The iPhone 14 is arguably the most highly anticipated device of the year, especially since the rumor mill hints that it will serve up a major generational leap that will impel many to upgrade their phones.
The iPhone 13 line doesn't offer many striking changes compared to its predecessor. In our "iPhone 13 upgrades suck" article, we were indifferent to improvements like the beastly A15 Bionic processor (the iPhone 12's A14 Bionic chip was already astronomically powerful), the GPU boost (it's overkill) and Cinematic Mode (not a major draw for the average Joe).
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On top of that, aside from some minor, indiscernible changes to the camera module and the controversial notch, the iPhone 13 didn't look much different from the iPhone 12. At first glance, most wouldn't be able to tell whether you own the iPhone 12 or 13.
Fortunately, that should change with the iPhone 14. According to the grapevine, the iPhone 14 will look noticeably different from the iPhone 13 design. Plus, it will reportedly have some sweet software upgrades that will excite many Apple fans.
The best features reportedly coming to iPhone 14
If you need to upgrade your phone, the iPhone 14 is seemingly worth the wait. We'll break down the best features coming to the iPhone 14 design, camera and software.
Design
This is the iPhone 14 Pro in purple - with @Jon_prosser See more in the latest FPT episode https://t.co/sOKPnU6U4N pic.twitter.com/AJSIR52ns7May 25, 2022
- Hole-punch display. Say sayonara to the controversial, signature iPhone notch. To support Face ID, a pill-shaped hole will accompany the hole-punch cutout. According to MacRumors, which referenced a leak on Weibo, the circular cutout measures 5.631 mm.
- Thinner bezels and taller aspect ratio. The iPhone 14, particularly the Pro models, will reportedly have a thinner frame and more vertical screen real estate.
- A titanium chassis. The 14 Pro models may use titanium for the frame, an upgrade from the iPhone 13 Pro's stainless steel. The two lower-tier iPhone 14 devices, however, will still likely have an aluminum chassis.
Camera
- New 48-megapixel camera. Apple is reportedly bumping the primary wide-angle lens from 12MP to 48 MP for the iPhone 14 Pro models.
- Wider aperture and autofocus for front-facing camera. The iPhone 14 Pro Max's wide camera will purportedly feature a wider f/1.9 aperture, a step up from the f/2.2 aperture. What does wider aperture mean for the iPhone 14 Pro Max? Well, the camera's sensor will attract more light, which means higher quality photos, particularly in low-light environments. Autofocus will improve focus for FaceTime and other video conferencing and the combination should give Apple an even greater lead as the selfie champ.
- Support for 8K video recording. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max's wide cameras can reportedly record 8K video, a major selling point for content creators and social media influencers.
Software
- Always-on display (AOD). AOD isn't a novel feature in the smartphone market. Nokia was the first to offer it in 2010 and Samsung and other tech giants followed in the intervening years, but Apple has so far ignored the convenient display perk. The iPhone 14 line may be the first family to have AOD, however, it will likely be reserved for the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max devices.
- Emergency texts via satellite. The iPhone 14 line will allegedly feature a modem upgrade to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 5G chip, the world's first 10-gigabit 5G modem that will allow users to send emergency text messages via satellite (as opposed to Wi-Fi or terrestrial cellular signals).
- Car-crash detection. Last year, the Wall Street Journal uncovered Apple's plans to introduce a car-crash detection feature to the iPhone in 2022. The phone's accelerometer and a gyroscope facilitate this feature by detecting g-force increases.
Although there are many alleged aspects of the iPhone 14 we adore, there are some features that are disappointing. Typically, upgraded processors are placed inside all tiers. For example, the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max all share an identical A15 Bionic chip. However, there are reports that only the 14 Pro models will have the upcoming A16 chip. The standard iPhone 14 models will keep the previous-generation A15 Bionic processor.
Unfortunately for iPhone mini fans, the tiny, bite-sized phone is getting kicked out of the iPhone 14 family according to numerous reliable sources. Finally, there's a good chance that the iPhone 14 will feature a larger camera bump, according to images of iPhone 14 cases leaked on Weibo. Boo!
As usual, take these alleged features with a grain of salt. We'll have to (impatiently) wait until September to know, for sure, which cool perks will officially hit the iPhone 14 line.
