iPhone 14 Early Hands-On: Camera is where all the Actions

Shipment of Apple’s iPhone 14 Series Now arriving at customers’ stores and on retail shelves. Apple announced four new iPhone 14 models earlier this month, along with other new hardware, at Far Out Events. As is now tradition, the models are divided between different sizes of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.

There are two models in each category, with Apple walk away with the smaller Minireplace it with iPhone 14 Plus. The Plus model is available for pre-order now, but won’t arrive until October 7. After that, yes iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Maxboth are identical in size to their predecessors.

Also: Here’s how to get the most out of your iPhone’s new lock screen

I’ve had iPhone 14, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max on my desk or in my hand for about 48 hours now, with almost all the time using it. iPhone 14 $799 as my main phone, instead of last year iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Join them all in eSIM

Total iPhone 14 series lacks SIM card tray. Apple is putting all its efforts into something called eSIMor a digital version of the little plastic card we used to move between phones. During the initial setup of my iPhone 14, I was asked if I wanted to transfer my existing phone number from my personal iPhone 13 Pro Max for iPhone 14. Remember that before powering on iPhone 14 and signing in with my Apple ID, there’s no way for iPhone 14 to know what phone number I have or what phone number it will be assigned to.

After choosing that I wanted my iPhone 14 to use my phone number, Apple and my carrier did some magic behind the scenes and my number was transferred to the new iPhone in less than 2 Minutes. It was a really easy experience.

Also: This is how the major carriers are handling the iPhone 14’s eSIM

I have presented more details about the job switch from SIM card to eSIM herethis will get you started once you have your iPhone 14 in hand.

Performance and battery life

If you come to visit Apple comparison toolpitted iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14, you’ll notice that they use the same A15 Bionic processor. This is the first time Apple has used a previous-generation processor in a new iPhone model, with the iPhone maker relying on the already solid performance that the A15 Bionic brings to the iPhone 13.

To be clear, there is a slight difference between the A15 Bionic used in the iPhone 14. It has a five-core GPU, as opposed to the four in the iPhone 13 version. Apple says that the extra cores boost GPU performance by around 18%. for iPhone 14.

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Other internal differences between the two generations include an increase in memory, from 4GB in the iPhone 13 to 6GB in the iPhone 14. That extra storage will help keep apps and tabs open in memory for longer and improve. multitasking in general.

The first few days with a new iPhone often involve waiting for all my personal data to sync to the phone, and that’s exactly my experience so far with the iPhone 14, so I won’t judge. . on performance quite yet. I can say this, however, I haven’t noticed any areas or instances where the iPhone 14 feels slower than my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Battery life is expected to be slightly better, with the iPhone 14 adding an extra hour of video playback. Even though my iPhone 14 review unit was synced and almost continuously used in one way or another, I still haven’t had to charge it before the end of the day. Again, it’s early days, so I won’t give a final verdict – but it looks promising!

I usually choose Biggest iPhone model for more battery life, this will be an option this year for those who don’t want a Pro model, now iPhone 14 Plus 6.7 inches exist.

Also: iPhone 13 and iPhone 14: Should you upgrade?

Camera upgrade

The biggest changes that Apple made to the iPhone 14 are related to the camera. Apple calls the iPhone 14’s camera system an “advanced dual-camera system,” thanks in part to a number of hardware upgrades but also some Features of iOS camera software new this year.

There’s a new 12-megapixel main camera with a larger sensor that harnesses Apple’s new Photonic Engine for better performance. Apple promises improved low-light performance from the engine and the addition of a new Action mode for video recording.

Also: iPhone 14 Pro: New large camera sensor, similarly slow Lightning transmission

When enabled, Action mode stabilizes your captured video in a similar fashion to GoPro cameras. You’ll want to use the new mode outdoors or at least in well-lit areas. I did a few random jogs around my house and backyard and can confirm that, Action Mode does indeed keep iPhone videos smooth and steady.

I can’t wait to play around with this feature to see where it really excels and where it falls short. The fact that it needs a well-lit environment is a bit disappointing.

As for the main camera, I took a few photos and it seems to take a bit sharper photos than the iPhone 13. Here’s a quick Portrait I took last night of my dog, by because sleeping dogs always make great subjects when testing a new camera.

When I zoomed in on that photo, there was a lot of detail about every area of ​​it. His name is Emoji, if you’re wondering.

More to come…

You can expect more features to be enabled on the iPhone 14. The new Emergency SOS via satellite such feature is not yet available. It will be released in November and will remain a free service for the next two years. Prices are not known then. Garmin offers a similar service on standalone devices with pricing plans starting at $15 a month, but I imagine Apple will find a way to include it Apple One plans.

I’ll have a full review of the iPhone 14 maybe next week, but in the meantime, if you’re using an iPhone that’s several years old (or more) and the iPhone 14 meets the size criteria your size and budget, it’s definitely a big upgrade for you.