The Apple iPhone 14 is the least expensive current iPhone you can buy—and that $200 savings over an iPhone 14 Pro is its main appeal. It’s the first iPhone to consider if you don’t want to splash out on an iPhone Pro and don’t need the three cameras or always-on display the extra money buys. And it is a worthwhile contender, even if its external design is largely the same.
The Apple iPhone 14 in blue.
The iPhone 14 starts at $799 and has the same-size display (6.1 inches) as the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14’s processor is making a lateral move, coming from last year’s iPhone 13 Pro. The phone also gets a refreshed main camera and noticeably improved front camera.
The iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899, $100 more than the standard 14 and has a larger 6.7-inch display, the same as found on the $1,099 iPhone Pro Max. Aside from its larger size, larger battery and higher price, the Plus matches the regular iPhone in features and design (come back here for more details on the Plus after it’s available on October 7).
New to all of this year’s iPhones are a handful of features like improved computational photography, the ability to detect that you’ve been in a car crash, enhanced video stabilization and even the ability to send emergency messages via satellite. Here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 14. Read on for my take on whether it’s worth the rather substantial investment.
Apple iPhone 14: Technical Specifications
Price $799 and up | Cameras: Rear 12 megapixel ultra wide, 12 megapixel wide, front 12 megapixel | Processor Apple A 15 Bionic | Display: 6.1-inch OLED 60Hz display, 2,532 x 1,170 pixels, 460 pixels-per-inch| Storage: 128GB (up to 512GB) internal | Battery: Up to 22 hours video playback | Dimensions: 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | Weight 6.1 ounces
Best for
- Great safety features
- Much better front camera
- Strong performance
Skip because
- Overly familiar design
- Underwhelming upgrades
Apple iPhone 14: Design
If the iPhone 14 seems familiar, that’s because it is. In almost every regard, the Apple iPhone 14 looks identical to its predecessor.
The most notable differences are the colors, the cut-out at the top of the display and the cameras at back. The colors are subtly changed: a brighter PRODUCT(RED), for instance, joins Midnight, Starlight and Purple. The fifth color is a new Blue, much more pastel than last year’s and rather better for that. While the iPhone 14 Pro series gained the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 14’s notch has undergone a minor redesign to become narrower, with a deeper cut-out.
The back is glossy, not the matte-finish found on the Pro iPhones. The iPhone 14 has an aluminum frame and is 1.2 ounces lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro, a weight difference you can actually notice when holding the phone in one hand.
Apple iPhone 14 now has the display cut-out from the iPhone 13 Pro.
This is the same style of cut-out first seen on the iPhone 13 Pro to accommodate the front cameras. While very different in appearance from the iPhone 14 Pro’s small capsule-like cut-out, it is an improvement over the iPhone 13’s design.
The main camera on the iPhone 14 is new, and has a bigger lens. As a result, and for the sake of symmetry, Apple has enlarged both of the rear cameras, which remain in a diagonal arrangement. For these reasons you’re going to need a new case for the iPhone 14—last year’s cases won’t fit.
U.S. models of the iPhone 14 ditch SIM cards in favor of using eSIM. This means the phone no longer has a SIM card tray. The internals of the iPhone have not been redesigned yet, as iPhones sold outside the U.S. still have the SIM tray. But this change sets Apple up for a future in which eSIM is ubiquitous, and the internal components can be rejiggered to take advantage of the vacated space.
The phone’s sensors now can detect if you’ve been in a car crash and automatically send a message to emergency services, including your precise location. The antennas are also redesigned, to enable satellite connectivity starting in November throughout the U.S. and Canada. The iPhone 14 can connect to a passing satellite for emergency messages if you’re off-grid and have no wi-fi or cellular connection available. You need to be outdoors and follow on-screen directions to know where to point your iPhone, and the Apple includes free service for two years. These are two new personal safety features that no other phone brand has come anywhere close to offering, and is a great example of the way Apple can leverage its tight integration between hardware and software.
If you’re craving a more expansive design change, you need to wait for the larger iPhone 14 Plus (starting at $100 more)—or stump up the money for the iPhone 14 Pro.
Apple iPhone 14: Display
The display is unchanged from the iPhone 13. Specifically, it has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 2,532 x 1,170 pixels, which equates to 460 pixels-per-inch. The display appeared the same to me in use, producing bright images at a maximum 800 nits brightness (and 1,200 nits peak using HDR). It has a ceramic shield at the front to protect the glass and the display and phone are resistant to water to 50 meters.
Apple iPhone 14: Cameras
Apple’s camera engineers are exceptional, and they’ve put a new main camera on this iPhone. Interestingly, it’s different from the also-new main camera on the Pro models.
The iPhone 14 adds a wider f/1.5 aperture lens and a larger image sensor with larger pixels. In software, Apple adds what it calls the Photonic engine, which ramps up Apple’s computational photography abilities by moving the process earlier into the workflow than before. This means Deep Fusion—Apple’s term for stacking multiple images and sifting through them to create a richer final result—happens earlier in the computational pipeline, before any compression takes place. The result is a better image simply because Apple’s starting with better data. The Photonic engine is in all iPhone models.
The bigger rear cameras on the iPhone 14.
Between the updated main camera hardware and improved software, Apple says the iPhone 14’s camera has 2.5x better performance in low light compared with the iPhone 13. Well, that’s hard to quantify but certainly the camera is very good. In my tests, images were detailed, rich and sharp, even in lower light and tricky shooting conditions. Apple continues to occasionally make average shots look jaw-droppingly good.
The ultra-wide camera remains the same as before, but images benefits from the Photonic engine. The flash on the iPhone 14 is redesigned to provide 10% brighter and more uniform lighting. The new front-facing camera ups the pixel count from 7 megapixels to 12 megapixels, bringing the front camera in line with the one on the iPhone 14 Pro. And for the first time ever, the front camera has an autofocus, lens instead of the traditional fixed focus. Again, the emphasis is on improving low-light performance, a point which became apparent when I looked at a selfie image on the iPhone 13 and 14 models side-by-side at the same brightness. I could see a definite increase in detail and light handling.
Video’s newest trick is Apple’s Action Mode, with improved optical image stabilization to smooth video capture. Just tap the icon of a little person running at the top of the video option in Camera to enable this feature. It works in part by cropping in to what the camera sees to give itself lots of room around the framing to move around and offset all the motion.
Action Mode is on the iPhone 14 Pro, too and I’ve tested it on both. The experience is identical, though obviously the final result is better on the Pro because the camera’s sensor is better (an impressive 48 megapixels). Action Mode delivers smooth and highly watchable video, enough so I can rethink whether I still need a separate gimbal for image stabilization.
Apple iPhone 14: Performance and Battery Life
As I already mentioned, the iPhone 14’s brain is powered by year’s processor. This has never happened before with an iPhone. But to be clear, it’s not the iPhone 13 processor in the iPhone 14, but the souped-up version originally introduced in the iPhone 13 Pro. In other words, this iPhone is powered by last year’s Pro CPU. Time will tell if this will be Apple’s formula going forward.
The Apple iPhone 14 uses the same processor as the iPhone 13 Pro.
Some have said this phone should be called the iPhone 13s, harkening back to a time when Apple added an S to the model name in years the upgrades were less dramatic. Sure, it looks like the iPhone 13, but imagine the ridiculous situation if the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13s had been released at the same time. Apple did the right thing in naming it like this, even if the new phone sometimes seems underwhelming. As it stands, I found this phone’s performance highly effective and fast. If you weren’t told it was a year-old chip, it wouldn’t cross your mind to ask.
Battery life is what you’d expect, lasting a full day. Despite the new features, this iPhone’s battery lasts as long as the iPhone 13 which, you might remember, was a lot better than the iPhone 12.
Apple iPhone 14: Verdict
It’s true this iPhone looks like last year’s model. It’s true the display remains unchanged, and the rear camera’s megapixel count is the same. And it’s true it uses last year’s (Pro) processor.
Apple iPhone 14 in its new shade of pastel blue.
Nonetheless, the iPhone 14 has enough power from its processor to handle improved computational photography and video Action Mode. The cameras do well in low light, and produce detailed stills and smooth video. Then there are the cool new safety features: crash detection and emergency SOS messages.
So, yes, while the iPhone 14 may look like last year’s iPhone, it’s anything but. The iPhone 14 is a great choice for any who appreciate the smaller display and don’t require the higher megapixels and always-on display of the iPhone 14 Pro. Going with the 14 saves some money, but it does so by sacrificing those power features.
Apple iPhone 14: Should You Upgrade?
The iPhone 14 is a slick, responsive phone. Is it worth an upgrade from iPhone 13, in the same way that the iPhone 14 Pro is worth the upgrade from the iPhone 13 Pro? No. But the iPhone 14 is certainly a great phone. The iPhone 13 is still available for $699, but I’d say the 14 is better, and well-worth the extra $100 if you were considering an iPhone 13 today.
If you want the best iPhone, then you need to go with the iPhone Pro or Pro Max. Yes, the prices are higher, but those models feel like a bigger upgrade than the 14 does. And if you can swing the extra bucks for a Pro over an iPhone 14, it’s well worth it if for the Pro’s better camera. But if an attractive, fast performer of a phone is all you’re after, the iPhone 14 fits the bill.
My Expertise
I’ve been writing about tech for, honestly, longer than I care to remember. Most of the words I’ve written have been about phones, many of them before the word smartphone existed, back when Nokia owned most of the market and battery life was measured in days, not hours. I’ve tested every shape of phone, from soap bar to flip to slide to (I kid you not) lipstick. My first camera phone was a Nokia 7650 with a 0.3 megapixel sensor. Things have come a long way since then, but the importance of central elements has remained: ease of use, versatility, efficiency and battery life.
How I Tested The iPhone 14 Pro And Pro Max
I’ve tested these phones extensively, from taking pictures in as many situations as possible to pushing the battery life to its limits with video playback, video streaming, using mapping apps to push the GPS connection and so on. Of course, I’ve checked that video looks smooth on the screen and that the phones can, you know, make and receive calls. I used common, familiar apps to vet they work faster than ever. And I’ve made sure the phones fit the hand, offer good value and are a pleasure to pull out of your pocket and use.
