Apple iPhone 14 evaluate: iPhone 13S

The iPhone 14 is nice. You in all probability shouldn’t purchase an iPhone 14.

If these two phrases sound at odds with one another, then let me clarify. The iPhone 14 is very succesful. Its chipset can deal with all the things from day-to-day duties to graphics-intensive gaming. Its cameras are able to excellent pictures, and it data one of the best video clips you’ll see from any telephone in its class. This is all true of the 14, nevertheless it’s additionally true of the iPhone 13.

The iPhone 14 is an excellent telephone, with a handful of helpful upgrades over the 13. But it’s a small handful, and that leaves the 14 in a good spot. The iPhone 13, which got here out a 12 months in the past and Apple remains to be promoting, is almost similar to the 14 and $100 cheaper, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro introduces loads of fascinating new options. And the upcoming iPhone 14 Plus has the identical {hardware} because the 14 however an enormous 6.7-inch display screen. If the Great iPhone Mini Experiment taught us something, it’s that folks love large screens. 

The iPhone 14 does have some genuinely cool new options: an upgraded sensor on the principle digicam and a barely wider aperture and autofocus on the selfie cam; automobile crash detection; and satellite tv for pc SOS, however other than these, it actually is nearly similar to the iPhone 13. It seems the identical, with the identical flat aluminum rails and roughly the identical dimensions. There are nonetheless simply two rear cameras — a typical vast and ultrawide — however the digicam bump is a bit chunkier to accommodate the larger principal sensor, sufficient in order that an iPhone 13 case gained’t match. 

The similarities between the iPhone 14 and 13 go deeper than the floor. While the 14 Pro and Pro Max get the brand new A16 Bionic chipset, the 14 makes use of an A15 Bionic, which is identical technology utilized by the iPhone 13 sequence, albeit with another GPU core than the 13 has. That’s an uncommon transfer for Apple, which generally places its latest chip in all of its new iPhones. 

The A15 remains to be very succesful. But having the newest processor isn’t nearly getting the perfect efficiency now — it additionally presumably has some relationship to what number of OS updates a telephone will get and whether or not it can assist sure new options that Apple provides to iOS over the following few years. Even when earlier iPhone fashions included modest updates over their predecessors, getting that current-gen chipset was an argument in favor of shopping for the newest mannequin — if nothing else, you’d in all probability get OS upgrades just a little longer. That feels much less sure with the iPhone 14.

Like the iPhone 13, the 14 has 15W MagSafe charging, IP68 water resistance, and between 128GB and 512GB of storage. The US model of the 14 helps each sub-6GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G, although the worldwide model is sub-6GHz-only, which is okay as a result of the US is the one nation pretending to care about mmWave. You’ll see a mmWave window on the facet of the telephone, however one factor you gained’t spot on the US model is a bodily SIM tray — it’s all eSIM, child. More on that later. There’s Wi-Fi 6 assist, as there was within the 13, and Bluetooth has been upgraded from 5.0 to five.3. 

The iPhone 14’s display screen is all the things that the 13’s is — as a result of for all intents and functions, it’s the identical show. It’s nonetheless a 6.1-inch OLED with just a little higher than 1080p decision (Super Retina XDR in case you’re fluent in Apple) with a typical 60Hz refresh charge. It’s a superb display screen, however the competitors is operating laps round Apple right here. Android telephones from the flagship class all the way in which to the $350 Samsung A53 5G supply screens with 120Hz refresh charges. It’s not a deal-breaker, nevertheless it’s an space the place it looks like the usual iPhone is overdue for an replace. For the super-smooth 120Hz ProMovement show, you continue to have to pony up for the Pro mannequin.

Battery life is one other place I’d count on to see year-over-year enchancment in a brand new flagship mannequin, and on this division, Apple does quote a small enhance in efficiency. The 14 will stand up to twenty hours of video playback versus 19 on the iPhone 13, according to the official specs. In the true world, after three to 4 hours of screen-on time, I had between 40 and 50 p.c cost on the finish of the day. Whether that’s considerably higher than the already fairly wonderful iPhone 13 is difficult to say, nevertheless it’s ok to get most individuals by a full day, and that’s what counts.

So far, I’ve largely talked about what hasn’t modified, so right here’s what’s new.

With a few new {hardware} options, Apple is touting the iPhone 14 as a literal lifesaver. The first is Crash Detection, and it seems similar to Google’s automobile crash detection. The 14 has a brand new “high dynamic range” gyroscopic sensor and a high-G accelerometer. If knowledge collected by the telephone’s sensors point out that you just’ve been in a crash, it can ask you in case you’re okay and can name emergency companies in case you don’t reply in a sure period of time. The iPhone 13 doesn’t have these new sensors, so it’s unlikely that older telephones would be capable of assist Crash Detection, even when Apple was feeling beneficiant sufficient to deliver it to older iPhones.

I haven’t been in a automobile crash within the week I’ve been testing the telephone, so I can’t say for positive that it really works. I’ll depart that one to gutsier testers than me, however in any case, it’s one thing that simply occurs on the telephone and doesn’t require something of the person to allow. It’s the definition of a nice-to-have function.

The 14 additionally has Emergency SOS, a separate service that’s coming this November. In areas with out cell protection, the telephone is ready to get a message out to emergency responders by speaking by way of satellite tv for pc. This is because of some customized elements and software program distinctive to the iPhone 14 sequence, in line with Apple’s launch presentation, so don’t count on to see it ported to older fashions both. You’ll reply just a few questions to assist emergency companies higher perceive your state of affairs, and the UI directs you to level your telephone on the nearest satellite tv for pc. 

I bought a demo of the function in a discipline on Apple’s Cupertino campus — not precisely a wilderness space, so take this with a huge grain of salt — nevertheless it appeared pretty intuitive. You may even see the satellite tv for pc’s place altering in your telephone display screen because it crosses the sky. According to Apple’s documentation, sending a message can take anyplace from 15 seconds to “over a minute” relying on how a lot your view of the satellite tv for pc is obstructed. In a spot with some mild foliage, messages in my demo went by in lower than 30 seconds. 

If you commonly spend time exterior of cell protection, then satellite tv for pc SOS might provide you with some actual peace of thoughts. I do some mountaineering across the higher Seattle space, and also you don’t must get too far exterior of town to seek out your self in a wi-fi useless zone. That’s the place getting circled or twisting an ankle on a much less busy path can put you in actual hassle. I’m not a severe sufficient hiker to spend money on a separate GPS unit and its subscription service, however one thing like this constructed proper into my telephone could be very interesting. The large query on my thoughts is the associated fee — it can include two years of free service on the iPhone 14, however exterior of that, you’ll have to pay up, and Apple’s not saying but how a lot it can price.

Crash Detection and satellite tv for pc SOS conjure up some fairly grim situations, so let’s look on the sunshine facet: the iPhone 14’s cameras. This is the place you will note an enchancment from the 13 to the 14 — it’s not dramatic, nevertheless it’s there. For starters, there’s some upgraded {hardware}. The 14 basically inherits the 13 Pro and Pro Max’s principal digicam, with a much bigger sensor, bigger pixels, and a quicker f/1.5 aperture in comparison with f/1.6. The selfie digicam will get a wider aperture, too — no change to the ultrawide {hardware}, although. 

On the software program facet, Apple has made some modifications to the way it processes photographs with a expertise it calls “Photonic Engine.” It’s making use of Deep Fusion earlier within the picture processing pipeline on uncompressed knowledge, which Apple says improves low-light efficiency in comparison with the Photonic-Engine-less iPhone 13. After taking pictures side-by-side samples in all types of circumstances, I can report that the iPhone 14’s low-light photographs are just a little extra detailed than the 13’s, however I’m not satisfied that Photonic Engine has loads to do with it. In loads of situations, the 14 is simply in a position to make use of a decrease ISO than the 13 because of that bigger sensor. With much less noise to cope with, there’s extra element, and colours in low-light pictures are extra correct. Maybe it’s Photonic Engine; perhaps it’s simply good old style physics. 

The distinction is extra apparent after I take a look at selfie and ultrawide photographs facet by facet on the 13 and 14. In low mild, the 14’s ultrawide photographs look much less watercolor-y, and selfie pictures have way more element and higher pores and skin tone rendering. Using the front-facing cameras on each whereas standing on the entrance of a shifting ferry boat, I bought a pointy shot out of the iPhone 14 whereas the iPhone 13 struggled mightily. 

The principal digicam’s portrait mode seems just a little improved, too. Nothing can address the segmentation torture check that’s my baby’s hair, however the way in which the 14 handles cat fur seems just a little extra refined. Still, it’s not going to dethrone the present portrait mode champ: the Samsung Galaxy S22. Its capacity to establish a topic right down to the best particulars is unmatched proper now.

There’s additionally a brand new stabilization mode for video taking pictures referred to as Action mode that’s designed to right for extra excessive motion. And, as I’ve realized by trial and error, it’s very a lot designed for use in brilliant outside mild. With something much less, the digicam complains and pictures seems horribly blotchy. It’s not the best choice while you’re chasing your toddler throughout the home. 

Outdoors, it does produce very {smooth} footage, however so does the iPhone 13, really. Action mode might cope just a little higher with very intense movement, however for many use circumstances, the iPhone’s commonplace stabilization system was already ok. 

On the video entrance, now you can use Cinematic mode as much as 4K decision — beforehand it was capped at HD decision. It nonetheless seems just a little bizarre, however that 24p body charge form of helps it move as film-like footage just a little higher. There’s no change to the opposite video modes — there’s nonetheless sluggish movement, timelapse, and all the standard commonplace video recording choices, plus 10-bit Dolby Vision. This is one space the place Apple can afford to face nonetheless as a result of the iPhone’s video remains to be on high.

The iPhone 14 does have one daring new function, or perhaps a daring new omission: the bodily SIM tray. On US fashions, Apple went all-in on eSIM, which is only a digital model of the tiny SIM card that identifies you to your provider’s wi-fi community. The iPhone 14 can retailer as much as eight eSIMs, with two lively without delay. iPhones have had dual-SIM assist for years, however final 12 months’s iPhone 13 was the primary that might have two eSIMs lively on the similar time. Earlier iPhones solely supported dual-SIM with one bodily and one eSIM. Outside the US, the place eSIM adoption isn’t as far alongside, the iPhone 14 will nonetheless have a bodily SIM tray, and it’ll nonetheless assist twin SIMs — both with two eSIMs or one eSIM and one bodily.

Dropping the bodily SIM card is a hotly contested subject — roughly half of my Twitter feed thinks it’s a superb factor, and half hates eSIM with the hearth of a thousand suns. On one hand, eSIMs make it simpler to start out service with a brand new provider because you don’t have to go to a retailer or look forward to a bodily SIM to reach within the mail. And as a result of the iPhone can retailer a number of eSIMs, swapping telephone strains is loads simpler — no extra coming out a tiny tray and fidgeting with bodily SIM playing cards. 

If you purchase an iPhone 14 by a provider or purchase a provider model from Apple, it comes preloaded along with your quantity. And in case you purchase an unlocked model, transferring your quantity from an outdated iPhone ought to be simple. On major US carriers, you may switch your quantity from a telephone with a bodily SIM on to an eSIM on the iPhone 14. Or (relying in your provider), you may be capable of convert your bodily SIM to an eSIM after which switch that. Once you turn to eSIM, your bodily SIM card is deactivated. It was just a little nerve-racking to decide to shifting my Verizon quantity from a bodily SIM on my iPhone 11 to an eSIM on my evaluate iPhone 14 at the back of an Uber in the midst of a busy journey day, however hey, it labored. 

If you’re coming from an Android with a bodily SIM or your provider is likely one of the many smaller carriers that assist eSIM however don’t have Quick Transfer or provider activation, getting your quantity onto the iPhone 14 will not be as simple. Your provider must concern an eSIM — which you might be able to do on the web site or by an app — which you’ll be able to then add with a QR code or the provider’s app. 

Depending in your present telephone and provider — or how usually you go to components of the world with out eSIM — it could possibly be a ache to change to eSIM, or it could possibly be simple sufficient to do at the back of a shifting automobile. Either manner, with Apple going eSIM-only, all indicators level to a future with out bodily SIMs as different telephone makers get on board. You’ll in all probability must make the leap to eSIM someday sooner or later. That’s probably not an argument for or towards the iPhone 14, although there’s one thing to be stated for giving the carriers one other 12 months or two to iron out the kinks.

At the time of this writing, Apple is promoting the iPhone 13 for $699. The cameras aren’t fairly pretty much as good because the 14’s, notably in low mild, however they’re nonetheless extremely succesful. Last 12 months’s iPhone nonetheless has among the greatest video picture high quality of any telephone launched this 12 months. There’s additionally the 14 Plus on the way in which for $899, and whereas we haven’t been capable of check it but, it provides a much bigger display screen and guarantees higher battery life — two issues that lots of people really need out of a brand new telephone.

And don’t neglect concerning the Galaxy S22. For the identical worth because the 14, it features a 3x telephoto digicam, a show with a quick 120Hz refresh charge plus an always-on show, and is promised three extra years of OS upgrades past the Android 13 replace that’s coming quickly. That’s not fairly pretty much as good because the 4 or 5 iOS upgrades the iPhone 14 will possible obtain, nevertheless it’s shut.

The 14 Pro and Pro Max characterize the beginning of some new concepts from Apple, together with an always-on show, a shape-shifting display screen notch — ahoy there, “Dynamic Island” — that reveals system data at a look, and a high-resolution principal digicam. Apple hasn’t precisely nailed them on the primary attempt, however they’ll get just a little extra helpful as third-party app makers undertake them and as Apple refines them with future iOS updates. The 14 Pro looks like the primary iteration of a brand new iPhone, whereas the 14 looks like the ultimate model of the outdated iPhone.  

Most folks ought to take into account different choices, however there’s an argument for the iPhone 14 in case you meet a slender set of standards: you’re on an iPhone 12 or older, you really need the satellite tv for pc SOS function, you favor a 6.1-inch display screen dimension (it’s, in any case, the correct one), you need one of the best digicam high quality at this worth level, you simply want a brand new telephone proper now, and your provider is providing a candy trade-in deal. For this explicit set of circumstances, the iPhone 14 will go well with you simply superb. Otherwise, it’s nicely price having a look at your different choices.

When you shift to new applied sciences in a product line, you need to put a stake within the floor someplace: one product can be The New Thing, and one other can be outdated. The 14 is on the “old” facet of that dividing line. The “old” was good, and so is the iPhone 14. But within the broader panorama of excellent telephones you should purchase proper now — iOS or in any other case — it’s onerous to see an argument for the 14.