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Apple iPhone 14 Reviews: Should you upgrade this year?
I’m not hugely excited about the regular iPhone 14 this year. I’m an iPhone user, and I get the newest one every year, but this year it almost feels like Apple just gave up. This is easily the least upgraded new iPhone 14 that’s been released yet. It has the fewest new features.
I wasn’t expecting anything groundbreaking, I guess. The same old design was expected, among other things, but there are no must-have upgrades, and no wow factor.
The most insulting thing is that Apple didn’t even bother putting their newest processor in this new iPhone. They used last year’s A15 Bionic chipset, and Apple has never done this before.
The newest iPhone 14, which isn’t a budget device like the 5C or the SE, has always gotten an updated processor. To me, this means that not even Apple can fake it till they make it with newer, better, faster marketing terms, or at least that speed and performance have reached their effective limit. But if that’s the case, they should have made it up somewhere else. They didn’t, though.
This is effectively the same iPhone 14 from start to finish as it was a year ago, and I’d even argue it’s the same iPhone from two years ago. The iPhone 12 was the last new regular iPhone to see substantial upgrades. Since then, I haven’t had much of a reason to justify getting a new iPhone 14, and that’s a shame.
I think the excitement of upgrading every single year is long gone. It probably makes more sense to get a new phone every three or four years now. So if you have an iPhone 12 or an iPhone 13, you should probably skip the iPhone 14. You aren’t missing out.
If you have an older iPhone, like a 10 or an 11, I also don’t think you should get the iPhone 14. Why spend so much extra money, $800, on a phone that’s no different than the $500 or $600 iPhones from before?
Table of Contents
New iPhone 14 features:
- New 12MP ƒ/1.9 front-facing camera with autofocus
- New 12MP ultrawide camera
- New main camera with larger, 1/1.65″ sensor, and 1.9 micron pixels
- 4K Cinematic mode at 30fps
- Better low-light photos with Photonic engine
- Faster, more energy-efficient 6nm Qualcomm 5G modem made by TSMC
- Bluetooth 5.3
- 6GB RAM
- Satellite connectivity for SOS messages
- Penta-core GPU
- New blue color
- Larger battery
- HDR gyro and high-g accelerometer for the new Crash Detection service
iPhone 14 Specs:
- Body: 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 in), 172 grams (6.07 oz)
- Display: 6.1 inches, Super Retina XDR OLED capacitive touchscreen,
- Other Properties: HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
- Resolution: 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
- Color Options: Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red
- Rear Camera: Dual (with LED flash)
- 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide),
- 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide)
- Front Camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide),
- Sound: Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
- Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
- Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM
- Software & UI: iOS 16
- CPU: Hexa-core (2×3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4×1.82 GHz Blizzard)
- GPU: Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
- Security: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
- Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
- Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving)
- Battery: Li-Ion 3279mAh, non-removable,
- Wireless charging (MagSafe) 15W
- Wireless charging (Qi) 7.5W
iPhone 14 Models:
The iPhone 14 is the cheapest in Apple’s 2022 iPhone series of four new phones (sorry, no mini iPhone this year, the 14 will have to do):
- 6.7″ iPhone 14 Plus – large 60Hz screen, A15 chip, big battery
- 6.1″ iPhone 14 Pro – 120Hz display, telephoto camera, A16 chipset
- 6.7″ iPhone 14 Pro Max – 120Hz screen, triple camera, A16 chip, big battery
iPhone 14 Design & Colors
This year’s new iPhone 14 kind of looks like last year’s old iPhone 13, the iPhone 12, and the iPhone 11. Apple is a creature of habit, and I don’t think anyone was expecting a drastic new design with the iPhone 14. The design change, if you can even call it that, was given to the Pros with their new dynamic island notch.
And while there’s some comfort and familiarity in this iconic iPhone form factor, everyone knows that notch. It no doubt looks dated compared to the vast majority of other smartphones on the market now, at least from the front. Around back, Apple seems to always want to entice you with a new color, at least for the iPhones. Available in Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, and Red.
This is this year’s shade of blue, but again, beyond that, this is essentially the same fit and finish as previous regular iPhones. That’s not a bad thing, though. The iPhone is still premium: glass, aluminum, all that jazz. But you wouldn’t know this is the latest device just by glancing at it.
iPhone 14 Display
as for the display, this did not change from the 13. It’s the same screen. It’s their Super Retina XDR display, which is a 6.1-inch OLED display with 800 nits of brightness or 1,200 nits if you’re watching HDR content. Although not as bright as the iPhone 14 Pro, it is still visible in direct sunlight. In terms of colors, they look fantastic— not too saturated but still very vibrant, making your games and videos look great.
I do want to touch on the refresh rate, as the iPhone 14 still has a 60Hz refresh rate. Compared to the 120Hz refresh rate that you’ll find on the iPhone 14 Pro and many Android competitors at the same price, this won’t be as fluid or smooth. However, if you’re not used to 120Hz, I think the 60Hz display on the iPhone 14 is still great, especially considering how smoothly iOS generally operates. Still, it would have been nice to see just a slight bump up, even if it were like 90Hz.
This is important: the iPhone 14 features the same ceramic shield on the front of the display as the iPhone 13. While this is quite crack-resistant, it does scratch easily. So, I suggest getting a screen protector from day one to protect your display.
iPhone 14 Camera
It has two 12-megapixel sensors, but the main wide-angle lens is now bigger, with larger pixels.
Apple took the same camera sensor from the 13 Pro but decided to remove the telephoto lens and keep only the main camera and ultrawide. The main camera now has Sensor-Shift OIS, which makes a big difference in low-light shots.
This essentially stops triggering night mode so you can take a normal shot without needing to stand still for a couple of seconds or use the flash. The ultrawide is similar. However, Apple has this new photonic engine for the 14 series, which merges the best pixels from multiple exposures at an earlier stage before you tap the shutter button.
This preserves more image data to give you brighter, more lifelike colors and detailed textures, even in lower lighting conditions. As someone who’s been using the iPhone 13 Pro, this isn’t all that new to me. But if you’re watching this and have an iPhone 12 or an older device, then all of this camera goodness will be leaps and bounds better than your current camera.
In terms of photo quality, iPhones are still a top three in my book, not for their zoom capabilities, but their photo quality is really good, especially in great lighting. The clarity, accurate colors, skin tones, Smart HDR 4, and all the processing it does behind the scenes are really well thought out. The final image that I can get from this phone just looks really good.
iPhone 14 Photo
The 14 series can also do 4K cinematic mode in both 24 frames per second and 30 frames per second. I’m not exactly sure why the 13 Pro doesn’t have 4K cinematic mode; it’s still capped at 1080p, but this is an iPhone 14 series exclusive.
What’s also exclusive to the 14 series is this new action mode, which I thought was only available for the 14 Pro. But you do have this on the regular 14, which is cool.
However, what I didn’t know until I enabled it is that the resolution will drop down to 2.8K from 4K, so the software can crop in on that 4K mode and stabilize the footage.
For handheld running shots, the samples we were able to get were pretty impressive. Is it perfect? No. Is it any good? Depends on what you’re looking for. But for sports or videos of your kids or dogs running around, this is a really good feature to have for sure.
iPhone 14 Performance
the single biggest gut punch with the regular iPhone this year, in my opinion, was the fact that Apple chose not to use their latest A16 Bionic chipset inside to power it. That was also reserved for the pros.
This phone got the old parts bin treatment, with last year’s A15 Bionic processor. Now, Apple did finally bump up the RAM to a whopping 6 gigs on these new iPhones, but the main player, the processor, remains the same. Sure, they changed the architecture and improved efficiency a little to sort of make it seem like an upgrade, but it’s simply not. And this is a move that surprised me. If this were the iPhone SE or some newer, lower-tier budget iPhone, then I’d be okay with it.
In terms of overall performance, the iPhone 14 is great. Just like any brand-new iPhone, it’s blazing fast. And it’s something that you’ll notice coming from an older iPhone like the 10 or the iPhone 11. Apps will load just a bit quicker thanks to the added RAM, and switching between apps is better than ever.
Gaming on the 14 is amazing, with no noticeable dropped frames or stuttering. I was able to play games on this for about half an hour and didn’t notice it heating up or warming up like some other flagships in the market. But this also depends on the climate that you’re in.
iPhone 14 new features
The iPhone 14 introduces two big safety features. The first is crash detection. As the name implies, this feature will detect if you’re ever in a severe car crash and, if you do not respond, will automatically call emergency services on your behalf. This is the kind of feature I certainly wasn’t able to test and hope to never need, but it’s reassuring to have.
The second safety feature is emergency SOS via satellite. This allows you to connect to a satellite from anywhere, even without cell service, to send a message for help. For example, if you’re out hiking, skiing, or driving in a remote area, this feature could literally save your life.
As someone who lives in London, I don’t worry much about losing my cell service, but on holidays, this is a feature I definitely want. If your lifestyle involves a lot of outdoor and remote sports, then this feature alone may be enough to justify getting the iPhone 14.
When it comes to battery life, last year I was really happy with the performance of the iPhone 13, which could last me all day. I’m pleased to say that the battery life on the iPhone 14 is just as good, getting me through a full day and evening without needing a top-up. While many other phones that I test make it through the day but not the evening without a quick charge, the iPhone 14 gives me seven to eight hours of screen-on time, which is definitely above average. It’s enough for me to get through a full day, even one and a half days of lighter use.
So, at the end of the day, should you upgrade to the iPhone 14? Well, if you’re on the iPhone 13, I would say no, unless emergency SOS via satellite really fits your lifestyle. It’s one thing to have a slightly better camera, but it’s a whole other thing to add a possibly life-saving feature. The iPhone 13 delivers the same design, a great display, long battery life, and almost the same performance as the iPhone 14, but at $100 less.
If you are currently on an iPhone 11, 10, or even an 8, the iPhone 13 will already be a significant upgrade. This is where I really wish the iPhone 14 offered just a bit more. Yes, the new safety features, camera upgrades, and the possible one year of additional software support you get with the iPhone 14 compared to the iPhone 13 are nice, but for $100 less, I think the iPhone 13 is still a really compelling phone that most people will be very happy with.
iPhone 14 Battery life
So now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s quickly talk about my experience with the device. Now, I haven’t spent too much time with the 14, so battery life is just based on the few days that I got to use it.
But I will say that battery life was pretty comparable to my outgoing iPhone 13 Pro with my kind of usage. Someone who’s always on social media like TikTok or Instagram, doing emails, and texting a ton. I can easily drain this down to 20% by the end of my workday, which is around 6 p.m. This means if I want to go out past 6 p.m., I have to charge this phone.
Should you upgrade
Okay, so at the end of the day, should you upgrade to the iPhone 14? Well, if you’re on the iPhone 13, I would say no, unless emergency SOS via satellite really fits your lifestyle. It’s one thing to have a slightly better camera, but it’s a whole other to add a possibly life-saving feature. But at the same time, the iPhone 13 delivers the same design, a great display, long battery life, and almost the same performance as the iPhone 14, but at $100 less.
If you are currently on an iPhone 11, 10, or 8, even today, the iPhone 13 will already be a really big upgrade. And this is where I really wish the iPhone 14 offered just a bit more. Yes, the new safety features, camera upgrades, and possibly one year of additional software support that you get with the iPhone 14 compared to the iPhone 13 are nice, but for $100 less, I think the iPhone 13 is still a really compelling phone. And I think most will be very happy with it.
I am curious to use the upcoming iPhone 14 Plus as on this phone, you get a larger display and even bigger battery. Now, these are big upgrades this year. I think Apple is really trying to push people to the Pro line as this is where all the major upgrades are. Be sure to stay tuned as I will also be reviewing the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
But again, as for the iPhone 14, if you’re currently on an older model iPhone and looking to upgrade, I would say unless emergency SOS via satellite really speaks to you or fits your lifestyle, I think most people will find better value in the now more affordable and very similar iPhone 13.
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Alvi Hosain
I am a tech enthusiast with over 1.5 years of experience in phone reviews and gadgets. Passionate about making technology easier for everyone, I focus on creating smartphone reviews and detailed tech guides. Whether exploring the latest devices or providing tips on how to get the most out of your gadgets, I love helping others navigate the world of technology. Known among my friends for solving phone-related problems, I enjoy discussing technology and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
