In 2022, I upgraded my iPhone 13 Pro to 14 Pro. It’s been a long time since you could put your hand on your heart and objectively (I emphasize this word) I must admit – this was my most stupid waste of money in the last few years.
Why updated
Between 2021 and 2022, I put together a setup of silver-colored Apple devices: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro, MacBook Air and AirPods Max. So it happened by chance. Before that, I had never used light iPhones. It turned out that this is a very boring and banal coloring.
Working as the editor-in-chief of a technology and gadgets publication obliges you to keep your finger on the pulse and follow the latest news. If we ignore this factor, then the black coloring pushed me to upgrade (for the first time in many years I wanted to return to this color), and I also really liked the Spigen Ultra Hybrid Zero One case – at the time of purchase it was available exclusively for the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. Such things – I bought a new iPhone because of the color and under the case 🙂
Nothing useful: absolutely
For a rather long period of use, I can say that there is nothing fundamentally new in the iPhone 14 Pro compared to the previous model. Now point by point:
- New A16 processor – you will not notice the difference, the previous one also copes perfectly with any tasks.
- Main camera resolution 48 MP – every day you will not shoot in it, since this option is only available when shooting in RAW (saving images without compression in DNG format). Such shooting is slightly slow, and the pictures take up much more space – the average file size is 80-100 MB.
- Car crash detection function — useless in Russia.
- Satellite connection — so far useless everywhere outside of the US and Canada.
- Always on screen – did not use this thing on Android and did not start on the iPhone. Turned off immediately. The function does not fit into my scenario of using a smartphone and I simply do not understand why it is needed. During operation, all notifications are duplicated on the MacBook screen. You can also see the time there, and there is also an Apple Watch for this. Tell me in the comments how you use this feature, maybe I’m missing something important and I’ll take your experience into service.
As an advantage, I can name autonomy. It seemed to me that the iPhone 14 Pro holds the battery better compared to the previous generation smartphone. I do not exclude that the effect of a “fresh battery” could have affected my feelings.
I also note the new colors in the iPhone 14 Pro line. In the previous generation, there was an absolutely faceless Sierra Blue, and in the 14s, Apple released “firmware” in a chic purple shade of Deep Purple. However, in the end I still preferred black. He is top.
Dynamic Island: you are sooooo useless
I decided to pay special attention to this feature. While testing the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the “island” instead of a cutout made a good impression on me. Apple knows how to take a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage or a “calling card” of the device, if you like.
After a few months of use realize
With the release of iOS 17, Apple will have to work hard to prove that Dynamic Island is a useful thing, and not an attempt to cover up a hole in the screen. At a minimum, I wait for all notifications, including third-party applications, in the island. It would also not be superfluous to implement some other useful use cases.
So switch to iPhone 14 Pro or not?
If your iPhone 13 Pro feels great, it doesn’t have a broken screen and the battery holds a good charge, then I don’t recommend updating. Wait until the new model. In this case, the update rule “1 time in 2 generations” clearly applies.
Who should consider upgrading anyway? Owners of iPhone 12 Pro and older devices. Against their background, you will see a significant increase in the quality of shooting, as well as in terms of performance and autonomy.