When Apple announced the iPhone 14 Pro last week, you might have found yourself counting your lucky stars thanks to the welcome news that Apple is keeping the price of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro the same as last year.
Sadly, however, it didn't take long for it to emerge that plenty of prospective customers will have to pay the price for volatile economic headwinds and fluctuating exchange rates beyond U.S. shores.
Across numerous countries, including the U.K., where I live, the iPhone 14 Pro is significantly more expensive than the equivalent model was last year. That's a massive blow at a time when the cost of living dominates our headlines.
The iPhone 14 Pro will cost me £1,099 this year when it only cost £949 last year; that's nearly a 14% price increase of £150. Yet despite this massive increase, I actually found choosing to upgrade this year a really straightforward decision. To me, the iPhone 14 Pro is the most exciting upgrade Apple has made to the iPhone in years. Apple's pretty awesome iPhone upgrade program has also softened the blow of upgrading despite the rising costs, here's why I'm making the leap this year.
More Pro than ever
The first reason so I'm keen on the iPhone 14 Pro this year is its design change. While the dimensions and shell look roughly similar to Apple's most recent best iPhone, the iPhone 13, the new Dynamic Island is, in my opinion, a masterclass in combined hardware and software integration that will transform the iPhone's user experience.
The Dynamic Island promises to change using an iPhone in a way Apple hasn't done since it first introduced the notch and revised Touch Screen of the iPhone X. I'm excited to see all of the ways that Apple is going to use the Island to display notifications and alerts, activities, and more. I'm even more excited to see what developers do with the Dynamic Island, with access to things like live sports scores and more. If Apple hadn't made any changes to the iPhone 14 Pro's design, other features might still have swayed me, but the new Dynamic Island is a new feature I just have to see for myself.
Dynamic island is the hottest piece of UI I've seen in a long time pic.twitter.com/CuezwtTUuXSeptember 7, 2022
Moar pixels
The next big upgrade on my wish list is Apple's new 48MP camera. Of course, pixels aren't everything, but this is one of the biggest changes Apple has made to cameras on the iPhone in years, and the sample images from Apple look absolutely stunning. It will take some hands-on time to establish how well Apple has done this year, but the iPhone 14 Pro's camera has me positively stoked for taking pictures on my new iPhone.
For me, and I think many other people, the iPhone's camera is one of its most important features, and I had promised myself that big camera changes would be needed this year to entice me, especially with the extra cost in tow. Thankfully, Apple has delivered.
A16 Power, Always-On, and more
Of course, all of this extra camera power is nothing without the A16 chip that drives it all, and I can't wait to see how Apple uses it to unlock the potential of the new 48MP camera. Beyond these features, another significant upgrade for me is the Always-On display that I think will really improve the iPhone user experience; seeing widgets, Live Activities, and the time at just a glance without having to wake your iPhone will be a big breath of fresh air in my book.
iUP
I've also found the jump easier this year because I'm plugged into Apple's iPhone upgrade program. This is my second full year on the program and my second upgrade. If you have the option and haven't considered it, I'd really recommend looking into it as an option to keep yourself on top of the iPhone cycle. The upgrade program means that the iPhone 14 Pro's price increase is only a £5 a month additional cost in my budget, which sounds much more feasible than the £150 increase. Yes, there's a higher monthly fee and upfront costs, but you don't pay more than the outright cost of the device itself, and it includes AppleCare+ to protect your precious new iPhone.
Upgrade program or not, I think the iPhone 14 Pro makes a convincing upgrade case for any of Apple's current iPhone customers. This is one of the most exciting iPhone upgrades since the iPhone 12 or iPhone X. I can't wait to get hands-on later this week.
