In what appears to have turn out to be an annual custom, the spring season will start with a brand new iPhone.
No, it’s not an all-new mannequin, but it surely’s a contemporary seasonal coloration — yellow — that’s positive to seize your consideration.
Obtainable throughout the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus lineup, this new yellow end simply hit cabinets this week. Previous to the launch, I had the chance to spend some hands-on time with the iPhone 14 Plus in yellow.
Not solely have I warmed as much as the daring new coloration, however I’ve additionally been impressed with the telephone itself.
It will not be as highly effective because the higher-end iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max. Nonetheless, it packs quite a bit into a light-weight and extra reasonably priced bundle (beginning at $799) that ought to make it successful with vacationers.
Right here’s why.
Greatest-ever battery life
In the event you’re something like me, you may be (a tiny bit) obsessive about ensuring you don’t run out of juice whereas on the street.
Personally, meaning scouting out energy shops on the airport or toting round an exterior battery pack to verify my telephone is all the time charged. As a final resort, I’ll interact Apple’s “Low Energy Mode” on the iPhone, however this function comes with degraded efficiency to attenuate battery utilization.
Fortuitously, vacationers will not want to fret about that with the bigger iPhone 14 Plus. Apple says this mannequin packs the longest-ever battery lifetime of any iPhone, and this declare could be very a lot substantiated in my expertise.
Join our every day e-newsletter
I’ve had no downside reaching almost a day and a half of fairly constant utilization throughout productiveness, social media, journey and digicam apps without having to recharge.
That’s fairly spectacular and maybe purpose sufficient for some street warriors to go for the iPhone 14 Plus over every other mannequin.
In the event you go for the entry-level iPhone 14, you’ll be able to count on as much as 20 hours of battery life which ought to nonetheless assist most vacationers get via their journey.
Greater, higher screens
“Plus” doesn’t simply seek advice from a bigger battery. It additionally means the gadget has a 6.7-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, providing you with much more room to get pleasure from content material once you’re on the go.
Whether or not you employ the additional display screen actual property to immerse your self in a sport or peruse the inflight leisure programming, it received’t take lengthy to understand the bigger show.
Higher but, I discovered the larger telephone doesn’t truly really feel a lot bulkier. It weighs simply 7.16 ounces, and it matches completely in my hand. I do not thoughts sacrificing a little bit of portability for a bigger show and longer battery life, however that’s a private choice each traveler might want to make.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 additionally incorporates a crisp Tremendous Retina XDR show.
One function from Apple’s higher-end iPhones you will not discover on the usual 14 and 14 Plus fashions is a ProMotion show. This permits content material to scroll extra easily between pages. One other draw back is that the show brightness on the entry-level fashions is not as excessive as on the dearer Professional units — a distinction that is instantly noticeable when the solar is shining open air.
For many informal vacationers, nevertheless, these two options alone usually are not definitely worth the $200 improve to a Professional mannequin.
Spectacular efficiency
I just lately attended a gaming showcase the place some iOS builders confirmed off their newest video games.
Whereas I’m not a critical gamer myself, I left the showcase most impressed by how effectively Apple’s entry-level iPhone 14 fashions rendered the video games. When taking part in round with “Name of Responsibility: Warzone Cellular,” the iPhone 14 had no downside maintaining with the tens of millions of inside computations wanted to show the sport with out lag or overheating.
This efficiency is powered by Apple’s proprietary A15 Bionic chip — the identical pro-level silicon that powered final 12 months’s iPhone 13 Professional.
For the common person, A15 is a lot highly effective. It takes simply seconds to make batch edits and render movies in iMovie — two superior duties that almost all informal vacationers could have no bother acting on these units.
Emergency SOS
This function helps you to join with emergency providers utilizing satellites, even in case you’re far off the grid with out mobile or Wi-Fi service.
Each iPhone 14, together with the entry-level fashions, has built-in satellite tv for pc connectivity — a game-changer for individuals who are sometimes trekking or adventuring off the crushed path.
Even if you buy your iPhone within the U.S., you’ll be able to interact Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc in 12 international locations (and counting) — together with Canada and lots of the largest international locations in Europe. This makes it an amazing insurance coverage coverage to your summer time trip.
Even in case you don’t want emergency help, you need to use satellite tv for pc connectivity to ship your location to family members again residence via the Discover My app.
Though you received’t be capable to name or textual content them, having the ability to ship your location ought to assist reassure your loved ones and pals that you just’re doing effectively in your tenting journey.
For extra about utilizing Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc, make sure you take a look at TPG’s devoted information.
No extra bodily SIM playing cards
For the previous 15 years, each iPhone mannequin has shipped with a bodily SIM (quick for subscriber id module) card slot.
These tiny chips comprise the knowledge wanted to connect with the mobile community. Nonetheless, they’ve turn out to be a ache to handle — particularly once you’re touring overseas and fumbling round with a number of nano-size SIM playing cards throughout your journey.
Plus, bodily SIMs are much less safe. In case your telephone will get misplaced or stolen, somebody might take away your SIM card to begin making calls and texts (and receiving two-factor authentication codes) along with your telephone quantity.
This 12 months, each iPhone 14 offered within the U.S. is dropping the bodily SIM slot in favor of the brand new eSIM (or embedded SIM) normal.
With this innovation, you’ll be able to retailer a minimum of eight digital SIM playing cards immediately in your telephone. This implies you will not must shuffle round with a number of 9-millimeter-by-12-millimeter chips.
You may swap between telephone numbers immediately in iOS, and you may even obtain low-cost worldwide plans via apps like Airalo, Truphone and GigSky.
The truth is, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus each help twin SIM, that means you’ll be able to join to 2 cellular networks concurrently. This can be a key function to avoiding the pesky $10-a-day roaming prices with AT&T and Verizon.
Crash detection
Lately, Apple’s been busy constructing health- and safety-focused options throughout its complete telephone and watch lineup.
With the introduction of Crash Detection within the iPhone 14 household, you may be reassured that your smartphone can detect a extreme automotive crash and robotically dial emergency providers if mandatory.
Similar to Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc, it is a function you hope by no means to make use of. Nonetheless, it will possibly deliver vacationers further peace of thoughts when hitting the street.
Backside line
Apple’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are phenomenal smartphones for the on a regular basis traveler — they usually now are available a daring new yellow coloration.
They each pack many must-have options, together with the introduction of eSIM-only mobile connectivity. The actual star of the present is the Plus mannequin, which is Apple’s first entry-level mannequin to supply a 6.7-inch touchscreen.
It additionally packs the longest-ever battery life in an iPhone, making it an amazing possibility for vacationers who’re regularly on the go.
Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc and built-in crash detection are two crucial safety-related options that may be notably comforting to solo vacationers or these heading to distant locations.
After all, some heavy smartphone customers and creatives would possibly wish to splurge for the top-of-the-line Professional fashions. Nonetheless, except you want the digicam and show enhancements, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus ought to match the invoice fairly effectively.
