One Year (ish) with iPhone 14 Pro
Close to very good in most ways
Long before I became an iOS developer, I had ambitions of making it as a tech journalist. Like John Gruber, but with twice the vocal fry and less yearn for the kern (that’s a font reference I just made up).
Throwback to 2017 when I successfully predicted the iPhone X form factor based on a redesign of the calculator app (an achievement I’m still recovering from). Things never panned out with Catastrophe Geek and since then I’ve been so infatuated with iOS development, that I almost forgot this was something I enjoyed doing. I realised quite recently, in a brief moment of lapsed stupidity that this is a thing I can just do, without permission. Isn’t the internet great.
So, I think I’m going to give this another go? Not because I have renewed ambition to make it as a tech journalist, but simply because I just love writing.
12 Months with iPhone 12 Pro
I figure now that we’re very close to the launch of this years iPhone’s perhaps a good place to start is with a summary of how I’ve found the iPhone 14 Pro over the last 12 months, ish. I say ‘ish’ because I didn’t actually get one until somewhere in October. I wasn’t planning on upgrading, but after a few run ins with Live Activities on the Xcode simulator, testing on a physical devices was nigh on a necessity to fast track my development in order to hit the iOS 16.1 release date.
Form Factor
When I first unboxed the iPhone 14 Pro in Space Black, I was surprised how different the rails felt from my previous Sierra Blue 13 Pro. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but whatever part of space they get the black from, seemed to make the rails a little more grippy than the 13, which while not touted as a feature was something I quite liked. Since the iPhone X, Apple have been making the pro devices out of stainless steel, and as the devices have gained cameras they’ve bulked up and become very heavy! If rumours are to be believed, the titanium frame on the 15 Pro will come as sweet relief to my right pinky finger that has diligently upheld the surgical grade steel for the last 6 years. All in all I really like this iteration of the squared off design, I wish the sides weren’t so shiny, but this thing is very pretty!
Camera
iPhone cameras are great, I sold my SLR a few years ago and haven’t looked back. On the whole, this year’s camera system has been very good. I like the zoom levels that the three cameras offer, I felt the 13 never quite had exactly the level I was after. Maybe I’m imagining it but there does seem to be a little extra processing going on this year, that makes some photos a little more contrasty than I would like. I was hoping it would be software thing that would improve over time, but as far as I can tell it’s stayed the same. I don’t know enough about lenses and sensors to give a sensible break down here though. So here are some photos I took that I think are enjoyable to look at.
Battery Life
There has been a flurry of articles in the last couple of weeks around the iPhone 14 Pro battery life, with people posting screenshots of their battery health after a year of use. Personally, I’m down to around 89%, I charge almost exclusively on a MagSafe charger (this one here if you’re interested), but I’m unsure how much that factors into it. Even from day one I felt like the battery life of the 14 Pro was not quite as good as the 13, which was fairly solid. Turning off the always on display didn’t seem to make much of an improvement so I’m not sure exactly what the cause is. Perhaps it’s all anecdotal. Who knows. Either way, it's one factor that makes me tempted to upgrade again this year.
Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island, the headline feature for this years iPhone. When it was first revealed in the keynote I remember making some audible noises at just how pretty the animations were. One year in and I think I’m still a big fan of this feature. The Island has successfully hoodwinked me into thinking that the notch is no longer something I care about getting rid of. I use an iPhone SE frequently as a testing device and I find it jarring now when I close an app like Music or Crouton and the window doesn’t zoom up into the top of the screen keeping status of the active session. It really is great to be in another app but still have a glanceable view of other things that are going on. It’s also been nice with iOS 17 to see a few more system actions get moved up there. I’m hopeful this trend continues as it’s a lovely little home for things that used to be boring old alerts.
Always On Display
I’ve heard mixed feelings on the always on display, but I think it’s grown on me over the year. To the point now that when looking at older iPhones with blank screens, they do just look a little odd. Perhaps my favourite part is the Apple Watch partnership, where when you leave the room it turns the display all the way off. But if you come back, the Watch gives a sneaky whisper to the phone to say you’re coming back and it springs to life again. It feels like a little welcome home when it lights back up as you get close. It's wonderful being able to glance at your phone and see if you have a notification, rather than having to wake it up. It also makes things like Live Activities and Lock Screen widgets a whole lot more useful when you can stay up to date with them without actually touching the device.
Speaker Grill
I’ve already written ad nauseam about the weird design choice with the speaker grill this year (by ad nauseam I mean this one post that nobody read) so I’ll try not to reopen what was a blazing controversy. As far as I know all previous iPhones have had the top speaker grill covered in some sort of mesh, however this year to make room for the Island, the grill was relegated to a small slit at the top of the device. Since the first week my phone has had a permanent visible line of lint stuck in it, that no amount of blowing can unstick. It does however like to burst out like confetti when I choose a particularly boppy track. I’ve been very surprised by the lack of press around this, which makes me think it’s a me problem. Did my parents forget to educate me on the importance of vacuuming out my pockets? I’m not sure, but in any case, I want the mesh back please.
Conclusion
All in all I’d say the 14 Pro is the best iteration of the Pro line up yet (I sound like Apple) but with some clear areas that can be improved in the 15 and beyond. Should you buy it? I have no idea, I don’t know who you are. But I’ve loved using it for the last 12 months, so if you’re me, I’d say yes.
Anyway, that’s been it. No promises as to the cadence of these reviews, but it is something I hope to do more of from time to time! Who knows, maybe in a month.