By David Goodwinð¨âð¦¯
Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
The marquee features of thee iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are
unquestionably upgraded cameras; a new always-on display; and a Dynamic
Islandâ that changes size and shape to accommodate various types of alerts,
notifications, and interactions. For my circumstances and use case, I can
roughly appraise these as having some potential utility, no utility, and some
curiosity appeal.
However, digging deep in to the new iPhones' technical specifications, I found
something that piqued my interest and which I thought could potentially offer
me significant utility, and that is their support for âprecision
dual-frequency GPS.â
Apple's objective with the addition of dual-frequency GPS is a simple one, to
improve the precision of GPS data on these new iPhones. For me, this has the
potential to translate in to something meaningful when navigating the world
around me with either my cane or guide dog - it could result in navigation apps
such as Microsoft Soundscape, BlindSquare, and GoodMaps Explore.
delivering more accurate and reliable information about intersections,
destinations, and what's nearby.
Below, I set out the results of some early and rudimentary tests performed to
determine if this is actually the case.
TLDR: Don't buy an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max on the basis that you
think that it will enable apps such as Microsoft Soundscape to be more accurate.
What is Dual-Frequency GPS and Why Should I Care
The turn-by-turn directions and information on what's nearby delivered by apps
such as Microsoft Soundscape, BlindSquare, and GoodMaps Explore are a result of
a GPS signal received from a satellite that the iPhone uses to pinpoint its
location.
GPS operates on a certain frequency system. The range of frequencies over which
the signal operates is called a frequency band and there are multiple frequency
bands. Previous iPhone models supported only a single frequency band â called
the L1 band.
Limitations of the L1 band are that it's relatively slow and things such as
tall buildings, atmospheric conditions, or even dense foliage can interfere
with its signal and also create multiple âreflectiveâ signals which result
in errors and inaccuracies.
Apple's dual-frequency GPS implementation combines the L1 band with the L5
band. The L5 band has a lot of advantages over the L1 band, like higher power,
higher accuracy, and the ability to detect unwanted reflected signals. On
paper, the result is that the new iPhones are capable of GPS accuracies on a
centimetre level, compared to up to 5 meters from a traditional
single-frequency GPS.
In short, the dual-frequency GPS of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
means that they should offer faster and more accurate GPS data than previous
models and the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
Test Hardware, Software,, and Conditions
My test devices were an iPhone 14 Pro with support for dual-frequency GPS and
an iPhone 14 which supports only the single (L1( frequency band. Both iPhones
were running iOS 16.0.2.
Because the retrieval and initial processing of GPS data is handled by the
iPhone's hardware and iOS, developer's don't need to update their apps to
support dual-frequency GPS, they essentially benefit from it for free. This
meant that I could use the current App Store versions of Microsoft Soundscape,
BlindSquare, and GoodMaps Explore for my test and they should all be capable of
demonstrating any change to GPS data accuracy.
Soundscape and BlindSquare use
OpenStreetMap
for map data and points of interest, whilst GoodMaps Explorer can be configured
to use either Apple Maps or Foursquare for its external points of interest. For
my test, I had GoodMaps Explorer configured to use Apple Maps. Arguably there
is no reason to include both Soundscape and BlindSquare, as the fact that they
use the same map data means that the results should be identical. I chose to
include both at this point as there are things that I like and dislike about
each in regard to their interface.
On my test day, there was light cloud. I was in a low-rise city in the south of
England. I mention this, as the results are likely to vary depending upon
weather and environmental conditions, so your own experience may not match my
own.
Test #1: From the Couch
To get a quick and dirty indication of whether there was going to be any
difference in GPS data accuracy, I figured that I didn't even need to leave the
couch in my living room. I could simply fire up each of my test apps and see if
the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro would agree or not on the distance to some
nearby locations.
Both iPhones and all three apps were accurate and consistent in locating my
current address.
However, when I use the apps to explore what was nearby, some differences in
results appeared. GoodMaps Explorer mostly reported street addresses and points
of interest as being closer when using the dual-frequency GPS iPhone 14 Pro
than it did with the iPhone 14. Within a radius of 100 metres, this difference
ranged between 1 and 2 metres. Locations beyond this radius were typically
reported as being 5 metres closer by the iPhone 14 Pro.
Things were less clearcut with Soundscape and BlindSquare, where the reported
distances to points of interest and placed markers were typically the same on
both iPhones. They disagreed on no more than 20% of locations. However, when
they did disagree, the difference was as much as 10 metres. Interestingly, when
there was a difference, the dual-frequency GPS iPhone 14 consistently reported
the location to be further away than the iPhone 14, which was the opposite to
my experience with GoodMaps Explorer.
My takeaway from test #1? That the 2 iPhones produced slightly different and
seemingly conflicting GPS data. This test didn't tell me which, if either, was
more accurate. It also didn't tell me if the difference would translate in to a
meaningful difference in real-world use. However, it did convince me that I
should move to my next test.
Test #2: From the Yard
After determining from my couch that the 2 iPhones often produced differing
results in regard to the distance of some nearby locations, I figured that the
next step would be to find out whether this was still the case when outside of
the house. This would bring me a little closer to the real-world conditions
where I would want any improved accuracy, and would determine if my testing
would proceed to a third, and final stage.
Being out in the open and well away from any buildings produced results that
were very similar to those inside my home. So much so, that there's nothing of
note to say about this second test. I can simply say âsee comments from test
#1.â
My takeaway? That I was surprised. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, as the nature
of my property is such that it probably doesn't present too many issues for a
GPS signal. This is likely a case of where your own experience might vary
according to the type and construction of your property.
Test #3: From a Real-World Scenario
Having determined that the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 could deliver
different GPS data, I figured that I had only one option left - to grab my
guide dog's harness and discover if one of the iPhones gave more accurate GPS
data than the other in a real-world scenario, and -if it did - whether this
would make a meaningful difference.
To allow me to perform a true side-by-side comparison of the performance of the
two iPhones, I paired one with my Sony LinkBuds and the other with my
AfterShokz Aeropex. This meant that I could have one phone talking directly in
to my ears, the other talking to me through my cheekbones. No doubt an
âinterestingâ look, but a setup that proved to work well during my test.
I chose Microsoft Soundscape as my test app, as it's previously proved to be
the best fit for my typical use case and to provide the best experience. The
only difference in the configuration of Soundscape between the two iPhones was
that one used a male voice, the other a female voice. This was so that I knew
which iPhone was speaking to me during the test.
My test route was an approximately 2 mile loop around a low-rise residential
area. It consisted of many intersections; public transport stops; and points of
interest, so there would be plenty for Soundscape to tell me about along the
way.
After all of the above setup, you might reasonably be expecting a positive
payoff for the time that you have invested in getting this far in my post.
Regretfully, and with some surprise, I can't give you one.
Within 200 metres of leaving home, I knew that a 2 mile walk wasn't going to be
necessary to reach a conclusion. However, I persevered, just in case.
It didn't change things. The two iPhones and Soundscape delivered near
identical levels of accuracy and reliability. Some times the mail voice would
speak first. Some times it would be the female voice first. Whichever it was, ,
the other voice was rarely more than a couple of steps behind. There were more
occasions when the two voices were in perfect synchronisation than times when
the callouts didn't at least partially speak over each other.
In short, there was zero discernible or meaningful difference between the
accuracy and reliability of Soundscape on the dual-frequency GPS iPhone 14 Pro
compared to the single band iPhone 14.
Closing Thoughts.
My tests are clearly very far from scientific. Under laboratory conditions, I
am confident that the iPhone 14 Pro does indeed deliver more precise GPS data
than the iPhone 14. It's probable that this is also the case in some locations,
some atmospheric conditions, and even possibly when travelling in a vehicle.
However, for my typical use case, the dual-frequency GPS iPhone 14 Pro
performed no better than the iPhone 14.
Colour me surprised. I truly approached this exercise thinking that I would
notice at least some difference, and that I could use this to at least
partially justify the purchase price of an iPhone 14 Pro.
As stated above, I expect other people's experiences to vary according to such
things as location and atmospheric conditions.
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