I still love my iPhone 14 Pro, but not for the reason I expected - Digital Trends

1 year ago 39

In September 2022, Apple released the iPhone 14 lineup. This includes the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. I’ve been utilizing the iPhone ever since 2008, and I’ve upgraded each twelvemonth connected motorboat day, this twelvemonth being nary exception.

I went with the iPhone 14 Pro this year, arsenic I typically spell for the higher-end exemplary for the camera upgrades. How has the iPhone 14 Pro held up for the past fewer months? I’m inactive loving it, but not for the crushed I initially thought I would.

The Dynamic Island is losing its luster

The iPhone 14 Pro Max and its Dynamic Island.

It’s hard for Apple to astonishment radical these days, but erstwhile the Dynamic Island was shown disconnected during the iPhone 14 event, it was decidedly unexpected. A seamless blend of hardware and software, it took the pill-and-hole-shaped cutout to an wholly caller level — truthful overmuch truthful that adjacent an Android developer copied the thought for Android phones.

This simple-looking notch replacement changes size and quality based connected what you’re doing, hence the connection “dynamic” successful the name. For example, if you are playing audio from the Music app oregon adjacent a podcast, the Dynamic Island volition amusement the medium artwork and person a tiny equalizer animation. The Dynamic Island volition besides amusement the Face ID animation, the remaining clip connected timers, turn-by-turn directions, incoming calls, and different things. When you spot the Dynamic Island successful use, it’s whimsical and delightful.

Pixel Pals app successful the iPhone 14 Pro Max's Dynamic Island.

But it’s been a fewer months since Dynamic Island has travel out, and not a batch of apps person taken vantage of this diagnostic (using the Live Activities API), astatine slightest not a batch of the apps I usage frequently. Out of each the third-party apps that I person connected my iPhone 14 Pro, the lone 1 that truly uses the Dynamic Island is Apollo (as good arsenic the standalone Pixel Pals from the aforesaid developer). I besides person a upwind app called Carrot that makes usage of the Dynamic Island with precipitation forecasts, but the occupation is that I unrecorded successful Southern California (it hardly rains), and it’s besides a paywalled feature. There’s besides Flighty, which shows formation accusation successful the Dynamic Island, but I don’t person immoderate upcoming flights planned.

There are apps retired determination that are making usage of the Dynamic Island, but their usage cases are precise specific. I was hoping to spot much apps with Dynamic Island features, but it’s inactive beauteous fewer and acold between. Right now, I inactive mostly spot the Dynamic Island successful usage with Apple’s autochthonal apps and systemwide alerts.

I cognize it’s lone been a fewer weeks since iOS 16.1 came out, which brought the Live Activities API that’s needed for Dynamic Island support, truthful it’s inactive early. But I truly anticipation to spot much apps that marque usage of Live Activities and Dynamic Island (especially since it may beryllium coming to each iPhone 15 models), due to the fact that close now, it’s conscionable losing a spot of its appea.

Iterative camera upgrades

I upgrade each twelvemonth due to the fact that it’s go a contented for me, but going from an iPhone 13 Pro to an iPhone 14 Pro feels much iterative than ever. Even though the main camera got a large leap from 12MP to 48MP, unless I’m shooting successful afloat 48MP ProRAW format, I tin hardly archer the quality successful my mean photos. And erstwhile you bash sprout successful 48MP ProRAW, it’s astir apt due to the fact that you privation to bash immoderate post-editing to the representation earlier printing it retired connected a ample canvas to bent up successful the house, right? Maybe, possibly not.

Yes, the iPhone 14 Pro does instrumentality amended pictures wide than the iPhone 13 Pro, but unless you’re zooming successful connected each small good detail, the differences are truly negligible — particularly for the mean person. These days, I’m mostly shooting photos of my one-year-old girl (if I’m not taking pictures astatine Disneyland), and to beryllium honest, I americium beauteous definite I would person been good with an iPhone 13 Pro — that instrumentality inactive takes darn bully photos.

Main camera photograph taken with the iPhone 14 Pro.

Main camera photograph taken with the iPhone 13 Pro.

I bash similar the information that Apple brought backmost the 2x telephoto zoom connected Portrait mode due to the fact that lone having 1x oregon 3x made it hard for maine to usage Portrait mode arsenic a whole. The 2x zoom truly hits the saccharine spot for representation images. Still, I’m not definite this unsocial was worthy the upgrade. If I wasn’t successful the tech manufacture and didn’t request the latest and greatest, I deliberation I’d past without it conscionable fine.

Of course, the lone crushed I deliberation the camera upgrades are iterative is due to the fact that I had the last-generation device. If you’re coming from an older device, similar the iPhone 11 Pro, past the camera upgrades are slayer — it’s truly each a substance of perspective.

The iPhone 14 Pro show is the existent winner

iOS 16 fastener surface connected an iPhone 14 Pro

It has taken maine clip to adjust, but I really emotion however Apple has handled the always-on show (AOD) with the iPhone 14 Pro. It volition dim your fastener surface wallpaper, but you’ll inactive spot the day and time, your widgets (if any), and notifications. This is antithetic from however Android devices grip the AOD, arsenic those usually conscionable person a minimal interface with a achromatic inheritance showing the clip and date, notifications, and missed calls.

Apparently, a batch of radical haven’t been fans of the AOD connected the iPhone 14 Pro, and Apple is rectifying that successful iOS 16.2 by giving users options connected however the AOD works. I’m gladsome to spot that Apple volition beryllium giving america a choice, but I uncertainty that I’m going to alteration my always-on settings. I similar the information that Apple did thing antithetic aft I had been waiting for this diagnostic for years.

Mous MagSafe Suction Mount with an iPhone 14 Pro.

But the AOD isn’t the lone happening I emotion astir the iPhone 14 Pro display. With the iPhone 13 Pro, I often recovered it hard to spot my surface erstwhile outdoors successful agleam sunlight. That’s a happening of the past with the iPhone 14 Pro due to the fact that the show tin scope up to 2000 nits highest brightness. I’ve not had immoderate issues with utilizing oregon seeing my telephone erstwhile I’m outside, and it’s been glorious. This besides makes it truthful overmuch easier to instrumentality photos extracurricular — thing that was ever truthful incredibly hard with erstwhile iPhones.

Though the show wasn’t the main crushed I upgraded, it’s proven to beryllium 1 of my favourite things astir the iPhone 14 Pro. Being capable to really usage my smartphone without contented portion outside? That’s worthy the upgrade alone, and I don’t cognize if I could spell back!

Bought for the Dynamic Island and 48MP camera, stayed for the display

Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro held successful manus with a woody gross successful the background

I mentioned earlier that I typically upgrade my iPhone each year. This twelvemonth was nary different, and I was truly excited astir the Dynamic Island and camera upgrades — 48MP is simply a large leap implicit 12MP, aft all. But it’s been a fewer months, and those features decidedly person little of an interaction connected maine close present than I primitively had hoped for.

But I recovered thing other that I truly love, and that’s the show connected the iPhone 14 Pro. Not conscionable the always-on display, but conscionable the information that it tin scope 2000 nits of highest brightness, making it wholly imaginable to bask utilizing the iPhone extracurricular — it’s a game-changer, particularly erstwhile I’m astatine Disneyland for photos.

I bought the iPhone 14 Pro due to the fact that of the Dynamic Island and camera, but I’m staying for the astonishing display. It’s an unexpected crook of events, but 1 I’m besides perfectly blessed with.