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

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

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

The days of giant leaps from one iPhone generation to the next are long gone. Phones that are a few years old still work flawlessly. But Apple continues to refine its flagships, of course, and delivers noticeable improvements every year. If you skip one or two iPhone generations, the difference really becomes 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.

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 responds to the weak euro with a hefty price adjustment: the entry 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 didn’t get an update this year; reportedly the sales figures were too bad. 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.

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 likely final model year. For the iPhone 14 (Plus), Apple has again opted for matte aluminum as the material for the frame. 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 throwing the entire case in the trash.

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.

Unlike the Pro models, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus stick with Apple’s A15 Bionic from last year. Apple now equips this chip with five GPU cores, which were previously only in the 13 Pro (Max). In practice, games in particular benefit from this: in benchmarks, performance increased by 13 to 22 percent. 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 does the battery last

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

When playing Asphalt 8, the iPhone 14 lasted just under 10 hours. That is also slightly less than with the predecessor, but fair is fair: these are exceptional usage scenarios. In practice, you can get through the day with the iPhone 14 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 absolutely need a USB-C charger with support for USB Power Delivery (PD) with at least 20W.

The camera

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

Apple’s new “Photonic Engine” provides even better low-light photos with computer-assisted photography. The software creates exposure series 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.

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. Rather than keeping everything in focus, this allows the camera to focus specifically on faces. This will give 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 unnecessary. However, stabilization costs you details and resolution: a 4K video eventually becomes a maximum of 2.8K video at 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, as it were the portrait mode for video, now has a higher resolution. Instead of being limited to HD at 30 fps, 4K is now available, with your choice of 30 or 24 frames per second.

Crash Detection

Using various sensors, the iPhone 14 (Plus) can recognize car accidents, such as rear-end collisions and rollovers. In such a case, the device will show the countdown you know from the SOS function. If you don’t cancel, iOS will automatically contact emergency services and save emergency contacts.

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 did not test the auto accident detection, but there were no false alarms during the test period. The safety feature is also integrated in the Apple Watch Series 8, SE 2 and Ultra. Hopefully you never need him in your life, but you do feel safer because he is there.

Satellite communication

The iPhone 14 and 14 Pro can also make an emergency call for the first time when you’re out of range – via a satellite connection. We weren’t able to test it because 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 gradually be rolled out in other regions, but Apple has not yet given concrete dates for the expansion.

The function is only intended for contacting an emergency center. Sending messages to other recipients is not possible, nor can you use the iPhone as a satellite phone.

The satellite emergency call appears as a new option if an emergency call cannot be made via Wi-Fi or the mobile network. iOS asks the user with a chat assistant for important basic information, such as what type of accident it is and if anyone is injured. The iPhone then tries to establish a connection to a satellite.

iPhone 14 (Plus) review: conclusion

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

The jump from the iPhone 12 to the 14 is big and the one 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 available in the shops 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 review? Cool! Then check out our iPhone 14 price comparator and iPhone 14 Plus price comparator. Then you know for sure that you will not pay too much and where the device is in stock!

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