With one and half months away from that BIG day, news or rumors about the Apple iPhone 14 are circulating more wildly than before. No surprise. We’re excited about the new iPhone, too. And we’ve got some surprises this year for the iPhone 14 cases.
Anyway, in case you’re too tied up with your routine and don’t feel like missing out, here’s what’s new about the iPhone 14 that we think would happen and what’s worth discussing.
When is the iPhone 14 Coming Out?
For many, this could be most important question to answer. Most rumors said September 13 will the release date. But recently, we also heard predictions that September 6 will be the launch date for the new iPhones. We will soon find out by August.
No More iPhone “mini”
You’ve probably heard that the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini are not selling. So, it’s quite possible that Apple is doing away with the “mini” line this year.
Still, there will be four models, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. It’s definitely good news for fans who prefer large screens.
Bathtub Notch is Going Away
This could be the biggest and the most-welcomed design change coming to the newest iPhone. Since 2017, after Apple released the iPhone X with the bathtub notch, we’ve heard many drums banging for getting rid of the notch.
Last year, we saw a smaller display cutout at the top of the iPhone 13 screen, which clearly shows that Apple knows how people are unsatisfied with the design and can change it. So, we can totally expect them to go further.
According to the iPhone 14 design leak on Twitter, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature the same thinner bezel that looks like an exclamation mark or a pill plus a hole, while the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max have similar notches like that of the iPhone 13.
Bigger and Better iPhone 14 Cameras
Every new iteration of the iPhone comes with updates on some parts or features. Maybe it’s the display refresh rate, battery, or chip. But we can always expect a camera update.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that we will see a major camera improvement on the 2022 Pro iPhone lineup. They will feature a 48-megapixel rear camera, upgrading from the current 12-megapixel camera, and 8K video recording capability, which allows creators to capture higher quality video with more details and greater clarity.
And the higher-resolution camera sensor will lead to a bigger camera bump. If that’s true, then you can’t use your iPhone 13 case for the iPhone 14.
As for the front camera on all four iPhone 14 models, it is said to have autofocus features and a wider f/1.9 aperture, which should make us all look better on those video calls.
Bigger Battery
Battery capacity is another concern of many people. We heard all iPhone 14 models will receive bigger batteries, except for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The rumored 0.2mm increase in width may be dedicated to the bigger batteries. But looking at the rumored battery capacity, it’s hard to call that an “improvement”. The battery capacity of the iPhone 14 is said to be 3,279mAh, up 52mAh from its predecessor. And iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a 4,323mAh battery, slightly less than the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 4,352mAh.
If you think the battery is not enough to last a day, you can always bring a portable wireless charging power bank with you.
Titanium Alloy Chassis
The iPhones released in recent years use either aluminum or stainless steel for the chassis design. This year, however, Apple might shift to a stronger metal, titanium.
Apple uses titanium for the Apple Watch, apart from aluminum and stainless steel. And the titanium Apple Watch case is the most expensive. But Apple probably will use titanium alloys instead of pure titanium for the new iPhone.
Titanium alloys, a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements, have light weight, excellent corrosion resistance, and high hardness, thus have been used in aerospace, transportation, and chemical industries.
New Processor A16
Traditionally, every new iPhone is equipped with a new chip. The iPhone 13 uses A15 Bionic chip, so presumably, the iPhone 14 will get the new A16 chip.
The report has it that the A16 Bionic performs 11% better and 22% higher in energy efficiency than the A14, though it’s unclear how much better the A16 is than the A15 chip.
But, again, only the pro models will get the newest processor, and the entry-level iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max models might still use the chip from last year.
Lightning Port
There’s a widespread notion that Apple will eventually remove the Lightning port for a portless design. The question is when.
Well, chances are it won’t happen in 2022. The European Commission announced a mandate that forces all smartphones to use the universal USB-C port for charging by 2024. So, there’s still time for Apple to figure out a plan to deal with losses once it gives ups its proprietary design.
We believe that at least some of the iPhone 14 models will continue to feature a Lightning port.
Satellite Emergency Texting
This feature was previously rumored to be available on the iPhone 13 last year. It didn’t happen. So, it’s reasonable to expect it on Apple’s best iPhone this year.
Satellite connectivity lets users send texts or SOS distress signals to emergency services when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi network, which sounds like a life-saving feature.
Vaper Chamber Thermal System
This is another rumor starting to circulate last year. It’s said that Apple is “aggressively testing” a vapor chamber thermal system that can cool down the device when it gets warm due to heavy stress.
It seems to be a nice and necessary feature for the iPhone 14 Pro models as the high-end phone usually are equipped with more powerful hardware and more functions than the standard ones. But, is it ready in time for 2022? We’ll see.
iPhone 14 Colors
Color may not trigger too many discussions like other iPhone 14 features. But for some people (me included), the color could be the biggest thing to consider before pulling the trigger.
We know from leaks that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will come in black, white, white, blue, red, and purple. Also, one source indicates that we might see a green iPhone 14. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in graphite, gold, silver, and purple.
How much is the iPhone 14?
According to a recent rumor from East Asia, the iPhone 14 is expected to be priced at $799, the same entry price as last year’s iPhone 13. On the other hand, some predicted that this year would see a $100 price increase for the iPhone 14 due to increased production costs.
Summary
Generally speaking, the overall body design of the iPhone 14 models is identical to the iPhone 13, such as a flat-frame body and a speaker grill. The significant difference could be the smaller display cutout on the Pro models.
And it seems that Apple is trying hard to differentiate the pro and the non-pro iPhone 14 models.
We will find out which rumor turns out to be true and which goes wrong on September 13th. Hopefully, we get the correct iPhone 14 release date.
