The iPhone has consistently been one of the most hyped tech releases each year for well over a decade now. Apple’s latest smartphones have updated cameras, dynamic island, and other improvements, yet they cost the same as the iPhone 13 models.
If you like significant new features, you’ll want the iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are great choices, too, and they cost less, but they don’t give you much that wasn’t already provided in the iPhone 13 models when you compare them.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
The Apple iPhone 14 is the least expensive current iPhone you can buy—and those $ 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 14 Pro and don’t need the three cameras or always-on display the extra money buys. The iPhone 14 is a worthwhile contender, even if its external design appears largely the same as last year’s model. Inside, it is an all-new handset. The larger iPhone 14 Plus—the first 6.7-inch iPhone introduced without the corresponding price bump that comes with being a Pro model—shares those new internal guts of the standard iPhone. Now, the biggest iPhone is accessible to many more pockets.
Here’s what you’ll get today for spending $200 more than you would on last year’s model, as far as I can tell:
- Slightly better standard photos from the back camera, more noticeably so if taken in low light
- Slightly better photos with the selfie camera, now with added autofocus
- A cool new stabilization mode for videos taken in shaky conditions
- An ever-so-slightly lighter device that is somewhat more efficient, meaning a slightly longer lasting battery
- Car crash detection.
iPhone 14 comes with 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532×1,170 pixels with a 460 ppi density, 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) rear cameras, 12MP front camera, Apple A15 bionic processor with a price of $799 NZ$1,599 £849 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB). Whereas the iPhone 14 Plus comes with a larger 6.7-inch OLED; 2,778×1,284 pixels display with a 458 ppi density with a slightly higher price of $899 NZ$1,799 £949 (128GB), $999 (256GB), $1,199 (512GB).
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
APPLE LOVES NOTHING more than using the word best.
The new iPhone 14 Pro is the “best iPhone yet,” with a 48-megapixel camera system that lets you capture the “best photos and video.” It’s usually easy to validate these claims after some real-world testing, especially with cameras.
Meet Dynamic Island – Now this is innovative. Apple didn’t just shrink the iPhone’s notch and move it down; it found a way to make this area useful and even fun. In addition to housing the TrueDepth camera, Dynamic Island acts like a mini dashboard, providing access to the info you need no matter what app you’re in.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best big-screen phone around, and it justifies the high price by providing a stellar display with always-on capabilities, the best cameras in a phone, and extra long battery life. If you like to shoot video, you’ll also enjoy the new Action mode for smoother footage and the even sharper Cinematic mode. The always-on display also works well, even if you have to work to get the feature the way you want.
There are some things I don’t like about the iPhone 14 Pros, including its heft and the fact that it doesn’t offer faster charging that matches what rival phones provide. And while I personally can live without a SIM card tray, international travelers may be frustrated not being able to just pop in a new SIM when they land, some carriers simply don’t support eSIM functionality yet.
Should You Buy an iPhone 14?
I do think the new safety features are compelling, and the Dynamic Island on the Pro models has potential. But if you have an iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Plus then it’s better to upgrade it to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Now it’s very obvious why it won the best overall phone in my Best Smartphones of 2022 review. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve partying to do on Dynamic Island in my new iPhone 14 Pro Max 😁😁
