All photos taken on the iPhone 14 Pro Max by Gabe Kanae.
A week ago today, I received my iPhone 14 Pro Max, the latest and highest pro model in the iPhone lineup. Using it both on campus and home has been quite a pleasure.
The iPhone 14 has made the greatest leap of improvement Apple has made to their cameras in years.
It is true that Apple isn’t one to frequently redesign an entire phone, but the internal components have greatly improved and could be considered one of the biggest upgrades the phones have received in a while.
One of the most impressive changes the iPhone 14 Pro has made since its predecessor is the increase of the camera’s megapixels. With the back camera going from 12-megapixel to now 48MP, the new iPhone can take photos at a marvelous 10-bit RAW 8K resolution.
Apple introduced the marvelous sports mode, which provides stabilization by cropping into the video. This sports mode is among the best on the market so far and the results are simply marvelous. They also updated their cinematic mode, which allows users to edit focus on subjects and objects both during recording or in post-production, to a 4K 24-frames per second setting. The mode was previously restricted to a 1080p recording quality.
Also included in the new phones is Apple’s version of the “Always-On Display.” While this option isn’t new to the phone industry, Apple created it in a way that fits their aesthetic and brand. With a minimalist and dim screen, the Always-On Display not only shows your Lock Screen, but it also shows notifications, time and any widgets you may have customized on your phone with the new iOS 16 software update.
Along with those updates, the new iPhone added the “Dynamic Island”. The new island separates the bezel from your phone and allows the screen to wrap around it. This island is dynamic and based on the programs and work you are doing, but is also something you can interact with and use as ways to quickly control music and more.
Inside this new bezel is also Apple’s 12-MP front camera, allowing quality in your selfies and videos to have more professional auto-focusing and a higher quality resolution so you can look better than ever.
Impressively, when not using the dynamic island, it simply blends in and is extremely hard to recognize unless you force yourself to notice it.
Apple has also included a new Emergency SOS feature which connects your phone to satellites and contacts emergency services if you do not have a cellular connection. This is an amazing feature for those who travel and are also interested in adventurous hikes.
You could also argue that Apple is typically among the last of the phone companies to implement a new feature, but you also need to consider how Apple works. Apple’s technology is based on accessibility to all of their users and so it could be argued that their lengthy delay in implementation could be explained as waiting for the technology to be perfected, simplistic and easy to use for all generations of phone buyers.
Phone buyers should try to make sure that the features they can access are not only well integrated but also built.
With that aside, the iPhone 14 Pro Max isn’t a massive upgrade from those who have the 13 Pro Max unless you are a photographer or someone who loves “iPhoneography.” If having 8K photos, a higher resolution front camera, video sports mode and 4K cinematic modes sounds important, then this phone is for you!
Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or its staff. Gabriel Kanae is a student at the University of Nevada studying journalism. They can be reached at edrewes@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.
