Ameya DalviMight 08, 2023 10:55:48 IST
Execs:
– Premium design and rugged construct
– IP68 ingress safety
– Glorious efficiency throughout all cameras
– Topnotch video high quality
– Sharp OLED show with a variable refresh charge
– A16 Bionic chip is a stable performer
– A number of OS updates assured
Cons:
– No bundled charger, no actual quick charging
– Telephoto digital camera underwhelms in low gentle
– Costly
Ranking: 4/5
Worth: Rs 1,19,999 onwards
The preferred Apple product in India at present is the Apple Retailer they not too long ago opened right here amid a variety of fanfare. Now that each one the random clapping and selfies have subsided on my social timeline, it’s time to look again at a barely older product from the corporate, the Apple iPhone 14 Professional. We have now been utilizing the system for a superb six months and wish to share the expertise with you thru this long-term overview.
Apple iPhone 14 Professional Design: Elegant, sturdy, and compact however feels heavy
You already know what the iPhone 14 Professional seems to be like, so I’ll skip the small print like the position of buttons and ports. Barring the dated notch on the high of the display being changed by a Dynamic Island right here (extra on that later), the design is just about an identical to that of the iPhone 13 Professional. The cellphone is constructed like a tank in terms of sturdiness, due to its chrome steel body. You additionally get IP68-rated safety in opposition to mud and fluids.
It weighs in extra of 200 grams and does really feel heavy in hand as a result of its compact dimension. It ought to have the ability to survive a number of drops, although I didn’t take a look at that facet given its price ticket. I did drop it unintentionally on my toe from a foot above, and the swelling took a day or two to subside.
The glass again and the rounded corners give it a contact of class that you simply affiliate with Apple units. Even higher, the matte end on the again makes it smudge resistant. Nonetheless, the shiny metallic body does entice a variety of fingerprints and smudge marks and must be wiped now and again.
Apple iPhone 14 Professional Show: Sharp high-res show with a variable refresh charge
The display dimension is identical as its predecessor, and the decision is just marginally increased, however you now get an LTPO show with a variable refresh charge.
The Apple iPhone 14 Professional sports activities a 6.1-inch LTPO Tremendous Retina XDR OLED show with a decision of 2556 x 1179 pixels and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. It’s HDR10 and Dolby Imaginative and prescient compliant with a most refresh charge of 120Hz for flicker-free operation.
The refresh charge mechanically throttles between 1 Hz to 120 Hz relying on the content material being displayed on the display. For example, the display refreshes quicker when scrolling by way of content material for a smoother movement, and the refresh charge drops within the decrease two digits when watching a nonetheless picture on the display to save lots of battery.
It most likely drops nearer to 1 Hz when utilizing the always-on show on the lock display, which explains why the battery reserves aren’t impacted a lot even when the characteristic is switched on.
The display sharpness, color replica and distinction are glorious. Given the dimensions of the display, a single-handed operation remains to be an choice; I don’t get to say this about most telephones today… for the previous few years really.
One factor lacking right here, and one thing no person will miss is the well-known notch on the high of the display which was launched within the iPhone X. Effectively, it hasn’t vanished utterly however has reworked right into a pill-shaped cutout on the display referred to as Dynamic Island.
Such a flowery title for an aberration; solely Apple can pull off one thing like this, and pull it off it does. Technically, the Dynamic Island is just about the notch with some elements lacking which detaches it from the highest edge and makes it an ‘island’.
Whereas it’s an enchancment over the dated notch, Apple might have give you one thing extra modern after half a decade. However as a substitute, they’ve tried to make this limitation cool and enjoyable, and consider it or not, it really works. Extra on that within the OS part.
Apple iPhone 14 Professional Efficiency: A16 Bionic chip is potent with ample headroom for the foreseeable future
In contrast to the non-Professional fashions from the 14 sequence, the iPhone 14 Professional is powered by Apple’s newest A16 Bionic chip and is accompanied by 6GB RAM and a alternative of inside storage starting from 128GB to 1TB.
In contrast to Android cellphone makers, Apple has by no means performed the specs card in terms of processing {hardware}, and I received’t bore you with artificial benchmark scores and stuff like that. However I wish to add that the Bionic A16 is an extremely highly effective processing {hardware} with ample headroom for the foreseeable future.
There was completely no slowdown after six months of use. Day-to-day duties like looking, chatting, switching between a number of apps, pictures or gaming are merely as easy as they had been on day one. It seems to be effectively poised to deal with one other 3 or 4 main OS updates that the iPhone 14 Professional is predicted to obtain through the years. The cellphone runs completely cool throughout common use.
It does get somewhat heat after half an hour of gaming, however there’s no trigger for concern. The {hardware} is highly effective sufficient to allow you to play all of the latest video games on it on the highest settings at a stable body charge. You get two audio system on this cellphone – one behind the earpiece and the opposite alongside the underside edge.
They’re amply loud and supply good readability with acceptable stereo separation. You don’t get a 3.5 mm headphone jack right here, and you will have a separate adapter should you intend to make use of your outdated wired headphones.
Alternatively, there’s Bluetooth 5.3 right here to attach wi-fi earphones and audio system. Excessive-end codec help remains to be restricted to AAC; this actually wants to vary quickly. You get dual-band WiFi with help for a/b/g/n/ac/6 requirements. The decision high quality and reception have been completely high-quality on this cellphone; effectively, nearly as good as your community supplier can handle today.
Like all Apple flagship telephones over the previous a number of years, the iPhone 14 Professional doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner, and Face ID takes care of your biometric safety wants. Face ID is simple to arrange, and is brisk at its job.
You’ll be able to even configure it to recognise your face with a masks on; a helpful addition throughout and after the pandemic period. I can not say for certain whether it is higher than its earlier technology in actuality, however it’s actually safer than the face unlock characteristic on most Android telephones.
Apple iPhone 14 Professional Battery efficiency: Respectable battery life, gradual charging, no bundled charger
The battery lifetime of the iPhone 14 Professional sees a marginal enchancment over the 13 Professional, most likely due to a barely increased capability battery used right here, amongst different issues. The 3200 mAh battery retains the cellphone powered for over a day of reasonable use comfortably.
When at dwelling on WiFi on a regular basis, it even lasted shut to 2 days with normal use and no gaming concerned. Your mileage could range relying in your utilization sample. The battery’s well being remains to be 100 per cent after six months of use, which is nice.
The Apple iPhone 14 Professional helps wired and wi-fi charging however the firm doesn’t bundle a charger within the package deal; no shock there! The charging pace is nowhere near what among the Android telephones (not bought beneath the Google model title) supply today. The height quick charging supported utilizing a USB-PD charger stands at 27W. Thus, chargers providing greater than 30W output received’t cost it any quicker.
We tried a handful of appropriate chargers over a time frame, and the quickest charging time we recorded was about 90 minutes to take the cellphone from 5 per cent to 100 per cent. We achieved that utilizing a 30W USB-PD charger and the bundled USB-C to Lightning port cable (sure, Apple offers one within the package deal).
Half an hour of cost fills up about 55 per cent of the tank. We additionally tried a Raegr RapidLink 1160 charger with 65W output, and the charging time was in the identical ballpark as what a 30W charger clocked. We didn’t cease at that. We additionally borrowed a not-so-old Apple 20W charger.
The great half is it solely takes about 10 to fifteen further minutes to cost the iPhone 14 Professional totally. So in case you might have that one already, there isn’t a must spend money on a brand new charger immediately. If not, a superb 30W USB-PD charger from a dependable model is advisable. Older Apple chargers and people providing lower than 20W output take eternally to cost this cellphone.
One other factor to notice is ‘USB-PD’ is the key phrase, so fashionable 30W/65W/100W+ quick chargers that cost sure Android telephones very quickly could solely supply 10W output when used with an iPhone, and received’t cost it quick sufficient.
Apple iPhone 14 Professional Digicam efficiency: Good selection, nice efficiency in pictures and movies each
You get three cameras on the again that cowl all the important thing bases. You get a brand new 48MP main digital camera with optical picture stabilisation (OIS) and dual-pixel PDAF, a 12MP telephoto digital camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide digital camera with 120-degrees FOV and dual-pixel auto-focus.
The ultra-wide digital camera additionally doubles up as a macro digital camera. You additionally get a 12MP entrance digital camera for selfies and FaceTime. Every of the cameras has a definite KRA, and so they excel of their respective departments.
The primary digital camera captures spectacular pictures in vibrant in addition to low gentle circumstances. The colors really feel barely saturated at instances, which has been the case with iPhones through the years, however a variety of customers choose it that means.
As compared, comparable pictures captured on the Google Pixel 7 Professional have colors rather a lot nearer to the precise topic, however paradoxically whenever you examine pictures from the 2 telephones aspect by aspect, many could vote in favour of the iPhone 14 Professional, except they’ve the topic in entrance of them.
The distinction is superb, and the identical goes for the extent of element and dynamic vary. The low-light efficiency is equally spectacular with nice element and low noise. When the sunshine drops under a sure degree, the cellphone mechanically switches to Night time Mode which brightens up the picture simply sufficient with out compromising on the small print.
That’s relevant to the ultra-wide digital camera too, which occurs to be one of many best round. In good gentle, the picture high quality is akin to the principle digital camera, and it could possibly maintain its personal in low gentle too.
As I discussed earlier, the ultra-wide digital camera allows you to seize macro pictures too from up shut. If you get nearer to a topic, the cellphone mechanically switches to macro mode. The macro pictures come out fairly effectively with superb element, color and publicity. That is one space the place you possibly can see a noticeable enchancment compared to the iPhone 13 Professional.
The portrait pictures have at all times been spectacular on iPhones through the years, and they’re nice right here too with near-perfect foreground and background separation. You now get 2X and 3X zoom choices which can be price a attempt.
I fairly favored the 2X choice along with the usual 1X mode for portraits. It really works effectively not simply with people but additionally flowers, different objects and birds. Furry animals generally is a hit or a miss although. Additionally, it’s best to take portrait pictures in well-lit circumstances.
With reference to zoom, it’s time to transfer on to the telephoto digital camera that gives you with as much as 3X optical zoom. The presence of OIS compensates for minor shakes fairly effectively, leading to spectacular clicks, particularly in good gentle.
The colors and particulars are glorious in captured pictures in well-lit circumstances. The outcomes aren’t as spectacular when the sunshine drops. Whereas it’s nonetheless usable in low gentle, the pictures really feel noisy and have common element.
You additionally get digital zoom as much as 15X however I wouldn’t hassle going past 5X. That is an space the place the Pixel 7 Professional wins with its 30X digital zoom backed by loopy good AI and ML algorithms. The 12MP entrance digital camera does a really nice job with selfies, with pretty pure pores and skin tones and a broad FOV. For sure, it excels in FaceTime and video calls. Identical to the rear cameras, the entrance digital camera may report movies in 4K decision at as much as 60 fps.
Video recording has been the forte of iPhones for years now and the iPhone 14 Professional carries the legacy ahead with glorious video seize throughout the board that’s greatest within the section. Every digital camera can report 4K movies at 24, 30 or 60fps, and might shoot 1080p gradual movement movies as much as 240fps.
Whereas I attempted utilizing all of the cameras for videography, I settled on the principle digital camera for the most effective outcomes. Along with OIS and EIS, you additionally get 10-bit HDR and Dolby Imaginative and prescient help. The captured 4K footage is sharp, with full of life colors and splendidly stabilised.
Click on right here for many unedited pictures clicked on the Apple iPhone 14 Professional.
OS and person interface: Adore it or hate it, it’s nonetheless iOS
This generally is a separate sequence of articles in itself if time permits. However I’ll try to preserve it brief right here. Nor will I get into the Android vs iOS debate. Each are completely polished working programs and other people like what they like on the finish of the day. I’ll simply contact upon a few issues that caught my eye whereas utilizing this system.
For starters, iPhone 14 Professional launched with the iOS 16 and now runs the most recent model of the OS – 16.4.1. For iPhone customers, there isn’t a new studying curve right here as you get the usual person interface.
The UI is easy and lag-free because it has been. Whereas iOS 16 doesn’t deliver forth something drastically completely different as in comparison with its predecessor, there are some evolutionary updates in a number of departments. The OS mixed with the aforementioned Dynamic Island presents one thing recent on the 14 Professional.
I already instructed you in regards to the island bit, and iOS 16 takes care of the dynamic half. It well provides issues on both aspect of the display cutout with a black backdrop and even under it to create an optical phantasm of the island rising larger or smaller or altering form.
Sure apps just like the music participant use a black background to embody the island, giving an impression that the cellphone has a very notch-less show; that’s fairly good! You now get an always-on-display for the lock display that isn’t power-hungry in any respect.
It dims the display brightness, drops the refresh charge and shows the essential data with out draining the battery a lot. Notifications administration has additionally seen an enchancment within the new OS. I nonetheless miss an app drawer although to clear the muddle on the display.
Last phrases:
The general expertise with the Apple iPhone 14 Professional over the previous six months has been constructive and fulfilling. Would I purchase the cellphone for myself? Effectively, I’m not that wealthy but. The iPhone 14 Professional debuted at Rs 1,29,999 for the 128GB storage variant going all the best way as much as Rs 1,79,999 for the highest variant with 1TB storage. The promoting value has come down by a superb 10K over the previous six months, which is nice, but it surely’s nonetheless a stiff price ticket.
So do you have to purchase it? In case you have that form of cash to spend on a cellphone, then why not! The Apple iPhone 14 Professional is provided with a robust A16 Bionic chip that ought to maintain issues for near half a decade with new OS updates coming in.
Then you might have the rugged and signature Apple design, stutter-free software program expertise and final however not the least, the cameras. The digital camera division has all the important thing bases coated from macro to ultra-wide to optical zoom, and the cameras excel in capturing pictures and movies each.
Although you’ll be paying an enormous sum, you do get one thing particular to brag about. And as bizarre as this may occasionally sound, it really makes higher sense to spend these tens of hundreds further and purchase the 14 Professional as a substitute of shopping for the iPhone 14 at its present value. The iPhone 14 is just about the iPhone 13. All of the novelties had been reserved for the Professional fashions this time.
As for alternate options, you might have the same old suspects from the Samsung Galaxy S23 sequence and the Google Pixel 7 Professional with comparable efficiency. In truth, the Pixel 7 Professional goes for Rs 69,999 in the intervening time, which is a good value for what it presents, however you’ll have to make do with 128GB of inside storage.
You’ll find yourself saving a superb Rs 50,000 compared to an iPhone 14 Professional with comparable storage, and the digital camera efficiency of the 2 is equally spectacular (pictures, not movies). For a greater deal on the iPhone 14 Professional, you’ll have to attend for the festive gross sales, however the wait may be price it.
