With its iPhone 14 series, Apple ditched the iPhone 13 mini in favour of the larger iPhone 14 Plus. Though the company hasn’t revealed official sales numbers, the undeniably cute 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini is believed not to have sold well, leading to Apple taking a chance on the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus in 2021 (it seems everyone that demanded a smaller iPhone didn’t actually purchase the device).
Fast-forward several months following the 14 Plus’ release, and it appears that — if the latest report from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC is accurate — this gamble paid off, and there is a market out there for a bigger base-level iPhone.
According to the DSCC, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus shipments are 59 percent higher than the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini over the same year-over-year period. This data contradicts earlier reports indicating the iPhone 14 Plus was not selling as well as Apple had hoped.
With this in mind, DSCC’s report indicates that while the iPhone 14 Plus has surpassed the iPhone 13 mini’s sales, it’s still well behind the iPhone 14 Pro Max with just 11 percent of overall shipments. In comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro Max holds 36 percent of overall display shipments, the iPhone 14 Pro holds 28 percent, and the iPhone 14 has 25 percent of overall shipments.
It’s believed that with the iPhone 15 series, Apple will stick with the current size lineup for its devices, including the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which some rumours indicate could be called the iPhone 15 Ultra.
When I spent time with the iPhone 14 Plus earlier this year, I was impressed with the device and felt like it had the potential to sell better than the mini series given the modern smartphone industry’s focus on big, expansive displays. That said, I still missed the optical zoom the iPhone 14 Pro/Max offer.
According to Counterpoint, it costs Apple up to $474 USD (about $631.75 CAD) to make a 128GB iPhone 14 Pro Max with mmWave and $454 USD (roughly $605.09 CAD) for a 14 Pro Max with just Sub-6 5G. Counterpoint estimated a blended cost of $464 USD (approximately $618.42 CAD), assuming 44 percent of 14 Pro Max devices feature mmWave. It’s worth noting that in Canada, likely only the Sub-6 models are available, given that Canadian carriers don’t yet offer mmWave 5G.
Apple’s cost to produce the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 3.7 percent higher than the 13 Pro Max, according to Counterpoint. The increase primarily comes from the new 48-megapixel camera sensor and always-on display.
Counterpoint also noted that some components decreased in price this year, notably some of the cellular components.
Some other interesting bits of information from the Counterpoint document included the A16 Bionic chip costs about $11 USD more per unit than the A15 Bionic, and the overall ‘processing’ category — which includes the A16 Bionic — now accounts for 20 percent of the total cost.
Moreover, Apple’s self-designed components make up a larger share of the total bill of materials (BoM) cost for the iPhone 14 Pro Max than for the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Self-designed components make up 22 percent of the overall BoM cost for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the costs detailed by Counterpoint don’t include things like assembly, packaging, distribution, research and development, or marketing. While it might be tempting to think that Apple’s ripping people off, there’s a lot more to consider when it comes to the price of the iPhone.
Have you been thinking about upgrading to Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold or Apple’s iPhone but wondering if it would be worth it?
According to a new analysis by Ookla, the upgrade is worth it if you’re looking for a device with faster 5G performance.
Ookla compared Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold4’s to the Galaxy Z Fold3 and found the newer device had faster 5G upload and download speeds in every country it surveyed except Australia. Samsung’s Fold4 performed similarly to the Fold3 in South Korea and Taiwan.
The study also found Apple’s iPhone 14 models performed better than the iPhone 13 devices in all of the countries it surveyed.
What about Canada?
“Canadian consumers saw a moderate increase in 5G download speed if they upgraded their phone from the Galaxy Z Fold3 to the Fold4,” the study states.
The Fold4 had a median download speed of 202.23Mbps, compared to the 165.36Mbps speed seen with the Fold3. There was less of a difference in upload speeds, with 27.73Mbps for the Fold4 and 26.77Mbps for the Fold3.
Image credit: Ookla
“Canadian Galaxy Z Fold3 users should feel confident that upgrading their phone to the Fold4 will give them a faster 5G experience,” the findings state.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max had a download speed of 198.12Mbps, compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 149.78 Mbps.
The iPhone 14 Pro had download speeds of 193.53 Mbps, compared to 145.60 Mbps for the iPhone 13 Pro.
The iPhone 14’s download speed was 189.85 Mbps, and the iPhone 13’s download speed was 133.64 Mbps.
Upload speeds were also slightly faster for all iPhone 14 models.
Image credit: Ookla
“Canadian iPhone 13 users should beeline straight to their mobile operator to upgrade to a new iPhone 14 model,” the study states.
Ookla used data from its Speedtest Intelligence, covering data within the first weeks of the devices’ launch.
Apple’s iPhone 14 Plus is identical to the iPhone 14, including its squared-off edges, dual-camera setup with minor camera upgrades over the iPhone 13‘s shooters, and A15 bionic chip. This is the first time Apple has released a larger version of its base-level iPhone. It’s also worth noting that the iPhone 14 Plus is the same size as Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.
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It looks like Apple could be considering more significantly differentiating the iPhone 15 Pro from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to a new report from often-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a recent tweet, Kuo says Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro accounts for roughly 60 percent of total iPhone 14 Pro orders, which has resulted in the tech giant rethinking its strategy regarding the larger flagship smartphone.
Kuo goes on to say that demand for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus has been “obviously lacklustre,” which makes sense given beyond the new 6.7-inch Plus, the base-level smartphone is very similar to the iPhone 13.
(2/3) I think this result will encourage Apple to create more differentiation between iPhone 15 Pro Max & 15 Pro to raise 15 Pro Max shipments and enhance the iPhone product mix.
Kuo doesn’t expand on what Apple could decide to change about the iPhone 15 Pro Max to differentiate it from the iPhone 15 Pro, but it will likely relate to its cameras.
This rumour also corroborates Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stating that Apple could have plans to adopt “Ultra” instead of Max for the 6.7-inch version of its high-end 2023 iPhone in an effort to make the device more different from its predecessor.
In the past, Apple has offered exclusive features in the larger Max version of the iPhone, including specific camera functionalities, though more recently, both Pro devices have been identical.
Apple’s iPhone 15 series is expected to ditch the long-running lightning port for USB-C, and the ‘Dynamic Island‘ will reportedly make its way to the entire lineup.
Of course, since both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Ultra are likely a year away from release, Apple’s plans for both devices could change significantly in the coming months.
iOS 16 has a ton of new features and capabilities, from crazy new lock screen customizations to scheduled emails and more. Along with the lock screen changes, Apple switched up how iOS displays notifications in the Notification Center with a new bottom-up design.
Fortunately, for those who aren’t big on the change, there are some customization options to tweak notifications, although you can’t get the old notification style back. If you head into Settings > Notifications on your iPhone running iOS 16, you’ll see three options for how iOS displays notifications: Count, Stack, or List.
Stack is the new default, which shows your notifications in, well, a stack at the bottom of the display. With this setup, you’ll see one notification with the rest layered underneath it, fading away into the background. Swiping up brings the notifications up into a list that you can scroll through. From there, you can also open notifications, manage them, clear them, and more, just like you would with the old notification view.
iOS 16 notification settings and the Stack option.
Next up, Count. This view collapses all the notifications into a single line of text that tells you how many notifications you have. It sits at the bottom of the screen between the flashlight and camera buttons. This gives you the best view of your lock screen and overall looks the cleanest but gives you the least amount of information. Once again, you can swipe up to view your notifications.
Left: Count notification option. Right: List option.
As an added bonus, if you’re using the other notification options and you want to collapse everything into the Count style, you can swipe down to minimize the notifications.
Finally, the List option is most like the old notification style. This shows a list of notifications that you can expand by swiping up. The list is still bottom-aligned to keep the fancy new lock screen widgets in view, but it’s still as close as you’re going to get to the old iPhone lock screen.
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In a recent teardown of the iPhone 14 Pro Max posted by YouTube channel PBKreviews, it’s, unsurprisingly, revealed that the phone’s internals are very similar to its predecessor.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max features the now-familiar L-Shaped battery (which is actually slightly smaller than the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cell) and several other components that match the iPhone 13 Pro’s layout. However, there are a few changes, including the new A16 Bionic chip and a metal plate with graphite pads for improved heat dissipation.
The only other notable changes relate to the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s revamped TrueDepth camera system that houses its Face ID sensor and selfie shooter. The new components that make up the sensor array fit into a 30 percent smaller area when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, likely to fit within the new Dynamic Island. The smartphone’s new 48-megapixel wide sensor is also visibly larger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 12-megapixel shooter.
Overall, the internal layout of both smartphones’ components seems nearly identical, with a few notable exceptions.
Watch the full teardown below:
For more on the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max, check out my review.
Every year a new iPhone drops like clockwork, and here we are in early September with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Similar to last year’s move from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 13 Pro, the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are yet another marginal step forward, albeit they offer a killer new feature that could eventually change the way you interact with your iPhone: the ‘Dynamic Island’ front camera display cutout.
While I’ll delve into the Dynamic Island in detail later, I will say that the feature’s subtle animations and quick access to widgets combine to create one of the most exciting smartphone user interface features I’ve encountered in years.
Other additions this year include Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip, an always-on display, a revamped TrueDepth camera system housed in the Dynamic Island cutout, and, finally, a revamped 48-megapixel main shooter offering improved low-light performance. But are the improvements to the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera system substantial? No, not really, but they’re still noticeable, and the type of upgrade long-time iPhone users will appreciate.
However, the overall design of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max remains the same as last year’s devices, including the bezels that are starting to look rather large compared to the high-end Android smartphone competition. With that in mind, if you were hoping this would be a redesign year for Apple, you’ll be disappointed with the tech giant’s latest iPhones.
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Display
6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2556 x 1179 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate
6.7-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2779 x 1290 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
SIM Type
iPhone 14 Pro
Nano SIM, eSIM
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Nano SIM, eSIM
Launch Date
iPhone 14 Pro
September 16, 2022
iPhone 14 Pro Max
September 16, 2022
Misc
iPhone 14 Pro
Colours: Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Colours: Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
For an in-depth look at the iPhone 14, check out my review.
Welcome to the Dynamic Island
The most exciting thing about the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is the new ‘Dynamic Island’ — and for the record, I think Dynamic Island is a great name. The new camera cutout that houses alerts and specific notifications in one interactive location is a fascinating UI shift on Apple’s part.
“The Dynamic Island’s subtle animations feature a fluidity that makes the cutout feel alive…”
If you’re listening to music, a small waveform appears in the Dynamic Island, and when you briefly tap on it, you’re able to jump directly into the track. Connecting AirPods creates a quick-access tab, FaceTime is easily accessible, and multiple apps can even appear at once. For example, if you’re listening to music and set a timer, the cutout splits into two bubbles, and a little green circle appears when you’re snapping photos or shooting video.
The Dynamic Island’s subtle animations feature a fluidity that makes the cutout feel alive, and I found myself repeatedly tapping it just to watch it in action. It’s yet another example of Apple taking well-established tech and improving it. Huawei launched the first device with a hole-punch display cut out several years ago, and Apple has now built on it in a meaningful way. Of course, on the other hand, this is also the company playing catch-up with its competitors several years later, most notably Samsung’s flagship S series line, which has offered its ‘Infinity-O’ display since the release of the Galaxy S10 in 2019.
But Dynamic Island isn’t perfect. Third-party app support is currently lacklustre, with only apps (like Spotify) that include Apple’s ‘Now Playing’ and ‘CallKit’ development APIs working as a quick-access widget. This will likely change shortly after the iPhone 14 Pro’s release, given the control Apple maintains over its mobile app development ecosystem and the upcoming release of its ‘Live Activities’ development API. It’s also strange that a long press opens a widget while a short press launches the full version of an app. To me, it would be more intuitive if this action were reversed.
You could also make the argument that Dynamic Island is more obtrusive than even the notch. But just like the notch, for me, it quickly faded into the background of my experience with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
I clearly see the DNA of the MacBook Pro’s beleaguered Touch Bar in Dynamic Island, and we know how that worked out. Still, the potential is there, and it’s undeniably original and cool. I’m confident if any company can pull something like an interactive display cutout off, it’s Apple.
What else is new?
The other marquee new feature this year is the always-on display, another example of functionality several Android devices have offered for years. So, does Apple build on the established concept in a meaningful way? In this case, the answer to this question is a little mixed.
Both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max support Apple’s new always-on display with their respective Super Retina XDR 6.1-inch 2556 x 1779 (460ppi) pixel resolution and 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 (460ppi) displays. The tech giant’s take on always-on display runs at a low 1Hz refresh rate to save battery. When using the phone, the display can ratchet up to 120Hz ProMotion for animations and then down to 10Hz to conserve battery life. The always-on display will also shut off when in your pocket or if you flip the smartphone over.
The iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display stands out from other smartphone manufacturers because it features a dash of faded colour behind its customizable widgets for features like Battery Life, Calendar, Weather and more. However, like the Dynamic Island, third-party app support for lockscreen widgets remains limited at launch. This will likely change quickly, with Google already jumping onboard, but at the outset, it’s still disappointing.
I continue to question how helpful always-on displays are and whether anyone needs to be that connected to their smartphone’s notifications. Still, Apple’s always-on implementation is the best I’ve seen so far, and surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to impact the smartphone’s all-day battery life significantly (I plan to test the iPhone 14 Pro’s battery life more in the coming weeks).
Speaking of the iPhone 14 Pro’s display, the new screen can hit 2,000 nits of brightness in direct sunlight, with HDR achieving 1,600 nits. The additional brightness is barely noticeable in everyday use, but while watching See on Apple TV+, I noted that certain portions of the TV show did indeed look noticeably brighter.
Then there's the new A16 chip, which benchmarks impressively above the A15 thanks to its 6-core CPU built on a 4-nanometer process and 50 percent increased memory bandwidth.
Though it's already been the case for the past several years, I didn't experience any slowdown or lag during my time with the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, regardless if I was editing photos, playing games, watching YouTube videos or just browsing the internet.
Emergency SOS via Satellite and Crash Detection
While 'Emergency SOS via Satellite' doesn't officially release in Canada until November, I briefly watched a demo of the feature in action at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. Emergency SOS launches if you don't have cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to orient the iPhone 14 Pro to connect to a nearby satellite.
You can then select from several pre-created messages that are sent to an Apple relay centre and forwarded to emergency services. Emergency SOS takes a few seconds to connect, but the process seems relatively smooth. It's worth noting that while the feature is free for the next two years, it will cost a subscription fee in the future.
Emergency SOS via Satellite is something no other smartphone manufacturer currently does and offers additional peace of mind. However, it's still the type of functionality the average iPhone user will likely never use.
On the other hand, 'Crash Detection' utilizes the iPhone 14's dual accelerometer to detect the high g-force commonly associated with crashes and automatically calls emergency services to provide a voice memo and your location. The feature can also notify your emergency contacts via a text message that includes your location.
It's impossible to verify the accuracy of Apple's claims regarding Crash Detection because you'd actually need to be in a car accident, so I have to take the tech giant's word on how well it works. Similar to Emergency SOS, this is the type of feature that very few iPhone users will ever take advantage of, but it's a welcome addition to the iPhone 14 Pro's arsenal.
Subtle camera improvements
For the first time in years, Apple has ditched its main 12-megapixel sensor in favour of a new 48-megapixel f/1.8 24mm sensor that uses "quad pixel" pixel binning to scale down to 12-megapixels. This allows for improved low-light performance and the ability to capture greater detail thanks to the iPhone 14 Pro's new version of computational photography 'Deep Fusion' called the 'Photonic Engine' that takes place earlier in the photo process.
The iPhone 14 Pro also now offers 2x telephoto zoom (48mm focal length) alongside 0.5x ultra-wide (13mm), wide 1x (24mm) and telephoto 3x (77mm). With that said, despite Apple's claims, most wouldn't consider the new 2x focal length truly optical zoom.
To achieve the 2x zoom, Apple is using the 12-megapixel centre of the 48-megapixel sensor, which isn't technically optical zoom since it's not a physical zoom lens on the rear of the smartphone. Still, it results in higher-quality telephoto images than purely digital zoom. It's worth noting that sensor cropping is something we've seen Samsung and Huawei offer in their devices for the past several years, and this isn't an entirely original feature from Apple.
Regarding the iPhone 14 Pro's other shooters, the telephoto lens remains the same as last year, while the ultra-wide features a new sensor that's larger than the iPhone 13 Pro's.
It performs better under low light but unfortunately still features the strange warping that often appears with ultra-wide lenses. It would be great to see Apple move towards removing this effect via software, similar to OnePlus.
Flipping the iPhone 14 Pro to the front, the selfie shooter now resides inside Dynamic Island. It features a wider f/1.9 aperture, which improves its low-light performance by a very slim margin, offering more detail and better white balance when snapping selfies.
So what do all these technical camera upgrades mean in practice? The iPhone 14 Pro's camera is slightly better than the iPhone 13 Pro's, and the law of diminishing returns is definitely at play here.
In this relatively uninspired picture of my neighbours' backyards, you can see the improvements in low-light performance with night mode entirely off. The entire image looks sharper, but more importantly, the lights on the right side are far clear with the iPhone 14 Pro than they are with the iPhone 13 Pro.
This image taken on an overcast day is the best example of the sometimes imperceptible differences between the iPhone 14 Pro's and iPhone 13 Pro's shooters under good lighting conditions. You could make the argument that the foliage in my overgrown tomato plants is sharper in the iPhone 14 Pro photo, but you really need to pixel peep, and even then, the difference is negligible. That said, the wide camera's 24mm focal length allows for more of the subject to be photographed compared to the iPhone 13 Pro's 26mm lens.
On the selfie-shooter side, the situation is very similar. My face is slightly sharper, the white balance is more true-to-life, and there's additional detail present in the iPhone 14 photo. The background is notably more in focus in the iPhone 14 shot. Overall, the difference is minute.
The Phone 14 Pro's main shooter also manages to surpass Google's Pixel 6 Pro in terms of colour vibrancy and saturation. On the white balance side, the iPhone 14 Pro also surpasses the iPhone 13 Pro in the above test. Still, as I've mentioned before, the improvements are barely noticeable, even when adding Google's flagship smartphone to the mix.
It's worth noting the iPhone 14 Pro's flash has been redesigned with an array of nine LEDs, though in my experience, I didn't notice a substantial difference in quality beyond the flash illuminating the subject more. You can also shoot full 48-megapixel images with ProRes RAW mode enabled, though it's unlikely anyone will ever need an image of this size shot with their smartphone.
Then there's 'Action Mode,' Apple's new video stabilization feature. Under good lighting conditions, it produces pretty great-looking footage that features a touch too much contrast for my liking. I can see it being useful in certain situations -- for example, if you're trying to capture video while riding a bike or running. Action Mode supports up to a 2.8k resolution and 60fps.
Enjoy as I ride Xiaomi's Mi Electric Pro 2 scooter around my neighbourhood while testing out Action Mode.
Apple has also updated 'Cinematic Mode,' last year's video addition with the iPhone 13 Pro, to work in 4K resolution at 24fps.
Everything else
As always, there are new colours this year, including my personal favourite, 'Deep Purple,' along with 'Space Black.' Next to the iPhone 13's 'Alpine Green,' Deep Purple is my favourite iPhone colour yet. It's a subtle yet vibrant hue that fits well with my understated preference for smartphone colours. The new Space Black is... well, black, and is relatively bland. Other colours, including 'Gold' and 'Silver' (which is really just white) return this year.
Though not directly tied to the iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16 brings an array of new features to Apple's iPhone line, including sharing iCloud Photo Libraries, the ability to unsend messages via iMessage and my personal favourite, the customizable lock screen.
I'm well aware that Android has offered similar functionality for several years. Still, the subtle intuitiveness of shifting the clock's colours or creating the nightmare eggplant emoji wallpaper of your dreams can't be understated. The feature will undoubtedly be a hit with most iPhone users, and I'm excited to see the inventive lockscreens and wallpapers people create.
While I’ll delve into the Dynamic Island in detail later, I will say that the feature’s subtle animations and quick access to widgets combine to create one of the most exciting smartphone user interface features I’ve encountered in years.
The Phone 14 Pro's main shooter also manages to surpass Google's Pixel 6 Pro in terms of colour vibrancy and saturation. On the white balance side, the iPhone 14 Pro also surpasses the iPhone 13 Pro in the above test. Still, as I've mentioned before, the improvements are barely noticeable, even when adding Google's flagship smartphone to the mix.
Though not directly tied to the iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16 brings an array of new features to Apple's iPhone line, including sharing iCloud Photo Libraries, the ability to unsend messages via iMessage and my personal favourite, the customizable lock screen.