All iPhone 14 Models Feature New Rear-Facing Ambient Light Sensor

All four iPhone 14 models feature dual ambient light sensors for the first time, according to Apple's tech specs for the devices.

iPhone 14 Pro Rear Camera
According to TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino, all iPhone 14 models are equipped with a new ambient light sensor on the back of the devices, whereas previous iPhone models only have a single ambient light sensor above the display. Panzarino said the sensor helps to both adjust display brightness and determine exposure for the rear camera system.

In his iPhone 14 Pro review for Mashable, Stan Schroeder said he held an iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro side by side against bright light, and then immediately went into a dark room, and found the 14 Pro was more responsive at adapting the display's brightness.

This is just one of several smaller hardware changes on the iPhone 14 models, with another one being improved GPS accuracy on Pro models.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...

Top Rated Comments

Squillace Avatar
42 months ago

No one is going to care when buying this on the 14. It’s very cool, but a quality of life improvement that no one will know about. Why would Apple even bother putting it on the 14?

Oh well, Apple wants to sell the pro anyways. ?‍♂️
Because using Apple devices is about the experience.

It's thanks to little details like these, barely known by wide public, that people can find satisfaction in using an iPhone, even the cheapest one. Things they aren't aware of that contributes to a nice usage experience.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
42 months ago
Interesting, you would think the rear camera be able to determine light levels with built-in sensors. Or use the other cameras (not selected) for the same thing.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QuarterSwede Avatar
42 months ago

Because using Apple devices is about the experience.

It's thanks to little details like these, barely known by wide public, that people can find satisfaction in using an iPhone, even the cheapest one. Things they aren't aware of that contributes to a nice usage experience.
It really is the little things that make the overall experience good.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
utsava Avatar
42 months ago
just spitballing here, but what if the rear ambient light sensor on the pros is used to better determine when the always on display should turn off (in a pocket, etc)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
42 months ago

Interesting, you would think the rear camera be able to determine light levels with built-in sensors. Or use the other cameras (not selected) for the same thing.
Imagine if the user is taking a selfie or using FaceTime indoors in front of a bright window. The front ambient sensor probably wouldn't crank up the display brightness very high. Activating the rear camera for this situation would use too much power.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xxray Avatar
42 months ago
I hope this works as great as it sounds. It sucks being in those environments when your brightness keeps changing even though you override it cuz the front sensor keeps detecting changes.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)