iPhone 14 Pro: Huge camera upgrades, faster chip and a new notch
Apple’s next top-tier smartphone is here, unveiled alongside a range of other new hardware products, and this is all we know about it so far.
It might not seem ever so long ago that Apple unveiled the shiny new iPhone 13 Pro, but now we have been treated to seeing its sequel for the first time at the Far Out September event, where it was described as Apple’s “most innovative Pro line-up yet.”
Below are the key features of the two new models, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. If you’re curious about how the Pro compares to the base model, jump over to our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro guide.
Dynamic Island
One of the headline features of the new iPhone 14 Pro – both figuratively and literally, given its placement at the top of the screen – is Apple’s new interpretation of a notch. It’s called Dynamic Island, and it looks pretty cool.
The notch is no longer hanging down from the top of the screen but is completely detached in a pill-shaped module that can change shape depending on what you’re doing; so it can expand to incorporate different functions such as music playing or navigating on maps, and it can incorporate background tasks while you’re using other apps.
It’s a clear stylistic difference from all other previous iPhones, and even this year’s standard iPhone 14, and seeing it in action – with shapes dancing around the top of the screen as they adapt and multi-task – makes us convinced that it will soon become a firm favourite among Apple fans.
The best iPhone screen ever?
Dynamic Island isn’t the only upgrade to the screen. Thinner borders also help to make the screen appear larger than before, with a larger active area, and the specs have been upgraded. It will now support a scorching 2000 nits of maximum brightness, while the new Always-On display feature is enabled with a minimum 1Hz from the adaptive refresh rate combined with intelligent dimming.
Finally an update to the 12-megapixel sensors
The camera has also seen significant upgrades across the board. It will be led by a 48-megapixel main sensor that’s paired with two 12-megapixel sensors (one ultrawide, one telephoto). It seems that the main sensor will be subject to 4-in-1 pixel binning by default, but in ProRAW mode you’ll be able to use the full 48-megapixels from very high resolution images. There are improvements in lowlight shooting across the board with all of these sensors, with each boasting 2x to 3x improvements in this field. Additionally, Cinematic Mode shooting supports 4K resolution shooting at 24fps.
Processor
There’s a chipset upgrade on board the iPhone 14 Pro (one which skips the standard iPhone 14 models). The A16 Bionic is built on a 4nm process and features almost 16 billion transistors. Apple is not shy in claiming that it is the fastest chipset available on a smartphone, apparently being 40% faster and yet using just one third of the power of its competitors. It’s Neural Processing Unit is capable of performing a whopping 17 trillion operations per second.
Price and Availability
The iPhone 14 Pro has a starting price of $999 (£1099) and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts from $1099 (£1199). The pair of devices will be released on 16th September, and will be available to pre-order from 9th September.
This feels like a ‘Pro’ phone – Trusted Take
While the iPhone 14 received modest upgrades, the Pro variant feels like a real step forward. The Dynamic Island notch solution looks fantastic and it’s great to see a completely new camera sensor. Hopefully, the use of megapixels is a bonus, rather than an issue.
iPhone 14 Pro specs
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
