What makes the Apple iPhone 14 Pro interesting: 48 MP shooting, AlwaysOn mode and an interactive strip instead of a bang

Note that we have the version with a SIM card. But there is also a variant with eSIM. Apparently, it won't have the ejector tool.

As before, there is no charging block, so you can use any, starting from 5V 1A (but better - a 2A one).

Design

To claim that the appearance of the iPhone has changed significantly compared to the previous generation would be misleading - differences can be immediately noticed if you don't pay attention to the top part of the screen. And there - yes, the main innovation: instead of the usual notch - just a narrow strip.

It is obvious that Apple engineers and programmers thought long about how to solve the problem and make the cutout for the front camera, light sensor, and Face ID less annoying.
And they came up with it. This solution is good not only because the overall area of the dead zone has become smaller (in reality, the gain here is minimal), but primarily because this strip is now used as an interface element. For example, on the main home screen, it looks like this, but when the screen is locked, the strip expands - and we already see a lock icon on it.

How is this done technically? No miracles. The dead zone itself, of course, does not expand and contract.
Simply, an image is displayed on the screen that contains a black cutout that exactly fits this dead zone. Beautiful, isn't it?
Moreover, if you press on this area, we will feel a tactile response, but, unfortunately, nothing will happen, no menu will open.
It can be assumed that Apple will take some steps in the future to develop this idea. But even now, this area is played by many widgets. For example:

In general, Apple's trump card has always been the maximum tight integration of hardware and software features.
This is their strength compared to Android smartphone manufacturers. And here is a good example of that.

But let's move on. The second important feature of the iPhone 14 Pro is the enlarged camera block.
Speaking about the iPhone 13 Pro, we noted that both the block and the camera lenses became larger than in the iPhone 12 Pro. Now both have grown even more.
The horizontal size of the platform is 37 mm (compared to 35 mm in the iPhone 13 Pro and 32 mm in the iPhone 12 Pro), and for the lenses, it is 16, 13, and 11 mm respectively.

It cannot be said that this looks very elegant. But, on the other hand, the psychology of the user is such that the larger the cameras, the better they seem to him. And Apple designers played on this.

In other respects - no changes. On the left edge are two separate volume buttons and a mute switch, as well as a slot for a Nano-SIM card. On the right - only the power button.

And, as is already traditional, Apple gifts users a new color. It is called Deep Purple, but the smartphone has no relation to the performers of the hit Smoke On The Water. It's just really dark purple. We would also call it eggplant-colored. But, agree, such a definition sounds less attractive.

As always, we remind you that photos and promotional images do not convey the exact shade and feel of the color. So if in doubt - find a way to see the device in person.

Screen

The main characteristics of the iPhone 14 Pro screen are very close to its predecessor, but still not identical. It is a ProMotion XDR OLED with a diagonal of 6.1" and a resolution of 1179×2556, which is slightly more than in the iPhone 13 Pro.

However, these are minor details. Much more interesting is the Always-On Display feature, which allows information to be displayed on the lock screen even in sleep mode. The idea is simple and clear: if you need to check the time or ensure there are no notifications, you no longer need to even pick up the smartphone - just glance at the screen. Interestingly, when using the pre-installed wallpaper, this option works in two modes: a more economical one, which darkens most of the image, and a less economical one, where the colors are more vibrant. To switch from one mode to another, simply press the power button or pick up the smartphone.

If you place the device in a pocket, bag, or another closed dark space, it will completely turn off the screen to eliminate battery drain. Of course, you can turn off Always-On in the settings. As for how quickly the iPhone drains if Always-On is not turned off, we will discuss in the section on battery life, while we return to examining the display.

The front surface of the screen is made of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-reflective properties of the screen are slightly better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo where white surfaces are reflected on the turned-off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Apple iPhone 14 Pro, which can be distinguished by size):

The screen on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro is slightly darker (brightness in the photos 98 vs. 102 in the Nexus 7). The two reflected objects on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro screen are very faint, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (specifically between the outer glass and the matrix surface). Due to the fewer boundaries (type glass/air) with significantly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external lighting, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, as the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (oil-repellent) coating (effective, better than in the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field on the entire screen, the maximum long-term brightness value was about 790 cd/m², and in very bright light with automatic brightness adjustment, it increases to 980 cd/m² (claimed up to 1000 cd/m² in normal mode), up to 1600 cd/m² in HDR mode and up to 2000 cd/m² at peak "outdoors"). The minimum brightness value is 1.9 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and considering the excellent anti-reflective properties, reading even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a good level. In the dark, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness adjustment is available via the light sensor(s) (the front one is located to the left of the front camera in the "dynamic island" area), which is enabled by default. In automatic mode, with changes in external lighting conditions, the screen brightness increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness slider: the user sets the desired brightness level for the current conditions. If nothing is changed, then in complete darkness, the brightness decreases to 1.9 cd/m² (very dark), in conditions of artificially lit office (about 550 lx) the screen brightness is set to 115 cd/m² (acceptable), in very bright surroundings (illuminance over 20000 lx) it rises to 980 cd/m² (to the maximum, and needed). The result did not completely satisfy us, so in the dark we slightly moved the brightness slider up (in the quick access menu) and for the three mentioned conditions received 10, 115, and 980 cd/m² (perfect). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately, and the character of brightness changes can be adjusted to the user's requirements. At any brightness level, there is modulation at a frequency of 480 Hz.