Andrew Heinzman
It seems that a big change is just over the horizon. The upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max make a stylish departure from Apple’s last few smartphones, offering interesting design changes, exclusive features, and wallet-draining upgrades.
Update, 9/22/22 3:21 pm Eastern: Updated to include
We still don’t know everything about the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. But leaks and rumors point to two very impressive phones. Here’s everything we know about the next-gen “Pro” models of iPhone.
Broad Details: Release Date and Pricing
The Design: Goodbye Notch, Hello Dynamic Island
Spec Talk: Finally, Pro Models Get Pro Performance
Software: Always-On Display, SOS Mode, and More
The Cameras: Bigger and Better, but Noisy
Broad Details: Release Date and Pricing
The iPhone 14 lineup debuted during Apple’s “Far Out” event on September 7th, 2022. This event is notable for a few reasons—Apple introduced the iPhone Plus (replacing the Mini) and the rugged Apple Watch ultra.
And, of course, “Far Out” was Apple’s first in-person event since 2019.
Respective pricing for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $999 and $1,099. Both smartphones come with a minimum 128GB of storage, though customers can upgrade to 1TB of internal storage if they’re willing to pony up a few hundred dollars.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max come in four colors; Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple.
The Design: Goodbye Notch, Hello Dynamic Island
After three years of reusing the same basic design, Apple is ready to shake things up. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max ditch their notorious Face ID “notch” for a new pill-shaped cutout. But this isn’t just a hole-punch camera; it’s a Dynamic Island.
The name “Dynamic Island” is pretty awful. But it describes something very interesting. The big hole in the iPhone 14 Pro’s screen can expand and contract to show notifications, widgets, music controls, and a whole host of other tools.
This functionality is enabled by the iPhone 14 Pro’s snazzy LTPO OLED panel. It can deactivate individual pixels, so the color “black” doesn’t look “gray” on your screen. To make the “Dynamic Island” look alive, Apple simply animates some black blobs around the big hole in your screen.
Outside of the new “Dynamic Island,” the iPhone 14 Pro looks practically identical to its predecessor. It’s also worth noting that, unlike the standard iPhone 14, the fancy iPhone 14 Pro doesn’t have removable back glass. (Apple added removable back glass to the basic iPhone 14 to improve repairability.)
Screen size hasn’t changed with this iteration of iPhones. The new iPhone 14 Pro uses a 6.1-inch display, while the Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen. That said, these devices now support a variable refresh rate, which improves battery life and allows you to enable an always-on display mode.
Again, the iPhone 14 Pro lineup comes in four colors; Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple. Apple ditched the excellent green colorway that it used in the iPhone 13 Pro lineup.
Spec Talk: Finally, Pro Models Get Pro Performance
Previous models of the iPhone Pro didn’t offer “pro” performance. They used the same chipset as the standard iPhone (with a bit of extra RAM thrown in). But the iPhone 14 Pro lineup finally breaks this trend.
Apple decided to reuse the 2021 A15 Bionic chipset in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. But each of the Pro models use a new A16 Bionic system, which offers iterative performance improvements with new high-efficiency cores to extend battery life. (The A16 Bionic may also introduce speedy DDR5 memory, though Apple hasn’t confirmed this information.)
Also, the iPhone 14 lineup ditches physical SIM cards for eSIM in the United States. Other regions can still use a physical SIM card.
Now, we don’t suggest upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro just for the A16 Bionic chipset. The real-world difference between A16 Bionic and A15 Bionic is marginal at best. You’d be better off focusing on practical features, like the new Dynamic Island or upgraded camera array (more on that in a second).
Software: Always-On Display, SOS Mode, and More
The defining software feature of the iPhone 14 Pro is the Dynamic Island. But of course, Apple included a couple of extra software perks to entice customers.
First, there’s the iOS 16 operating system. It offers an upgraded lock screen with new notification layouts, plus an alternative to passwords and a refined focus on smart home control. (But any iPhone with iOS 16 can use these features.)
A more exciting change is the new always-on display mode, which is exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. The details behind this feature are pretty self-explanatory; your iPhone lock screen won’t turn off when always-on display is enabled.
While the always-on display mode will reduce your battery life, it shouldn’t drain your battery. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max feature a variable refresh rate, meaning that the display uses very little energy when showing static content.
Additionally, the iPhone 14 lineup introduces new satellite connectivity. This feature is exclusive to users in the United States (as of 2022, at least). It allows you to send emergency text messages or contact the authorities without a cellular connection. (Apple says that satellite connectivity will eventually cost money, though it’s free for the time being.)
The Cameras: Bigger and Better, but Noisy
Each model in the iPhone 14 lineup uses a new autofocus selfie lens with an upgraded f/1.9 aperture. Reviews indicate that this new camera improves sharpness and stability during FaceTime calls. It also improves low-light performance when shooting selfies.
Additionally, the iPhone 14 lineup introduces Apple’s new “Photonic Engine.” It supposedly doubles the detail and color of low-light photography, but at the time of writing, we don’t see a noticeable difference.
But the biggest upgrade comes to the iPhone 14 Pro ad Pro Max’s main camera, which now uses a 48MP sensor. It’s a huge upgrade from the usual 12MP lens, providing enhanced clarity and color to most photographs. Technically speaking, the large new sensor should reduce low-light performance. But Apple seems to have avoided this pitfall. Perhaps the “Photonic Engine” is more useful than it seems.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max also get a slightly-upgraded 12MP ultra-wide camera. But it doesn’t seem to provide any substantial improvements over the old 12MP ultra-wide lens.
Now, we’ve encountered several reports of iPhone 14 Pro cameras “shaking.” Opening certain apps causes these cameras to vibrate and make an awful noise. Apple says a software update will rectify the problem, which seems a bit unbelievable, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Apple should debut the iPhone 14 lineup during its “Far Out” event on September 7th. A $100 price increase likely pushes the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max to $1,099 and $1,199, respectively.
We will update this article as new information comes to light. Be sure to join our free newsletter to stay up to date with all iPhone 14 Pro developments!
