First impressions of the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in the press: they create a surprise with Dynamic Island

First impressions of the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in the press: they create a surprise with Dynamic IslandFirst impressions of the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in the press: they create a surprise with Dynamic Island

Seeing photos of the new iPhone 14 Pros is one thing, but holding them in your hand is another. We haven't had that chance yet, but others have. We offer you a press review of the best publications.

If the iPhone 14 is relatively poor in new features, at least compared to the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, this is not the case with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. These new iPhones represent the biggest redesign of the iPhone since Apple introduced the notch on the iPhone X. Following their announcement, and while waiting to receive them at the editorial office, we went through the catches hand published by our brothers and sisters.

Apple's Dynamic Island

Let's go directly to the most interesting novelty of the iPhone 14 Pro. If you followed, the notch was replaced by a pill. And, to make us pass the pill, Apple has created the concept of " Dynamic Island " or the dynamic island. Around this pill you have contextual information based on the app you are using or data related to notifications from other apps.

A small demonstration of the Dynamic Island, which replaces the notch. #AppleEvent

For example, the dynamic island can display artwork for music you've started. It also integrates with the Clock app for things like stopwatches and timer. There was an integration with Apple Maps for navigation information, support for live activities for real-time notifications, and much more.

Nicolas Lellouche was able to test Dynamic Island, and seems extremely impressed by Apple's work:

" But thanks to the ingenuity of its software teams, Apple has managed to turn it into something really cool, which is already unanimous. It's a small feat that could make jealous all manufacturers who also offer a camera cut out of the screen (a "punch") like Samsung, Google, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo or OnePlus.

(…) 

We also appreciate the possibility of touching the Dynamic Island for a few seconds to open a larger pop-up, for example to access the playback controls. How does this tactile aspect work? Again, Apple is smart. The islet is only an illusion. In reality, there is a piece of screen that remains permanently black in the middle, and two small punches. Since the in-between is a screen, touching the island causes a reaction.

Same story at The Verge: "Dynamic Island is a big change for the iPhone 14 Pro, and its shape change seems like a playful way to better use the space of the notch".

" Apple's Dynamic Island interface also works very well. For example, I had a song in Apple Music playing. When I exit the app, there was a small waveform on one side of the cutout and a mini thumbnail with album artwork on the other. When I tapped on the dynamic island, I was immediately taken to the song in the Apple Music app. – CNET 

TechRadar also praises this integration: "It's a really cool feature, and Apple has created a surprise, turning an eyesore into something really useful when navigating the phone."

Always On spécial Apple

The other notable new feature is Always On. In this regard, Apple takes advantage of the OLED screen, whose consumption is controlled, by adding the LTPO. This technology offers a dynamic refresh rate. Here, it evolves from 10 to 120 Hz when using the smartphone and can also drop to 1 Hz when the screen is on standby. 1 Hz means that the screen is refreshed once per second, which reduces power consumption. 

As a result, Apple is introducing a screen saver that displays information continuously, even when the smartphone is locked. Indeed, it is a technology already present in the Android world.

Numerama directly notes that the behavior is very different from what we know on Android. Here the content is just obscured, the displayed data does not change.

" What do you think? Honestly, it's disturbing. We looked at whether the function can be personalized in the settings and the only option offered is to deactivate it. Do you really want to see your wallpaper all day, even when you don't use your device for several hours? We will have to test the iPhone 14 Pro longer to find out. At first glance, the answer seems no. But maybe we'll change our minds. – Numerama

The Verge seems a little more optimistic, especially thanks to the use of widgets:

" Always on works by displaying information widgets on the screen without having to turn it on. You can check the weather, calendar information, etc. It looks great and the wallpapers even darken to match the Always On mode. It works with any wallpaper you use, and according to an Apple spokesperson, it's all optimized to highlight faces when a face is detected (for using Face ID at night). 

A nice development at first sight 

In twenty minutes of handling, it is difficult to form an opinion on all the new features. We cannot test performance, photography, video and even less autonomy.

Undoubtedly, after having read all these grips, Apple has made a great effort to evolve on this generation of iPhone Pro. As we pointed out in this paper, this iOS smartphone seems to more and more deserve its name of “Pro”. It is criticized for a design that does not fundamentally change, but all the media welcome the intelligently integrated novelties.

" The camera improvements are on par with the iPhone Pro Max range, but we're certainly likely to be won over by the low-light performance – as well as the new Action mode. –Tech Radar 

Overall, the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max appear to be just as solid as the previous generation, with some nice improvements under the hood – especially for the camera – The Verge