Verdict
The Apple iPhone 14 isn’t an enormous improve on the iPhone 13, but it nonetheless is a superb cellphone with a high digital camera, good battery life and all of the iOS advantages.
Execs
- Intelligent security options
- Excellent battery life
- Dependable digital camera
- Enjoyable colors
Cons
- Caught on a 60Hz show
- Minimal variations to the iPhone 13
Availability
- UKRRP: £849
- USARRP: $799
- EuropeRRP: €999
- CanadaRRP: CA$1099
- AustraliaRRP: AU$1399
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Show6.1-inch OLED show with nice HDR help -
Security optionsEmergency SOS by way of satellite tv for pc and Automotive Crash Detection -
Improved rear digital camera12MP broad digital camera takes higher low-light snaps
Introduction
The iPhone 14 is presently the bottom mannequin within the newest collection of smartphones made by Apple, though that’s about to alter with Apple gearing as much as announce the iPhone 15 vary in a matter of days.
This makes it a nasty time to buy an iPhone 14, so we’d advocate ready till the inevitable reductions to reach, or to modify your consideration to one among Apple’s newer telephones as an alternative.
The iPhone 15 is predicted to boast quite a few upgrades over the present iPhone 14, together with the addition of the Dynamic Island characteristic, the extra highly effective Apple A16 Bionic processor, USB-C charging port and a possible upgraded digital camera.
We’re but to know the way a lot the iPhone 15 will price, but when it’s the identical £849/$799 worth that the iPhone 14 retails for proper now, then it makes little sense to overlook out on these options.
However, if Apple does find yourself discounting the iPhone 14, it might stay a terrific possibility for these with a decent finances. Right here’s our verdict on the iPhone 14 following in depth testing.
Display and Design
- Seems to be equivalent to the iPhone 13 (and iPhone 12)
- Good show, however no ProMotion or Dynamic Island
- New array of colors, together with a pleasant gentle blue
For the third yr working, Apple has caught to the identical total design for its cheaper iPhone mannequin. Except for some barely tweaked colors, together with this quite tasteful blue I’ve been reviewing, there’s no apparent option to inform the 2021 and 2022 releases aside.
Whereas some tweaks would have been welcome, the iPhone 14 stays a handsome cellphone. The flat sides have a matte end so eschew fingerprints and smudges – very a lot the other of the iPhone 14 Professional – and I like how they match the color of the glass again.
It’s a light-weight, comfy system that’ll really feel acquainted to most. It’s additionally pretty sturdy, with an IP68 score for water safety and Apple’s Ceramic Defend for including some additional safety in opposition to drops. I nonetheless discover these screens scratch too simply for my liking, so a display protector continues to be a should for maintaining the panel in the most effective situation. A couple of months after unboxing the cellphone there are some small scratches on the show.
There’s no iPhone 14 Mini, as an alternative, there’s a bigger iPhone 14 Plus. The Plus has all the identical tech because the common iPhone 14, simply in a bigger physique. For those who like watching films on the go or taking part in video games, the larger display is best.
Just like the design, the show is extra of the identical. ProMotion, the 120Hz adaptive refresh charge tech that allows the iPhone 14 Professional’s always-on show, is lacking and if rumours are to be believed it gained’t even characteristic on the iPhone 15 as a result of provide points. That’s an actual disgrace, as the graceful scrolling and additional expertise this panel tech permits for are massively missed, at the very least for me. You wouldn’t miss ProMotion or a excessive refresh charge in the event you’ve by no means used it, but it surely’s a characteristic that’s exhausting to lose.
It’s exhausting to offer Apple a move on not together with a quicker display right here, as even finances Android telephones have them. Probably the most comparable Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S23, additionally has a 120Hz show.
It stays a very good display, although. Colors are devoted, there’s sufficient brightness for impactful HDR efficiency when streaming from Netflix, Apple TV Plus or others and the element is sharp. The iPhone 14 Professional’s greater peak brightness makes it way more readable outside in actually brilliant situations and could possibly be a deciding issue for somebody who spends a number of the day outdoors.
Dynamic Island is one other factor unique to the iPhone 14 Professional, leaving the iPhone 14 with the identical dated notch as earlier than. You possibly can learn all about the advantages of the Dynamic Island and the way it turns the notch right into a characteristic quite than an irritant in our iPhone 14 Professional assessment. It’s anticipated to characteristic on the iPhone 15, so might show a serious incentive to attend for the successor.
Digicam
- Two cameras on the again
- Improved selfie digital camera
- Telephoto zoom restricted to the Professional
The digital camera is the place the place essentially the most upgrades for the iPhone 14 are discovered. It packs the identical 12MP rear sensor with an f/1.5 aperture because the iPhone 13 Professional, that means it’s bigger and quicker than the iPhone 13.
There are some notable upgrades that make the selfie digital camera significantly better at rendering correct pores and skin tones, and a slight tweaking of the picture processing pipeline with the Photonic Engine.
The enhancements over the iPhone 13 aren’t essentially felt in daylight conditions. Low-light photographs have extra element, particularly when Night time Mode doesn’t kick in. Taking an image of a canine’s fur, the iPhone 14 retained way more element within the strands and this resulted in a far nicer picture. This might both be a results of the Photonic Engine, the larger sensor at play – or a mixture of each.
There are not any adjustments to the ultrawide digital camera, but it once more churns out higher low-light photographs than its predecessor. That is the obvious place the place the up to date processing expertise are seen and it really makes this digital camera worthwhile utilizing in conditions that aren’t brilliant daylight.
In daylight conditions, the iPhone 14 takes wonderful snaps – identical to the iPhone 13 did. Colors pop simply the correct quantity, there’s a number of element and wonderful dynamic vary. The larger sensor additionally offers a shallower depth of discipline than the iPhone 13, permitting for a extra pure blurry background when capturing up shut.
If you would like the most effective digital camera expertise, the iPhone 14 Professional reigns – and the superb Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely beats that too. The upgraded 48MP foremost digital camera on the 14 Professional would possibly oversharpen sure photographs, however for essentially the most half, it presents up a superior expertise with way more management because of the ProRes modes.
The Professional cellphone additionally has a devoted telephoto digital camera, one thing utterly lacking right here, forcing the iPhone 14 to solely use digital zoom. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is an identical worth and has a correct zoom digital camera, making it much better right here than the iPhone.
Video stays a powerful talent although, and an space the iPhone 14 is comfortably forward of the Samsung and Google competitors. New modes embrace a stabilised Motion Mode that smooths out fast-moving topics and the power to shoot 4K in Cinematic Mode.
Motion Mode is a neat trick, even when the stabilisation isn’t on par with an motion digital camera just like the GoPro Hero 11. Nonetheless, in the event you’re capturing in a well-lit atmosphere it’s value utilizing if capturing a quick topic.
Efficiency
- Powered by the identical chip because the iPhone 13 Professional
- No SIM slot within the US
- Quick, easy efficiency
There are two notable characteristic additions to the iPhone 14, though neither of them is an upgraded chipset. As has turn into a recurring theme of this assessment, the brand new A16 Bionic chipset is just obtainable on the Professional fashions, though is tipped to reach on the iPhone 15.
As a substitute, it’s the security additions that stand out. These aren’t precisely options that make this iPhone 14 value upgrading to from the iPhone 13 (or iPhone 12, for that matter), but it’s good to see Apple taking a look at distinctive methods of increasing what we count on from a cellphone.
First up there’s Automotive Crash Detection, a characteristic that makes use of the delicate accelerometer contained in the cellphone to alert emergency providers (together with emergency contacts) after a collision. Testing each a part of a cellphone is essential to how we assessment at Trusted Critiques, however crashing a automotive purely to check a cellphone characteristic is taking issues a bit too far.
Then there’s an emergency SOS characteristic made obtainable by some intelligent new satellite tv for pc tech. This allows you to contact emergency providers even once you’re out of community attain and presently stay within the US, Canada and the UK.
Powering the iPhone 14 is the A15 Bionic chipset. Extra particularly, that is the model discovered within the iPhone 13 Professional, with a bit extra graphical grunt than the model from the iPhone 13.
Let me say right away that reusing an previous chip is of no concern to me – the iPhone 13 Professional stays to at the present time one of many quickest telephones. All through my week with the iPhone 14 it has by no means felt gradual or laggy and I can’t actually inform the distinction between the efficiency right here and on the A16 Bionic. I opened up just a few Apple Arcade video games, together with Genshin Affect and CoD Cell, and so they all performed easily on the iPhone 14. Sure, the benchmark outcomes are a bit greater on the newer chip, however the distinction is minimal in precise use.
Nevertheless, I might be involved that having an older chip would shorten the lifespan of this mannequin. Will or not it’s supported so long as the iPhone 14 Professional? I might hope so, but it’s a query that’s unimaginable to reply proper now.
Within the US, Apple is transport your entire iPhone 14 collection with no SIM slot – as an alternative, patrons might want to arrange (or switch over) an eSIM to the cellphone. My unit is the UK mannequin and retains the slot which is sensible, as eSIM is much much less superior right here. I’ve been utilizing the cellphone on Vodafone, a community that does help eSIM, but Three doesn’t.
The method for including and transferring over an eSIM appears good and straightforward, though your mileage might fluctuate relying on networks. All fashions which have a bodily SIM tray help a number of eSIMs too, so it’s there to check out.
5G stays normal throughout the road and the Bluetooth normal has been upped to model 5.3, though there’s no Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 such as you’ll discover on the OnePlus 11. Name high quality and common connectivity on the cellphone are nice, as is the audio from the audio system.
Battery Life
- No charger included
- Endurance to get you thru the day
- Wi-fi charging obtainable
The iPhone 14 has some modest battery enhancements over the iPhone 13. However what’s extra essential is the enhancements it has over the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11. I might assume most people who find themselves eager on upgrading to this are coming from an iPhone (or Android cellphone) that’s just a few years previous, and if that’s you then the advantages are apparent.
I used to be totally impressed by the endurance of the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 14 ekes ever so barely extra juice out over the course of the day. As an illustration, Apple claims an additional hour of video playback and that’s precisely what I bought. An hour of 100% brightness Netflix HDR streaming took off 9% on the iPhone 13, and eight% on the iPhone 14.
It’s an identical story in gaming, with the battery saving a few per cent per hour when in comparison with the iPhone 13. I can comfortably get via a full, busy day with 20-30% left by bedtime, and on some quieter days there could be 35-40% left.
After all, there are not any huge strides in battery tech right here – however that’s a difficulty for the entire business quite than simply Apple itself. The goal may be very a lot to get you thru the day with out worrying about discovering a charger, one thing it manages extra so than many Android telephones.
On the subject of charging, you’ll nonetheless want to offer your personal plug (though a USB-C to Lightning cable is included within the field) or use both a MagSafe charger or one other Qi-enabled pad. Wired charging is quickest so long as you’re utilizing a 20w charger, with a full cost taking round 95 minutes. A 32-minute cost will get the cellphone from 0-50%. This falls effectively beneath a few of the finest Android telephones, with the OnePlus 11 going from 0-100% within the period of time the iPhone 14 can get to 50%.
This might very effectively be the final yr Apple makes use of Lightning versus USB-C with sure EU legal guidelines coming into impact. This implies the iPhone 15 is predicted to characteristic a USB-C charging port as an alternative, though we’re glad about this alteration, with Lightning changing into very gradual for each charging and knowledge switch.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You’ve bought an ageing iPhone: For those who’re on an iPhone 11 or older, then the adjustments right here will make a notable distinction. Battery life and digital camera have been massively upgraded with the iPhone 13 and so they’re each higher once more with the 14.
You’ve bought an iPhone 13: The adjustments from Apple’s earlier cellphone aren’t sufficient to warrant an improve this yr.
Closing Ideas
The iPhone 14 is a really reasonable replace to an already wonderful cellphone. In earlier years it’d even have been referred to as the iPhone 13S. There’s little or no purpose to replace in the event you’ve bought an iPhone 13, although you’ll discover quite a few advantages in the event you’re coming from an older mannequin.
It’s additionally value ready a bit longer to see what’s new with the iPhone 15, particularly if it does certainly pack new options similar to Dynamic Island, USB-C charging and the A16 Bionic chip.
That stated, the iPhone 14 continues to be a terrific cellphone, simply so long as it will get a worth reduce to mirror its barely outdated specs. The digital camera stays wonderful for each pictures and videography; the software program is top-drawer and the addition of a number of security options is sensible. The battery life is incredible for a cellphone of this dimension, too.
For those who can afford the additional, I might totally advocate going for the iPhone 14 Professional. It has a much better display, a extra versatile digital camera and intelligent tips just like the always-on show and Dynamic Island. In any other case, take a look at our Finest Telephone and Finest iPhone guides for extra choices.
How we take a look at
We take a look at each cell phone we assessment totally. We use business normal checks to check options correctly and we use the cellphone as our foremost system over the assessment interval. We’ll at all times inform you what we discover and we by no means, ever, settle for cash to assessment a product.
Used as foremost cellphone for greater than per week
Taken a whole lot of images in varied conditons
Comapred in opposition to the iPhone 13 and older iPhones
FAQs
There isn’t any charging plug within the field, only a USB-C to Lightning cable. For those who’re shopping for a brand new plug, search for one which helps 20w charging
The Professional mannequin sports activities a greater display, quicker chipset and an additional digital camera.
5 colors can be found: Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight and Pink.
