iPhone 14 review: Pro means Pro

For the first time in its much-storied history, the iPhone – which has rocked the ‘Pro’ moniker since 2019 – has finally lived up to its name.

Long have creative-types like photographers and videographers waxed-lyrical over Apple tech (hence the undying ‘cool factor’) and to satisfy the baying demands of said creatives, the Pro moniker was born for MacBooks and iMacs way back in 2006.

It first appeared on an iPhone in 2019.

The idea behind the move was a simple one; a beefed-up line of gadgets with better performance and crisper display. The iPhone was a natural fit for Apple’s Pro label – getting double then triple cameras, bigger storage, and larger screen. And yet, unlike its range of Macs, you won’t have seen many photographers ditching their DSLRs for an iPhone.

Not yet, anyway…

iPhone 14 Pro: Design and Build

The iPhone 14 Pro and its chunky brother the Pro Max look remarkably like its predecessor. One might even say identical; with only a fresh range of colours (including for the first time, deep purple) separating the generations.

You get bling-tastic stainless steel edges, a smooth matt finish on the rear and ceramic glass on the front and back. The camera is bulgier than ever – the phone won’t sit flush if you sit it on a surface – and the lightning port remains (clinging on for dear life).

The iPhone is a shade heavier than its older model (206 grams) while the Pro Max comes in at a pocket-busting (240 grams).

For those looking for reference, an adult hamster weighs the same as the iPhone 14, while the Pro Max is about the weight of a three-week old kitten (isn’t weighing animals fun!).

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iPhone 14 Pro: Display and Speakers

Let’s touch on the elephant in the screen: the dynamic island.

By far our favourite announcement from last week, the iPhone 14 Pro models have what Apple has dubbed a ‘dynamic island’ and a feature that others will quite rightly call – a black pill-shaped area at the top of the display.

We admire the showmanship in the naming convention, and while it is a tad gimmicky expect it to be copied by the competition imminently.

It’s basically an extension of the phone’s notification system; play music and the pill will lengthen showing you album art. Set a timer and a mini countdown clock will appear next to the selfie camera.

Elsewhere the iPhone 14 Pro has another trick up its sleeve – an always on display. Revolutionary for an Apple product of course, but a feature that has been available on its Android competitors for years and years.

They have more or less the same screens as the last models – complete with buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rates – but now get a tad brighter; ever good news for those of us trying to use a smartphone in the sun.

• The iPhone 14 Pro comes with a 6.1-inch screen
• The iPhone 14 Pro Max gets a 6.7-inch screen

iPhone 14 Pro: Camera and Video

Now to the good bit. Those cameras.

Previously, differences between the regular and Pro iPhones were minor enough that nobody really needed Apple’s top-of-the-line smartphone. This year that changed, and for the first time the Pro moniker is certainly warranted.

There is a 48-megapixel main lens (quadruple the megs of the previous model), and two other lenses – ultrawide and telephoto – at 12-megapixels. They make use of a new ‘Photonic Engine’ (Apple does love its nomenclature) which is like a little camera assistant, automagically taking your blurry snaps of your dog and turning them into works of art.

But enough about Apple’s camera tricks, real professionals want to tinker with their own material. Enter Apple’s ProRAW format. It’s not new – it launched along with last-year’s iPhone but that bigger sensor now makes ProRAW genuinely useful.

In short, when shooting ProRAW photos the images are massive (often clocking in between 70-80MB – a regular photo 40-times smaller than that) and the amount of detail within them puts some DSLRs to shame.

The front-facing camera – ever important in these days of ever-present selfies – is also improved, along with autofocus, which is a nice touch.

Video buffs too will appreciate the extra camera oomph, with a boosted Cinematic Mode now capable of 4K video, as well as an action-mode that will keep footage buttery smooth if you’re in a high-stakes environment.

iPhone 14 Pro: Performance and Battery

Most years see Apple put new chips in its entire lineup of iPhone, but not this year. Instead, only the Pro models got new silicon in the form of the A16 Bionic (the regular iPhone 14 has the same 5-core GPU as the iPhone 13 Pros).

To nobody’s surprise; these are the fastest iPhones in history! They always are – year after year. And as per usual, they wipe the floor with the Android competition (benchmarks put the new iPhone Pro 80% faster than a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra). And graphics performance is even faster, 200% faster.

Apple doesn’t reveal its battery specs, and each new iPhone touts to have better battery life than the last (due to more efficient tech and chipsets). However, with that always on screen this changes things a tad.

In earnest, if you have an iPhone 13 Pro you won’t notice much difference – despite the brighter and never-turning-off display. However, if you have an older model iPhone then expect to be pleased.

iPhone 14 Pro: Verdict

Does a regular person need an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max in their pocket? Probably not – although, the phone is significantly more tempting than last year’s version of the same.

However, would it benefit the lives of an influencer / would-be-tiktok-star / photographer / videographer / and-the-like? Absolutely. The upgraded camera gives you loads of new shooting options, and probably makes the old idiom, “the best camera is the one in your pocket” true for once.

iPhone 14 Pro: Availability

The iPhone 14 Pro is available today in all good gadget stores, and online via the Apple Store.

• The iPhone 14 Pro starts at AED4,299
• The iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at AED4,699