Apple unveils iPhone 14, 14 Pro series; India price and availability details

The new iPhone 14 series come with two life-saving features-- SoS emergency via satellite and Crash Detection

Apple on Wednesday (September 7) unveiled four new iPhones and as rumoured, the company has ditched the mini model. Instead, it is bringing the 6.7-inch model dubbed iPhone 14 Plus. The other three are—the iPhone 14(6.1–inch), 14 Pro (6.1-inch) and iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7-inch).

Apple iPhone 14 and the 14 Plus retain the design language of the predecessor and even the A15 Bionic, but with 5-core GPU, 6-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine seen in the iPhone 13 Pro series. The regular iPhone 13 model had 4-core GPU, 6-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine.

They feature Super Retina XDR OLED display, True Tone technology with Ceramic Shield and the case is made of aerospace-grade aluminium. They can support up to 1,200 nits brightness They also come with IP68 rating, meaning they can sustain water pressure up to six metres for close to 30 minutes.

Key features of Apple iPhone 14 series. Credit: Apple

Improvements include the camera. It has dual 12MP cameras— wide-angle (f/1.5) + ultra-wide-angle sensor (f/2.4) with 2X optical zoom out, 5X digital zoom, support sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, True Tone flash, photonics engine to deliver better low-light imaging, deep fusion, smart HDR 4 for photos, night mode, photographic styles, cinematic mode, up to 4K video recording ( at 24 fps: frames per second, 25fps, 30fps or 60fps) and there is action mode, Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps. Also, they support Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono).

On the other hand, the new iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro come with a surgery-grade stainless steel body and an all-new Dynamic Island display language. The notch size has greatly reduced to a thick pill-like shape. And, Apple has done excellent use of software optimisation to create a creative animation effect.

Whenever the iPhone 14 Pro series owner gets a call or charges an AirPods or gets any notification, the screen around the pill notch dynamically expands to offer a visually appealing user interface. Also, they support Always-on-display, a first for an iPhone. Of course, they support dynamically variable 1Hz-120Hz refresh rates and also 2,000 nits peak brightness, true tone technology.

Dynamic Island display animation on the iPhone 14 Pro series. Credit: Apple

And, inside the iPhone 14 Pro is powered by a powerful A16 Bionic silicon. It has 6-core CPU with two performance core and four efficiency cores backed by 5-core GPIU and 16-core Neural Engine. In total, the chipset houses a whopping 16 billion transistors, capable of carrying out 17 trillion operations to ensure smooth and faster response not just in terms sheer performance but also camera photo processing within the phone compared to other competitors in the industry.

Also, the new iPhone 14 Pro models come with enhanced camera hardware— 48MP (f/1.78) main wide-angle camera backed by 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle sensor and 12MP(f2.8) telephoto lens with adaptive True Tone LED flash. They also support 2nd generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 3X optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 6x optical zoom range, 15X digital zoom, macro mode, Photogenic Engine for low-light imaging, Smart HDR 4 for photos, Portrait mode (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono), Night mode, Night portrait mode, photography styles, Apple ProRAW, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (4K HDR up to 30 fps), ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity), Macro video recording, including slow motion and time-lapse, 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, Action mode, Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps, Night mode Time-lapse and more.

Key features of Apple iPhone 14 Pro series. Credit: Apple

All the four iPhone 14 models feature the same 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) on the front with Retina Flash, Retina Flash, and Face ID and support most of the features including portrait mode mentioned for the dual primary cameras. However, the Pro model support ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity).

Two of the most notable upgrade we see in the iPhone 14 series is crash detection. The new models come with a new dual-core accelerometer capable of detecting G-force measurements of up to 256Gs. It works with the new high dynamic range gyroscope, and barometer, which can detect cabin pressure changes within a car or any big vehicle including a truck, the GPS for additional input for speed changes, and the microphone,4 which can recognize loud noises typically heard during a severe car crashes.

The new Crash Detection feature on Apple iPhone 14 series. Credit: Apple

Once triggered, Crash Detection on iPhone can automatically dial emergency services when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.

Another critical safety feature coming in the new iPhone 14 series is the SoS emergency help via satellite. They come with custom components deeply integrated with software to allow antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Also, the potential life-saving feature can load a few vital questions to assess the user’s situation and shows them where to point their phone to connect to a satellite. The initial questionnaire and follow-up messages are then relayed to centres staffed by Apple‑trained specialists who can call for help on the user’s behalf.

Caption

And, this breakthrough technology also allows users to manually share their location over satellite with Find My when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

Initially, Apple will offer free emergency service for two years in the US and Canada. Also, all four models-- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max--will not support the physical SIM tray in the US. However, they will be able to store six (in regular 14 series) to eight (in Pro models) e-SIMs, but only two will be able to remain active at all times.

In other global markets, the new iPhone 14 series will have a physical SIM slot along with eSIM support too.

Must read | Apple Watch Series 8, Watch Ultra and SE series unveiled; India price and availability details

As far as the pricing and availability details of the iPhone 14 series in India are concerned, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will be available in four colours—Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro— 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB— cost Rs 1,29,900, Rs 1,39,900, Rs 1,59,900 and Rs 1,79,900, respectively.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max— 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB— cost Rs 1,39,900, Rs 1,49,900, Rs 1,69,900 and Rs 1,89,900, respectively.

Both the Pro models will be available for pre-order from September 9 and will hit the store next week on September 16.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro series is made with eco-friendly processes and come with recycled materials. Credit: Apple

Apple iPhone 14 — 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB— cost Rs 79,900, Rs 89,900, and Rs 1,09,900, respectively.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus --- 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB— cost Rs 89,900, Rs 99,900, and Rs 1,19,900, respectively.

Both the regular iPhone 14 and 14 Plus come in five colours— blue, purple, midnight black, starlight and PRODUCT(RED) Both will be available for pre-order from September 9 and the iPhone 14 will hit stores on September 16 and the 14 Plus model will only come on October 7.

Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.