Since the Apple autumn new product launch conference ended, the iPhone 14 Pro series has been very popular. Lingdong Island, high pixels, dark purple, etc. are still popular topics on social networks to this day. In contrast, the iPhone 14 series released together is much more low-key. Not only can it be purchased smoothly on the day of its first release without any pressure to buy, but various media also rarely pay attention to it, and the number of reviews is much less than that of the Pro series.
However, if you look back at the previous iPhone sales data, it is not difficult to find that the digital series is the "volume" model that supports the iPhone's market share. More users have also established Apple's brand awareness through the digital series . During the National Day holiday, I also used the iPhone 14. In this article, I want to talk about this low-key and pragmatic player and share my purchasing suggestions.
Appearance
Compared with previous generation products, the design of iPhone 14 has not changed at all. In addition to the color matching, the size, lines, chamfers, etc. of the phone are exactly the same as those of iPhone 13. However, the iPhone 13 case cannot be used on the 14. Since the iPhone 14 uses a new lens module, the 14 is a circle larger than the 13 camera module. Although the size difference between the two is very small, you can still (very difficult) see the difference after putting the two machines together. The front and back shapes of
iPhone 14 are the same as those of the previous generation
new color scheme is the biggest highlight of this generation of iPhones in terms of appearance - the new blue is very beautiful. Compared with the far peak blue of iPhone 13 Pro, the blue saturation of the iPhone 14 is significantly higher, and the color of the aluminum alloy frame is bluer than the back panel. The overall look is light but not frivolous. It is my favorite color scheme in recent generations of iPhones.
iPhone 13 Pro (left) and iPhone 14
iPhone 14 (left) and iPhone 13 Pro all the different colors and textures
Daisy is considering changing from iPhone 11 Pro to 14 Pro. She had already made up her mind, but after seeing my iPhone 14, she was attracted by the color matching as soon as possible, and even accepted my persuasion of "buying an iPhone 14", which shows the lethality of this blue.
This is not Daisy!
In addition, for old users before iPhone 12, there is another small difference in iPhone 14, that is, the Face ID module has become taller and narrower. This change has already appeared on iPhone 13. Considering that most of the friends who buy iPhone 14 should be upgraded from generation to generation, they may notice this subtle difference.
performance and heating
Apple has adopted a new product evolution strategy on iPhone 14 - the previous generation of flagship SoC was demolished to the new generation of regular product line. Therefore, the iPhone 14 is equipped with the "full version" of the A15 chip, rather than the latest A16.
I don’t care about the performance of new phones. After all, the iPhone 13 Pro has appeared repeatedly in countless mobile phone reviews in the past year. Friends who are familiar with technology products must have a good understanding of its capabilities.
During the week when I use iPhone 14, the most heat generated by the phone is at two moments: one is when data is transferred from the old phone, the heating process will continue until most app downloads are over; the other is when taking pictures, the heating will gradually cool down after turning off the camera for a period of time. The above two scenarios are typical scenarios for iPhone heating. Compared with old products (such as the iPhone 11 Pro Max that I have used for a long time), the peak temperature of iPhone 14 is not very high. Since I often use it outdoors with higher temperatures, I don’t think the new phone can be called calm overall, but it’s not as irritating as before. And with a set of mobile phone cases, all the heat can be pretended to not exist.
Photography
Although images are not the biggest selling point of the digital series, the imaging system of iPhone 14 is still improving compared to the previous generations - the wide-angle main camera has been replaced with the ƒ/1.5 lens on the iPhone 13 Pro, supporting sensor displacement optical image stabilization; the ultra-wide-angle parameters are still ƒ/2.4 and 120° viewing angles, but the light inlet volume has been improved.The imaging effect of
still has a typical Apple flavor - high shutter speed, stable white balance, full color, and good resolution.
Use flash to shoot
It is worth mentioning that the photonic engine (Photonic Engine) that Apple mentioned at the autumn press conference is not only exclusive to the Pro series, it also appears on the iPhone 14 series. In particular, it can be clearly felt that the iPhone 14 is more sensitive to light in dark environments and can obtain photos with good brightness and clarity at relatively high shutter speeds.
Apple has always been persistent in "capturing images quickly at all times" - the main photosensitive area of almost every generation of products has been greatly improved, but the final effect is not as dark as daytime, but the time required to wait for the shutter at night is getting shorter and shorter. During the process of using the iPhone 14, I seemed to understand the purpose of Apple doing this - non-professional mass users may not understand the principle of "there is less light at night, and the shutter speed needs to be lowered". What they want is that they can hear a "click" at any time when they press the shutter, and then they can get the photos in a straightforward manner.
However, the disadvantage of excessive synthesis of iPhone in some scenarios is still that it has a strong "plastic smell". This generation of products uses the synthesis algorithm of Smart HDR 4 (Smart HDR 4), which has no changes from the previous generation. I personally think that the reason for the "plastic smell" is that Apple emphasizes the overall brightness balance of the picture, so it will strongly compress the light ratio, causing the lighting atmosphere of some scenes to be damaged.
This sunlight is like being flattened
After trying, I found a relatively basic solution: when shooting, use the bright part in the picture as the metering point, and then lower it to expose it one or two levels to highlight the texture of the subject. At the same time, I will also choose "Rich Contrast" in "Photo Style" and add a little warm tone to enhance the layering of the picture.
Use flash to shoot
iPhone 14 Photo interface
iPhone 14 has added a sports mode in the film shooting. I usually shoot very few videos, so I haven't used the feature much. After a simple attempt, the iPhone 14's sports mode can indeed achieve a fairly stable picture, but it requires sufficient ambient light to shoot, otherwise there will be more noise in the picture.
In my opinion, this function is very suitable for non-professional users who occasionally shoot sports scenes - imagine that if the elders at home want to record the scenes of their grandchildren running around the ground, it is obviously more realistic to teach them to click the "Sports Mode" button when shooting a video than to buy them a mobile gimbal.
battery life
Last fall, I was impressed by the battery life improvement of the iPhone 13 series. This year's iPhone 14 not only has a theoretical battery life a little longer than the iPhone 13, but also has a pretty good actual situation.
I use my mobile phone in two rhythms: working days are moderate use - memorizing words when commuting, watching YouTube, and using my mobile phone to participate in online meetings, answering calls, listening to podcasts and music during work. In this case, the iPhone 14 can easily charge one day, from going out at 8 am to arriving at home at 7 pm, the remaining battery can exceed 20%; it is possible to use it heavily during holidays - while listening to podcast , the phone continues to light up the screen in the sun, and the SoC also needs to continue to process photos. In this case, the battery life of the iPhone 14 can last for half a day. If I go out after lunch and go home at 7 or 8 pm, the remaining battery of the phone will be between 10% and 20%.
Representative working day battery life chart
In short, compared with old iPhones, the battery life of iPhone 14 is no longer a shortcoming, and the only regrettable possibility is the charging speed.Fortunately, the battery life of one charge a day makes the iPhone 14 no longer rely on recharge the power at all times. If you have battery anxiety or need to continue power supply, you may consider setting up a MagSafe power bank and hang it on your iPhone at any time to relieve your worries. Of course, the cure must be Apple to start fast charging as soon as possible so that iPhone can get rid of the bad reputation of "charging snails".
Purchase suggestions
At the end of the article, I would like to give some purchase suggestions based on different usage needs:
- If you don’t need a top-level imaging system, or the budget for buying a mobile phone is only 6,000 or 7,000 yuan, the performance of iPhone 14 is enough to meet your daily use. I recommend that all users who "must buy an iPhone but not have to buy a Pro" give priority to the digital series. Its performance is enough for two or three years, and the saved price difference can do something else (such as Apple Watch).
- If you want to buy a mobile phone for your family and are worried that they can’t handle the various advertisements, permissions and pushes in the domestic Android system, then buy them an iPhone 14. By the way, pull them into your Apple Family and share your purchase apps and services. iPhone 14 has added a car accident detection function, so you can know it as soon as possible whether your family’s daily health data or unexpected situations.
A friend of the minority membership group unfortunately used the car accident detection function
- If you want a large-screen iPhone but think Pro Max is too expensive, you can consider iPhone 14 Plus. I have been used to using large-screen mobile phones in the past six months. After changing to iPhone 14, I feel that the amount of information has decreased. Maybe I will change back to large-screen after a while.
- If you are a "newcomer" who has never been in contact with iPhone and has transferred from Android before, you can also buy it from the digital series. First try whether iOS is handy. If you really like it, then consider the Pro series products in the future.
- Friends who like to take photos should buy Pro decisively. Long live telephoto, RAW Long live.
Overall, the digital series iPhone is still a Volkswagen iPhone. Its upgrade range does not look as big as the Pro series, but the core experience remains first-class, and the weight is much lighter than the Pro series, making it easier to hold and carry with you for a long time. Under the shining halo of Lingdong Island, the iPhone 14 series may be a more rational choice for you when using it in daily life or giving it to your relatives and friends.
