MacBook Pro 14-Inch (M3 Max) Review: Superpowered!

MacBook Pro 14-Inch (M3 Max) Review: Superpowered!

Scary Fast — Apple’s invite for the October Mac event hid a spoiler for its new MacBook Pro range in plain sight. The event saw a new M3 family of chips alongside all-new MacBook Pro and iMac models. In the last few weeks, we have been reviewing the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip to see how it can handle some extreme workflows, and we can say that it’s an absolute beast. Honestly, the idea of this review was to see where exactly the MacBook Pro with M3 Max sweats while handling multiple complex tasks, and we are happily disappointed. But, in this review, we will also talk about who should opt for the M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max-based laptop — after all, these are some of the most expensive laptops available in India. While there are multiple SKU options, the new MacBook Pro lineup can justify their price comfortably.

This year, Apple has tried to tap into different target audiences — students, entrepreneurs, creators, or even a combination of all three with its baseline M3 chip — next, coders, creative artists, and researchers with M3 Pro. The top-of-the-line M3 Max pushes the boundary further and is an ideal machine for AI developers, 3D artists, and video editors. The best part is that Apple, for the first time, aggressively marketed gaming for its latest MacBook line, which we will also dive into sometime.

As someone who purchased the first-generation Apple silicon, which still functions flawlessly, the M3 Max resembles a car with bullet train speeds. Enough of drum roles; let’s get started with this review.

MacBook Pro 14-Inch Review: Price in India and Specifications

The MacBook Pro 14-inch model price in India starts at Rs. 1,69,900 for the M3 chip model with basic configurations of 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD storage. The M3 Pro baseline variant is available at Rs. 1,99,900 and offers an 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 18GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD storage. For the 14-inch Pro model, the M3 Max variant starts at Rs. 3,19,900. It’s also worth noting that the MacBook Pro 14-inch comes in Space Grey and Silver colours in M3 baseline trims, while the all-new Space Black is exclusive to M3 Pro and M3 Max trims along with Silver.

Our review unit has an M3 Max chip with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine, 128GB unified memory, and 8TB SSD storage — priced at Rs. 6,89,900.

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Max)

Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3024×1964 pixels up to 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) and 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Up to 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, up to 40-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine
Operating System: macOS Sonoma
Memory: 18GB to 128GB unified memory
Storage: 512GB SSD to 8TB SSD (M3 Max)
Dimensions and weight: 312.6×221.2×15.5mm, 1.62 kilogram
Webcam: 1080p FaceTime HD camera
Speaker setup: a 6-speaker sound system with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio support
Keyboard: Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Connectivity: Wi-FI 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3
Ports: 3 Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), HDMI port and SDXC slot
Battery and charger: 72.4 watt-hour battery with 96W USB-C power adapter, MagSafe 3 charging port

MacBook Pro 14-Inch Review: Design and display

Back in Black! After some gap, Apple re-introduced a dark shade in the Pro lineup, and the finish in the MacBook Pro is gorgeous. Soon after the launch, many Mac enthusiasts were happy to see Space Black back in the lineup as Apple has had a long history of dark colourways going back as far back as the 1990s. Interestingly, the Space Black colour on the Pro looks different depending on the light conditions, but for those who are Black colour fans, there is a slight disappointment as this one is more Grey than Black. But most people familiar with Apple’s colour ways may already know that.

The chamfered edges on the laptop express premium-ness, while the company’s anodisation finish helps reduce fingerprints during daily use. However, more can be done as we saw the palm rest area picking up some smudges alongside the sides of the keyboard. However, it’s worth pointing out that it is better than the previous-gen MacBook Pros. By its solid looks, the Macbook Pro gives the impression that it’s a laptop built to last, and we don’t doubt that.

Apple claims that the enclosure is created from a custom alloy that uses 100 recycled aluminium, and no doubt, this material is incredibly durable. This way, Apple contributes to its goal of carbon-neutral products by 2030.

As always, the MacBook Pro is among a handful of laptops that one can open (the lid) or close with a finger. The closing snap is satisfying and a cherry on the cake in regular use. At 1.62 kilograms and over 15mm, the laptop is neither light nor thin, but you can live with all that firepower. It took us a few days to adjust to MacBook Pro 14-inch from the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro, which is 12.5mm thin and around 1.5 kilograms, which was our daily driver earlier.

The Magic keyboard is excellent for professionals like writers or coders typing, while the trackpad is responsive and large enough for precise cursor movements and multi-touch gestures. In fact, we are typing this review on the MacBook Pro, and it’s an enjoyable experience. Apart from typing, the keyboard is also apt for gaming, though if you’re into hardcore gaming, you may rely on wireless controllers.

Coming to the display, the 14-inch MacBook Pro isn’t a giant leap from the MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Pro model. However, enhancements like SDR content now appear brighter on the laptop. In numbers, the new Pro model brightness is 600 nits max for SDR content — up from 500 nits in the last iteration. It’s not very noticeable in everyday use, but it’s still a bump. The display is smooth and crisp, and the text is sharp and bright under light conditions. If you end up working out of any location, be it an open cafe or the cab’s rear seat, then the MacBook Pro 14-inch model should be a good fit. The laptop is excellent for multimedia as it packs a stunning display.

The notch is the only place where the MacBook Pro 14-inch still looked stuck in the old generation. It sits right in the middle, staring at you, and the big black spot on the screen doesn’t go well. We would have preferred it if Apple brought the iPhone Pro model’s Dynamic Island-like treatment to the MacBook Pro line. But I guess we will have to wait a few more years for that change. If you ask if the display notch on the Mac is a deal breaker, we would say not because it serves its purpose to full use. One feature we missed on the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the touchscreen support. It would have given it an edge.

The Touch ID is quick and works flawlessly. The laptop packs enough connectivity ports, and the FaceTime camera offers good clarity on video calls.

Overall, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is a great laptop for people on the go and who cannot compromise on the display part. The MacBook Pro 14-inch packs one of the best displays in the 14-inch form factor we have reviewed lately.

MacBook Pro 14-Inch Review: Performance and gaming

With the new M3 line of chips, Apple has aimed to deliver performance without sacrificing portability. With enhanced capabilities like handling 8K video edits and more serious gaming, the all-new MacBook Pro models enable nearly impossible workflows on a device with this form factor.

Coming to real-world performance, the M3 Max can handle tasks much more smoothly than the M1 and M2 (on the MacBook Air 15-inch), which we used for our reference to compare the MacBook Pro with the M3 Max for this review. From launching apps to multitasking, the MacBook Pro is snappy. Since we enabled unlocking your Mac with your Apple Watch feature, we could get going on the laptop as soon as we opened the lid, which was also cool, considering that every time we used this feature, heads were turning.

We had an absolute blast playing titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Metro Exodus, Lies of P and Divinity: Original Sin 2 on the MacBook Pro. I’m not a huge gaming fan, but ever since I watched Baldur’s Gate 3 during the Apple Mac event, I wanted to try my hands on this title. I noted the maximum and minimum FPS I could record during the gameplay in the chart below.

Undoubtedly, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch is my favourite laptop with a 14-inch screen size for gaming. Notably, the fans remained silent for almost the entire review period except when we ran Baldur’s Gate 3 and simultaneously started a project on Final Cut Pro. However, most people won’t have this sort of testing scenario. And at the start, this review was to find out when exactly M3 Max got stressed.

The built-in fingerprint scanner is quick and comes in handy in everyday tasks. However, the fingerprint sensor is quick, but considering the MacBook Pro comes with a hefty price, Face ID unlock could have been a good addition — enhancing the overall utility factor.

The best part about the MacBook Pro is it doesn’t hide all the firepower under the hood but has a package that has a powerful speaker and a vibrant screen to match consumers’ lighter demands, like multimedia consumption. The MacBook Pro 14-inch laptop packs the best speakers on a laptop of this size we have reviewed. Period.

We ran some synthetic benchmark tests to see how well the MacBook Pro M3 Max fares, and we were blown away by the results. Interestingly, we repeated these tests on battery power, and to our surprise, these figures stayed almost identical even on battery power — that tells you enough about the powerhouse M3 range.

We also ran some CPU-based benchmark tests like the Handbrake video encoding test, and the MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 Max recorded a score of 4.85, just behind the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max model of 4.52. We found similar results on the MP4 encode test (1080p 30), where the M3 Max-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro was only behind its bigger sibling, the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

In fact, hat tip to the Max Tech YouTube channel that compared 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max models. The comparison showed that the 16-inch model is a better choice for creators as its performance doesn’t dip when compared to 14-inch models.

Talking about the connectivity ports, the MacBook Pro offers enough options — three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, an SDXC slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. For charging, the laptop houses MagSafe, which means you can use all your Thunderbolt ports, which is a good thing.

At the beginning of this review, we pointed out that Apple this year has tried to tap into different target audiences like students, creators, and more. The best part is the new M3 line has something for all such consumers. While for students who want to have good graphics for handling projects and running intensive games, the M3 or M3 Pro is pretty capable. For the creator community, the M3 Max offers a one-stop solution, and not many laptops in the market can match it.

MacBook Pro 14-Inch Review: Battery

Since the company shifted to Apple Silicon, Macs have been rated as incredible in terms of performance, but another department that has shown remarkable efficiency is the battery. When it launched, the MacBook Air M1 showed excellent battery backup, setting a benchmark for laptops. With the M3 Max, Apple looks to set the bar higher for the competition. We tested the battery prowess of the MacBook Pro in our video loop test; below is the result. The MacBook Pro (14-inch) beats all other 14-inch laptops hands down with its battery efficiency.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max lasted almost two days with light to medium tasks like typing emails and stories, editing articles, browsing websites for research, editing images on Photoshop, watching YouTube videos, minor edits video on Adobe Premiere Pro, and streaming shows on OTT platforms. With a mix of gaming, the MacBook Pro offered close to a full day of usage, with other tasks remaining almost identical, which is impressive.

With video editing thrown into the mix, things did get interesting. With Final Cut Pro used on the machine for a couple of hours, the overall battery dropped to around 9 hours. Mind you, the usage involved everyday tasks and a couple of hours of gaming on titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Lies of P and more. The way MacBook Pro deliver battery output is still impressive by a considerable margin. Of course, in case you think you need more, there’s the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M3 Max on offer as well.

MacBook Pro 14-Inch Review: Verdict

The all-new MacBook Pro has everything that a power user would need for everyday tasks — a high-end desktop-grade performance, outstanding battery life, a best-in-class display in this size, and, to top it off, solid looks. The sheer raw power that M3 Max features makes it ideal for AI developers, 3D artists, gamers, and video content professionals. Anyone not falling in that category can either go M3 Pro if they have the budget or choose an M3 — if the everyday tasks don’t require intensive workflows.

During the review, we realised that the MacBook Pro with M3 Max is great for working with demanding content across a variety of workflows, such as making intricate 3D models and SketchUp faster than before.

The bottom line is if you’re looking for a laptop with multitasking, minor video edits, and casual gaming as the top priority, then the M3 chip-powered MacBook Pro with 8GB unified memory should be good, and it starts at Rs. 1,69,900. If the M3 Pro would fit your requirements, then the MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at Rs. 1,99,900. To compare, the M3 Max model with baseline specs of 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, and 1B SSD storage starts at Rs. 3,19,900.

The MacBook Pro with M3 Max is the most Pro laptop Apple has ever built and is a mighty machine for power users. Its performance outclasses any other competition in the current laptop market.

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What Apple’s ‘Mother Nature’ campaign does and doesn’t address | Explained

Post By World Apple, Apple buyback programme, apple mother nature ad, Apple Mother Nature campaign, Apple Mother Nature campaign explained, Apple Mother Nature campaign the hindu, What is the concept of apple mother nature?

In the colosseum of corporate accomplishments, Apple, through its viral ‘Mother Nature’ campaign, has bestowed upon itself the mantle of an environmental steward – a green titan etched into the public consciousness. Such audacious reinventions are hardly novel for Apple, a company that, for more than three decades, has sculpted its identity as a trailblazer. Apple’s creations, marketing wizardry, and operational acumen have consistently bedazzled its audience: from devoted customers to astute shareholders and discerning critics.

Apple began its environmental efforts earlier and more earnestly than the other four of the Big Five technology companies: Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta. Like most companies, the Big Five excused their inaction stating that it was not mandated by policies of the relevant local government policy. Only increasing consumer and shareholder pressure forced companies towards better compliance. Consumers of their goods in the West no longer want to buy products made under toxic or tortured conditions. But as a result, Apple did more and better than its rivals in this regard.

The ‘Mother Nature’ campaign has also set social media abuzz with high praise. But while Apple’s reinvention is commendable, its campaign will fall short if the company’s mitigation efforts take only its present and future carbon footprint into account, and ignore its past environmental transgressions.

Has Apple always been ‘green’?

The first two decades of Apple were not so responsible. The company faced recurrent allegations from eco-groups for its environmental transgressions. Chiefly, Apple’s supply chain practices were linked to pollution from small Chinese component manufacturing facilities. To its credit, each time such incidents got reported, Apple was quick to mitigate the problem. This is additionally commendable because others rarely acknowledged it, let alone take concrete measures to address it.

Since 1994, Apple has operated a ‘green’ gadget-recycling programme. In 2005, the programme offered a discount on new iPods when customers swapped an old one at an Apple retail store. It incentivised Apple customers to send their products to them rather than sell them to third-party retailers. The motive may not have been completely altruistic: after all, selling it in an open market would create a grey economy and would hurt its business.

According to a study by IDC, the global market for used computers was worth $26 billion in 2022 (or $32 billion by 2025); by offering a trade-in programme, Apple tapped into it. The buyback policy helps reprocess material (gold, silver, copper, tin, cobalt, etc.) from components.

While this hedges its production costs from price volatility, gives Apple greater control over its inventory, and creates a closed loop of production and recycling, it also cuts Apple’s environmental costs. This places Apple head and shoulders above its competitors.

Does financial truancy affect green goals?

But Apple has also made some bad choices. In October 2018, Italy’s competition authority fined Apple €10 million for allegedly engaging in “planned obsolescence” with its smartphones. The software updates had a detrimental effect on the devices’ performance, forcing millions of users to exchange or buy new phones. This obviously affected the environment, apart from causing inconvenience and costs to customers.

In 2015, Apple was accused of setting up two bogus companies with no employees in Ireland to avoid bigger tax bills in the U.S. According to the Financial Times, about 90% of Apple’s foreign profits were reported by the Irish subsidiaries. These were highly profitable but paid little tax because they were not tax-resident anywhere. It is estimated that Apple paid only 0.005% tax on its European profits in 2014.

Capital flight affects the environment. Parking money elsewhere diverts public funds that could be used for social good, such as reducing water or electricity bills. It also makes undeserving tax havens and consumers of resources from other countries richer, creating a global imbalance between private wealth and public money.

Corporations legitimise such truancy by simply paying fines, whereas chasing evaders diverts resources from public offices, which costs public money. Apple’s outsourcing also avoided meeting its environmental obligations in California, allowing it to evade U.S. standards for its products and not pay for the cost of compliance in the U.S.

What are the gaps in Apple’s campaign?

This is not to take away from Apple’s achievement. It is commendable that Apple has met its water, energy, and material targets sooner than it had planned. But as a company that loves to innovate and overcome intractable challenges, if it wants to heal the wounds of ‘Mother Nature’, it will have to address its historical emissions, environmental ills, and financial truancy. As a trillion-dollar company, it needs to do this honestly and transparently.

It needs to go back to mines from where the minerals were extracted, where its components were produced, and where toxic and hazardous wastes were disposed. It needs to go back to the communities and villages from where the minerals came or where the waste was recycled. Toxins released during manufacturing or recycling elsewhere can’t be mitigated by planting trees in South America or using renewable energy to run its offices in California.

Environmental justice demands corporate and public policy based on mutual respect for all peoples, species, and landscapes. Apple must affirm the transgenerational fundamental rights and self-determination of peoples and species and natural processes. It demands the cessation of the production of all toxins, and making past and current producers accountable to communities, and responsible for detoxification and containment beyond the point of production.

What more can Apple do?

Apple should, therefore, honestly assess not only its present but its past sourcing of materials and energy. How much of these were from conflict zones, through forced labour, or made by companies with unethical practices? It needs to calculate how much energy and water it extracted, how its operations affected air, soil, water, and life-forms, and how far the emissions travelled.

Mitigating for environmental damage is not only for what you do now, but also for what was done in the past. Past processes to extract minerals were more energy-intensive, wasteful, and toxic than they are today. Manufacturing has become somewhat more efficient now but the toxic scars from past processes and products haven’t been erased.

Just as there are conversations developing around issues like the rights of Black, Indigenous people, and LGBTQ+ people, around the repatriation of stolen artefacts from museums, and the toppling of statues of slave-traders, environmental justice demands a conversation and an acknowledgement of historical damage. Apple’s campaign speaks of the beginning of its environment mitigation journey, but the destination is a long way away.

Pranay Lal is a biochemist, a public health specialist, a natural history writer, and currently a senior advisor, Health Systems Transformation Platform, New Delhi.

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Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review: Style and substance at a stiff price- Technology News, Firstpost

Post By Science And Technology Apple, iphone 14 pro, iPhone 14 Pro Review, Long Term Reviews, premium smartphones

Ameya DalviMay 08, 2023 10:55:48 IST

Pros:
– Premium design and rugged build
– IP68 ingress protection
– Excellent performance across all cameras
– Topnotch video quality
– Sharp OLED display with a variable refresh rate
– A16 Bionic chip is a solid performer
– Multiple OS updates guaranteed

Cons:
– No bundled charger, no real fast charging
– Telephoto camera underwhelms in low light
– Expensive

Rating: 4/5
Price: Rs 1,19,999 onwards

The most popular Apple product in India currently is the Apple Store they recently opened here amid a lot of fanfare. Now that all the random clapping and selfies have subsided on my social timeline, it is time to look back at a slightly older product from the company, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro. We have been using the device for a good six months and would like to share the experience with you through this long-term review.

Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Design: Elegant, sturdy, and compact but feels heavy
You already know what the iPhone 14 Pro looks like, so I will skip the details like the placement of buttons and ports. Barring the dated notch at the top of the screen being replaced by a Dynamic Island here (more on that later), the design is pretty much identical to that of the iPhone 13 Pro. The phone is built like a tank when it comes to sturdiness, thanks to its stainless steel frame. You also get IP68-rated protection against dust and fluids.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Design — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

It weighs in excess of 200 grams and does feel heavy in hand due to its compact size. It should be able to survive a few drops, though I did not test that aspect given its price tag. I did drop it accidentally on my toe from a foot above, and the swelling took a day or two to subside.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Back — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

The glass back and the rounded corners give it a touch of elegance that you associate with Apple devices. Even better, the matte finish at the back makes it smudge resistant. However, the glossy metal frame does attract a lot of fingerprints and smudge marks and needs to be wiped from time to time.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Display: Sharp high-res display with a variable refresh rate
The screen size is the same as its predecessor, and the resolution is only marginally higher, but you now get an LTPO display with a variable refresh rate.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro sports a 6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. It is HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliant with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz for flicker-free operation.

The refresh rate automatically throttles between 1 Hz to 120 Hz depending on the content being displayed on the screen. For instance, the screen refreshes faster when scrolling through content for a smoother motion, and the refresh rate drops in the lower two digits when watching a still image on the screen to save battery.

It probably drops closer to 1 Hz when using the always-on display on the lock screen, which explains why the battery reserves aren’t impacted much even when the feature is switched on.

The screen sharpness, colour reproduction and contrast are excellent. Given the size of the screen, a single-handed operation is still an option; I don’t get to say this about most phones these days… for the past few years actually.

One thing missing here, and something nobody will miss is the famous notch at the top of the screen which was introduced in the iPhone X. Well, it hasn’t vanished completely but has transformed into a pill-shaped cutout on the screen called Dynamic Island.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Dynamic island — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

Such a fancy name for an aberration; only Apple can pull off something like this, and pull it off it does. Technically, the Dynamic Island is pretty much the notch with some parts missing which detaches it from the top edge and makes it an ‘island’.

While it is an improvement over the dated notch, Apple could have come up with something more innovative after half a decade. But instead, they have tried to make this limitation cool and fun, and believe it or not, it actually works. More on that in the OS section.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Performance: A16 Bionic chip is potent with ample headroom for the foreseeable future
Unlike the non-Pro models from the 14 series, the iPhone 14 Pro is powered by Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chip and is accompanied by 6GB RAM and a choice of internal storage ranging from 128GB to 1TB.

Unlike Android phone makers, Apple has never played the specifications card when it comes to processing hardware, and I won’t bore you with synthetic benchmark scores and stuff like that. But I would like to add that the Bionic A16 is an incredibly powerful processing hardware with ample headroom for the foreseeable future.

There has been absolutely no slowdown after six months of use. Day-to-day tasks like browsing, chatting, switching between multiple apps, photography or gaming are simply as smooth as they were on day one. It looks well poised to handle another 3 or 4 major OS updates that the iPhone 14 Pro is expected to receive over the years. The phone runs perfectly cool during general use.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Bottom edge — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

It does get a little warm after half an hour of gaming, but there’s no cause for concern. The hardware is powerful enough to let you play all the recent games on it at the highest settings at a solid frame rate. You get two speakers on this phone – one behind the earpiece and the other along the bottom edge.

They are amply loud and offer good clarity with acceptable stereo separation. You don’t get a 3.5 mm headphone jack here, and you will need a separate adapter if you intend to use your old wired headphones.

Alternatively, there’s Bluetooth 5.3 here to connect wireless earphones and speakers. High-end codec support is still limited to AAC; this really needs to change soon. You get dual-band WiFi with support for a/b/g/n/ac/6 standards. The call quality and reception have been perfectly fine on this phone; well, as good as your network provider can manage these days.

Like all Apple flagship phones over the past several years, the iPhone 14 Pro does not have a fingerprint scanner, and Face ID takes care of your biometric security needs. Face ID is easy to set up, and is brisk at its job.

You can even configure it to recognise your face with a mask on; a useful addition during and after the pandemic era. I cannot say for sure if it is better than its previous generation in reality, but it is certainly more secure than the face unlock feature on most Android phones.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Battery performance: Decent battery life, slow charging, no bundled charger
The battery life of the iPhone 14 Pro sees a marginal improvement over the 13 Pro, probably because of a slightly higher capacity battery used here, among other things. The 3200 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over a day of moderate use comfortably.

When at home on WiFi all the time, it even lasted close to two days with standard use and no gaming involved. Your mileage may vary depending on your usage pattern. The battery’s health is still 100 per cent after six months of use, which is great.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Charger — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro supports wired and wireless charging but the company does not bundle a charger in the package; no surprise there! The charging speed is nowhere close to what some of the Android phones (not sold under the Google brand name) offer these days. The peak fast charging supported using a USB-PD charger stands at 27W. Thus, chargers offering more than 30W output won’t charge it any faster.

We tried a handful of compatible chargers over a period of time, and the fastest charging time we recorded was about 90 minutes to take the phone from 5 per cent to 100 per cent. We achieved that using a 30W USB-PD charger and the bundled USB-C to Lightning port cable (yes, Apple provides one in the package).

Half an hour of charge fills up about 55 per cent of the tank. We also tried a Raegr RapidLink 1160 charger with 65W output, and the charging time was in the same ballpark as what a 30W charger clocked. We didn’t stop at that. We also borrowed a not-so-old Apple 20W charger.

The good part is it only takes about 10 to 15 extra minutes to charge the iPhone 14 Pro fully. So in case you have that one already, there is no need to invest in a new charger right away. If not, a good 30W USB-PD charger from a reliable brand is advisable. Older Apple chargers and those offering less than 20W output take forever to charge this phone.

Another thing to note is ‘USB-PD’ is the keyword, so popular 30W/65W/100W+ fast chargers that charge certain Android phones in no time may only offer 10W output when used with an iPhone, and won’t charge it fast enough.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Camera performance: Good variety, great performance in photos and videos both
You get three cameras at the back that cover all the key bases. You get a new 48MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and dual-pixel PDAF, a 12MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degrees FOV and dual-pixel auto-focus.

The ultra-wide camera also doubles up as a macro camera. You also get a 12MP front camera for selfies and FaceTime. Each of the cameras has a distinct KRA, and they excel in their respective departments.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Cameras — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

The main camera captures impressive shots in bright as well as low light conditions. The colours feel slightly saturated at times, which has been the case with iPhones over the years, but a lot of users prefer it that way.

In comparison, similar images captured on the Google Pixel 7 Pro have colours a lot closer to the actual subject, but ironically when you compare images from the two phones side by side, many may vote in favour of the iPhone 14 Pro, unless they have the subject in front of them.

The contrast is excellent, and the same goes for the level of detail and dynamic range. The low-light performance is equally impressive with great detail and low noise. When the light drops below a certain level, the phone automatically switches to Night Mode which brightens up the image just enough without compromising on the details.

That is applicable to the ultra-wide camera too, which happens to be one of the finest around. In good light, the image quality is comparable to the main camera, and it can hold its own in low light too.

As I mentioned earlier, the ultra-wide camera lets you capture macro shots too from up close. When you get closer to a subject, the phone automatically switches to macro mode. The macro shots come out quite well with very good detail, colour and exposure. This is one area where you can see a noticeable improvement in comparison to the iPhone 13 Pro.

The portrait shots have always been impressive on iPhones over the years, and they are great here too with near-perfect foreground and background separation. You now get 2X and 3X zoom options that are worth a try.

I quite liked the 2X option in addition to the standard 1X mode for portraits. It works well not just with humans but also flowers, other objects and birds. Furry animals can be a hit or a miss though. Also, it is best to take portrait shots in well-lit conditions.

On the subject of zoom, it is time to move on to the telephoto camera that provides you with up to 3X optical zoom. The presence of OIS compensates for minor shakes quite well, resulting in impressive clicks, especially in good light.

The colours and details are excellent in captured shots in well-lit conditions. The results aren’t as impressive when the light drops. While it is still usable in low light, the images feel noisy and have average detail.

You also get digital zoom up to 15X but I wouldn’t bother going beyond 5X. This is an area where the Pixel 7 Pro wins with its 30X digital zoom backed by crazy good AI and ML algorithms. The 12MP front camera does a very great job with selfies, with fairly natural skin tones and a broad FOV. Needless to say, it excels in FaceTime and video calls. Just like the rear cameras, the front camera can also record videos in 4K resolution at up to 60 fps.

Video recording has been the forte of iPhones for years now and the iPhone 14 Pro carries the legacy forward with excellent video capture across the board that’s best in the segment. Each camera can record 4K videos at 24, 30 or 60fps, and can shoot 1080p slow motion videos up to 240fps.

While I tried using all the cameras for videography, I settled on the main camera for the best results. In addition to OIS and EIS, you also get 10-bit HDR and Dolby Vision support. The captured 4K footage is sharp, with lively colours and wonderfully stabilised.

Click here for lots of unedited photos clicked on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro.

OS and user interface: Love it or hate it, it’s still iOS
This can be a separate series of articles in itself if time permits. But I will try and keep it short here. Nor will I get into the Android vs iOS debate. Both are perfectly polished operating systems and people like what they like at the end of the day. I will just touch upon a couple of things that caught my eye while using this device.

For starters, iPhone 14 Pro launched with the iOS 16 and now runs the latest version of the OS – 16.4.1. For iPhone users, there is no new learning curve here as you get the standard user interface.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review User interface — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

The UI is smooth and lag-free as it has been. While iOS 16 doesn’t bring forth anything drastically different as compared to its predecessor, there are some evolutionary updates in several departments. The OS combined with the aforementioned Dynamic Island presents something fresh on the 14 Pro.

I already told you about the island bit, and iOS 16 takes care of the dynamic part. It smartly adds things on either side of the screen cutout with a black backdrop and even below it to create an optical illusion of the island growing bigger or smaller or changing shape.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Long-term (Six Months) Review Always-on display — Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi

Certain apps like the music player use a black background to encompass the island, giving an impression that the phone has a completely notch-less display; that’s quite smart! You now get an always-on-display for the lock screen that isn’t power-hungry at all.

It dims the screen brightness, drops the refresh rate and displays the basic info without draining the battery much. Notifications management has also seen an improvement in the new OS. I still miss an app drawer though to clear the clutter on the screen.

Final words:
The overall experience with the Apple iPhone 14 Pro over the past six months has been positive and enjoyable. Would I buy the phone for myself? Well, I am not that rich yet. The iPhone 14 Pro debuted at Rs 1,29,999 for the 128GB storage variant going all the way up to Rs 1,79,999 for the top variant with 1TB storage. The selling price has come down by a good 10K over the past six months, which is good, but it’s still a stiff price tag.

So should you buy it? If you have that kind of money to spend on a phone, then why not! The Apple iPhone 14 Pro is equipped with a powerful A16 Bionic chip that should take care of things for close to half a decade with new OS updates coming in.

Then you have the rugged and signature Apple design, stutter-free software experience and last but not the least, the cameras. The camera department has all the key bases covered from macro to ultra-wide to optical zoom, and the cameras excel in capturing photos and videos both.

Though you will be paying a huge sum, you do get something special to brag about. And as weird as this may sound, it actually makes better sense to spend those tens of thousands extra and buy the 14 Pro instead of buying the iPhone 14 at its current price. The iPhone 14 is pretty much the iPhone 13. All the novelties were reserved for the Pro models this time.

As for alternatives, you have the usual suspects from the Samsung Galaxy S23 series and the Google Pixel 7 Pro with comparable performance. In fact, the Pixel 7 Pro is going for Rs 69,999 at the moment, which is a great price for what it offers, but you will have to make do with 128GB of internal storage.

You will end up saving a good Rs 50,000 in comparison to an iPhone 14 Pro with similar storage, and the camera performance of the two is equally impressive (photos, not videos). For a better deal on the iPhone 14 Pro, you may have to wait for the festive sales, but the wait might be worth it.

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Best phones under Rs 50,000 (Feb-March 2023): OnePlus 11R 5G, Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G to Realme GT 2 Pro- Technology News, Firstpost

Post By Science And Technology Apple, best phones under Rs 50000, iQOO, premium smartphones, realme OnePlus, TechDeals, Xiaomi

Ameya DalviFeb 28, 2023 16:00:36 IST

From the latest to a couple of generations-old legends, we have it all in our list of phones under Rs 50,000 this month. On top of that, the price of certain more premium smartphones has dropped under 50K now, and offer even better value for money. So if you have Rs 50,000 to spare on a new smartphone, here are your best options at the moment.

Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India

OnePlus 11R 5G
After a lacklustre 2022, OnePlus finally has something promising right at the start of 2023. While the more expensive OnePlus 11 5G is loaded with all the bells and whistles, the more affordable 11R 5G is no pushover, and borrows a lot of goodness from the company’s new flagship device. This stylish phone looks just like the 11 5G from the front and back barring the placement of the front camera.

The OnePlus 11R has a curved display too, measuring 6.74-inch with an unusual (but higher than Full HD) resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. You get a standard Fluid AMOLED display here instead of the more premium LTPO3 variant on the 11. This HDR10+ compliant screen supports 10-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate and can get up to 1450 nits bright. This phone is powered by Qualcomm’s previous generation flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you get a whopping 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage.

The photography department is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS, but without Hasselblad’s colour tuning. The supporting cast is a bit modest with an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There’s a 16MP selfie camera too. Its 5000 mAh battery can last for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger promises to juice it up in just 25 minutes. The phone runs OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 and one can expect several OS and security updates going forward.

OnePlus 11R 5G price in India: Rs 44,999 for 16GB RAM/256GB storage

Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G
We were pleasantly surprised to find the Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G in this budget. Probably an effect of its successor arriving shortly, but no complaints. The phone is packed with great features starting with its 6.73-inch LTPO 2.0 10-bit AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a QHD resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. The screen is compliant with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and can get up to 1500 nits bright. It is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, and you can now get its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage variant under 50K.

Xiaomi-12-Pro

The rear camera department has three 50MP cameras with the primary module offering OIS, the ultrawide providing you with 115 degrees FOV and a telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom. The 32MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. The Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G also boasts of features like a quad-speaker system tuned by Harman Kardon and superfast charging. Its 4600 mAh battery lasts over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W charger claims to take it from 0 to 100% in just 18 minutes. The phone also supports 50W fast wireless charging. The phone runs Android 12 with MIUI 13.

Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 46,490 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Realme GT 2 Pro
The Realme GT 2 Pro comfortably retains its place in this lineup courtesy of some great features and performance. This phone too is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and is accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. The design is quite soothing too, thanks to its paper-like biopolymer back. Another striking feature of this phone is its 6.7-inch QHD 10-bit LTPO 2.0 AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate ranging between 1 to 120 Hz and 1400 nits peak brightness. The HDR10+ compliant display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Textured-back-Realme-GT-2-Pro-Long-term-Review

The rear camera department here has two 50MP cameras – the primary with OIS and an ultra-wide camera, that do an excellent job in different modes and lighting. A 3MP micro camera is quite unique and provides 20X to 40X magnification. The 32MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 65W SuperDart charger juices it fully in just 37 minutes. The Realme GT 2 Pro launched with Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0, and an Android 13 update is now available.

Realme GT 2 Pro price in India: Rs 45,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

iQOO 9T 5G
The iQOO 9T 5G is another powerful device with versatile cameras. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. Its 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120 Hz refresh rate, 1500 nits of peak brightness and can display a billion colour shades. The phone has a 4700 mAh battery that can last over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in less than 20 minutes.

iQOO-9-1

The rear camera department here is quite loaded. You get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degrees FOV and auto-focus that doubles up as a macro camera too. And lastly, there’s a 12MP telephoto camera that provides 2X optical zoom and takes some great portrait shots as well. The 16MP front camera is more than handy for selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9T 5G runs Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12.

iQOO 9T 5G price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Apple iPhone 12 Mini
A couple of generations old iPhone is still very much buyable if available at a good price. And the smallest of Apple’s iPhone 12 series phones with 128 GB storage is currently selling well under Rs 50,000. The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is great for single-handed operation, and despite the smaller size, it does not skip any key feature of its larger sibling. It is powered by the A14 Bionic chip that powers the entire iPhone 12 series and is still fairly powerful when it comes to processing power.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini flaunts IP68-rated ingress protection. Its display is even sharper than the 12 in terms of pixel density, thanks to its compact Full HD+ 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen. Two 12MP cameras (primary with OIS and an ultrawide shooter) at the back deliver impressive performance in different lighting and can shoot some excellent videos too. It launched with iOS 14 and is easily upgradeable to the latest iOS 16.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini price in India: Rs 46,999 for 128 GB storage

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