My iPhone 14 Pro review after 3 months of using it

After a few software updates, the iPhone 14 Pro celebrated its three month birthday. The three-month mark is when a lot of excitement and hype for smartphones starts to fade, giving us a better idea of what the device does well and what it fails at.

Apple’s new flagship is no exception. The iPhone 14 Pro launched to much praise. It finally changes the game in a product line that was becoming stale. The Dynamic Island replaces Apple’s Pro models’ notch, providing tangible benefits such as Live Activities. In my initial review, the new 48MP main camera impressed me and continues to impress in daily use.

The iPhone 14 isn’t perfect. The battery life is noticeably shorter than that of the iPhone 13 Pro. This is the biggest flaw of the iPhone 13 Pro. Apple has addressed other issues.

Since September when Apple released the iPhone 14 Pro, it has been my daily driver. I wanted to see how it holds up three months later. Does it still feel as good as the one I reviewed? Mostly.

IPHONE 14 Pro: What I Like

There are many things I love about the iPhone 14 Pro. This phone is one of my favorite phones, from the camera to the display and the sheer power of the handset.

Display

The iPhone 14 Pro’s display is without a doubt one of the most impressive ever. The OLED panel on the iPhone 14 Pro’s 6.1-inch display is brilliant with vivid colors and excellent viewing angles. It also has deep blacks. In most aspects, it is only matched by the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it easily surpasses all other products.

It’s also an absolute treat to see the iPhone 14 Pro display refresh rate of 120Hz ProMotion. It is buttery smooth and has very little jankiness, which is a big difference from other Android phones. The iPhone 14 Pro was also the first iPhone with an always-on display. This feature has been greatly improved by iOS 16.2.

The iPhone 14 Pro is the largest display at this size. It outshines the Pixel 7 and Galaxy S22. Simply put, I haven’t seen anything better.

Cameras

Apple and Google are the two main players when it comes to smartphone cameras. They are constantly at odds — one side is more powerful than the other. Apple upgraded its 12MP sensor to a larger 48MP sensor for the iPhone 14 Pro. Apple’s camera phone is capable of capturing vivid 12MP images with rich detail and colors using pixel binning.

The ProRAW mode has a full 48MP resolution, which allows for large photos that can be cropped and edited. The ProRAW mode was even tested shortly after the iPhone 14 launched. Tom’s Guide Content Director Mark Spoonauer was very impressed.

The iPhone 14 Pro’s ultrawide macro mode also has been improved. It focuses faster and produces clearer results under optimal conditions. I believe that the autofocus feature on the front-facing camera results in better selfies with more detail and clarity.

The iPhone 14 Pro’s camera performance is a significant improvement over the iPhone 13 Pro.

Performance

Apple Silicon has been leading its competition for quite some time now. The new A16 Bionic chipset does not disappoint. It boasts a lot of horsepower, AI smarts and GPU power. It can handle any task, including 4K video editing right from your phone.

Gaming is a blast with the iPhone 14 Pro being able to play Apex Legends Mobile and Genshin Impact with high frame rates. The iPhone 14 Pro is a great gaming phone, especially when it’s combined with the stunning 120Hz display.

The iPhone 14 Pro is an enjoyable device to use in daily life. It has never had a problem or lagging. It can run any game I like, edit photos on the fly and I’m confident that it won’t falter due to my normal workflow.

Software

iOS 16 is Apple’s best mobile operating system. This version of SoftwareiOS 16 offers unprecedented levels of customization for iPhones, with the focus being on the lock screen. You can add widgets to your iPhone and make things more interesting.

Dynamic Island gives the iPhone 14 Pro better access to live activities. This is very useful for things such as real-time scores in sports, status of your Uber or food delivery order, and many other applications we haven’t yet seen. iOS 16 is best enjoyed on an iPhone 14 Pro.

IPHONE 14 PRO: WHAT I DO NOT LIKE

Of course, there is no perfect solution. One thing I find bothersome about the iPhone 14 Pro is its charging system. It is also slower than other smartphones when it comes charging.

Battery life

The iPhone 14 Pro’s battery life is a bit lower than the iPhone 13 Pro. This could be due to its always-on display which draws more power than a fully charged screen. The phone’s durability is significantly improved if the AOD is disabled. However, you will be removing a key iPhone 14 Pro feature.

My iPhone 14 Pro’s battery life has improved since launch, and with a few iOS updates. With more than half the battery remaining at bedtime, I can easily last a whole day. I used to have a similar usage pattern and had a higher than average of 20-30%. This was with AOD enabled, checking it frequently during work hours, and heavy Reddit browsing at nights.

Although the battery life isn’t as poor as I saw with the Pixel 7 Pro’s, I still find it disappointing. I’m not sure where Apple went wrong. The A16 Bionic should have been a more powerful chip than the A15 Bionic. The larger iPhone 14 Pro Max has a phenomenal battery life.

Charging

Apple is slower than other smartphone makers due to its meagre 20W wired charging speed and 15W MagSafe charging speed. The iPhone is a relic when companies like OnePlus charge 65W or more with the OnePlus 10 Pro.

It’s very slow to charge the iPhone 14 Pro if I need it to charge my phone for a night out. Although I doubt the Lightning connector standard is limited at 20W, the iPhone 15 allegedly switches to USB-C so maybe we will see an increase in charging speed by 2023.

IPHONE 14 Pro: BOTTOM LINE

The iPhone 14 Pro phone is great. It’s my daily driver and it beats any other smartphone on the market. The iPhone is my favorite device, even though I love other devices such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Pixel 7 Pro.

The iPhone 14 Pro has many other features that I enjoy, despite the poor battery life. This phone is worth the price alone because of its display and camera. The software experience and performance make this a powerful phone. If Android phones are to be able to convince me to change back in 2023, they need to do it well. Otherwise, I will wait to see what Apple does to the iPhone 15 Pro.

After more than a decade of Android, switching to iOS was not easy. But it was worth it so I could use my iPhone 14 Pro.