The iPhone 14 Brings An Interesting New Feature That Apple Didn’t Even Mention
iPads and competitors have been using it for years
We saw the new iPhone 14 series unveiling during the traditional September keynote. Apple boasted a quartet of phones — the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max — that have received some interesting new features and improvements. The Pro model, in particular, has caught my eye.
It got rid of the long-criticized top cutout. Instead, it got the so-called Dynamic Island, a space that dynamically changes based on the apps, notifications and background activity. For the base models, the cancellation of the mini model is a rather interesting change. In its place, Apple has opted for the iPhone 14 Plus (Jack Crombie, thanks for the correction), a base model with a larger display that could sell a lot better given preferences.
To make matters worse, the new Apple phones even feature automatic crash detection, high-quality displays and great camera improvements. But the new generation also brings an interesting new feature that Apple didn’t mention once during its presentation. The iPhone 14 (Pro) gets a secondary ambient light sensor. But what good is such a thing?
The iPhone 14 (Pro) will offer two ambient light sensors
As we mentioned above, the new generation iPhone 14 (Pro) will be the first to get two ambient light sensors in total. Previous iPhones have always had just one sensor located on the front of the phone, which adaptively adjusts the brightness based on ambient lighting.
In practice, this is the component that ensures the correct functionality of the automatic brightness adjustment function. Apple could place the secondary sensor on the back. It will probably be part of the improved flash. But before we examine what this component might be used for, let’s examine the competition.
Strangely, Apple is only now coming out with this news. If we look at competing phones from tech giants like Samsung or Xiaomi, we notice that we would have found this tweak in their phones for years. The only exception is perhaps Google. The latter added a secondary ambient light sensor only in the case of the Pixel 6, so like Apple, well behind its competitors.
Why do we need a second sensor?
The main question, however, is why Apple chose to implement a secondary ambient light sensor. Since Apple hasn’t mentioned this new feature, it’s not entirely clear what purpose the component will serve. Of course, the basic idea is to improve the auto-brightness feature.
But according to experts, it strongly depends on the specific implementation and subsequent use. In any case, there are certain situations where one sensor may not be enough, and in this respect, a second one is in place.
In this case, the phone can compare input data from two sources and, based on this, deliver the best possible brightness optimization, which it might not be able to do with a single sensor. Incidentally, it will be interesting to see how the new generation moves forward in this regard.
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References: https://www.apple.com/iphone-14-pro/specs/
