When Apple releases a brand new iPhone Pro model, upgrading is typically a no-brainer. The somewhat incremental improvements offered up by the iPhone 14 Pro, however, are giving some users pause. Sure, the Dynamic Island is enticing and quintessentially Apple. And sure, the new camera scheme on the iPhone 14 Pro is quite compelling. But all the same, if you’re already using an iPhone 13 Pro, upgrading to an iPhone 14 Pro may be hard to justify.
If we delve a bit deeper, however, there are two iPhone 14 Pro features that haven’t been getting a lot of press, but they may be enough of a reason to prompt some users to upgrade. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the Dynamic Island, but the two iPhone 14 Pro features below outweigh any reservations I have about the lack of customizability with respect to the Dynamic Island.
iPhone 14 Pro features more precise GPS tracking
Using GPS on the iPhone typically works exactly as intended. But sometimes GPS tracking can get a bit wonky if you’re in a congested downtown area with scores of highrise buildings. The iPhone 14 Pro, however, can receive signals on both the L1 and L5 frequencies. L5 is the most modern GPS signal available for consumer-grade electronics and it can more readily pass through buildings, dense trees, and other obstacles.
The L1 frequency is certainly great for most users, but again, if you’ve experienced temperamental GPS accuracy in big-city environments, the iPhone 14 Pro might be just what you’re looking for.
Faster 5G speeds
5G didn’t exactly change how we use our smartphones as some carriers initially promised. Still, jumping from an old 4G iPhone to a 5G-enabled iPhone provides some noticeable performance improvements. Even better, Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro models deliver even faster 5G speeds. This is thanks to a brand new 5G modem from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X65 to be exact.
With Apple still trying to develop its own 5G chipset, the company remains stuck with Qualcomm. Which, of course, isn’t a bad thing given that Qualcomm is constantly pushing the performance bar higher and higher. Incidentally, Apple’s plan to develop its own 5G modem has reportedly hit a roadblock.
With the iPhone 14 Pro, T-Mobile and Verizon users should notice drastically improved 5G performance. We’re talking 255.91 Mbps on T-Mobile and an average speed of 175.56 Mbps on Verizon. By comparison, average 5G speeds on T-Mobile and Verizon on the iPhone 13 Pro checked in at 126.33 and 173.81 Mbps, respectively.
Additionally, Qualcomm’s new 5G modem is impressively power efficient. Consequently, you won’t see any dip in battery life on the iPhone 14 Pro compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.
Lastly, early iPhone 14 sales appear to be quite strong. And interestingly enough, the vast majority of iPhone 14 orders have been for the Pro models.
You can check out our comprehensive iPhone 14 Pro review over here.
