Introduction

Planning to use it for a large portion of my content creation, I finally got my hands on an iPhone 14 Pro. Sadly the local ‘premium’ retailers didn’t have any, so I had to search other places. Hesitating between the ‘new’ ‘Deep Purple’ and ‘Space Black,’ I opted for the black, as it’s more timeless and better matches my gear, especially my 16″ ‘Space Gray’ MacBook Pro — the unboxing and set up of which you can watch this channel.

Model

Coming from a 6+ model, I feel this is a massive update; I also think I won’t take advantage of the larger screen or battery. So I got the Pro version, with 1 TB SSD, to future-proof my work and needs.

Box

White in color, the box resembles that of the 13 Pro. It has a similar low profile, with paper pull tabs on the bottom, which according to Apple, are new. The box has a different photo based on the color you picked. I have a black phone. So the same is on the box. Whatever the image, it hints at some of the phone’s new features, which I’ll discuss in a moment.

Inside

Inside it, there’s the phone, some documentation, a SIM ejector, a USB-C to lighting cable, and a white Apple sticker. Needless to say, there is no power brick or headphones. Although this phone is ‘technically’ ‘Pro,’ Apple keep their ‘black stickers’ for their most premium line, including the M1 Pro and Max laptops. 

Color 

Something to notice instantaneously is that the ‘Space Black’ is absolutely stunning, looking different under different light. Mainly, though, I think it resembles matte black. Аnd I really enjoy that. For those wondering, it’s darker than the previous generations’ ‘graphite gray’ and the ‘space gray’ of the MacBook Pros. Lid with the Amaran 200d and the Light Dome 2 softbox, this iPhone 14 Pro looks slightly darker than my ‘Space Gray’ MacBook Pro. Covered with natural sunlight, it shows different shades of its much darker color. 

Space Black

Now that I have the device, I’m exceedingly satisfied with the black, having no regrets about not picking the line’s flagship color, the ‘deep purple.’ Holding it in my hand, I feel that the ‘Space Black’ is the most unique color giving a very different feel with the almost black steel band on the side. Although that’s a fingerprint magnet. I also think that one YouTuber was very accurate when likening the ‘Space Black’ iPhone 14 Pro to a triple black bimmer or Audi. 

Overall Build

The build of the iPhone 14 Pro feels very solid and premium. As usual, the silence and volume buttons are on the left, whereas, on the right, there’s the on and off. Apple claims that the iPhone 14 Pro is highly durable, having a ceramic shield ‘tougher than any smartphone glass.’ Nevertheless, I didn’t want to risk anything. So I grabbed one of Apple’s black silicon cases, which I will review soon on this channel.

Specs and Performance

The iPhone 14 Pro comes with Apple’s 4-nanometer, 16-bionic. Claimed by Apple as the fastest smartphone chip that is equipped with a 6-core CPU, a 5-core GPU, and about 16 billion transistors. According to Apple, the chip is also more power efficient, which likely is why the iPhone 14 Pro has an additional hour of battery life. Thank GODS, it also has a sim reader because I live in Europe.

Display

While the Max version comes with a 6.7″ screen, the Pro has a 6.1.” They (both) use Apple super retina XDR technology with a ‘pro motion’ of 120 hertz.
Based on what you have on it, the display can switch between 1 and 120 hertz. Say, for instance, you check some still images. In such cases, the display drops its refresh rate to save battery; it brings it up when you start scrolling and doing other stuff.

New Features

Whatever you pick, the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, the display has several new features. Incorporating software and hardware, the most hyped unquestionably is the brand new ‘dynamic island.’ Replacing the regular ‘notch,’ the dynamic island contributes to a better experience when listening to music, being notified, having an upcoming call, etc. It also finds application in face ID, which likely would be your first experience of it when setting up your iPhone 14 Pro.

Unmatched Ingenuity

Undoubtedly, Apple’s ingenuity is pretty unmatched in transforming something dull and boring into one that’s exciting and useful. As long as I heard, more apps will be optimized for the ‘dynamic island’ with the newer updates. I personally have no issues with my M1 Max MacBook Pro notch. So I wonder how I’ll feel about this one. I also wonder what your thoughts are about it; feel free to share them in the comment section of the video.

Always on Display

The second new feature is the “always on display” mode letting you see all your notifications and the time while keeping minimum brightness to save battery. I don’t know about you, but I have mixed feelings about that, thinking it’s something overhyped I likely won’t use. I know Аndroid phones have already had it for a while, but I don’t really care. Nonetheless, I’d be happy to know your thoughts on it if you’re using it. So feel free to share them in the comments below.

Connecting to a Satellite and Crash Detection

Going above and beyond to keep you safe, the iPhone 14 Pro can be connected to an actual satellite, just in case your connections go south. It also has car crash detection, which I think is pretty awesome. Although, I hope no one will actually have to use it.

Cameras

Immediately noticeable are the sizes of the lenses of the iPhone 14 Pro. Since I haven’t tested them yet, I cannot give a full review about the quality they deliver; I’ll do that in the future as I use the phone daily. From what I know, there’s a significant update from the 13 Pro version. Apparently, this is why I paid extra for the 14, not the 13 Pro model.

Lenses

The brand new ‘main’ lens is 48 megapixels; that is 24-millimeter with an F/1.78 aperture. The ultra-wide and the telephoto are 12 each. Perfect for wider shots, the ultra-wide handles low light twice as well as the previous model. The telephoto lens, on the other hand, has two focal lengths: one is two times 48-millimeter F/1.78, and the second is three times 77-millimeter F/2.8 — meaning now you can swap between 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 in the camera app.

Video

Besides ProRaw, the iPhone 14 Pro shoots ProRes; I can’t wait to use the latter and see how the M1 Max handles it. My main reason for getting the iPhone 14 Pro, its abilities to capture video are pretty remarkable. The cinematic mode is now available at 24 fps HDR — which Apple likes to remind us — is the industry standard. The iPhone pro can also film 4K at 24, 30, and even 60 fps which I can’t wait to use with slow-mo.

Hopes and Expectations

Coming from an iPhone 6 model and a DSLR, I am super excited to test the bokeh effect of the video and play with it ‘in post.’ I also wonder whether this iPhone 14 Pro camera would better focus on/capture my face and not my mic when filming Aroll. All this, however, is a subject for another video and post, which I’ll make soon… Until then, feel free to share your thoughts on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max in the comments under the video…