iPhone 14 Plus: Best gaming and battery-life phone right now
BY TECH ROVER MIND / AUGUST 16, 2024 9:14 AM
The iPhone 14 Plus has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with no 120Hz refresh rate. It features 6GB of RAM with the Apple A15 Bionic chip, and it uses the old notch design found on the 13 Pro Max. It has a 4323 mAh battery and dual 12-megapixel cameras capable of 4K 60fps recording with an action mode, in the same diagonal format found on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini.
iPhone 14 Plus Specifications
- Display: 6.7‑inch (1284 × 2778 pixels) OLED, 458ppi, Super Retina XDR
- SIM: Dual SIM (nano + eSIM), dual eSIM
- Connectivity: 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS
- Back Camera: Dual
– 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
– 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) - Front Camera: 112 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″
- Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) 64-bit processor, 16-core Neural Engine
- Storage/Ram: 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM
- Operating System: iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 16.0.2
- Security Sensors: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
- Other features: Water and dust resistance (IP68), Stereo speakers
- Battery: Up to 26 hours of video playback, 7.5W Qi Wireless Charging, 15W MagSafe Wireless Charger (No adapter included in the box)
iPhone 14 Plus Design & Colors
In terms of design, the iPhone 14 retains the familiar squared-off look from last year’s iPhone 13, and it still looks great, especially in the midnight color. We get a matte aluminum frame along with the glossy glass back, which looks good, but I would have loved to see Apple do something new with the design. For example, adding a matte glass back, similar to what we see on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, would have added a bit of grip, which would be especially nice on a bigger phone like this.
On the front, we have the same notch with Face ID, which remains fast and reliable and can now also unlock in landscape mode. Proportionally speaking, the notch takes up less space on this larger display compared to the regular iPhone 14. Speaking of which, if you previously wanted the larger 6.7-inch display, you had to upgrade to the iPhone Pro Max line, which came at a very steep price increase.
But now, for the first time, you can get that 6.7-inch display for only $100 more. This is perfect if you consume a lot of content on your phone, especially with the incredible battery life of the 14 Plus.
As for the color options, here’s what we get…
iPhone 14 Plus colors:
- Midnight
- Purple
- Starlight
- Blue
- Product Red
iPhone 14 Plus Display
Looking more closely at the display, the iPhone 14 Plus boasts an excellent OLED screen. With up to 800 nits of brightness, it may not be as bright as the iPhone 14 Pro models, but it remains evident outdoors and even in sunlight. Colors are vibrant, making games, photos, and videos look fantastic.
This is a 60Hz display, unlike the 120Hz display found on the Pro models, which makes on-screen movements appear smoother. However, if you’re used to having a 60Hz display like on previous regular iPhone models, 60Hz will still feel fine, especially considering how smoothly iOS 16 runs.
On the front, the iPhone 14 Plus features the same ceramic shield, which has proven crack-resistant. However, it does scratch easily, so I recommend putting on a screen protector from day one to protect your investment.
iPhone 14 Plus Camera
This brings me to the next big upgrade that the iPhone 14 Plus gets: camera enhancements. The main lens, while still a 12-megapixel sensor, now features a faster f1.5 aperture. This improvement means the sensor can let in more light, resulting in up to a 49% improvement in low-light performance and faster night mode compared to the previous iPhone 13. Additionally, there’s the new Photonic Engine, which uses software to further enhance your photos after you take them.
Are photos from the 14 Plus hugely different from the 13? Not really. The differences are mostly noticeable in low-light scenarios, where the 14 Plus gets brighter and retains details slightly better, especially with the ultra-wide lens. However, compared to the broader smartphone industry, the 14 Plus camera system remains impressive and is among the best, producing natural-looking photos that are sharp and exhibit high dynamic range.
Selfie
The selfie camera now also has autofocus, which allows for sharper images at various distances and improves detail in features like hair. In terms of video, the iPhone 14 Plus introduces Action Mode for even better image stabilization. This mode offers almost gimbal-like stabilization, which is noticeably better than the iPhone 13. Over the years, iPhones have become renowned for their camera quality, and the 14 Plus continues this tradition with its robust and reliable camera system.
Like the Pro models, the iPhone 14 Plus features Cinematic Mode, which can record in 4K at both 30 and 24 frames per second. While the quality of the rear lenses may differ, the cinematic videos captured with the selfie camera should be comparable to those taken with the Pro models. An added benefit is the ability to adjust the aperture after filming. The default f/2.8 can sometimes make subjects appear somewhat like cardboard cutouts, but increasing the aperture to f/3.5 or f/4 can result in a more natural look. This post-editing flexibility is quite impressive and enhances the overall video recording experience.
iPhone 14 Plus Performance
This year, only the iPhone 14 Pros get Apple’s latest A16 Bionic processor, while the iPhone 14 Plus and 14 keep the A15 Bionic chip from last year. Yes, it is true, the iPhone 14 Plus has the same chip as last year’s iPhone 13, although now it does have 5 GPU cores. But I’ve gotta tell you, from owning all of the iPhone 14 models, including the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and comparing them in day-to-day use, you don’t see the difference between the two chips. This will only really show when you’re exporting larger files, loading bigger games, or perhaps years down the road. Still, of course, I would have liked to see the A16 chip in the 14 Plus, but rest assured, the iPhone 14 Plus handles super well, is fast and smooth to use and will stay that way for years to come.
iPhone 14 Plus iOS version
Many people have asked me if this phone has any bugs or issues because when I reviewed the iPhone 14 Pro, it had so many problems, mate, it was annoying. But you know what’s good? The iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t have any bugs at all.
Yo, I’ve been using it for so long, and I only saw two bugs. They didn’t even repeat it after using it for 10 days. Now I can confidently say that the experience was stable, you know what I mean? Let me tell you something, people buy the latest iPhone because they want to have the latest features. Apple always does this—they bring in all the latest features and they don’t give them to their old iPhones. Now, the iPhone 14 Plus is the phone of this year, and it doesn’t even have an always-on display. It’s like, bro, this is supposed to be the latest iPhone.
The latest feature not being available is not good to me. Another thing I don’t like is that this phone has a notch again this year and they haven’t fully optimized it yet. Like if you use Twitter, the notch keeps showing in the cover photo. In my opinion, they should optimize this quickly.
If you also play Call of Duty, the notch still appears on the left side, no doubt. Because of this, the gaming experience sometimes gets bad—we can’t see the player. It’s the same old thing to me.
So, like, I found out that the Face ID on this phone now works in landscape mode, which it didn’t do before. But that same feature is also working on the iPhone 13 Pro. If you want to use Notes and you’re not getting any extraordinary features, then the iPhone 13 Pro is still the way to go.
iPhone 14 Plus Battery Charging Speeds
This 60Hz refresh rate helps this phone in the battery department. When I first started using this phone, I got two days of battery life. I still remember that on Tuesday morning at 10:00, I fully charged this phone and it lasted until Thursday. Yo, so here’s the deal: if you’re a heavy user like me, this phone is legit. I put it through some serious camera tests all day long and still had 40% battery left at night. Crazy, right? I went to bed at 1:18 AM and woke up around 8:00 AM, and guess what? It only used up 3% on idle.
No doubt, this phone is efficient AF. Oh, and by the way, it didn’t overheat at all, even though I was snapping photos like crazy. It handled the outdoor conditions like a boss. So, if you’re considering this phone, it’s worth it.
You charge this phone, right? But even when it’s charging, it doesn’t work properly. The iPhone 14 Pro is doing this too, even at this time. But this phone, man, it’s not doing it even now. It comes with a lot of features, you know, but the painful charging takes 2 hours and 22 minutes. That’s a big number, dude. It takes 17 minutes for this phone to go from 97% to 100%. I don’t need to say anything. Android phones these days get fully charged in 17 minutes. Got my point, right? If the battery backup is good, then the charging is bad.
Should you upgrade?
So, at the end of the day, should you upgrade to the 14 Plus? Well, the iPhone 14 Plus gives three compelling reasons to upgrade.
First is the larger 6.7-inch display, now at a much lower price compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Second is the best-ever battery life in an iPhone, lasting almost two full days of heavy use. Third is the new safety features, including emergency SOS via satellite to always be connected.
I think if one or multiple of these speak to you, I would say go for it. The iPhone 14 Plus is an excellent phone with no major drawbacks. Yes, the design is a bit boring, and while I would have liked to see Apple do more here, the larger size does make things more interesting.
For the price, with the larger battery and display, the iPhone 14 Plus offers even better value than the regular iPhone 14, making it the new best-value iPhone out right now. If you are on an iPhone 11, 10, or 8, and want to upgrade to the larger 6.7-inch size, then this is the perfect time to do so.
