Although many people (including the editor) are puzzled about the iPhone 14 Plus and feel that it is obviously using the bangs screen of the iPhone 13 Pro Max (heh… in fact, the detailed specifications are still different), why does Apple insist on selling this later? Suspected to be called the Max Plus model of course. However, after the out-of-the-box experience, I will feel that the feel and positioning of this phone does give me a very “big” presence that is different from the current Apple product series. Read on for the iPhone 14 Plus unboxing experience.
iPhone 14 Plus out-of-the-box experience: miss the “Plus” feel, a more powerful Apple game console
Inevitably, since it is an out-of-the-box experience, we still need to talk about the boxed accessories of the iPhone 14 Plus. Basically, its accessories are the same as the iPhone 14 series we have unpacked before, and the box is also fixed with a simple paper seal; the internal screen stickers are also made of similar materials.
Adhere to energy saving and carbon reduction cost saving Apple, which is on the road to environmental protection, only attaches the Lightning to USB-C fast charging cable this time, and the charger is not attached because of the special delay (nonsense). Then there’s a simple documentation, SIM card pin, and faith sticker – too bad it didn’t get the same color as the super-beautiful box logo.
【 Buy iPhone 14 Plus on the official website, enjoy 12 installments with 0 interest rate 】
Use experience
After unpacking, I picked up the phone and pressed the power button to start it. The first impression was “This Pro Max is so light (huh)”.
When you hold it, you will feel that even the right-angled middle frame is exactly the feel of the new generation iPhone. But it really gives the impression of inexplicable familiarity. Because of the weight in the early 200g and the smooth aluminum metal frame material, it will really remind people of the nostalgic feeling of the iPhone 8 Plus era.
And it feels like this every time you pick it up. Compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it really feels significantly lighter.
Speaking of which, I would have complained that the 8 Plus actually became heavier at the beginning, but I don’t know that the large-screen iPhone of the subsequent Xs generation has gone straight to the weight of about 240g (Yuanwang). Personally, for a mobile phone of this size, the gap of 30~40g is likely to cause many people to have a difference in use from “love it” to “a little burden”.
It feels like an old Plus model (the iPhone 8 Plus) even though it feels nostalgic. However, once you turn the phone to the front, you will immediately find that it is different from the 5.5-inch “big screen” iPhone many years ago. The iPhone 14 Plus this time has evolved under the premise of maintaining a weight of 202g (8 Plus) and 203g (14 Plus). It became a 6.7-inch bangs screen of the same size as last year’s 13 Pro Max.
Although like ProMotion adaptive frequency screens that support up to 120Hz refresh rate, there is still a slight compromise in brightness compared to the 13 Pro series (800 nits vs 1,000 nits of maximum brightness, but both peak at 1,200 nits); and If you are used to the narrow bezels of the new-generation iPhone 14 Pro series, you may also realize that the black borders of the iPhone 14 Plus screen have a slightly heavier presence.
But overall, compared to the previous “Plus” series of LCD panels and sizes, the screen performance of the iPhone 14 Plus, including P3 color gamut and HDR display, has evolved to the level of the new generation of iPhones. Simply put, if you don’t choose Apple’s large-screen phone because the 6.7-inch iPhone is too heavy, this iPhone 14 Plus will be a worthwhile upgrade option.
At least compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the iPhone 14 Plus also has a 25g lightweight advantage. It really feels lighter when you pick it up. In addition to the newly added and undesired higher-strength car accident detection, and satellite SOS emergency alarm, they are all features of the 14 series compared to previous models.
camera system
Of course, going lighter comes with some tradeoffs. Although the iPhone 14 Plus maintains the dual main camera system of the “Plus” generation, it has moved from the original second configuration with a double-telephoto lens to a wider-angle to an ultra-wide-angle lens. So compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, it is naturally the advantage of less telescopic lenses. However, the large-aperture F1.9 autofocus selfie camera upgraded on the 14 Plus this time is also a significant upgrade item for the “13” generation. Then the 14 Plus also supports the “action mode” super stable shooting mode like a sports camera (there is a demonstration video in the previous unboxing video).
As far as the actual shooting is concerned, although it was mentioned at the press conference that the iPhone 14 series has a “light image engine” that can merge pixels at an earlier stage, it seems that the improvement in picture quality is not obvious at present. As far as the personal short-term shooting is concerned, I will feel that the iPhone 14 series seems to have a more significant difference in color tonality – this needs further testing.
On the other hand, the close-up of the main lens has become as far as the iPhone 13 Pro series, without the inconsistent experience of providing an ultra-wide-angle lens with autofocus, which still exists on the iPhone 14 Plus. If you care about this, maybe you can wait until the iPhone 15 should improve – if there is a standard version. Otherwise, in order, upgrading to a 48MP sensor with 2x crop zoom should be the strongest standard iPhone ever?
If you are interested in seeing the shooting effect of the iPhone 14 Plus, you can refer to the sample photos below.
【 Buy iPhone 14 Plus on the official website, enjoy 12 installments with 0 interest rate 】
Efficient battery life
Many people saw that the standard iPhone 14 did not upgrade the A16 SoC with the Pro, but used the full-blooded version of the A15 SoC that was slightly improved to the same level as the previous Pro series. I think that it is better to go back and buy the iPhone 13 Pro with a better screen and camera system than to buy the iPhone 14. There are also people who choose to go back and buy the iPhone 13 mini after seeing that there is no mini.
And it comes to the iPhone 14 Plus, whose name alone is already unexpected. Personally, I think the “big screen”, “lightweight feel”, “better heat dissipation”, “full blood version (18% GPU performance improvement)”, “the longest battery life in the series” and other features make this phone different from previous iPhones positioning.
Just… there is something like iPad Mini 6 Is it more suitable for the feeling of a device that is a game console?
Well… if you look at it from the perspective of “a mobile device that is more suitable for playing games”. Compared with the iPad mini, the iPhone 14 Plus, which has a narrower bezel and a higher-brightness OLED panel, seems a bit reminiscent of Nintendo’s recent hardware strategy for its own hot-selling game console?
Of course, the OLED version of the Nintendo Switch, which is a bit lacking in sincerity in the facelift, doesn’t seem to be comparable (in front of Nintendo, it seems that the iPhone 14 is also sincere ~ is that so XD). However, in recent years, Apple hopes to make full use of the current strategy of mobile processors and the ecological efforts of the Apple Arcade game platform. In fact, Apple’s ambitions in the game field are quite obvious.
Although the iPhone 14 Plus may not be comparable to the iPad mini in terms of hardware design – after all, one is a tablet computer and the other is a mobile phone (although it is a large-screen mobile phone). However, when I use the iPhone 14 Plus to play games, I will always have a wonderful feeling of “various similarities” with the iPad mini – after all, it is also a 60Hz screen (swiping the web page feels the same XD).
During the evaluation period, simply play Genshin Impact to test the battery life. The body and screen of the iPhone 14 Plus will not feel hot until about 40 minutes later (but not as hot as the iPhone 14 Pro Max), and it will not be felt for more than an hour after playing continuously. Efficiency has dropped significantly.
In terms of battery life, the battery lost about 14% in an hour of play time; when watching Dolby Vision HDR streaming video, it only lost 5% in an hour. It basically conforms to the official experience of “the iPhone with the longest battery life so far”, and it does give people a “Pro Max-level” sense of security in terms of battery life.
In addition, for the fast charging part, we measured that it took about 25 minutes to charge from 15% to 51%, and it took another 25 minutes to charge to 80%, and the last 20% took about 1 hour to achieve.
Both the iPad mini and iPhone 14 Plus give me the feeling that the gaming experience can be played for longer in “all aspects” under the heat dissipation and battery life provided by the better architecture; it is also a bit lighter in the hand – with iPadOS device and In other words, the iPad mini is really relatively lightweight; the iPhone 14 Plus is lighter, has a better screen, and can also take into account the camera and call purposes of a general mobile phone, as well as 5G Internet access (mystery: In fact, further down there are A more lightweight and easy-to-carry iPhone 14).
Speaking of it, although Apple can really simply claim that the iPhone is a product that can take into account the use of e-sports mobile phones with the simple “I mobile processor performance of 94 Wei”. But obviously they should know that the existing gaming phones on the market are not good (with many special abilities). So even the iPhone 14 Plus, including performance, heat dissipation and other features, is close to or even surpasses the performance of gaming phones on the market.
So it’s still just at the press conference to mainly use Arcade to show their efforts and progress in games – maybe one day the standard version of the iPhone also supports ProMotion (or at least 90Hz) will be more qualified to call out the game phone. name?
If you ask me the positioning of the iPhone 14 Plus, I personally think that if you are a friend who thinks the iPad mini is very good for playing games. Perhaps the iPhone 14 Plus, which uses a super Retina XDR display OLED panel and has enhanced power and heat dissipation, will be a lighter and more practical choice. Of course, the price is also more expensive, basically the concept of having more models to choose from.
Conclusion: A better Apple game console than the iPad mini?
Looking at the new generation of iPhone series, I personally feel that from the perspective of the boundary between A16 and A15 SoCs, Apple’s iPhone 14 series this year can be said to draw the product distinction of the Pro series more clearly. Above this line, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature a variety of innovative specs (on Apple’s side) – 48MP camera system, SoC and dynamic island experience.
Below this line, Apple should focus more on the task of connecting the ecosystem more closely. Let low-cost and relatively affordable devices, for example, pay more attention to games and other aspects of the balanced experience, attract users to buy apps or subscribe to Apple Arcade, iCloud services, etc., to get more than hardware. revenue.
I think the iPhone 14 Plus is a powerful weapon aimed at the latter.
If you think that the iPad mini 6 weighs nearly 300g to play games, it is still a bit too heavy for your friends. The 6.7-inch Apple’s strongest game console and smartphone with only 203g should be a good choice that takes into account the practicality of life.
Without the high price of the Pro series, you can enjoy the large-screen experience and battery life of the Pro Max level. In addition, the new generation 14 Pro series still focuses on enhancing the shooting experience, and there is no too decisive leap in shooting functions. It’s a good reason why the iPhone 14 Plus is a good phone model right now.
However, if you think that the mobile phone should still have a 120Hz update rate, then just save your money and go straight to the Pro series without hesitation.
In my personal opinion, if you are a friend who feels that the weight of the large-screen iPhone is getting more and more irreversible, it is a little unacceptable. This time, it is not so heavy to “return” to the iPhone 14 Plus, which is familiar to the previous Plus generations. Instead, it will be your first choice. It is not necessarily true – I really recommend that everyone go to the store to actually get it.
After all, you may not be able to see the difference in 48MP resolution in every photo, but every time you pick up your phone or watch videos and games for a long time, you should be able to really feel the 37g weight difference, right? ? (Small voice: In fact, the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro is 3g heavier than the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus… Orz)
As for whether the screen digging of the dynamic island can adapt or not, that is another story (huh).
【 Buy iPhone 14 Plus on the official website, enjoy 12 installments with 0 interest rate 】
Further reading:
Apple Watch Ultra Unboxing: Made for the Strongest, but the Details Make the Mere Unstoppable