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TECH PREVIEW: iPhone 14

 

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max (source: Apple)

 

By Dennison DeNatalie

The iPhone 14 lineup officially dropped at Apple’s September 7th event. As they always claim, it’s ‘their biggest iPhone upgrade yet.’ But what exactly does that mean for users?

 

We’ll start with the iPhone 14 and the new iPhone 14 Plus. Apple has decided to bring back the old naming scheme with the non-pro lineup this year. There are a host of new features for both the pro models as well as the non-pro models, including a new feature called Emergency SOS via satellite.

 

Emergency SOS via satellite allows iPhone 14 to communicate with satellites in space when cellular service is not available. Many operations go into making sure the iPhone 14 can effectively communicate with satellites, considering satellites are such low bandwidth. Apple had to make iMessages 3% smaller in size to be able to speed up communication. iPhone will also send your location and the nature of your emergency to emergency services and updates your ‘Find My’ location. Also new with iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro is advanced crash detection, a feature Apple describes as “a feature you never want to use.”

 

iPhone 14 has a 6.1” display, and starts at $799 for the 128gb model, and the iPhone 14 Plus has a 6.7” display and starts at $899 for the 128gb model. All iPhone 14 models will include the satellite safety feature for free for up to two years. Pricing for that service has not yet been released.

 

iPhone 14 Pro is where the big upgrades come in. This year follows suit with the past, where we see an iPhone 14 Pro in 6.1” variation, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max in 6.7” variation. While also including the same new advanced safety features that the iPhone 14 has, the pro models also now include a 48MP rear camera module.

Dynamic Island feature (source: Apple)

The biggest change in the lineup this year for the pro models is the removal of the famous iPhone ‘notch.’ Introducing…the Dynamic Island. Dynamic Island is a small slit at the top of the display where your front facing camera and Face ID sensors are located. But, that’s not all. Dynamic Island is also integrated into the software to “bubble up” your notifications, without distracting you from what you’re doing.

 

iPhone 14 Pro is the first iPhone to ever feature an always on lock screen. Quickly glance at your iPhone 14 Pro for the time, date, and whatever other widgets you please to setup. In your pocket, iPhone 14 Pro will go dark to preserve battery life. Apple is still claiming an all-day battery life.

 

iPhone 14 Pro models ship with A16 Bionic, which Apple claims as the “Ultimate Smartphone Chip.” A16 Bionic is not only more efficient than A15 Bionic, but also performs more operations while doing so. A16 Bionic features a faster 6-core CPI, and 50% more memory bandwidth, to be able to complete over 17 trillion operations per second.

 

iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999 for the 128gb version, and iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1099 for the same 128gb version.

 

All iPhones are available for pre-order starting Friday, September 9th at 8AM Eastern, and will ship on Friday, September 16th.