Apple on Wednesday finally announced its highly anticipated iPhone 14 phones which will be rolled out in stores this month.
The iPhone 14 line’s Fall announcement included upgraded design, software, and hardware specifications for the iPhone 14, Plus (Max), Pro, and Pro Max versions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, together with the Cupertino-based firm’s top executives and engineers, showcased all the unique features of the latest iPhone models during the company’s ‘Far Out’ event streamed live at the Apple Park Campus.
Aside from iPhones, the company also showcased the latest versions of its Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE, and AirPods Pro 2nd generation.
After the announcement, the pre-order date for some models starts on September 9th with iPhone units to be released as early as September 16th. Release dates for certain models might occasionally vary, especially when a new design or size is being introduced.
This year, some of the most innovative features that had many Apple fans eager to unbox the latest iPhone 14, which will run on the latest iOS 16 system platform and will include new features like Crash Detection, the Always On display, and Dynamic Island which gives the company an obvious edge over its competitors in terms of functionalities. The latest iPhone models also have an Emergency SOS function which uses satellite technology for sending and receiving SMS whenever a user needs help or rescue.
Now here’s what Apple fans can expect once the US tech giant releases its most popular phone models starting next week.
1. Camera
Let’s start with the obvious upgrade for all iPhone 14 models, especially for both iPhone14 and 14 Plus. Both iPhone 14 models feature a new camera system and include a 12 MP main camera with bigger pixels, a faster f/1.5 aperture, and improved sensor-shift optical image stabilization. Other features include for the first time a front-camera autofocus capability for sharper selfie images.
Meanwhile, the iPhone Pro and Pro Max feature a 48-megapixel sensor with pixel binning support, allowing for better sensitivity in low light shooting at 12-megapixel. There’s a new 2x telephoto setting and a 48mm mode, plus support for 48 megapixels in ProRaw. Video also gets Action Mode and 24 frame-per-second shooting.
“IPhone 14 Pro introduces a camera system that empowers every user — from the casual user to the professional — to take their best photos and video, and innovative new technologies like the Always-On display and the Dynamic Island, which offers new interactions for notifications and activities,” Apple senior vice-president for worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak added.
For Apple fans who love taking videos with their iPhones, there’s also a new advanced stabilization mode called action mode, and it uses the full sensor to stabilize the video without any extra hardware — no gimbal required!
2. Processor
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will still have Apple’s reliable A15 Bionic system chip which is the same system on a chip that you can find in the iPhone 13 lineup. However, it still packs processing power compared to other Android phone models.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will now sport the newest and most powerful A16 Bionic chip. The successor to the A15 Bionic (which can be found in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus), A16 packs more transistors of around 16 billion, manufactured on a 4 nm process with components specially designed to accelerate AI and other tasks across smartphone apps and iOS.
Apple says that the A16 Bionic has a multicore processor with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, a five-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine for performing up to 17 trillion operations per second. The company further claims the high-performance cores use 20% less power compared to the A15 Bionic’s performance cores, while the efficiency cores use a third of the power of unnamed competitor chips.
3. Display
The new Apple devices will feature 6.1-inch (iPhone 14 and 14 Pro) and 6.7-inch (iPhone 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max) screen displays, respectively.
Apple’s premium iPhone line redesigned the polarizing notch in favor of a pill-shaped one in the Pro and Pro Max iterations. Apple has also shifted the front-facing camera notch away from the edge and into the display itself with a design called ‘dynamic island’, which is meant to let the pill-shaped camera cutout sort of blend into darker elements of the interface and will be interactive depending on the notifications and activities you will be receiving.
The Cupertino-based tech giant also says you can expect a 49% improvement in low-light performance with the phones’ new display boost. A new Display Engine within it also speeds display rendering and the updated image signal processing adds similar boosts in photo quality even to the lower-end models.
4. Design
The new iPhone 14 weighs around 172 grams and the Plus at 203 grams with Corning Gorilla glass front and back and an aluminum frame which is similar to its predecessor the iPhone 13. The Apple iPhone Pro weighs 206g and the Pro Max weighs 240g with Corning Gorilla Glass front and back in a stainless steel frame.
In the U.S., Apple is dropping the physical SIM tray. Instead, customers will have to switch to an eSIM. Apple said specifically that this is a change only for customers in the U.S. while international iPhone models should still have a SIM tray. However, with this eSIM switch, a SIM card is prevented from being popped into a different phone if it’s lost or stolen.
5. Battery
“iPhone 14 also has an updated internal design that improves thermal performance,” VP of iPhone Product Marketing Kaiann Drance said. For instance, you can play games for longer sessions with its improved and longlasting battery.
The new iPhone 14 line will also come out with an improved Li-Ion battery with fast charging capabilities so that you’ll never have to worry about running out of juice for longer video viewing, audio listening, and graphic-intensive gaming. The newest iPhone will also come with a MagSafe wireless charging and Qi magnetic fast wireless charging capabilities at 7.5W.
6. Colors
The new iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will come out in colors like Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, and Red.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will come in four colors: space black, silver, gold, and deep purple.
7. Prices
While Apple faces headwinds from rising global inflation and higher production costs, the company kept its prices competitive or almost the same as when previous models were launched. The base iPhone 14 will sell for $799 and the new Plus model will be available for $899. Prices start at $999 for the Pro, and $1,099 for the Pro Max. You can preorder starting Sept. 9 and units will be available in stores for release on Sept. 16.
8. Other iPhone 14 Features
The phone just like other recent iPhone models will still have features like an IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) body.
“iPhone 14 also has an updated internal design that improves thermal performance,” VP of iPhone Product Marketing Kaiann Drance said. For instance, you can play games for longer sessions.
Also highlighted in the company’s announcements are features like Crash Detection, the Always On Display, and an Emergency SOS function which uses satellite technology for sending and receiving SMS.
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