Every other smartphone manufacturer will spend the weekend asking one question — How did Apple manage to pull off the coolest design trick on an iPhone? Call it trickery or whatever, the iPhone 14 Pro will be on shopping lists for the festive season — India and the US — thanks to something called Dynamic Island, which is a very Apple-y name to have.
An island for everyone
The pandemic kept every company under the radar but after Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event on Wednesday in Cupertino, there’s no doubt that innovations continue to take place on smartphones. Delivering one of the biggest design changes in recent times is something called Dynamic Island, which is basically the new pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
What everyone knew was that a pill-shaped notch is coming but nobody knew that it can do a lot of things. At a glance it appears like a small dead space but the Dynamic Island transforms this into a tiny notification centre with distinct animations for whatever you’re doing on your phone.
The notch as we know it arrived in 2017 with the iPhone X. It’s a large cutout to accommodate different sensors but technology has improved and that means Apple can make the notch appear completely different. The Dynamic Island is interactive, meaning you can touch it to expand it into a larger bubble with more information.
It is impressive technology because Apple has put in a lot of effort to implement since it requires core OS changes that deviate from other iOS devices. It’s also important to remember that implementing something so radically different means Apple is going to keep the pill for a while and must be having quite a few plans for it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the feature makes its way to the Macs.
A few words on the implementation. Even a week ago, leaks and rumours simply said that the notch is just becoming a different shape. Nobody had any idea about the software aspect, so Apple did manage to keep a secret, unlike its rivals.
12 multiplied by four
For years, Apple has been giving us 12MP cameras on the iPhone. Not that people needed anything more than this when it comes to processing images, but something has changed.
For the first time, the iPhone is transitioning from a 12MP sensor to a 48MP one. Improvements include advancements in low-light photography, all using a quad-pixel sensor with f/1.78 aperture and 24mm focal length.
The new sensors will be able to capture more details and offer more depth to photographs but one should remember that for most photos, the sensor will take 12MP binned photos to maximise light capture. It also helps Apple to crop the sensor in different ways to deliver true 2x zoom at a 48mm focal length. In case you use Apple’s advanced ProRaw format, you can take 48MP images and this helps especially with landscape photos with lots of detail for giving yourself more flexibility to crop a photo without dropping the resolution.
Pixel binning is a technology that has been here for sometime. Most brands are going with higher pixel counts but increasing megapixels also means decreasing the size of each pixel. By joining 2x2 or 3x3 pixel groups to form a single virtual pixel, camera makers get more flexibility. In situations when there is enough light, the camera can take a 48MP shot that allows you to dive in. Under uneven lighting, the camera will use the virtual pixels to take a 12MP shot that has less noise.
Among the other changes, the main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro models now has a 24mm equivalent focal length, which is slightly wider than the 26mm lens Apple has used for years. It will help with group shots.The camera’s flash has been improved with a nine-LED system that controls the pattern and intensity of light; it’s twice brighter in certain conditions.
And the biggest change that will go unseen physically is the Photonic Engine, “an enhanced image pipeline that dramatically improves low-light photos”. It adds to the Deep Fusion technology Apple already employs to merge multiple frames into one shot. By implementing Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion begins earlier in the image processing pipeline. In other words, more details are preserved in the raw image data.
Extreme capabilities
There will be very few reasons — if any at all — to look at a smartwatch other than the new Apple Watch Ultra, which is for athletes as well as fitness enthusiasts. The rest of the line-up remains and this year we have an excellent new Apple Watch SE as well as the Apple Watch Series 8. Yet, Ultra is stealing the show for a few good reasons.
Consider the Ultra to be a version of Casio G-Shock but it looks sleek and can also be worn to a party as well as office.
The new watch has a titanium case, sapphire flat front crystal, and 49mm case size with a brighter display (2,000 nits). A big change — there’s a dedicated second button or a customisable ‘action button’. With a lot of “pro” features built into this one, Apple decided to keep the model cellular only. That’s not all. Apple says Ultra is able to last for up to 36 hours on a single charge with normal use. Of course, actual battery life will vary significantly depending on what the Apple Watch is used for. Workouts that exceed 60 minutes will drain the battery quicker.
Yes, the watch looks slightly bigger on the wrist but not unwieldy or heavy. The buttons are easy to reach and everything seems to be easier to access even while wearing gloves or underwater gear.
Equally exciting are the three new straps that come with the Ultra — a wavy rubberised Ocean Band designed for wearing over wetsuits, a lightweight Trail Loop that’s somewhat alike the existing Sport Loop, and an Alpine Loop nylon band with a titanium clasp.
There is a redesigned Compass app looks fun, especially since it zooms out to different scales and allows waypoints and walk-back directions. Changes have been made to the Ultra’s GPS with dual-frequency L1 and L5 GPS, which makes it the most accurate among smartwatches.
With the launch, Apple is going directly after the crowd that still swears by Garmin with its long battery life.
During Apple ‘Far Out’ event, some safety features on the Ultra were shown, including a loud emergency siren that could be set to alert people if you’re down. This time the water resistance is higher: WR100 and EN13319-certified for scuba diving.
Temperature sensor and women’s health
An important change is coming to Apple Watch Series 8 — temperature-sensing capabilities. The menstrual cycle is an important marker of health, and many physicians consider it a vital sign. Apple Watch Series 8 takes a very different approach to temperature sensing with a two-sensor design — one sensor on the back of the watch, nearest the skin, and another just under the display — reducing bias from the outside environment. Night time wrist temperature can be a good indicator of overall body temperature.
Apple AirPods Pro take music to a new level
Apple AirPods Pro
The long-awaited refresh of Apple’s AirPods Pro is here and we tried it. Be it active noise cancellation or transparency mode, the new sound cans will simply grow on you. Powered by a new H2 chip, the earbuds cancel “up to twice as much noise” over the first generation AirPods Pro. Battery life is now up to six hours on a single charge (up from five), and the case gives you an additional four charges. As for the ability to stream Apple Lossless tracks over wireless, the company hasn’t mentioned anything about that. The case now has a built-in speaker, which allows it to play sounds for use with Apple’s precision Find My feature.
Pricing and availability
Apple debuts iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max featuring the new Dynamic Island format
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
Will be available in deep purple, silver, gold, and space black in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.You will be able to pre-order both models beginning 5am PDT on September 9, with availability beginning September 16. Price: iPhone 14 Pro is priced upwards of Rs 1,29,900 and iPhone 14 Pro Max upwards of Rs 1,39,900. iOS 16 will be available as a free software update on September 12.
Apple introduces iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, both of which include the A15 Bionic chip
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
Will be available in midnight, blue, starlight, purple, and red in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities. Customers can book from September 9, with iPhone 14 availability beginning September 16, and iPhone 14 Plus beginning October 7. Price: iPhone 14 for Rs 79,900 and iPhone 14 Plus for Rs 89,900.
Apple Watch Ultra is built for endurance, exploration, and adventure
Apple Watch Ultra
You can order the Apple Watch Ultra, with availability in stores beginning September 23. Price: Rs 89,900. watchOS 9 will be available for Apple Watch Series 4 and later on September 12, and requires iPhone 8 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later running iOS 16.