iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

 

Apple announced the iPhone 14 lineup during its 2022 September event. There are four models the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, with camera improvements, display changes, and a better A16 processor(in pro models). Many of the new features highlighted focused on photography and video.

iPhone 14 Design and Display

The new iPhone 14 is the identical twin of the iPhone 13. It has the exact same display size and notch design. The phone feels like the iPhone 13 due to the same round edge corners. It is one or two grams lighter, which is not much of a difference. The new iPhone 14, just like its predecessor, comes with a glass sandwich body divided by an aluminum frame. The front glass has a ceramic shield that guards the screen against scratches. The rear side is protected by a glass covering. It comes with an IP68 ingress protection rating, allowing the phone to withstand water pressure up to six meters deep for about thirty minutes.

The keys are placed just like in the previous iPhone models. The power button is placed on the right side whereas the alert slider, volume rockers, and SIM tray are located on the left-hand side. At the bottom lies the lightning connector and two speaker grilles. The connector supports Delivery 2.0 charging. 

The iPhone 14 6.1-inch display is the same as the last year while iPhone 14 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. It's an OLED panel with 1170 x 2532 resolution, DCI-P3 wide color gamut, and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. As you would expect, it's a high-quality panel that offers true-to-life colors, deep blacks, and great viewing angles. Unfortunately, Apple still limits the higher refresh rate Pro Motion display to Pro models. As a result, you'll have to put up with a 60Hz panel. But other than that, there's not much to complain about here. It's one of the best displays you can get at this price point in terms of color accuracy and brightness.

On max setting, the panel gets bright enough that I have had no issue using it even under harsh sunlight. Apple's True Tone feature is on board, and it automatically adjusts the white balance and illumination based on your surround lighting to make text and content easier on the eyes. However, there's no Always-on Display or a Dynamic Island similar to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. The display also has an oleophobic coating applied which makes it easier to wipe off fingerprints and smudges. However, using a screen protector would still be a good idea.

iPhone 14 Camera

The 14 has the same familiar dual-camera setup on the back without an optical zoom, as with previous non-Pro iPhones. But the main 12MP camera sensor is physically bigger than its predecessor, boosting low-light performance by up to 49%. Shots taken in middling- to low-light conditions, such as indoors, are significantly sharper than before and the dedicated night mode is required less frequently.

The ultra-wide camera has better low-light performance thanks to improved software processing but remains otherwise unchanged. The two combined are reliably good cameras, but the lack of an optical zoom is disappointing compared to rivals.

The selfie camera has been improved for the first time in many years on the iPhone, now with twice as good low-light performance, autofocus, and a sharper lens. Pictures are crisper with better detail, particularly in low light or unsteady conditions, as is the case for most selfies.

Video capture remains class-leading. A new action mode stabilization system works wonders in bright light but struggles with anything else.

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Overall the 14’s cameras are good, but lack range for the price.

iPhone 14 Performance and Battery Life

As seen in the previously launched 13 series iPhones, the A15 Bionic chipset is being carried to the new iPhone 14 as well but is the higher variant chipset of 13 Pro models. The CPU configuration is also the same, consisting of two cores clocked at 3.23 GHz Avalanche and four cores clocked at 1.82 GHz Blizzard. We did not come across any lag while multitasking or playing games. The performance level of the iPhone 14 is the same as that of the iPhone 13. 

We used both phones side by side and saw both phones had the same speed in launching apps, rendering videos, etc. The new iPhone 14 may be faster by a fraction of a second, making it confusing for people to decide which phone to buy. The iPhone 14 has 6GB of RAM now, which makes it distinct from the iPhone 13 as it came with 4GB of RAM. The improved RAM surely enhances the functions a bit more. The gaming experience is also very similar to that of the iPhone 13 and we were able to run all the games seamlessly.

iPhone 14 Price

 iPhone 14 

• 128 Gb Model - $799
• 258 Gb Model - $899
• 512 Gb Model - $1099

 iPhone 14 Plus

• 128 Gb Model - $899
• 258 Gb Model - $999
• 512 Gb Model - $1199

Verdict

At first glance, the iPhone 14 is basically an iPhone 13 with slightly improved cameras. It has the same screen, chips, long battery life, and design. But it hides a shift change for Apple with reconfigured guts that allow it to be repaired more easily and for less. It is a definite upgrade for longevity, even if it’s not a whizz-bang feature, and hopefully something that’s rolled out to the rest of Apple’s smartphone line soon.

While it’s certainly not worth upgrading from recent models, if you’re looking to replace an older device coming to the end of its life, the iPhone 14 is a great, safe phone with all the elements that make iPhones some of the best on the market. The currency-driven price increase stings, but trade-in deals could help soften that blow.