iPhone 14 specs
Beginning: $799
OS: iOS 16
Show: 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR
CPU: A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU
RAM: 6GB
Rear cameras: 12MP huge (ƒ/1.5); 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.4)
Selfie digital camera: 12 MP (f/1.9)
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Battery: 9:01
Dimension: 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.31 in inches
Weight: 6.07 ounces
I really feel sorry for the iPhone 14 — it received handled like a mom’s least-liked youngster this 12 months. Apple’s favourite children, the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max, received spoiled with lavish new goodies, together with a glitzy Dynamic Island UI, an always-on show, the beastly A16 Bionic chipset, enhanced huge and ultra-wide cameras, and extra.
“Duh!” chances are you’ll be considering. “The Professional and Professional Max fashions all the time get one of the best specs.” Sure, however this 12 months, there’s a higher disparity between the perks featured on the entry-level fashions and the upper-tier fashions. Apple sometimes treats all fashions to a chipset improve and a design makeover, however this time, iPhone 14 was excluded from the Dynamic Island and A16 celebration. Ouch!
Is the iPhone 14 obtrusive at its upper-tier Professional siblings with green-eyed envy? Maybe, but when I had been within the Professional and Professional Max’s footwear, I’d remind the iPhone 14 that it nonetheless has loads of placing options that differentiate it from the iPhone 13, together with crash detection, satellite tv for pc connectivity, and enhancements to the selfie and wide-angle cameras. Motion Mode, a brand new video perk, is one other cool function the iPhone 14 can gloat about.
Admittedly, the iPhone 14 is a spectacular handset, thanks, partially, to iOS 16, however would I say that it’s upgrade-worthy? Not fairly.
iPhone 14 worth and configurations
The most cost effective iPhone 14 mannequin, filled with 128GB of storage, begins at $799 when you join it with AT&T, Dash, T-Cell or Verizon. If you wish to purchase it now and select a service later, you’ll need to shell out $829. When you can’t drop a stack of eight smackaroos proper now, you may go for an installment plan. For instance, Apple is providing a month-to-month installment plan of $33.29 for 2 years whereas Verizon can hook you up with a $22.19-per-month plan for 3 years.
If 128GB of storage doesn’t lower it for you, you may snag the 256GB and 512GB fashions for $899 and $1,099, respectively. Sans a service, they’ll set you again $929 and $1,129. Oof!
I’d advise you to take a look at the finest iPhone 14 trade-in offers. With Apple Commerce In, you may stand up to $720 in trade-in credit score for the iPhone 14. For instance, when you flip in your iPhone 13, you will get $470 towards the 128GB iPhone 14 mannequin, which suggests you’ll solely pay $329 for the improve. Win!
The iPhone 14 is available in 5 colours: Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight and (PRODUCT)RED.
iPhone 14 design
Apple gave us a blue overview unit, and no, it’s not the wealthy Cobalt or Lapis blue that appears deep, vivid and regal. It’s extra of a pastel, soft-looking, barely-there blue — the kind of hues you’d discover inside a pediatrician’s workplace, a nursery, or a gender-reveal celebration. It’s not my factor, however as they are saying, there’s a lid for each pot.
The iPhone 14 is mainly the spitting picture of the iPhone 13. It nonetheless has that iPhone 4-esque, boxy, flat-edge design that lets the iPhone 14 stand by itself. Like an irksome visitor who overstays their welcome, once I noticed the signature notch on the iPhone 14’s show, I stated, “you’re nonetheless right here?!” Whereas the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max have a much less intrusive pill-shaped cutout, the eyesore — er, I imply “notch” — nonetheless stays on the entry-level iPhone variant. Sigh.
Flipping the iPhone 14 over to disclose its shiny rear and lustrous Apple emblem, you’ll discover the dual-camera setup organized diagonally — identical to the iPhone 13. When you reside in a moist or wet area, you’ll be relieved to listen to that the iPhone 14 nonetheless has an IP68 water resistance ranking, which suggests it will probably deal with submergence of almost 20 ft for half-hour. Hopefully you don’t get caught in a sandstorm, however when you do, your iPhone 14 will doubtless be protected as a result of it’s “mud tight.”
One facet I like in regards to the iPhone 14’s design is that irrespective of what number of fingerprints you permit on the chassis, they’re barely seen. I could also be within the minority, however I additionally dig Apple’s elimination of the SIM tray (for U.S. prospects). As an avid traveler, I’ve used eSIMs previously they usually’ve been lifesavers! Snagging a SIM card on the airport is dear — and who needs to navigate to some sketchy, unfamiliar hole-in-the-wall to get cell service? On prime of that, it’s really easy to lose these tiny, bodily SIM playing cards. As such, I’m singing Apple’s praises for ushering within the new eSIM-only period. It’s solely a matter of time earlier than different rivals (ahem, Samsung) catch on.
Establishing an eSIM with the iPhone 14 was as straightforward as scanning a QR code — and I received cell service and information in a flash. It’s price noting which you can stack as much as eight eSIMs on the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 14 (0.31 inches, 6.07 ounces) is a hair thicker than the iPhone 13 (0.30 inches, 6.14 ounces), but it surely’s barely lighter. On the subject of its Android rival, the Samsung Galaxy S22 (0.35 inches, 8.02 ounces) is thicker and heavier.
iPhone 14 show
I do know it is a overview in regards to the iPhone 14, however once I noticed it sitting subsequent to the iPhone 14 Plus, it seemed puny with its 6.1-inch, 2532 x 1170-pixel, Tremendous Retina XDR (OLED) panel. In the meantime, the iPhone 14 Plus, with all of its 6.7-inch, 2778 x 1284-pixel glory, seemed like The Rock (and the iPhone 14 is, sorry to say, harking back to Kevin Hart).
The whole lot seemed higher on the iPhone 14 Plus: gaming, streaming, internet looking, and many others. It has extra display actual property, so naturally, it’s simpler on the eyes. On the plus facet, the iPhone 14 nonetheless has the Ceramic Protect show that was launched with the iPhone 12, so when you are typically a little bit of a klutz like me, the display is much less prone to shatter in comparison with different rivals.
No iPhone show has actually wowed me, and the iPhone 14 isn’t any completely different. It’s far from horrible, but it surely gained’t get greater than the ol’ “Yeah, it’s good. No matter. Nothing particular” out of me.
I watched The Black Adam trailer on YouTube. As Dwayne Johnson’s eyes had been framed, I might see his pink ophthalmic veins meandering by means of his sclera like wayward branches. The beautiful, spiral-like curls of Cyclone, performed by Quintessa Swindell, caught my eye. I gotta give props the place props are due — the small print on the iPhone 14’s show are crisp. Nevertheless, the display lacks vividity. For instance, Viola Davis’ purple lip coloration might’ve been extra placing and daring on the iPhone 14’s display. Admittedly, this isn’t one thing the common Joe will discover. As a reviewer who’s seen numerous lovely shows, the mediocrity of the iPhone 14’s show is extra conspicuous to me.
Our check outcomes match my anecdotal expertise. Based on our colorimeter, the iPhone 14 coated 83% of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut, which did not surpass the 91% protection of the common smartphone. The brand new-gen iPhone additionally couldn’t beat the Galaxy S22’s unbelievable 151% DCI-P3 coloration gamut protection, however thankfully, it improved over the iPhone 13 (110%).
Apple claims that the iPhone 14 can attain a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, however in keeping with our testing, one of the best we might get out of the iPhone 14 is 758 nits. It is a step down from the iPhone 13, which has a brightness common of 796 nits. The Galaxy S22 is an absolute star, climbing to a whopping 1,191 nits. On the plus facet, the iPhone 14 managed to beat the common smartphone (698 nits).
The iPhone 14 has a Delta-E coloration accuracy of 0.25 (nearer to 0 is healthier), which is a slight enchancment over the iPhone 13 (0.26) and common smartphone (0.26). This simply outperforms the Galaxy S22 on its Vivid setting (default), which has a Delta-E coloration accuracy rating of 0.33. It’s worthwhile to flip the Android flagship to its Pure setting to see a superior 0.24 rating, however in trade, the DCI-P3 coloration gamut drops to 79%.
It’s price noting that the iPhone 14 nonetheless has a 60Hz show; solely its Professional counterparts can climb as much as 120Hz (due to ProMotion). When you’re used to 60Hz shows, you gained’t even discover, however as somebody who owns a cellphone with an adaptive refresh price, the lack of fluidity and smoothness is perceptible.
iPhone 14 audio
The music that burst out of the iPhone 14’s built-in stereo audio system was loud sufficient to begin a small celebration. I fired up “Vegas” by Doja Cat on Spotify and it stuffed up my medium-sized testing room. It sounds crisp sufficient for me to listen to the appropriate lyrics, “you ain’t nothin’ however a hound canine,” not “sizzling canine”!
The bluesy tune was well-amplified and clear on the iPhone 14, however lacked a sure diploma of heat. Nevertheless, whereas wanting by means of the Apple Music app, I stumbled upon a playlist of hits which can be tuned for a spatial-audio expertise. I performed “Tremendous Freaky Woman” by Nicki Minaj and the acquainted funky beat appeared like a well-oiled machine on the audio system. I positively advocate the Spatial Audio Hits playlist on Apple Music. Tuned with Dolby Atmos, songs sound extra buttery clean than common.
If you wish to kick up your music expertise to a complete new degree, contemplate the AirPods Professional 2 or Apple AirPods Max. And don’t neglect to activate personalised spatial audio to succeed in complete harmonic nirvana.
iPhone 14 efficiency and graphics
Regardless of iPhone 14 getting snubbed for an A16 Bionic improve, it’s nonetheless on prime — and I’ve received proof!
On the Geekbench 5 total efficiency, the iPhone 14, filled with an A15 Bionic chip (upgraded with a 5-core GPU), achieved a spectacular rating of 4,554. That’s much better than the common smartphone (3,446) and the Galaxy S22’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip (3,341). It additionally beat the iPhone 13 (4,436).
Outfitted with 6GB of RAM, the iPhone 14 crushed my multitasking check. It had no points juggling 15 Google Chrome tabs, 10 Safari tabs, three cell video games, in addition to Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify.
In our Adobe Premiere Rush video-editing check, the iPhone 14 took 28 seconds to finish a set of duties, which is 2 seconds slower than the iPhone 13’s 26-second rating. Happily, the iPhone 14 whizzed previous the common smartphone (53 seconds) and the Galaxy S22 (48 seconds).
iPhone 14 battery life
When you had been considering of upgrading from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14, this part could make you rethink your plans.
On the Laptop computer Magazine battery check (steady internet browsing at 150 nits on a mobile community), the iPhone 14 survived for 9 hours and one minute. That is worse than the common smartphone (9:18) and the iPhone 13 (9:40). Nevertheless, the Galaxy S22 is the loser on this spherical with a crappy battery runtime of seven hours and seven minutes. Yikes!
Apple refuses to let go of its proprietary Lightning port, so there’s nonetheless no quick charging on the iPhone (probably the most you will get is 20W by way of wired charging). Nevertheless, with the current EU mandate forcing Apple to incorporate USB-C in its smartphones, that will change sooner or later (maybe the iPhone 16?). After half-hour of charging, the common smartphone climbs to 52% energy. Inside the similar timeframe, the iPhone 14 and 13 reached 54% and 51%, respectively, which is an honest enchancment. The Galaxy S22 was quicker than each iPhones, climbing to 57% after half-hour.
iPhone 14 cameras
The iPhone 14, just like the iPhone 13, has two 12-megapixel rear cameras and one front-facing 12MP selfie digital camera. Apple boasts that there’s a giant bounce in low-light efficiency on the huge digital camera (49%) — let’s focus on whether or not I observed the enhancements once I took the cameras for a spin in Manhattan.
Large digital camera
The iPhone 14’s huge digital camera now has a 1.9 µm lens, a step up from the iPhone 13’s 1.7 µm lens. These figures characterize pixel measurement, which is measured in microns (µm). Bigger pixel measurement = extra mild, which is why Apple claims that the iPhone 14 wide-lens digital camera delivers higher low-light efficiency than the iPhone 13. On prime of that, the iPhone 14’s foremost digital camera improved its aperture to f/1.5 (an improve from the iPhone 13’s f/1.6 aperture).
To the bare eye, I didn’t discover a lot of a distinction between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14’s wide-camera daylight images. And that’s not a nasty factor. With the iPhone 13, I took an image of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge at Sutton Place Park, and I used to be impressed by how properly the digital camera caught the distorted reflections dancing on the East River’s floor. I returned to Sutton Place Park once more this 12 months, however this time I had the iPhone 14. Pictures of the bridge are nonetheless crisp, choosing up on the rust and weather-worn particulars that speckled the century-old point-of-interest.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t till I zoomed in on the bridge by 2x, that I observed some variations, making the iPhone 14 stand out from its predecessor. On the iPhone 14, the Roosevelt Island Racquet Membership within the distance seemed sharper and extra detailed on the brand new entry-level cellphone. On the iPhone 13, the edifice seemed barely unfocused. I think the bigger sensor and pixel depend helped the iPhone 14 ship higher zoomed-in images.
Picture 1 of 2
Evening Mode actually improved on the huge digital camera. Final 12 months, the publicity time took as much as 5 seconds (and even longer). Nevertheless, with the iPhone 14, Evening Mode images are speedier with publicity occasions taking solely two to a few seconds. Try the images of the home under; they had been taken with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.
Picture 1 of 2
With the latter, the reddish-orange coloration of the residential house’s brickface pops extra. The gritty texture of the asphalt seems extra palpable and placing. The timber look extra verdant and the grass seems sharper.
Ultrawide digital camera
Apple made zero enhancements to the ultra-wide digital camera (12 megapixels, f/2.4 aperture and 13 mm focal size), which is unlucky as a result of it might actually use an improve. What I like in regards to the iPhone 14’s ultra-wide digital camera is that it’s glorious for taking sweeping panorama pictures. Transferring from the huge digital camera to the ultra-wide digital camera, it’s as when you’ve been yanked again by a few yards to get a wider scope of the surroundings earlier than you.
Nevertheless, while you use the ultra-wide digital camera, you do lose a few of that sharp, crisp element the huge lens delivers, particularly in dimly lit environments. Try images under. Within the first image, you’ll see the Valley Stream Neighborhood Middle in all of its glory because it overlooks a darkish lake.
Regardless of the darkness, the ranch-style constructing’s reflection is projected onto the lake like a smeared watercolor portray. You’ll be able to even see the well-manicured garden with freshly lower bushes of all styles and sizes. Nevertheless, once I switched to the ultra-wide, I captured extra surroundings, however the photograph has a slight loss in coloration, sharpness, and particulars. You’ll be able to even see some lens flaring (and sure, iPhone 14’s lenses had been clear earlier than I took the photograph).
The ultra-wide digital camera fares significantly better in brighter settings. Within the photograph under, the Ed Koch Queensboro bridge is now not the star of the present anymore, inviting a wider cityscape into the scene as extra Roosevelt Island buildings appeared within the photograph.
Not solely did the ultra-wide lens seize what’s in entrance of me, it even snapped a little bit of the walkway I used to be standing on. Plus, you may actually really feel the expansive views from Sutton Place Park that the huge lens couldn’t convey.
Selfie digital camera
The iPhone 14’s 12MP TrueDepth digital camera now has an f/1.9 aperture (versus the iPhone 13’s f/2.2 aperture). I’ve stated this many occasions earlier than, however I’ll say it once more: I’m not a fan of the selfies I take with the iPhone. I do know Apple could really feel pressured to enhance and improve the selfie digital camera, however there comes some extent the place a digital camera is just too good.
Apple launched a brand new function alongside the iPhone 14: the Photonic Engine. To maintain it succinct, this computational images tech leverages AI and software program to make your images sharper and extra detailed, particularly in low-light situations. I positively observed the Photonic Engine working its (black) magic after I took a selfie at Sutton Place Park.
In some way, the selfie digital camera managed to seize my tense, exhausted expression — in addition to some ugly beads of sweat — after climbing up a set of subway stairs and enduring a ten minute stroll to the inexperienced house in sizzling climate. I took the identical selfie with my Galaxy S22 Extremely, and unusually, I seemed far much less drained. My complexion had a sudden heat glow — as if the solar had been setting proper in entrance of me. In the meantime, the iPhone 14 selfie delivered a cooler-toned photograph that’s extra “true-to-life.”
Lastly, the selfie digital camera now has a brand new autofocus function. Thanks for lastly getting out of the Stone Age, Apple! I used it to take a selfie with Laptop computer Magazine Producer Peter Norman, and it did a reasonably first rate job at holding us in focus.
My favourite function that Apple launched to the iPhone 13 is, palms down, Motion Mode, which is only a fancy-schmancy phrase for enhanced video stabilization. Utilizing Motion Mode, I filmed Norman transferring erratically round our filming studio together with his video tools. I additionally recorded him thrashing about on a drum set like a rockstar. When evaluating these movies to non-Motion Mode recordings, I positively noticed elevated stabilization and steadiness — as if I used to be holding a gimbal.
The one draw back with Motion Mode is that does not do properly in low-light settings (the standard drops), so be sure to seize fast-moving actions in vibrant environments. You may also activate Motion Mode with the ultra-wide digital camera, however I would not advocate it; movies look fuzzier in comparison with recordings taken with the huge digital camera.
iPhone 14 software program and guarantee
The iPhone 14 runs iOS 16, which was launched in early September. There are reviews about customers experiencing an odd digital camera bug with third-party apps, however you don’t have to fret about that as a result of it’s solely a difficulty for the Professional fashions.
I fired up TikTok, Instagram, and different camera-supported apps — I had no points utilizing them, whether or not I used to be utilizing my digital camera or not. One iOS 16 function that I admire is the battery life share displaying up once more on the standing bar. In different phrases, iOS 16 truly tells you that your battery standing is at 27% as an alternative of anticipating you to determine it out by yourself by deciphering iconography.
Everybody’s making a giant to-do in regards to the new lock-screen enhancements. They’re cool, I suppose; you may change the font of the time, add footage of individuals with an attention-grabbing depth impact, experiment with new built-in wallpapers, and extra. Nevertheless, the aforementioned new options aren’t significantly mind-blowing. To this point, the best iOS 16 function is having the chance to unsend iMessage texts that you just already despatched. You may also edit them, too.
Different noteworthy iOS 16 options embrace improved Siri dictation, keyboard haptics, and controlling your Apple Watch by way of your iPhone (due to Apple Watch Mirroring).
The iPhone 14 comes with a one-year restricted guarantee. See how Apple fared in Tech Assist Showdown and Finest and Worst Manufacturers, our annual particular reviews.
Backside line
I’m not significantly blown away by the iPhone 14, however I don’t assume that was Apple’s intent. This was meant to be an incremental improve, nonetheless, in some facets, the iPhone 14 was a slight downgrade, particularly relating to battery life.
With that stated, relying in your way of life, chances are you’ll profit from proudly owning the iPhone 14. For instance, when you’re a journey vlogger who loathes lugging round a gimbal, chances are you’ll admire the Motion Mode function, which can stabilize your movies, whether or not you’re navigating by means of crowded, tight locations in Mykonos or enduring a bumpy airboat journey on an alligator swamp tour.
Or maybe you’re involved about your security — or a beloved one’s security — and crash detection and satellite tv for pc connectivity offers you a bit of thoughts. Happily, I haven’t had an opportunity to check the previous and Emergency SOS by way of satellite tv for pc doesn’t come to iPhone till November, but when these options put your thoughts relaxed, there’s no hurt in upgrading to the iPhone 14.
Apart from that, an improve to the iPhone 14 will not be price it (until you’ve gotten the Galaxy S22 as a result of the battery life on that factor is horrendous). Or, when you can afford it, contemplate spending a little bit further to get the $899 iPhone 14 Plus.
