iPhone 14 (Plus) review: nothing wrong with that, but exciting is different

Do you think the iPhone 14 Pro is way too expensive? Then there is the iPhone 14. But why it may not be the best choice for you, you can read in this review.

iPhone 14 review and iPhone 14 Plus review: a good phone, but …

The days of huge leaps from one iPhone generation to the next are long gone. Phones that are a few years old still work flawlessly. But Apple, of course, continues to refine its flagships and makes noticeable improvements every year. If you skip an iPhone or two generations, the difference becomes really big: there are worlds between the camera of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 14. And yet there are better alternatives for an upgrade this year.

Table of Contents iPhone 14 (Plus) review

Choice between large and larger

The new iPhone 14 (Plus) is only available with a large 6.1-inch and an even larger 6.7-inch screen. Apple is responding to the weak euro with a hefty price adjustment: the entry-level price for an iPhone 14 with 128 GB storage is now 1019 euros. That is 110 euros more than in 2021.

The compact 5.4-inch mini received no update this year; reportedly the sales figures were too poor. Instead, with the iPhone 14 Plus, Apple is offering a 6.7-inch model for the first time for anyone who wants an extra screen without the pro-price surcharge.

iPhone 14 (Plus) design: this is what it looks like

In terms of appearance, the iPhone 14 is almost unchanged compared to the iPhone 13. Only the camera system takes up just a little more space on the back. As a result, old iPhone 13 cases do not fit on the 14.

iPhone 14 space black

The more angular shape of the glass-backed case, introduced with the iPhone 12 and a design nod to the iPhone 4, is now entering its third and therefore likely final model year. Apple has again opted for matte aluminum as the material for the frame for the iPhone 14 (Plus). In fact, the design on the inside has really improved! As with previous iPhones, a broken glass back on the iPhone 14 can be replaced individually, rather than having to throw the entire case into the bulky waste.

In addition to the dark gray “Midnight”, Apple also sells the iPhone 14 in the white-silver “Starlight”, a new watery “Blue”, a soft “Purple” and also a lighter version of “Product(RED)”.

No Dynamic Island, no new chip

The notch at the top of the screen, introduced with the iPhone X, remains unchanged in the iPhone 14 from last year’s model. This houses the front camera and the sensors of the facial recognition Face ID.

iPhone 14 screen

Unlike the Pro models, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus stick to Apple’s A15 Bionic from last year. Apple now equips this chip with five GPU cores, which were previously only available in the 13 Pro (Max). In practice, games in particular benefit from this: performance increased by 13 to 22 percent in benchmarks. By the way: Apple’s A15 is still one of the fastest processors in the smartphone world and easily outperforms other flagship models such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The iPhone 14 also benefits from a RAM expansion from 4 to 6 GB. This allows it to keep apps and memory-consuming content such as Safari tabs in the working memory for longer.

How long will the battery last

In our tests with a consistently bright screen and 1080p video playing on loop, the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 lasted over 17 hours. That is two hours less than with the previous model, but comparable to the battery life of the much larger iPhone 12 Pro Max from two years ago.

iPhone 14 glass

When playing Asphalt 8, the iPhone 14 lasted just under 10 hours. That is also slightly less than with the predecessor, but to be fair: these are exceptional usage scenarios. In practice, the iPhone 14 will last you all day without any problems, even with intensive use.

To bring the battery from 20 to 50 percent charge, the new iPhones need about 15 minutes on Apple’s 20 W charger. For fast charging, you necessarily need a USB-C charger with support for USB Power Delivery (PD) with at least 20 W.

The camera

The iPhone 14 still has to make do with a dual-lens camera system. It consists of the lens with the familiar focal length of 26 millimeters, which Apple now aptly calls the “main camera” instead of the “wide-angle camera”. It’s the same camera from the iPhone 13 Pro with an f/1.5 aperture and larger sensor pixels (1.9 microns). Compared to the iPhone 13, the light sensitivity increases as a result – you take better photos in poor lighting conditions. The second lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens (with a 13 millimeter focal length). Zooming in remains possible as digital zoom, but results in considerably worse photos.

With the new “Photonic Engine” Apple takes even better photos in low light, thanks to computer-assisted photography. The software creates exposure sequences to capture the widest possible spectrum and then combines them into the best possible photo. This technique now starts earlier in the photo process and works with the uncompressed RAW data from the sensor. This preserves more details.

iPhone 14 camera

Apple has improved the front camera of the 14 (Plus) with a larger aperture (f/1.9) and – for the first time in the iPhone – autofocus. Instead of keeping everything in focus, this allows the camera to focus specifically on faces. This gives you better selfies with a natural blurred background. No portrait mode is needed for that.

In addition to the permanently active optical stabilization of the camera sensor, the iPhone 14 (Plus) also has an optional software-assisted video stabilization: the Action mode. The result is convincing in most cases and often makes a gimbal superfluous. However, stabilization costs you details and resolution: a 4K video eventually becomes a maximum of 2.8K video in 24, 30 or 60 fps. The action mode automatically activates the ultra-wide angle, but the image is more like that of the normal main camera.

The Movie mode, so to speak, the portrait mode for video, now has a higher resolution. Instead of being limited to HD in 30 fps, 4K is now also available, with a choice of 30 or 24 frames per second.

Crash detection

With the help of various sensors, the iPhone 14 (Plus) can recognize car accidents, for example rear-end collisions and rollovers. In such a case, the device shows the countdown that you know from the SOS function. If you don’t cancel it, iOS will automatically contact emergency services and saved emergency contacts.

iPhone 14 crash detection

In addition to a new accelerometer, dubbed “High-G” by Apple, the iPhone uses GPS data and the values ​​of the integrated barometer for accident detection. It registers changes in air pressure caused by the deployment of the airbag. In addition, the iPhone activates the microphone while driving. The recorded sound level is also included in the crash detection.

The safety function can of course also be switched off in the settings. We have not tested the car crash detection, but there were no false alarms during the testing period. The safety feature is also integrated into the Apple Watch Series 8, SE 2 and Ultra. Hopefully you never need it in your life, but you do feel safer because it’s there.

Satellite communications

The iPhone 14 and 14 Pro can also make an emergency call for the first time if you are out of range – via a satellite connection. We haven’t been able to test it, as the feature won’t be available until November, and initially only in the US and Canada. However, Europeans will also be able to use it when traveling to those countries. Later, the satellite function will be gradually introduced in other regions, but Apple has not yet given concrete dates for the expansion.

iPhone 14 satellite

The function is only intended for contacting an emergency centre. Sending messages to other recipients is not possible and you cannot use the iPhone as a satellite phone.

The satellite emergency call appears as a new option if no emergency call can be made via Wi-Fi or the mobile network. iOS prompts the user with a chat assistant for important basic information, such as what kind of accident it is and if anyone is injured. The iPhone then tries to establish a connection with a satellite.

iPhone 14 (Plus) review: conclusion

For owners of an iPhone 13, buying an iPhone 14 is hardly worth it unless you absolutely want the latest safety features, such as crash detection or the satellite function.

The jump from the iPhone 12 to the 14 is big and that from the 11 even huge – the screen and camera alone are worth the upgrade. However, the high price of the iPhone 14 also makes last year’s iPhone 13 attractive. It is in stores for about 200 euros less. You hardly have to compromise, and for many people this is the wiser choice. And if you want a really new iPhone, we recommend the iPhone 14 Pro (Max).

Buy iPhone 14 Pro (Max).

Do you want to buy the iPhone 14 (Plus) immediately after reading this iPhone 14 review? Cool! Then check out our iPhone 14 price comparison and iPhone 14 Plus price comparison. Then you know for sure that you will not pay too much and where the device is in stock!

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