Australia may be in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis, but there is a teflon quality to Apple products, which makes them all but recession-proof. And the Apple iPhone is no different.
With the Australian dollar slumping against the greenback, Apple’s latest phone plus is far from cheap, coming in at a starting point of $1579 (AUD). The most expensive of the new range—the Pro and Pro Max—top out at $2599 and yet these have been among the most sought after in the stable.
The Plus version of the iPhone 14 began arriving in Australian Apple stores and people’s homes (via pre-orders) on Friday, October 7, promising “a 6.7-inch display, an upgraded dual-camera system, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS via satellite, A15 Bionic and the best battery life ever in an iPhone”.
So is the iPhone 14 Plus your next smartphone of choice? And how does it differ from the others in the range? Here’s everything you need to know once it’s yours.
Apple’s iPhone 14 range
Apple released another range of four new iPhones on 16 September. The new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, have equivalent predecessors. However, the iPhone 14 Plus takes the place of a ‘mini’ version this time round. There was a delay in the Australian market receiving the Plus range, which began arriving on October 7.
iPhone 14 Plus display
A key difference between the iPhone 14 Plus and the standard iPhone 14 is its larger 6.7” Super Retina XDR display. A 1284 x 2778 resolution teamed with 460 pixels per inch work to make photos life-like. This is enhanced further by OLED technology for a deeper contrast. For ease of viewing ‘True Tone’ technology adjusts the display according to surrounding light.
iPhone 14 Plus battery
Apple says that its iPhone 14 Plus offers its best battery life so far. Video playback should last up to 26 hours.
A15 Bionic Processor
A difference in chipset separates the non-Pros from the Pros in the iPhone 14 range. The standard and Plus models are powered by the A15 Bionic which was first used in the iPhone 13 generation.
Meanwhile, the Pro and Pro Max have been upgraded to the new A16 Bionic.
While the A15 Bionic is no longer the most powerful processor in an iPhone, it consists of a five-core GPU which helps to keep performance fluid even during graphic-heavy gaming.
iPhone 14 Plus camera
Both the iPhone 14 Plus and the standard iPhone 14 house enhanced main and ultra wide 12MP rear lenses, and a selfie lens.
Apple has designed the rear lenses to let in 29% more light than its predecessor, to capture details in low-light up to 2.5x better. The camera also merges the best pixels from multiple exposures for more true-to-life photos.
iPhone 14 Plus: Everything else
The entire iPhone 14 range comes with a durable aluminium casing, a ceramic shield screen, and is dust and water resistant. All models feature 5G connectivity and the ability to detect when you’ve been involved in a car crash and call the emergency services if you’re unresponsive.
All models support nano SIM cards, which are the smallest sized removable SIMs, and eSIMs. The latter allow for the use of multiple phone numbers and service plans.
You can choose from 128GB to 512GB of storage in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. This extends up to 1TB for the Pro and Pro Max versions.
The Pro and Pro Max models have a new Dynamic Island display which expands to show notifications. This is positioned at the top of the screen. What Apple dubs as ‘Always-On’ allows the lock screen to continuously display notifications, even when you’re not using the phone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What colours does the iPhone 14 Plus come in?
You can choose between blue, purple, midnight, starlight and red for the iPhone 14 and the Plus model.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max come in deep purple, gold, silver and space black.
