Dynamic Island.
The Apple of old is back and better than ever. It's been a long time since a new iPhones is worth the upgrade.
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