As I used to be getting a haircut final week, my hairdresser requested if I’d seen the new iPhone. She didn’t know my occupation however noticed my Apple Watch and, as is compulsory in that line of labor, was making small speak. “Does it look any different?” was the principle question. I reached into my again pocket and with a flourish handed her the iPhone 14. A shocked smile rapidly gave option to disappointment. “It’s exactly the same as my iPhone 11,” she stated.
This is the issue for Apple. The few parts the general public would possibly acknowledge as new have gone to the iPhone 14 Pro models, such because the Always-On show and Dynamic Island. The Pros even have new 48-megapixel sensors for the first rear digicam, one thing Apple hasn’t fiddled with since 2015. This means the telephones seize extra element so you’ll be able to print your pics massive, for instance, and it permits for extra enhancing choices. But be trustworthy—how many individuals have you learnt who print poster-sized pictures or delve into RAW settings on their handset?
The vanilla iPhone is arguably a very powerful handset for Apple. After all, it sells the most by some margin. If Apple desires you to improve, there must be an apparent purpose, or causes, to take action—ones the common individual can acknowledge and get enthusiastic about. So let’s check out what Apple desires us to contemplate when trying on the new iPhone 14.
Hello Again
Photograph: Apple
Yes, it seems precisely the identical as the iPhone 13. Well, I’ll provide you with a prize if you happen to can detect the 0.31-inch thickness in comparison with the predecessor’s 0.30 inches, or the almost 2 grams shaved off in weight. You get the identical 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR show, nonetheless—sure, nonetheless—working at 60 Hz. Unlike most other phones at this value, you gained’t get a slick 120-Hz screen refresh rate. You’ll must improve to a Pro mannequin if you happen to actually need it.
Apple has ditched the iPhone Mini design (it bombed, sadly) and returned to “bigger is better,” including in a 6.7-inch Plus mannequin. This iPhone 14 Plus is nearly the identical because the iPhone 14, besides it’ll have barely longer battery life and arrives on October 7 (you can preorder it now).
These iPhones stay IP68 water- and dust-resistant. You get the identical toughened ceramic glass and aluminum as on the 13. The similar brightness ranges. Even the processor powering it’s the similar—the A15 Bionic chip as a substitute of the A16 within the Pro, however right here a minimum of Apple has given you the iPhone 13 Pro model with an additional graphics core. Apple has fiddled with the battery to offer you an nearly unnoticeable further hour of video playback, from 19 to twenty. But the bigger design of the iPhone 14 Plus bumps this as much as 26 hours.
Load up the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 on Apple’s personal comparison tool and you may see for your self how few variations there are between the 2.
Got Your Back
Two of probably the most important upgrades for the brand new iPhones are options that you’ll hopefully by no means use and which can be arduous to check. I like my job, however I’m not about to get right into a automotive accident or fall off a mountain on objective. Sorry.
Assuming Crash Detection works as acknowledged, it’s certainly a intelligent addition. A brand new dual-core accelerometer and high-dynamic-range gyroscope, together with sound monitoring, can detect extreme crashes as much as 256 gs. Once a prang is registered, the iPhone 14 can robotically dial emergency providers and play a voice loop notifying responders of the crash and offering your location. The iPhone can even alert emergency contacts within the Health app.
If you come to hurt in a distant space the place there’s no cellphone service, SOS Emergency through Satellite makes use of customized antennas to hook up with Globalstar satellites in orbit, permitting you to textual content chat with emergency responders or Apple’s personal Relay Center. The trick right here shall be having sufficient battery left to seek out these satellites (it additionally doesn’t work indoors).
eSIM
Photograph: Apple
With the iPhone 14, you don’t want a bodily SIM card to hook up with mobile networks. Instead, you should utilize an eSIM (electronic SIM). This is just not new tech—it’s been accessible because the iPhone XS. However, Apple has utterly nixed the bodily SIM card slot for iPhones within the US. People within the UK (and the remainder of the world) nonetheless get the choice to make use of one.
