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iPhone 14 Pro is here: Interactive ‘Dynamic Island’ notch, Always-On Display, new colors

Apple has officially announced the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. As expected, the device features a redesigned screen with a new “Dynamic Island” cutout, major updates to the camera, new colors, and more. Head below for a rundown of the major new features.

iPhone 14 Pro features

The new pill-shaped cutout at the top is even more interactive and versatile than the rumors had predicted. You can tap and hold to find more options and controls. For instance, when using Apple Maps for navigation, you can tap on the Dynamic Island for an update on your navigation instructions.

The Dynamic Island can also show things like album art for content in the Music app, controls for FaceTime, specific background activities, and more. The new Live Activities feature coming iOS 16 also integrates with the Dynamic Island, meaning you can see live notifications directly in the new screen area.

“The Dynamic Island enables new ways to interact with iPhone, featuring a design that blends the line between hardware and software, adapting in real time to show important alerts, notifications, and activities,” Apple says.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max also include major updates to the display technology. The bezels are thinner and there is now peak outdoor brightness of 2000 nits alongside HDR brightness of 1600 nits.

The bigger update to the screen, however, is the new Always-On Display. The Always-On Display shows the time, widgets, and Live Activities. You can also show your wallpaper in a dimmed state.

In terms of performance, the iPhone 14 Pro is powered by a new A16 chip, which is built on an updated 4nm process for improved efficiency and performance. Apple didn’t get into many specifics on A16 performance itself, instead focusing on how Apple’s chip technology continues to be years ahead of the “nearest competitor.”

iPhone 14 Pro camera

One of the big focuses of the A16 is the image signal processor, which helps power an all-new camera package. The main camera has been updated to a 48MP lens with a quad-pixel sensor and an f/1.78 aperture. This quad-pixel sensor “adapts to the photo being captured,” combining every four pixels into one. In doing this, Apple says you can get “amazing low-light” images as well as keep the image photo size down.

The quad-pixel sensor also enables a 2x Telephoto option that uses the middle 12 megapixels of the sensor for full-resolution photos and 4K videos with no digital zoom. Additionally, using the ProRAW feature, professionals can shoot the full 48MP resolution.

Top comment by J. Harris

Liked by 21 people

The Dynamic Island is pretty cool on the Pro models. The Camera upgrades are nice at best. 

The Watch Ultra to me stole the show!!! Maybe my only purchase from today’s announcement. 

AirPod Pro’s were meh to me. The volume slide is a welcome addition to the “stalk”. 

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The Phototonic Engine takes things further for mid- to low-light performance in photos across all lenses. Apple says we can expect improvements in low-light conditions of up to 2x on the Main camera, up to 3x on the Ultra Wide camera, up to 2x on the Telephoto camera, and up to 2x on the TrueDepth camera.

Outside of the new these changes, there are a number of other upgrades; including the first-ever upgrade for the Ultra Wide camera:

  • A new 12MP Ultra Wide camera with 1.4 µm pixels, which delivers sharper images with more detail, improving already powerful macro photography capabilities.
  • An improved Telephoto camera that offers 3x optical zoom.
  • A new front TrueDepth camera with an ƒ/1.9 aperture that enables better low-light performance for photos and video. Using autofocus for the first time, it can focus even faster in low light and capture group shots from farther away.
  • A new Adaptive True Tone flash that has been completely redesigned with an array of nine LEDs that change pattern based on the chosen focal length.
  • Powerful computational photography benefits like Night mode, Smart HDR 4, Portrait mode with Portrait Lighting, Night mode Portrait photos, Photographic Styles to personalize the look of every photo, and Apple ProRAW.
  • A new Action mode for incredibly smooth-looking video that adjusts to significant shakes, motion, and vibrations, even when video is being captured in the middle of the action.
  • Cinematic mode, now available in 4K at 30 fps and 4K at 24 fps.
  • Pro-level workflows for video, including ProRes and end-to-end Dolby Vision HDR.

Other iPhone 14 features

iPhone 14 Pro also packs a number of other upgrades:

  • Crash Detection can detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services and message emergency contacts
  • Emergency SOS via satellite enables messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage
  • All iPhone 14 Pro models sold in the United States will not have a physical SIM card; relying fully on eSIM technology

Four colors: Space black, deep purple, silver, and gold. Starts at $999 for iPhone 14 Pro and $1099 for iPhone 14 Pro Max. Pre-orders on September 9 with availability on September 16.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com