Apple has introduced a new system-on-chip, the A16 Bionic, found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The new chip has 16 billion transistors, the most in an iPhone, and is Apple’s first chip on a 4 nm process. The 6-core CPU has two performance cores and four high-efficiency cores and, according to Apple, uses one-third the power of the competition. It also features a 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, along with a new display engine that delivers new high peak brightness, anti-aliasing, always-on display, and 1Hz refresh rate. The neural engine can see 17 trillion movements per second, and the chip can do 4 trillion OPS per photo.
The new Pro lineup replaces Apple’s trademark notch with a pill-shaped cutout on the screen that Apple calls “dynamic islands.” A new smaller TrueDepth camera sits behind a small cutout that combines with the screen to show notifications, charging status, calls and AirPod pairing. It’s an interesting combination and looks very seamless.
Apple’s new camera system includes a 48-megapixel camera with a quad-pixel sensor. That’s 65% larger than the iPhone 13 Pro. It also has a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 12MP telephoto camera. Like the regular iPhone 14, the camera supports a new action mode that allows you to capture action-packed videos without the need for a gimbal.
Available in two screen sizes, 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch, these will be the first iPhone screens with always-on functionality. Low power mode can go as low as 1 Hz, dimming the lock screen to minimize power consumption. Last year, Apple moved to a 120 Hz display with the iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple will keep the A15 Bionic for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Both will use the version with the 5-core GPU that was in last year’s iPhone 13 Pro line.
Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro can connect to emergency services via satellite when you’re out of cell phone range, or crash detection to call for help if you’re in a car accident. .
The iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999 and the Pro Max starts at $1,099. It will be available for pre-order on September 9th and will be available on September 16th.
