iPhone 14 Pro review
Introduction
The iPhone 14 Pro was released with significant upgrades in cameras and the new Dynamic Island. Fundamentally, it takes the place of the notch that had been in existence since five years ago, first introduced on the iPhone X. This exemplifies Apple's continuous efforts at fine-tuning improvements and making innovations in its line of flagships—keeping the user experience forefront. Though most of us have a lot of reservations against its battery life, the iPhone 14 Pro still happens to be one of the best phones available in 2024. Starting at Rs 1,29,900 for the base 128GB variant, the iPhone 14 Pro crams in a lot of tech into a very fancy package.
It has some stern competition in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Google Pixel 6 Pro, both of which offer compelling price points for their deprivation of some premium features found in the iPhone 14 Pro.
In design, display quality, camera performance, and overall functionality, the iPhone 14 Pro checks all the right boxes. While not rather evolutionary compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, it goes a step further in refining and enhancing a winning formula. Let me walk you through the details to ascertain whether the iPhone 14 Pro is what you want.
Price and Availability
The iPhone 14 Pro comes at Rs. 1,29,900 for the base 128GB variant. If you want more storage, there's a 256GB version at Rs. 1,39,900; a more spacious 512GB model will cost you Rs. 1,59,900, while a super spacious 1TB variant will be priced at Rs. 1,79,900. Keeping in mind the fact that this iPhone is good at taking some really advanced video—well, missing one major one and including Pores video—the higher storage variant can turn out to be quite useful.
That is most unfortunate, particularly since the 128GB variant limits Pores video recording to 1080p resolution. Although Apple no longer sells the iPhone 14 Pro directly from its stores since the September 2023 release of the iPhone 15 Pro, it is still blurry with third-party retailers and carriers in India. If you want to splurge on a high-end something without migrating to the latest model, the iPhone 14 Pro makes for a great buy even in 2024.
Design and Build
The design is at once familiar yet fresh. At first glance, one could say it looks very similar to the predecessor—iPhone 13 Pro—at least from the back, where the camera module has inflated even further. But look a bit deeper and it becomes clear how many changes Apple has silently pushed in. Most striking of all, no doubt, is the Dynamic Island—a pill-shaped cutout that replaces the notch on the front of the device.
The change at hand is modernizing not only the look of the phone but also has functional value in that it would be able to display animations and make controls for a number of apps and features easy to access.
The phone's back is now made of glass, with a matte finish and is removable for easier repairs, though these repairs are not necessarily cheaper. There's also a stainless steel frame, and Apple's Ceramic Shield on the front adds to the durability. Weighing 7.3 ounces, the iPhone 14 Pro is solid and premium—definitely lovely build quality. However, as a result of its large camera bump, it doesn't lie totally flat on surfaces, and this could be sort of painful for some people.
Display
The display quality is hard to beat in the iPhone 14 Pro. Equipped with its powerful 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display featuring Promotion technology for refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz, the screen can reproduce very smooth scrolling and brilliant color output. It brings very high levels of brightness, facilitating even outdoor use—straight sunlight won't be an issue. The iPhone 14 Pro is great for viewing photos, watching videos, and gaming.
It's continued to see a lot of improvements with each iteration, and the iPhone 14 Pro does not break this stride. Compared with the iPhone 13 Pro, it now boasts better color accuracy and a bit more brightness, though in our tests, it did not hit the claimed 2,000 nits peak brightness. Anyway, display-wise, it stays among the top devices, thus being one of the best screens available on any smartphone bar none in 2024.
Camera Capabilities
The camera system received impressive updates on the iPhone 14 Pro. Its addition is notable for a completely new 48MP quad-pixel main sensor, letting very detailed 12MP images or full 48MP Pro RAW photos. It gives both casual users and photography aficionados powerful tools to take stunning pictures with this remarkable flexibility. The ultra-wide camera has also seen an upgrade to a larger sensor; even though the telephoto remains at 3x optical zoom, Apple has added a 2x optical zoom to the main sensor, so now there's a total of four zoom levels. The new Photonic Engine in Apple enriches photo quality, particularly those taken in low-light conditions, through earlier application of Deep Fusion technology along the image processing pipeline to achieve greater details and dynamic range. Other camera features improved are autofocus and a faster aperture, which are now used on the front-facing camera to enable better low-light selfies.
Performance
Properly equipped with the new A16 Bionic chip, the iPhone 14 Pro becomes a performance beast. That chip is fabricated on a process node of 4nm, featuring a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a neural engine with 16 cores for outstanding efficiency and capabilities. What this truly calls for in real usage scenarios is that the iPhone 14 Pro won't really sweat much over anything from high-level game playing to video editing. Benchmark tests prove that the iPhone 14 Pro has absolutely outclassed some of the top rivals, including the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Google Pixel 6 Pro. It is powered by the A16 Bionic chip, which glides through everything effortlessly. To that, the ProMotion display can add fluid animations and responsive touch inputs from day one. Whether it be multitasking, gaming, or even video editing, nothing's a problem for the iPhone 14 Pro.
Battery Life and Charging
The iPhone 14 Pro battery life is a topic slightly at debate between users and reviewers. While it gives respectable endurance for everyday activities, it doesn't quite hit the stellar height of its predecessor in terms of battery performance: the iPhone 13 Pro. In rigorous test scenarios, the iPhone 14 Pro fared at around 10 hours and 13 minutes. This is good enough to get through a full day of moderate use but not as much as the 12 hours and 18 minutes the company could push out from the iPhone 13 Pro. That could be because the iPhone 14 Pro has a wide number of power-greedy features—from its always-on display to bigger peak brightness, all of which improve user experience but naturally rack up on battery cost.
On charging, nothing changes in conservative apple's stance with the iPhone 14 Pro. The phone also supports 20W wired and 15W MagSafe wireless charging.
According to Apple, with a 20W adapter, it can run up to 50% in just 30 minutes. While that isn't as fast as some rivals—such as Samsung's Galaxy S22 Plus with 45W charging—the charging speed is adequate for most everyday uses of its users. For people who mostly charge their phones overnight, or those who have the ability to do so throughout the day, the battery life and charging speed of an iPhone 14 Pro will be way more than enough.
Software Experience
The software on the iPhone 14 Pro is bright after the introduction of iOS 16. This iteration of Apple's operating system offers various enhancements and new features that result in much-enhanced user experiences. Key among them will be the locking screen, now customizable, and truly one that lets users customize their phone's interface in ways that were not previously possible. Now, users can add widgets, change the typeface for the clock, and add different effects on their background pictures—making each lock screen unique both in taste and need. Not stopping there, iOS 16 further forks over with the Focus mode feature by letting users bind specific lock screens to various Focus settings for far amore bespoke experience sans distractions. The iPhone 14 Pro series is exclusively bringing forward the Dynamic Islands instead of a notch. It further does much more to give a prettier view and current look; with iOS 16, it provides contextual notifications and controls for several apps and services. This innovation will increase the amount of multitasking and usability with the new iPhone 14 Pro in all ways, most of them. The blend of iOS 16 and Dynamic Island, therefore, makes the software experience on the iPhone 14 Pro highly unique and functional, setting it apart from other smartphones available in the market.
Conclusion
The iPhone 14 Pro is, in general, very tough competition in the high-end market of smartphones, as far as the overall performance, design, and set of features are concerned; it will not be easy to outclass. Equipped with an impressive Super Retina XDR Display featuring vibrant colors and sharp contrast, it supports improved, immersive viewing for both leisurely activities and productivity.
It has an improved camera system with an all-new 48MP primary sensor, so fabulous photo and video quality should not be an issue at all to reach out to both amateur photography enthusiasts and professionals operating in the field. Run anything on the iPhone 14 Pro, from highly graphic gaming to juggling between quite demanding applications; the A16 Bionic chip will keep everything smooth and responsive.
Though the iPhone 14 Pro would not inarguably offer either the best battery life or fastest charging, both are generally adequate for most users, especially those currently living within Apple's centrally controlled environment.
For those looking for a blend between bleeding-edge technology and reliable performance without jumping into the latest iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro still makes a case for itself well into 2024. A refined design, new exciting features in software, and beefed-up performance elevate it to one of the finest smartphones available at the moment, delivering a premium experience few rivals are able to match.
FAQs
1. What is the current cost of an iPhone 14 Pro in India?
Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro is available in four storage options, each with a varied price depending on the selected model. The 128GB model costs Rs 1,29,900, making for a good balance between capacity and cost of storage. Those who need more storage can opt for the 256GB model at Rs 1,39,900.
The 512GB version, ideal for those with heavy media libraries or large apps, comes in at Rs. 1,59,900. Lastly, the 1TB model, ideal for professionals who want maximum storage, is priced at Rs. 1,79,900. Of course, both these prices reflect the premium positioning that Apple is placing on its marquee smartphone in the market here.
2. How does the camera on iPhone 14 Pro stack up against the competition?
Equipped with advanced camera technology and high grade output, that of the iPhone 14 Pro's market becomes rather competitive in the smartphone category. Its 48 MP quad-pixel main sensor offers great detail and color accuracy across diverse lighting conditions. Its ultra-wide camera, 12MP, captures expansive shots so that more of the scene composes a single frame.
The 3x telephoto lens further enhances zoom ability without affecting clarity at distance. Compared to a lot of Android competitors, the photo processing on the iPhone 14 Pro is way better and a lot more consistent, making the phone one of the top choices for people who adore photography.
3. How does the battery life of the iPhone 14 Pro compare with that of the iPhone 13 Pro?
The regular battery life of the iPhone 14 Pro will be a little less than that of the iPhone 13 Pro. On our test, the iPhone 14 Pro endured for 10 hours and 13 minutes; the iPhone 13 Pro was considerably longer, at 12 hours and 18 minutes. That might be because of raised performance components and display technology on the new model. While the new iPhone 14 Pro still handles a day/Vs worth of battery for most people, the 13 Pro might be able to slightly edge in this category for those who really need the extra juice.
4. What really is the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro?
Dynamic Island is an old design attribute with the iPhone 14 Pro, which gets rid of the notch for a pill-shaped cutout on the top of the screen. This is an innovative design element that gives more than just a great home to the front-facing camera and sensors; it truly serves a functional role. That is dynamic in shape and space, flashing alerts, notifications, and interactive controls for a variety of apps: music player, incoming callers, and navigation among others. This feature shapes the way one has quick access to essential functions right at their fingertips while making multitasking both intuitive and seamless.
5. Can I get the iPhone 14 Pro Straight from Apple?
Starting 2024, the iPhone 14 Pro is no longer sold directly by Apple through its stores or the official website because an upgrade in the latest iPhone 15 Pro made it obsolete. However, the iPhone 14 Pro will still be available at various third-party retailers, online and offline, and also with major carriers in different parts of India.
That is to say, though unavailable for direct sale from Apple, the device could still be found in markets at very competitive prices, often accompanied by gorgeous deals and discounts. Therefore, due to the availability, many consumers—those who seem to prefer this model over the latest release—will have access to the iPhone 14 Pro.
