Apple iPhone 14
MSRP $799.00
“The iPhone 14 is not an enormous improve in comparison with its predecessor. But with an important design, display screen, efficiency, and cameras, that is removed from a nasty factor in any respect.”
Pros
Comfortable, high-end construct
OLED display screen appears to be like unbelievable
A15 chip performs nice
Good digicam upgrades
Dependable battery life
Helpful security options
Cons
60Hz show
No telephoto digicam
eSIM is likely to be a ache for some
“It’s simply one other iPhone.” That’s how I’ve heard lots of people check with the iPhone 14 — and for good cause. Compared to final yr’s mannequin, the iPhone 14 is a very familiar smartphone. It has the identical design, display screen, chipset, and a really related digicam system.
But right here’s the factor. Those similarities shouldn’t come as a disappointment. The iPhone 14 takes a really robust basis, retains what works, and provides just a few delicate enhancements that make it a greater total handset. It’s removed from the yr’s most invigorating or jaw-dropping launch, but when what you’re out there for is “simply one other iPhone,” the iPhone 14 makes an important case for itself.
If you’re extra serious about Apple’s higher-end fashions, see our iPhone 14 Pro overview and iPhone 14 Pro Max overview.
iPhone 14 design
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
This welcome familiarity is seen instantly with the iPhone 14’s design. The iPhone 14 nonetheless has a 6.1-inch show with a notch, Apple’s Ceramic Shield masking that show, and an aerospace-grade aluminum body. You’re additionally handled to the identical sq. digicam housing on the again with the angled sensors, although they’re barely bigger than the iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 can be 0.15mm thicker and 2g heavier, however in any other case, it’s the identical feeling and looking telephone as final yr.
In my e book, this is nary a nasty factor in any respect. Maybe it’s as a result of I switched to the iPhone 14 from my a lot heavier iPhone 13 Pro, however the iPhone 14 feels fantastic to carry. It’s sturdy, light-weight, and the aluminum sides are impervious to fingerprints.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
I additionally fairly like Apple’s collection of colours this yr. Apple despatched me the iPhone 14 in purple, which appears to be like like a muted lavender in individual. It’s very delicate and never too vibrant, however I’ve beloved carrying it round with me whereas reviewing the iPhone 14. The redesigned blue colour can be nice (and appears higher than the iPhone 13’s blue, in my view). The crimson colour is considerably extra vibrant this yr, plus midnight and starlight stay trusty impartial choices.
The iPhone 14 feels fantastic to carry.
Other mainstays of the iPhone 13 are additionally current on the iPhone 14. An IP68 score protects it from mud and water, it’s totally appropriate with MagSafe equipment, and — sure — there’s nonetheless a Lightning port on the underside as a substitute of USB-C.
Is this a recent or thrilling design? Not in any respect. Aside from the totally different colours, the iPhone 14 actually does look an identical to the iPhone 13. I get that some individuals had been hoping for a drastic redesign, however I’m pleased Apple caught with this physique for an additional era. The iPhone 14 has confirmed sensible and cozy in every day use, and it has seemed good whereas doing so. Call it boring if you would like, nevertheless it’s a smartphone design I can’t assist however totally take pleasure in.
iPhone 14 display screen
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Apple’s recycling of final yr’s {hardware} additionally works out effectively for the display screen … largely.
The iPhone 14 is supplied with a 6.1-inch OLED display screen with a 2532 x 1170 decision. There’s HDR help, as much as 800 nits of max typical brightness, and 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness — all the identical specs we acquired with the iPhone 13.
In nearly each regard, this stays an important show setup for the iPhone 14. Colors are punchy (however not overly saturated), textual content and icons look nice, and the show is loads seen in brilliant rooms or exterior on a sunny day. Whether I’m watching a YouTube video, taking a look at previous photographs, or studying an article from certainly one of my colleagues, the iPhone 14’s display screen permits all of it to pop.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Where the iPhone 14 show disappoints is with its refresh price. Like the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max final yr, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max once more have 120Hz screens. The baseline iPhone 14, nonetheless, is once more caught with a 60Hz one. Compared to telephones with 120 or 90Hz refresh charges, issues like scrolling and swiping look choppier on the iPhone 14.
Being caught with 60Hz on the iPhone 14 is a disgrace.
iOS 16’s clean animations and the good efficiency out of the A15 Bionic hold the iPhone 14 from ever feeling sluggish or sluggish, nevertheless it’s nonetheless disappointing to not see any enchancment right here. In the Android area, it’s not unusual to see telephones for $600, $500, and even $400 with 90 or 120Hz refresh charges. Being caught with 60Hz on the iPhone 14, a telephone that begins at $799, is a disgrace.
iPhone 14 cameras
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
The iPhone 14 Pro has stolen many of the digicam limelight for its new 48MP major sensor, however that doesn’t imply the conventional iPhone 14 is a slouch. Like so many different points of the telephone, the iPhone 14’s cameras are loads just like the iPhone 13 however barely improved in some key methods.
You nonetheless have a 12MP major digicam, nevertheless it’s a bigger sensor with an f/1.5 aperture to seize extra gentle and make lowlight photographs look higher. The front-facing digicam is much more improved. The megapixel rely stays at 12MP, nevertheless it has a bigger f/1.9 aperture (in comparison with f/2.2 on earlier iPhones) and introduces autofocus for the primary time. The 12MP ultrawide digicam is precisely because it was on the iPhone 14’s predecessor.
Sounds nice! But what does any of this imply for photograph high quality? Starting with the 12MP major digicam, it has the entire identical qualities we noticed with the iPhone 13. In good lighting circumstances, the iPhone 14 can produce actually beautiful photographs. Colors are vibrant and true to life, pictures have a load of superb particulars, and the Camera app captures photographs rapidly for quick, reliable taking pictures. And in these well-lit circumstances, the bigger sensor provides some topics a pure depth of area, permitting you to get portrait-like photographs with out utilizing the devoted Portrait mode.
I’ve additionally been largely proud of lowlight pictures. In a darkish room at night time with minimal lighting, the iPhone 14 can nonetheless take superb photographs with ample element (the photograph of my cat sleeping on a pillow is a superb instance).
For scenes which can be actually darkish, the iPhone 14 mechanically switches to Night mode. It’ll mechanically maintain publicity for round 2 or 5 seconds, however you possibly can power it to go on for 30 seconds if you actually need it. In these eventualities, the iPhone 14 does a superb job of letting ample gentle into to show a pitch-black scene into one thing that’s really seen. But the extra you deliver the lights down, the softer and softer particulars turn into.
1.
Photo from the iPhone 14’s major digicam
2.
Photo from the iPhone 14’s ultrawide digicam
What in regards to the ultrawide digicam? Even although it’s the identical because the iPhone 13’s, it’s been extraordinarily dependable throughout my testing. Colors are almost an identical to the primary digicam, the broader view is useful, and particulars look fairly good contemplating the ultrawide nature of the factor.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
And, after all, now we have to speak in regards to the new selfie digicam. I’ll say upfront that I’m not a selfie man. I’ve by no means been one to take numerous selfies, and I don’t anticipate that the iPhone 14 will change that about me. But even so, it’s fairly exceptional how significantly better the iPhone 14’s new selfie digicam actually is.
Thanks to the addition of autofocus, photographs usually look sharper throughout. From finer particulars in your hair and face to taking up-close photographs of you and your folks, autofocus provides a brand new layer of flexibility that may actually take selfies to the following degree. And like the primary digicam, the bigger aperture ends in higher pure bokeh and respectable outcomes even when the lights go down.
iPhone 14 efficiency
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
One of probably the most controversial modifications with the iPhone 14 is one thing that didn’t change in any respect. Usually, Apple provides each new iPhone a brand new chipset to energy it. The iPhone 12 collection acquired the A14 chip, the iPhone 13 lineup was powered by the A15, and all iPhone 14 handsets have the A16 — proper? Not precisely.
While the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have a brand new A16 chipset, the iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus) nonetheless have the A15. It’s the extra highly effective model of the A15 used within the iPhone 13 Pro with 5 GPU cores as a substitute of the 4 used within the regular iPhone 13, however in any other case, it’s the very same processor.
There’s been loads of backlash towards this resolution as one other manner for Apple to stifle innovation and save a buck. And perhaps it’s! But I’d be mendacity if I mentioned I was upset about having the A15 within the iPhone 14.
The A15 remains to be an unimaginable cell chipset.
Simply put, this remains to be an unimaginable cell chipset. Daily apps like Twitter, Outlook, and Instagram run and not using a hitch. Games are nice, too. I’ve performed numerous Call of Duty: Mobile on the iPhone 14, and from the graphics to border price, the whole lot performs completely. The iPhone 14 additionally touts a brand new thermal design, supplying you with higher warmth dissipation in comparison with the iPhone 13. I solely acquired the iPhone 14 to get noticeably heat as soon as throughout testing, and that was after 30+ minutes of downloading quite a few information for CoD: Mobile with the show on. Otherwise, the telephone has run cool as a cucumber no matter which apps or video games I’m working.
iPhone 14 eSIM
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Speaking of controversy, we should always take a minute to speak about eSIM. If you purchase an iPhone 14 within the U.S, it doesn’t include a bodily SIM card. Instead, mobile service is just accessed through a digital eSIM. We’ve had eSIM expertise in smartphones for years, however the iPhone 14 is the primary main smartphone to solely have eSIM and no possibility for a bodily SIM card.
In my very own expertise, this hasn’t been an issue in any respect. I already had my quantity as an eSIM on my iPhone 13 Pro and transferred it to the iPhone 14 in about two minutes. Apple guides you thru this course of throughout setup, and you’ll entry eSIM switch/activation settings at any time within the Settings app. And even in case you have an older iPhone that’s nonetheless utilizing a bodily SIM card, Apple’s labored with main carriers within the U.S. to make the switch course of as seamless as potential.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
While I’ve had no points with eSIM on the iPhone 14, that doesn’t imply it hasn’t been inflicting complications for some individuals. If you may have service by way of a smaller supplier like Mint Mobile, transferring your SIM might require utilizing your provider’s app or having to name customer support. Transferring your SIM from an Android telephone additionally comes with its personal complications, and there have been some experiences of eSIM transfers taking hours (and even days) with some numbers.
Just transferred a T-Mobile eSIM from a 13 Pro to a 14 and yeah— the entire course of for transferring eSIMs is shockingly fast and easy
eSIM isn’t with out its faults, nevertheless it’s additionally not the large scary monster some are making it out to be https://t.co/gHNg6KKs2O
— Joe Maring (@JoeMaring1) September 15, 2022
This is a kind of issues the place your mileage will fluctuate. If you’re coming to the iPhone 14 from an previous iPhone, the eSIM switch course of ought to be pretty easy — regardless for those who’re already utilizing eSIM or nonetheless have a bodily SIM card. Things stand to be extra difficult for those who’re switching from an Android telephone, and for those who plan on doing numerous worldwide journey, there are challenges to think about there, too. There’s actually nonetheless work to be completed right here, and though eSIM is way from good, it hasn’t completed something to tarnish my time with the iPhone 14. Here’s to hoping Apple and carriers could make that the case for everybody sooner reasonably than later.
iPhone 14 automotive crash detection and satellite tv for pc connectivity
Apple
Two different large options with the iPhone 14 are automotive crash detection and satellite tv for pc connectivity — two options I’ve been unable to attempt with my iPhone 14.
The former is fairly self-explanatory. If you’re concerned in a extreme automotive crash, the iPhone 14 makes use of a wide range of sensors to detect modifications in pace and cabin stress, extraordinarily loud sounds, and a sudden shift within the path you’re heading. If it determines that you just had been concerned in an accident, the iPhone 14 shows a automotive crash display screen with buttons to name emergency providers or dismiss the pop-up. If you don’t reply inside 10 seconds, emergency providers are mechanically known as for you. Apple says it used 1 million hours of “real-world driving and crash knowledge” to construct the iPhone 14’s automotive crash detection. Short of me getting in an accident to check the characteristic myself, I’ll take Apple at its phrase that the characteristic works as supposed.
In the same vein, the iPhone 14 additionally brings (*14*) SOS through satellite tv for pc. If you’re in a state of affairs the place you need assistance however don’t have entry to mobile knowledge or a Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone 14 permits you to hook up with a satellite tv for pc and ship a message to emergency providers. Like automotive crash detection, it’s a kind of options you hope you by no means have to make use of.
Regardless, I’m actually glad Apple added this stuff this yr. Yearly enhancements to processor pace, show decision, and digicam megapixels are nice. But these are options that would legitimately save your life. Apple’s advertising might lay it thick with the severity of them, however there’s weight to what the corporate is saying. I pray that I by no means get in a nasty automotive wreck or turn into injured and stranded someplace, however within the occasion that I do, it’s reassuring to know that the iPhone 14 has the required instruments to be helpful in these conditions.
iPhone 14 battery and charging
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Finally, let’s speak about battery life. Apple made important battery strides with the iPhone 13 collection, and with the iPhone 14, it claims that endurance is even higher. While I’m not hitting the 20 hours of video playback Apple touts on its web site, the iPhone 14 has constantly gotten me by way of every day I’ve used it — even when I’m actually pushing it.
Here’s what a typical day with the iPhone 14 has seemed like for me, I’ll watch about an hour of YouTube, play 30-ish minutes of Call of Duty: Mobile, and often use numerous different apps like Twitter, Safari, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Apple Music, and extra all through the day. After over 14 hours of uptime with over 5.5 hours of screen-on time, I have about 25% battery life left within the tank.
On a lighter day with over 15 hours of use and about 4 hours of display screen time (with little or no gaming), I ended the day with 38% nonetheless remaining. The iPhone 14 will doubtless be a one-day telephone for most individuals, however I’ve been in a position to very comfortably get by way of every day even with pretty heavy utilization. Play just a few video games, watch some movies, and take as many footage as you need. So lengthy as you aren’t in your telephone 24/7, you need to have the ability to finish every day with the iPhone 14 with little-to-no battery anxiousness.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
Apple didn’t make any charging enhancements this yr, however the choices out there are superb. You can use the Lightning port to get wired charging speeds as much as 25W, Qi wi-fi charging delivers as much as 7.5W, and a supported MagSafe charger (my most well-liked technique of charging) delivers as much as 15W of energy. There’s no ultra-fast wired charging such as you’ll discover on the OnePlus 10T or Oppo Reno 8 Pro, however perhaps Apple will get round to including that subsequent yr with the iPhone 15.
iPhone 14 value and availability
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
The iPhone 14 is on the market for buy now with a beginning value of $799. That $799 value will get you 128GB of inner storage and ought to be loads for most individuals. If you want extra room, 256GB and 512GB choices can be found for $899 and $1099, respectively.
While Apple’s promotional provides aren’t the most effective round, it’s nonetheless potential to avoid wasting money in your buy. Buying direct from Apple permits you to commerce in your previous telephone to get a credit score between $40 and $720. Additionally, paying for the iPhone 14 along with your Apple Card will get you 3% cashback with Apple’s Daily Cash program.
The iPhone 14 is a superb improve, for those who want it
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
That’s the iPhone 14. Its cameras are nicer, it’s barely higher with demanding video games, and it has a few spectacular security options that you just’ll (hopefully) by no means have to make use of. But they’re there simply in case.
I completely perceive why some individuals have dismissed the iPhone 14 as an ‘iPhone 13S’ and as a tool you need to ignore. But it’s the final half I disagree with. If you have already got an iPhone 13 and don’t see any cause to improve, that’s most likely the precise name.
But in case you have an iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and even the iPhone 12, the iPhone 14 is a telephone I’m more than pleased to advocate. If you don’t care in regards to the Dynamic Island, 120Hz refresh charges, or a telephoto digicam, the iPhone 14 is hands-down the most effective iPhone you should purchase at present. Even if it’s somewhat boring.
Editors’ Recommendations
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-iphone-14-review/
