Living with the iPhone 14 Pro…what are the best bits
No regrets
Spending all that money on my iPhone 14 Pro, was, probably, the best money I have spent this year.
Well, that has kind of ruined the rest of the blog, hasn’t it? But equally, I didn’t want to hold back the truth from you. This iPhone 14 Pro is a stunning bit of kit. Now, I’m aware that my use case, may differ slightly from others, but this is a Pro phone, and I am squeezing every inch of that Pro out of it.
Let’s look at some of the features I am enjoying, and others that are just a bit – blah…
Camera & those pixels
It’s not a headline, or fancy gimmick. Those 48MP that you can shoot with iPhone 14 Pro make a huge difference. Using the main camera, and enabling ProRaw, means that you’ll be shooting hi-res DNG files.
The colour capture is shockingly good, it truly is. Yeah, sure, the files are a little chunkier, coming in at over 50MB per image, but if you need the best possible image for your project, then shooting ProRaw is the way to go.
It is not only the colour reproduction, but also the detail. There are good, quality pixels even in the black shadows and bright, bright highlights. Those areas are very commonly the weak spot of computational, smartphone photography, but not so with iPhone 14 Pro.
Oh, and due to the much larger sensor in 14 Pro, the natural depth of field it offers just feels very ‘camera like’, if you get my meaning. Yup, the camera is a big win.
Video
The natural lead-on from the camera is the video aspect of iPhone 14 Pro. Look, sure, if you are full on videographer, you’ll need more from your camera, but for most, this will be more, way more than good enough.
I bought this 14 Pro, not as a gimmick, or to flex. No, this was a purchase that I took very seriously, as it was going to be the camera that was at the centre of my YouTube channel. It has not disappointed, either. Most rewarding, is the fact that viewers have picked up on the fact that the video quality is better.
As good as the pictures have been, the results from the video portion have been on another level. From the very first video I shot, it was obvious to me that I was on to something.
You can shoot ProRes on here, and I have, but don’t any more. The reason is that the files are just huge, and there is no efficient way of transferring the files from the phone. When I say huge, I mean it. 30 minutes of ProRes video at 24fps will come in at around 200GB…not megs, but gigs! However, the extra data you’ll have from shooting ProRes, in my mind, does not equate to the stupidly large files size. I now shoot in 4K Cinematic at 24fps and the quality is still so good, that you’ll hardly be able to tell the difference. If I was being picky, the skin tones are fractionally better in ProRes, but it’s marginal.
Although Cinematic was first launched last year, on iPhone 14 Pro, it is so much better. It was great to see it last year, but it was still a little unfinished in its delivery. But now, you shoot 24 or 30fps, and in 4K, and, again, that sensor delivers a warmer, more natural depth of field – both background and foreground.
If you are a heavy camera user, then iPhone has got you covered. I am over the moon with it.
Always on display
I still have mine turned on, and it’s OK – but that’s about it.
As lock screens became so much more of a ‘thing’ with iOS 16, it almost seems a waste to disable always-on. It does take a little getting used to, though. When you glance at your phone, initially, I guarantee, you’ll be thinking you have just received a notification. You know the way that iPhone glows just after you’ve received a notification, that is how your iPhone 14 will look all the time with always-on.
The main benefits of always-on, are that you’ll be able to see whatever widgets you have popped on your lock screen. That, and the time will always be on show as well.
It’s handy, but no game-changer, and would certainly not be high on the list for looking to make the change to iPhone 14 Pro. But, it leads me neatly to…
Battery life
Every so often I wonder if I am using my phone in an entirely different way to other techies!
I have seen quite a few videos with creators saying that running iPhone 14 Pro with the always-on display drains the battery quicker. Honestly, I cannot tell you the same. Even on days when I am shooting with it, it will only require one charge, late in the day. Even then, it is not at a critical stage.
With average use, iPhone 14 Pro (bear in mind, this is not even the Max), will easily get you through a full day, with juice to spare. Coming from a 12 to the 14, I noticed a huge, meaningful battery life improvement. It’s a Pro phone that you can easily take out with you for the day, on creative work, without fearing of running out of battery.
Display
You can’t help but notice the display on iPhone 14 Pro from the moment you lift it from the box.
Staggeringly bright, at up to 2000 nits, and a 120Hz refresh rate. For some reason, which I can’t quite put my finger on, the refresh rate is more noticeable on iPhone 14 Pro, than it is on my MacBook Pro. Scrolling and flicking through your screens on this phone is so smooth, immersive, and quick. If you think it’s all hype, try going back to a phone without a high refresh rate after you’ve used one with it. It just makes the whole experience quicker and more natural.
The brightness comes in to its own out in daylight, of course. There is no more shielding the phone, or running to shaded areas with iPhone 14 Pro. Those nits pack a proper punch, that means you’ll never struggle to see your screen again.
Dynamic Island
The big one, and yet not!
Daily, I barely notice it. No, that’s unfair, I notice it, and then forget it. Maybe that is the sign of great design, right? Oddly, because there was no functionality to the old notch, that I didn’t notice.
As the very reason for Dynamic Island is to be interactive and grab your attention, you do notice it. Third-party apps are still slow on the case with this new feature, which, I guess, is to be expected. Some of the animations you’ll see are neat – I am particularly fond of the way the AirPods appear as a 3D, moving image, and the feature shines when playing music.
Dynamic Island will not only display the album art, but it will pick up the colour signature from the art to change the hue on Dynamic Island. And the waveform you’ll see displayed, is not just a visual, either. It’s a genuine, waveform of the music you are listening to.
Again, though, not a game changer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clever alright, but just not a function that I can’t write home about. It brings a little more function to the screen, but in essence, to my mind, it is just a different shaped notch. Am I missing the point here?
Final thoughts
If you have the money to spare, go buy an iPhone 14 Pro. End of! Of course, that is not how most of us look at purchasing such a costly item.
I’d say, if you are a casual user of the phone and camera in particular, then you’d be just fine sticking with an older iPhone 12 or 13 Pro. But, if you are a serious, pro level user, then every penny you’ll spend on the iPhone 14 Pro will be money well spent.
Although I was anxious about the cost and purchase of my iPhone 14 Pro initially, now, I have zero regrets. It is at the very centre of what I do every day. Yesterday, I spent an hour with it, creating this week’s thumbnail for my next video, Sunday I was recording b-roll at Heathrow with it, and today is a-roll day. This iPhone 14 Pro is working hard, and as yet, hasn’t let me down.
It’s a creator’s dream…I love it!
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Get in the vibe and listen along to today’s chosen soundtrack. I wrote this whilst listening to get in the vibe and listen along to today’s chosen soundtrack. I wrote this whilst listening tohttps://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-heart-wants/1585130361
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