10 things we know about the iPhone 14 so far: launch date, price, design, specs and more

‘Tech’tember is here, and along comes Apple’s September Event for 2022, Far Out. One of the biggest attractions, much like every year, will be Apple’s iPhone lineup. The Cupertino, California-based tech company is expected to introduce the iPhone 14 models in its Far Out event that has been scheduled for September 7th 2022. The iPhone 14 rumour mills have been picking up pace as we inch closer to launch. We wrap up everything that is to know about the upcoming flagship. 

iPhone 14: Everything you need to know

The iPhone 14 series will play a pivotal role in iPhone’s history as it is expected to bring along some significant changes. From design to the variants, the iPhone 14 series will incorporate a rethought strategy for the popular flagship model. 

10 things to know about the iPhone 14 series 

1. iPhone 14 price, launch date

The iPhone 14 lineup is scheduled for launch at the September 7th 2022, Far Out Apple Event that will go live at 10:30 PM IST. 

Prices on the iPhone 14 Pro models are expected to go up, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who suggests a bump of upto 15 percent in price. This price hike could come courtesy of the extensive changes that the iPhone 14 Pro models are believed to bring along. However, it is believed that the vanilla iPhone 14 models will retain their earlier price tag. 

2. Refreshed lineup

Apple intends to bring significant changes to the iPhone 14 model lineup this year. It’s rumoured that Apple will drop the ‘mini’ model from the lineup and will introduce a new ‘Max’ sized model (which could be called iPhone 14 Plus) with the vanilla iPhone 14 serving as the base. Thus, the iPhone 14 lineup comprises the vanilla iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Plus along with the iPhone 14 Pro and larger iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

3. Notch-less ‘Pro’ iPhones

Apple will finally move on from the notch on the iPhone, but only on the ‘Pro’ models. From the leaks that have unfolded in the past couple of months, it is likely that Apple will introduce a circular and a pill-shaped cutout to house the FaceID components as well as the front camera. It is also believed that Apple could use software to merge the two cutouts to make it look like one single pill-shaped cutout, much like the software trickery that Apple has deployed on its notched MacBook models lately. 

4. Always-On display

After years of customer feedback, Apple seems to have finally found a way to implement Alway-On display, and it might come to users when the iPhone 14 Pro models launch. Apple is likely to allow the Lock Screen widgets that were introduced with the iOS 16 to stay active when the screen is off by using the adaptive refresh rate that the 120Hz ProMotion display offers. 

This could also mean that the iPhone 13 Pro models could get this feature when the iOS 16 Public release takes place. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that the iPhone 14 and earlier models will get the feature, given that they aren’t available with ProMotion display technology.

5. No ProMotion display for non-‘Pro’ models

That’s right! Despite earlier rumours, the vanilla iPhone 14 might ultimately not get the ProMotion technology, according to display Analyst Ross Young who sites display availability issues. Apple currently sources its LTPO OLED panels from Samsung, but the company intends to source some displays and BOEs from LG in 2022. For now, Apple might hold out on this feature and allow it to trickle down to the non-‘Pro’ models sometime in the future. 

6. Design

From recent leaks, we also understand that Apple has gone through most of the aspects one by one and reworked everything for the better wherever it could. Graphic renders on CAD from Ian Zelbo suggest that the new iPhone 14 Pros could have a more rounded chassis with a larger camera tray. These changes will be required to facilitate the newer camera hardware on the iPhone 14 Pro models. The new design could also point to a larger display for the Pro models – the iPhone 14 Pro could get a 6.12-inch screen as compared to a 6.06-inch screen on the iPhone 13 Pro, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max could get a 6.69-inch screen, which is a bit larger the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 6.68-inch display.

A rumour based on an investor’s report from JP Morgan Chase suggests that the iPhone 14 Pro models could get a new titanium chassis which is more scratch-resistant and it’s stronger than both steel and aluminium. It is also more corrosion-resistant. While the chances of a titanium chassis are slim, it would be the first time an iPhone would use this material. Apple could also introduce new colourways, and the most probable is a shade of Purple. 

7. New cameras!

Apple will finally adopt a newer bunch of cameras, letting go of its trusted 12MP shooters that have been serving on various iPhone models to date. The iPhone 14 Pro models are expected to be capable of shooting 8K footage, a feature that too has been present in some of its competition from the Android side of things. Let’s capture each shooter in detail:

Wide – The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will cradle the latest camera technology and will get the latest 48MP shooter with pixels allegedly measuring 1.22µm and will use pixel binning technology. The added details coming from the higher pixel count will be used to capture greater details, while the camera will switch to 12MP in lowlight conditions. These new changes are expected to improve the main camera shooting ability on the iPhone 14 Pro modes greatly. 

The sensor is expected to grow in size by 21.2 percent from a 1/1.65-inch sensor in the iPhone 13 Pro models to a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor on the 14 Pro models. The new iPhone 14 Pro models will also use Dual Pixel Auto Focus system that Apple calls “Focus Pixels” and will be capable of recording 16:9 video at up to 60fps.  

Telephoto & Ultra Wide – The telephoto shooter on the iPhone 14 Pro models will get an improved 7-element lens, while the ultra-wide shooter is expected to get larger in sizer and aid low-light shooting ability. 

Front Camera – All new iPhone 14 models will also get an upgraded front-facing camera and will now incorporate a wider f/1.9 aperture and improved autofocus abilities. 

8. A16 processors

Apple, for the first time ever, will launch the same lineup of devices with two different batches of processors. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max will get the new A16 Bionic processor. Apple will continue with the A15 Bionic chipset on the vanilla iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. 

That said, according to leaks and rumours, the A16 Bionic chipset will be a slight improvement over the A15 Bionic and will be built on the same N5P fabrication process. 

The A16 processors on the iPhone 14 Pro models will be mated to the same 6GB of RAM and have been ratified by the Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

9. Advanced connectivity 

RF Chip – The iPhone 14 models will house a newly sourced Snapdragon X65 modem from Qualcomm. The Snapdragon X65 is the world’s first 10 Gigabit 5G modem and antenna system for smartphones. Apple has also sourced new RF chips developed using its in-house technology from TSMC, moving away from Samsung, which was so far the supplier. 

 The newer RF chips will be based on the more improved 6nm fabrication process, which could translate to a smaller package with lower power consumption. This could aid battery life. The new chip will also allow Wi-Fi 6E compatibility with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. 

Satellite Communication – iPhone 14 models could receive the much talked about satellite communication feature thanks to the new Snapdragon X65 modem. Apple might incorporate this satellite connectivity technology to implement emergency services features. In such read situations, communication via satellites will be allowed and will be done alongside SMS and iMessage and will get a grey-coloured bubble to signify the communication mode. The message length will be limited and will allow users to report emergencies such as crashes and fires. 

10. More storage but no physical SIM card slot?

The iPhone 14 models could get a 2TB storage option, suggest rumours based on Apple’s move to introduce 1TB variants on the iPhone 13 Pro models. However, some contradicting rumours also suggest otherwise. Many also believe that the iPhone 14 Pro models could start at 256GB instead of 128GB, given that the new camera features are likely and heavy 8K recording option. 

A string of rumours also suggests that Apple could introduce a batch of iPhones that do not have a physical SIM card slot and will get an e-SIM as the only model. This rumour comes after Apple has been found allegedly encouraging US carriers to roll out models with e-SIM functionality only. However, this is a difficult feat to achieve as some countries do not allow e-SIMs and many users might want to get an iPhone with a physical SIM tray for various reasons such as its utility during domestic and international travel.