[토요리뷰] The ever-changing island `` iPhone 14 Pro '

The iPhone 14 Pro made a big change from its predecessor 2022.11.11 / News1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

Just as there are “islands among people”, smartphones also have “islands”. With the competition for bezel-less bezels intensifying, which fills the screen with products, the front camera remains an island. The pinhole hanging from the camera was seen as a smudge in the sea of the screen. Under-screen camera technology (UDC) that places the camera below the screen has also appeared, but it hasn’t completely erased the island’s fingerprint. Instead, it had the opposite effect of lowering the quality of the camera.

Apple’s choice was different. Instead of hiding the island, she was exposed to the front. iPhone 14 Pro melted down the bustling user experience (UX). The new design, called “Dynamic Island”, acts as a kind of secondary display that moves and presents different information depending on the use of the application by the user.

(From left) ‘iPhone 11 Pro’ and ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ 2022.11.11 / News1 © News1 Reporter Ki-beom Lee

Apple in the details. They have overcome the shortcomings of the “Punch Hole” design with the convergence of hardware and software, which is their hardware. Although the “notch” design was implemented after the removal of the “iPhone X” in 2017, the hole design has already been established as a “national norm” (national norm) in the Android field. Apple is striving to reduce the front camera space and expand the screen due to the highly secure “TrueDepth Camera” facial recognition system (Face ID), but the switch from notch to hole is not from an engineering point of view, but for general users. This is not a new eye change

It is the area of user experience (UX) that has brought about a change that is not new. A new experience has been created by overlaying the user interface (UI) on the empty space of the front camera.

On the iPhone 14 Pro, the “island” moves quickly. Basically, it is in the form of a front-facing camera and a pill-sized sensor. Here, when you do a specific action, such as playing or listening to music, it expands laterally in a way that indicates that state. When you perform two actions, such as turning on a stopwatch and running a music app at the same time, each action is divided into two shapes: a round icon and a disc shape. Also, when listening to music or making a call, press and hold on the island to open the expanded control panel.

iPhone 14 Pro ‘Dynamic Island’ Basic Type 2022.11.11 / News1 © News1 Reporter Ki-Beom Lee

‘Dynamic Island’ appears when music app plays in background November 11, 2022 / News1 © News1 Reporter Kibeom Lee

If you press and hold “Dynamic Island” while listening to music, the control panel is displayed. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

“Dynamic Island” appears when a call is received. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

Apple describes it as “a new way for users to interact with the iPhone.” It provides easier access to information and supports enhanced multitasking, giving you a different iPhone experience than ever before.

When you activate Face ID or connect AirPods, use location information in maps, etc., turn on/off silent mode, record screen, connect charger, etc., the island vibrates even with simple actions.

Like Apple, UX works in detail. For example, when playing music, the album art icon is displayed on the left side of the camera and the equalizer is displayed on the right side, and the equalizer corresponds to the album art. This also applies to third-party music apps. Also, the pixels were cropped one by one to represent the island’s animation naturally as it gets bigger and smaller. By applying a new anti-aliasing technique applied to the sub-pixels, the ladder phenomenon in which the return to corner pixels is avoided.

Actor Yoo Yeon-seok shouts “A-Man.” 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

Also, with the introduction of a feature called Live Status, in case the app developer supports it, it is possible to check the delivery time and when the taxi will arrive under the dynamic island.

The camera has a high pixel sensor, not like the Apple one. iPhone has a 48MP main camera for the first time. Of course, since the “Galaxy S20 Ultra” released in 2020 has a 108MP camera, it’s a “later book” that lags far behind the high pixel trend. However, the overall camera system could be improved.

The design of the ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ camera that became ‘Ka-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk’. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

The seemingly new ‘iPhone 11 Pro’ (right) and ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ have become just a fairy

Of course, when using such a large high-pixel sensor, “katuk-tuk triple induction” was also installed. Compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, the culprit that posted a premium camera design, the 11 Pro “looks like a fairy again”. It seems to break the accepted balance of design, but as one of Apple’s products, the “mind” (the phenomenon in which the brain is tamed over time) works.

In addition to hardware improvements, computer-aided imaging has been improved by adding the name “Optical Engine” to take better photos in dark environments. According to Apple, it offers up to 2x better low-light shooting performance.

iPhone 14 Pro has improved low-light shooting performance. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

The scene was captured with a telephoto camera iPhone 14 Pro 11/11/2022 / News1

It is difficult to climb Bukhansan. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

Cups and straws are also well separated in an upright position. 11.11.2022 / News 1 © News1 Reporter Lee Ki-beom

Also, the Always On Display (AOD) function, which always displays the screen in the lock screen state, has finally been implemented. The AOD function works differently from Android phones that have implemented the function since the days of tiger smoke. Unlike the Android camp where only some information is always displayed, the brightness is dimmed while the lock screen image is kept while the screen refresh rate is lowered to 1 Hz.

Apple has written several scenarios to increase battery efficiency for the AOD function. If it is determined that the user is not looking at the iPhone, the AOD function will be disabled, and so on. For example, if the iPhone is upside down or in a bag, the sensor will detect it and turn off the AOD function. AOD is disabled even in driving and sleep mode, and the screen turns off when judging how far the iPhone can’t be seen in relation to the Apple Watch. For this type of work, the A16 Bionic chip has a separate area that deals only with tasks related to the screen.

Unlike its predecessor, this iPhone 14 Pro brings a major change and enriches Apple’s fall celebration. However, the look and feel of the iPhone 14 Pro is more of a transitional change than an innovation.

Apple has built a new camera pipeline with hardware and software improvements, but it’s hard to notice changes in image quality quickly if you don’t pay attention to detail on the big screen.

The AOD functionality, which combines different scenarios with a low-power design, is more elaborate than the Android camp, but close to a late addition to the functionality.

Dynamic islands, in particular, have a fluctuating potential, but it may be a transitional function. If the technology covering the front camera, such as UDC, is advanced enough for Apple to adopt in the future, the UX on top of the camera will likely become an uninhabited island that no one is looking for. It remains to be seen if the dynamic island becomes a new iPhone experience or just a gimmick to hide the eye-catching hole design.