If you love the idea of a ginormous Apple phone but never felt able to justify the splurge on the massive Pro Max models, we’ve got some good news for you.
The iPhone 14 Plus isn’t just a bigger iPhone 14, it’s the most “affordable” way to get ahold of a large-screen iPhone in years – starting at £949 rather than the £1,000+ starting prices of every “Max” model all the way back to the 11 Pro Max.
It has serious battery life that bests the new 14 Pro Max in certain situations. Leaving your power bank at home is no longer a disaster, with this capable of lasting for up to three days of moderate use.
We’ve been testing the 6.7-inch overgrown iPhone for almost a fortnight, and while it’s a shame that Apple’s ditched the useful iPhone mini model in order to add this to its lineup, we think the bigger battery and screen real estate should make the Plus a tempting option for anyone wanting a little more from their iPhone.
iPhone 14 Plus key specs
- Screen size: 6.7 inches
- Resolution: 1284 x 2778 pixels
- Processor: Apple A15 Bionic
- Cameras: Two rear cameras (12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide angle) and 12MP front camera
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage space: 128GB, 256GB or 512GB
- MicroSD card slot: No
- Weight: 203g
iPhone 14 Plus battery life
The first thing to say about the iPhone 14 Plus is that everything we wrote about the iPhone 14 applies here too. However, while the standard iPhone 14 is a pretty iterative upgrade over the iPhone 13 (making it hard to recommend), there was never any option for a screen this big on the previous model. And, with that increased size comes a major battery life improvement. We’re not joking, we’re talking about multi-day battery life.
We found it a real struggle to get this to run out of juice. In our tests with moderate usage – that’s a bit of listening to podcasts and Spotify, a few YouTube videos and the normal emails and messaging – we managed to get it to three consecutive days, and even under intense use it’ll get through nearly two days without a recharge.
This is a big selling point, and Apple’s own marketing awards the phone with the distinction of “the best battery life in an iPhone”. It’s rated to last longer than the equally sized iPhone 14 Pro Max when it comes to audio playback (up to 100 hours, as opposed to 95 hours), although the Pro variant can manage a little more video playback. If you need a relatively “affordable” iPhone and battery life is a priority, we think the Plus is the one to pick.
iPhone 14 Plus camera
What can we say about the iPhone 14 Plus camera system that we didn’t already say in our review of the iPhone 14? Well, it’s the same setup, after all. Apple’s 12MP main wide camera is where you’ll see the real upgrades, and the larger stabilised sensor and faster aperture improve low-light photography, while there are some slight tweaks to the ultra-wide camera on the back too. Love posting selfies to your Instagram stories or using BeReal? You’ll enjoy the updates to the front camera too, as it now has a higher resolution for your FaceTime videos and auto-focus for far better selfies.
As mentioned, we think the upgrades are most noticeable over on the main rear camera though, which is now comparable to what Apple delivered in the iPhone 13 Pro last year. If this focal length is your most-used one, we think you’ll see a minor, albeit noticeable, improvement to your night shots. It just means you’re less likely to discover a blurry group portrait the day after your get-together in that restaurant that was a little too dimly lit. And we can tell the difference when it comes to the selfie performance too, it’s just that little bit better, and the autofocus gives you confidence that the shots won’t turn out blurry.
Simon Cocks
There’s no sign of a telephoto here, just like on the regular 14, and it is a shame that you can pay nearly £1,000 for a smartphone without that option. More affordable Androids like the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 have a larger main sensor and can use the centre of it for zoomed-in shots. You can’t do that at all here. So if you want proper zooming capabilities, you’ll have to opt for the pricier iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max.
In everyday use, we found ourselves picking the highest-quality main lens as often as possible, and it delivers detailed, realistic and dynamic shots in most scenarios. We know iPhone results come out a bit neutral by default, which we think is ideal if you’ll be editing after shooting, but if you want your result to be a little punchier, warmer or more contrasty, we recommend playing around with the “photographic styles” that Apple introduced with the iPhone 13 models last year. We like to add a bit more richness and contrast to our photos and we’re happy to leave that setting on all the time.
Below we’ve included a selection of photos that we’ve shot with the 14 Plus, including some that use portrait mode, some on the ultra-wide and some on the selfie camera – these are all unedited, although some were shot using the rich contrast “photographic style” mentioned above.
iPhone 14 Plus display
We all know that the reason you’re here reading about the iPhone 14 Plus is that you want a bigger screen than you’ll get on the regular 6.1-inch iPhone. If you’re unsure about a bigger display, though, this isn’t for you – it’s tricky to use one-handed, won’t fit in smaller pockets or handbags and can look more like a tablet than a phone.
We don’t think you’ll be able to hold it for ages on a video call, although it is worth mentioning that it’s (impressively) actually lighter than the smaller iPhone 14 Pro (and around the same weight as the Pixel 7).
We’d guess you’ve stuck with us this far because you do want a bigger phone, though. Our verdict? Apple’s done an excellent job with this one. Yes, it can feel almost comically large to hold, but there are a whole load of positives to the increased size.
Let’s be honest, all content looks better on a bigger display, whether that’s how you’re able to see more of a message thread, more of your Twitter feed, far more detail in your streaming videos on the likes of Disney+ or Apple TV+, or bigger photos on social media. We love using this larger display to watch YouTube or TikTok, and it improves everyday tasks by allowing you to see more reminders and more calendar events at once.
The screen itself is a bright and contrasty OLED, and anyone upgrading from an older non-OLED screen like those on the iPhone XR or 11 will notice just how much crisper this is. Sadly, though, it doesn’t have the high refresh rate that you’ll find on most Android rivals at lower prices (and on the most expensive Pro iPhones). This is a shame, and we can’t understand why it’s missing – it’s an addition that really helps animations around the interface feel more fluid.
Simon Cocks
iPhone 14 Plus design
Once again, there isn’t a lot to say about the iPhone 14 Plus design that we didn’t already say about its smaller counterpart. We love the feel of the aluminium and the squared-off edges of all recent iPhones and while the back glass is a little slippery, we know most people (including us) will pop a case on their phone straight away.
Sure, some might say that the notch design is a little outdated, but we think there’s nothing wrong with it. If you consider just how clever the 3D depth-sensing tech that powers Face ID is, it’s a miracle it fits in a space so small. We have used the iPhone 14 Pro models, however, and can’t deny that the new cutout-enhancing “Dynamic Island” feature is genuinely useful and fun – it’s a slight disappointment that Apple reserved that feature only for the most expensive handsets.
iPhone 14 Plus drawbacks
Aside from the lack of the “Dynamic Island” mentioned above, the fact that it has the same chip as last year’s iPhones and the meagre 60Hz refresh rate of the display, there’s very little we’d critique here. Apple promised a bigger variant of the iPhone 14 and that’s what it delivered. So we’ve got no complaints. The price is on the steep side, but compared to other iPhones, it’s decent value for the display size you’re getting. If you’re after the big iPhone experience without forking out loads of cash, we’d either suggest picking a deal that involves an upfront cost (around £400) and a £30 per month contract or dealing with the full upfront cost and making savings on a lower-cost SIM-only deal.
iPhone 14 Plus verdict
If you own an older iPhone like the XR or 11 and you don’t think there’s enough room on the screen or battery life, this is the upgrade you’re after. The bigger screen and extra juice alone make it worth it, and it packs in a seriously impressive camera compared to those older iPhones too. If you already have an iPhone 13, though, we still don’t think there are quite enough changes here to justify the upgrade. Unless, of course, you simply must have that bigger screen or enough power to get you through a long weekend without having to bring a charger.
