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I'm Getting the iPhone 14 Pro, Should You?

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Apple’s fall event announced the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, along with the new AirPods Pro 2, the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra. It was a pretty good set of products, with a few surprises sprinkled in. The one for me is the iPhone 14 Pro.

Why the Pro, coming from a 13 Pro

  • ProMotion. I didn’t think the variable refresh rate display would be a big deal until I went back to devices without it, like the iPad mini or iPhone 13 mini, where scrolling looked blurry. I’ve migrated to mostly Pro stuff (iPad Pro, MacBook Pro), so downgrading to the 14 or 14 Plus doesn’t appeal.
  • Macro mode. I’ve used it way more than I expected: letting my daughter explore the backyard up close, and even getting a splinter out of my finger while building a shed. It’s more than a novelty.
  • Size. The Pro’s 6.1 inches is my preferred size: not as big as the 6.7-inch models or as small as the 5.4-inch minis. I may still try the Pro Max or 14 Plus for the bigger size.
  • The downside is weight. The stainless steel makes the Pro Max 240 g and the 14 Pro 206 g, while the bigger 14 Plus is just 203 g. They keep getting heavier.

What’s new

  • A16 processor (Pro models only; the 14 and 14 Plus stay on the A15 with the 5-core GPU). Apple says it’s 40% faster than the competition, an odd metric, since they’ve been comparing against competitors instead of their previous chips. It’s built on a 4 nm process, so it should run cooler and more efficiently.
  • Brighter display: up to 2,000 nits outdoors and 1,600 nits for HDR (up from 1,200). I’ll be interested to see how it holds up in direct sun, since iPhones tend to heat up and dim until you can’t see anything.
  • Always-on display. Finally. Apple didn’t just lower the brightness: there’s logic so skin tones survive in your lock screen photo, and it will work with iOS 16 lock screen widgets, like a ride share or food delivery, without waking or touching the phone.
  • 48-megapixel main camera that scales down to 12 MP, with the sharpness of a much denser sensor. Apple demoed a Hawaii photo where cropping in still showed individual rocks and waves. I’m not carrying my Sony A7 4 everywhere; I want the camera in my pocket to be as good as possible for the moments I want to capture. There’s also sensor-shift stabilization and better low-light on the ultra wide and zoom lenses.

The surprises

  • The Dynamic Island. After months of rumors of a pill and circular cutout, and then of it being blacked out between the two, Apple went further: it dynamically shifts for whatever you’re doing or notifications coming in. It looks fluid and fun and well thought out, and apps can integrate consistently. Going from a notch people panned for years to something innovative is impressive. I can’t wait to try it.
  • No price increase. Despite rumors, the 14 Pro starts at $999 with 128 GB, as last year. I’m getting the 256 GB at $1,099. And unlike last year, choosing an unlocked phone doesn’t seem to add the extra $30.
  • eSIM only. The physical SIM is gone on the 14 and 14 Pro in the U.S. I’m slightly concerned: I change phones frequently, and past eSIM attempts weren’t flawless, and once sent me back to a store for a physical SIM. But with the iOS 16 beta, Settings can now convert a physical SIM to eSIM, and it worked well; I’m running on one now and will test swapping phones.
  • Emergency SOS via satellite. A very limited text-message-style link when you’re away from cell towers. Apple said it can take minutes in the best conditions (no cloud cover), and trees or caves will make it a struggle, but it’s a good first step toward communications that don’t rely on towers.
  • Crash Detection, which uses new accelerometers and gyroscopes to alert authorities and emergency contacts, an extension of the fall detection added to the Apple Watch a couple of years ago.

I’ll also be getting the AirPods Pro 2, and probably not the Apple Watch Ultra, which is a little too much for me. Which iPhone are you getting?

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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