news hardware I went from a lazy iPhone to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, my sincere opinion
As a keen Apple fan, I’ve only owned iPhones since I was a teenager. One of the reasons that explains my fondness for apples is the longevity of the products. I’ve always kept my iPhone for 4 or 5 years. This year, also thanks to my work as a tech journalist, I took an iPhone 14 Pro Max to replace my iPhone XR bought on September 12, 2018.
Apple: Has my iPhone XR coughed up its lungs?
I’m a bit ashamed to say this, but I think I’m one of millions of people who are addicted to their smartphones. There are weeks when my average daily screen time exceeds 7 hours per day. Suffice to say my iPhone XR has largely paid for itself in 4 years.
I spend hours on my phone scrolling through Twitter and TikTok, but not only. I take a lot of photos and videos for myself and for work, I play a lot (long live SuperCell), I write… In short, I’m a so-called “power user”
After 4 years of good and faithful service, my iPhone XR was starting to become obsolete. However, I find it far from being a pick-me-up.
- Intensive applicati ons (e.g. a large game or video editing) run relatively Fluid
- That photos well lit are more than adequate
- That battery always takes a short day (assuming you need to charge around 19:00 on weekdays and around 17:00 on weekends).
- Mon Screen is nickel, and with iPhones slowly depreciating, I know I can still fetch a relatively high price.
So yes, I felt daily that my smartphone was rotting away day by day. As time went by, I experienced more crashes and frustrating little moments of slowdown. My battery stays decent, but on the way home it was frustrating to run out of breath. As far as photo and video quality is concerned, I clearly felt the gap to current standards.
It was time to change.
Transitioning to iPhone 14 Pro Max from an iPhone XR: the blow?
As is common since iOS 11, switching from one iPhone to another is almost magical. My iPhone 14 recognized my iPhone XR, then the data transfer happened by itself. A hundred gigas were transmitted in about 40 minutes.
I’ve obviously found my settings, my applications are already linked to my various accounts… what a treat.
The first thing that struck me was the difference in quality between the two screens.. The colors of the OLED screen overwhelm the very good LCD of the iPhone XR. Brightness level, it’s just crazy, I can scroll on my phone in direct sunlight for the first time in my life. As for the fluidity of the image, I feel the impact of 120Hz tremendously in game and on social networks.
After being surprised by the screen, I was very shocked by the dimensions of the cattle. in good. Between my 6.1-inch XR and my 6.7-inch 14 Pro Max, I can barely tell the difference in my pocket. what i feel more is the weight of the phone. Holding the iPhone 14 Pro Max at arm’s length, for example to film myself taking a selfie, quickly became painful.
Third big shock: the difference in photo quality. Really, I was speechless. The simple fact of having multiple photo modules changes everything. As for the quality itself… see for yourself.
The iPhone XR doesn’t have a night mode, so I won’t share low-light photos with you. My old phone renders a pixel mush while the iPhone 14 Pro shows a pretty glossy result.
I’ve never been one of those people who get bothered by the notch of iPhones. Honestly, I find that with use it is forgotten. On the iPhone 14 Pro, no more notch, let’s go to the “Dynamic Island”. And this time not a question of forgetting.
A lot of things are happening on this little black island. After a few days, I don’t think I’ve seen all the possible uses for this new feature. All I know is that I’m amazed every time I discover something new.
Battery level, it’s a great relief Going to bed at night without once worrying that I didn’t have enough juice to end the day. It may not seem like much, but it frees me from my daily mental work.
Of course, the differences between iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone XR don’t end there. The purpose of this article is not to list them all but to tell you about my feelings while using them. Anything that wasn’t mentioned didn’t particularly shape me.
Let’s take a concrete example: I thought I felt the difference in performance between the processors of the two phones. There is supposed to be a huge difference between the A12 Bionic chip and the A16 Bionic. So yes, when I place the two phones side by side and launch apps, I see a noticeable lag. But I’ll be honest: I don’t really notice it in everyday life.
Let’s take stock. Going from a rotting iPhone to a war machine gave me a slap in the face. I was frustrated with my phone on a daily basis without even realizing it. Everything is beautiful today, everything is fluid. It is a pleasure.