As expected, Apple launched a total of four new iPhones last night, but there is no iPhone 14 Max among them. Instead, it is called the iPhone 14 Plus and it is simply a larger iPhone 14 with a much bigger battery. It is the largest battery on an iPhone yet, which is even bigger than the Pro models this year.
We will cover the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in a separate article.
Design and Display
Design-wise, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are not much different from the iPhone 13. Sadly, the pill punch-hole is limited to the Pro models and the base variants get the same notch as previous generations.
The iPhone 14 is almost a compact phone with its 6.1″ (1170 x 2532 resolution) OLED display while the iPhone 14 Plus is a much bigger phone with a 6.7″ (1284 x 2778 resolution) screen. There is still no high refresh rate on the base models.
IP68 water resistance is still there and so is the scratch-resistant “ceramic” glass with an oleophobic coating. The peak brightness is 1200 nits and the contrast ratio is 2 million to 1. The Plus model’s extra size allowed Apple to improve the cooling system for better performance.
American customers will get eSIM-only iPhones, meaning no physical SIM slots, but people in other regions will get to keep their regular SIM cards.
Internals and Software
Just as the rumors predicted, the base iPhones are limited to last year’s A15 Bionic chip and Apple’s defense is that the chip still has a performance lead over Android phones of any price. Apple also says that some of the processing power has been directed towards improving camera quality this year.
As always, there was no mention of RAM, but the storage options include 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.
The rumored satellite connectivity is also here for SOS messages, but it only works with a subscription. It will be a text-only service for emergencies, but it will support two-way communications, so you are notified that rescue is coming.
Cameras
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus still use dual 12MP cameras, but these are based on larger sensors this year with a brighter aperture. This allows the camera to capture about 49% more light than before, resulting in much better low-light photos. There is also an Action Mode this time that brings better stabilization for steady photos and videos. It is still capped at 4K 60 FPS, however.
The “TrueDepth” selfie camera is a 12MP shooter as well, but it now has autofocus for the first time. This one also has a brighter aperture, letting the camera capture 38% more light than last time, according to Apple’s claims.
Battery and Pricing
As mentioned earlier, the iPhone 14 Plus has the biggest battery on an iPhone yet. Apple says that you can watch up to 26 hours of videos on the Plus and 20 hours on the vanilla iPhone 14. As per tradition, battery capacities are currently unknown and we will have to wait until somebody disassembles the phones.
Thankfully, the prices are no different from last year. iPhone 14 has a starting price of $800 while the iPhone 14 Plus will go for $900. They will be available in Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, and Red colors.
Specifications
| iPhone 14 | iPhone 14 Plus | |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2×3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4×1.82 GHz Blizzard) | Hexa-core (2×3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4×1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | iOS 16 | iOS 16 |
| Supported Networks | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G |
| Display | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR OLED, 1170 x 2532 pixels, 460 PPI, HDR | 6.7″ Super Retina XDR OLED, 1284 x 2778 pixels, 458 PPI, HDR |
| RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Card Slot | No | No |
| Main Camera | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26 mm (wide), 1.9 µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13 mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) |
12 MP, f/1.5, 26 mm (wide), 1.9 µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13 mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Colors | Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red | Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red |
| Battery |
20 hours video playback | 26 hours video playback |
| Price |
$800 | $900 |
