Apple has introduced a new system on a chip, the A16 Bionic, that is powering the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The new chip features 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 4 high-efficiency cores, which Apple says uses one third of the power of its competition. There’s also a 5-core GPU and 16-core neural engine, along with a new display engine that powers the new high peak brightness, anti-aliasing, always-on display and 1 Hz refresh rate. The neural engine can confirm 17 trillion operation per second, and the chip can perform 4 trillion OPS per photo.
The new Pro lineup ditches Apple’s trademark notch for a pill-shaped cutout on the screen, which Apple calls the “dynamic island.” The new, smaller TrueDepth camera will fit behind the smaller cutout, and also mix with the screen to showcase notifications, and show charging status, calls, and AirPod pairing. It’s an interesting mix of hardware and software that, on first impression from the video, appears pretty 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. There’s also a 12MP ultra-wide camera and 12MP telephoto. Like the regular iPhone 14, the cameras will support the new Action Mode for videos with lots of motion without the need for a gimbal.
There will be two screen sizes: 6.1 and 6.7 inches, and these will be the first iPhone screens with always-on features. It can go as low as 1 Hz with low-power mode, and the lock screen can dim to use minimal power. Last year, Apple moved to a 120 Hz display with the iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple will keep the A15 Bionic around for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Both will use the version that was in the iPhone 13 Pro line last year, with a 5-core GPU.
Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will also be able to connect to emergency services via satellite when you’re out of cellular range, and will have crash detection, which can call for help if you’re in a car accident.
The iPhone 14 Pro will start at $999 while the Pro Max will start at $1,099. Pre-orders start on Sept. 9, and the phones will be available on Sept. 16.