We’re less than three weeks away from announcing Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup. We’re expecting the iPhone 14 to be introduced in September 2022, and rumors suggest we could see a redesign, the biggest camera update in years, and more. See you below as we round up all the iPhone 14 rumors so far.
What will the iPhone 14 be called?
Since the iPhone introduced in 2021 did indeed carry the iPhone 13 branding, we expect the 2022 iPhone to be the iPhone 14. Whether or not Apple will revert to the “S” brand remains to be seen, but Rumors indicate that the 2022 iPhone will be a big enough upgrade to warrant a new number.
It’s also possible that Apple is dropping numbers on the iPhone lineup altogether, and new iPhones are simply referred to by their size, “Pro” or non-Pro, and the year. This would match what Apple has done to the iPad line for the past few years.
Apple’s marketing names remain secret until the last minute. That means we’ll have to wait until 2022 to find out more about the official name of that year’s release.
iPhone 14: No notch, but…
The biggest change we’re currently expecting with the 2022 iPhone is the removal of the notch. The notch design was first introduced with the iPhone X, and it has remained the same ever since. The notch is where Apple houses its sensors for things like Face ID.
Reliable Reports from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple will take it down a notch in 2022, starting with the high-end iPhone 14 Pro. Instead of the notch, the iPhone 14 will use a new “pill hole” design. Rather than a simple punch-hole cutout used by many Android phones, Apple will use a combination of the punch-hole cutout and a pill-shaped cutout.
This will allow Apple to integrate the front-facing camera and Face ID hardware, while increasing the amount of screen space available. In March, 9to5Mac exclusively reported that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have slightly larger screens. This was also corroborated by analyst Ross Young.
- iPhone 13 Pro – 6.06″
- iPhone 14 Pro – 6.12″
- iPhone 13 Pro Max – 6.68″
- iPhone 14 Pro Max – 6.69″
Here is the technology currently located in the notch of the iPhone:
- Infrared camera
- flood illuminator
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Speaker
- Microphone
- Front camera
- dot projector
In a report, Young explained:
We now believe that Apple will have a hole + pill design on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. The smaller hole will not be invisible… The two-hole concept will be unique to Apple, like the notch, not similar to all of Huawei’s pill designs.
The pill hole design may not be as ambitious as some had hoped, but it’s the next step in the process of creating a truly all-screen iPhone without any cutouts.
No Touch ID
While early iPhone 14 rumors indicated that Apple would bring under-display Touch ID to the iPhone, that no longer appears to be the case. More recent reports from Ming-Chi Kuo suggest that Apple was forced to delay under-display Touch ID to 2023 instead.
According to Kuo, Apple faced “below-than-expected development progress” in its work to integrate Touch ID into the iPhone screen. It’s also possible that Apple will take a less ambitious approach and integrate Touch ID into the iPhone’s power button, similar to the iPad Air and iPad mini. But ultimately, Touch ID shouldn’t be a feature of the iPhone 14 this year.
The iPhone 14 will offer the biggest camera updates in years
The iPhone 14 will also include dramatic improvements to the front camera, according to Kuo. The biggest change will be the upgraded autofocus features for the front camera. More details here are unclear, but the front camera of the iPhone has some way to catch up to the rear camera.
As for the rear camera, Kuo says the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48 megapixels, an increase over the 12 megapixel sensor of the iPhone 12.
Although the sensor is 48 megapixels, it is possible that the images output from the iPhone will still have a resolution of 12 megapixels. Similar to some Android phones, Apple might use a smart scaling algorithm that takes the 48-megapixel raw data and creates a 12-megapixel output image with more detail and less noise.
Kuo believes the video camera system will also be upgraded for iPhone 14, supporting 8K recording for the first time.
The camera bump is here to stay
While early reports indicated that some iPhone 14 models would not feature a camera bump, this is no longer believed to be the case. In fact, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max should have bigger camera bumps than their predecessors.
Kuo explained this, saying the wide camera upgrade was to blame:
The main reason for the 14 Pro/Pro Max’s larger and more prominent rear camera bump is the wide camera upgrade to 48MP (up from the 13 Pro/Pro Max’s 12MP). The diagonal length of the 48MP CIS will increase by 25-35%, and the 7P lens height of the 48MP will increase by 5-10%.
iPhone 14 to use Lightning
For several years, reports have suggested that Apple could introduce a portless iPhone. This iPhone wouldn’t feature a Lightning port — instead, it would be completely wireless. It was rumored to happen in 2021, but it didn’t happen.
The portless iPhone is said to be something Apple is still testing, but there are still several years to go at this point. In fact, Apple should switch to USB-C in 2023but the iPhone 14 coming this year will still use Lightning.
Apple is rumored to boost Lightning to USB 3.0 data transfer rates starting with the iPhone 14 Pro this fall, though. USB 2.0 supports transfer speeds of 480 Mbps, while USB 3.0 supports speeds of up to 5 Gbps. With 8K video recording on the way, faster data transfer speeds are a necessity.
While some rumors had predicted that the iPhone 14 might use a new chip produced using 3 nanometer technology, this should no longer be the case. Currently, Apple’s chip partner TSMC is expected to use a 5nm enhanced manufacturing process for iPhone 14 chip, probably called A16.
Best iPhone charging accessories:
iPhone 14 performance: a major change
The iPhone 14 line is expected to announce a major change in the differentiation strategy between “Pro” and non-Pro models.
For the very first time, Apple should only upgrade iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to his new processor. These two models are expected to be upgraded to the A16 chip, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will keep the same A15 chip in the current iPhone 13 lineup.
The A16 chip inside the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be made with the same 5-nanometer process as the A15, which is also the same as the A14. That limits year-over-year performance improvements, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see any improvements.
Release date: When will the iPhone 14 be released?
With the exception of the iPhone 12, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new flagship iPhones are usually announced and launched in September – this trend is expected to continue this year with the iPhone 14.
According Bloomberg, Apple is currently planning to hold its special September event on September 7, in the form of a virtual event. From there, the report predicts that the iPhone 14 will be available for pre-order on September 9, with the first orders arriving to customers and retail stores on September 16.
iPhone 14 Pro price increase
One of the most recent iPhone 14 rumors is that Apple will increase the price Pro and Pro Max models around $100. This means the iPhone 14 Pro will start at $1099, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max will start at $1199. Apple, however, plans to double the amount of base storage from 128GB to 256GB to help offset this price hike.
On the other hand, Kuo also predicts that the iPhone 14 Max will cost less than $900. This makes it Apple’s cheapest 6.7-inch iPhone. It’s probably a very popular option for that reason.
The 9to5Mac take
The iPhone 14 is shaping up to be a big update, especially for the Pro and Pro Max models. With a redesigned hole + pill-shaped cutout and some of the biggest camera updates in years, this will be a great upgrade for many buyers.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Max is a major shift in Apple’s strategy. The change comes at the expense of the “mini” model, but it’s clearly not selling as well as Apple had hoped. The iPhone 14 Max brings the popular larger form factor to a lower price, allowing buyers to get that big screen without shelling out for the $1,000+ model.
What do you think of the iPhone 14 rumors so far? Are you planning to upgrade? Let us know in the comments!
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