iPhone 14: news, release date, design, 48MP photo, 8K video… Apple smartphone rumors
The iPhone 14 will not appear until the beginning of the 2022 school year, but rumors about future Apple smartphones are already piling up. Design, sizes, prices and technical characteristics… Numerama helps you see things more clearly.
In a few weeks, probably around September 10th, the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro will get successors. In this article we have collected all of them leaks and hypotheses on the iPhone 14 and its possible versions (iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max). It is regularly updated according to newly published information. However, remember that we are talking about rumors here and therefore you must read each piece of information with great care while waiting for Apple to formalize it. However, the closer we get to September, the more reliable the rumors are.
To wait before the release of these new models, do not hesitate to consult our guide to the best Apple smartphones for 2022 (iPhone 13 Pro? 13 mini? SE?) to make the most informed choice.
Notch or bubble in the screen? All the rumors about the iPhone 14
4 versions of iPhone 14
In 2022, Apple would still be marketing four different versions of its iPhone. However, for the first time since 2020, there would be no mini version. Instead, Apple is reportedly offering a Max version of the iPhone 14 aimed at those who don’t want to go for the more expensive model but want a big screen. The catalog would be as follows:
- iPhone 14 (6.1 inch)
- iPhone 14 Max (6.7 inch)
- iPhone 14 Pro (6.1 inch)
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7 inch)
Two diagonals would be offered, 6.1 and 6.7 inches. Users would only have to choose between standard models and premium versions with better materials and exclusive features.
Why would the Mini go away?
Obviously, iPhone 12 mini sales have not been satisfactory (to the point where production lines would have been halted). For more than a year, all the rumors about the end of the most compact iPhone in 2022 have been correct. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is said to be very well informed about Apple, has been announcing for several months that the iPhone 13 mini will be the last of its kind No offense to fans of this format, the 5.4-inch iPhone is not scheduled to return in 2022.
A double whammy with the iPhone 14 Pro?
What if the iPhone 14 no longer had a notch? It was the big rumor that started spreading in September 2021 and has been gathering momentum ever since. A video by influencer Jon Prosser first revealed it, with reputable media outlets like The Elec later corroborating his claims.
In January 2021, analyst Ross Young, who specializes in displays, announces that Apple is indeed preparing to eliminate the notch. However, it provides much more detailed information than its predecessors. This novelty would be reserved for the Pro and Pro Max models and, above all, would involve the introduction of a double hitch. The front camera would be hidden in a small circle, while the Face ID system would be housed in a pill. There would therefore not be complete elimination of the notch.
Since then, all leaks have been towards this double whammy. Several supposed images of Apple’s 3D plans show this aesthetic feature. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max would retain the notch of the iPhone 13.
An always-on screen for the iPhone 14 Pro?
Thanks to their ProMotion screens, the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max can vary their refresh rate to improve display fluidity. You can go from 10 to 120Hz, while the iPhone 13 always runs at 60Hz.
All iPhone 14s should inherit ProMotion technology, but the iPhone 14 Pro could go further. We’re talking about an improved OLED panel capable of varying between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, which would allow Apple to activate a feature well known to Android smartphone owners: the always-on screen. Even in standby, the iPhone 14 Pro showed the time and notifications. The lock screen redesign in iOS 16 goes in that direction.
48 megapixels on the iPhone 14 Pro to film in 8K?
What if the iPhone Pro’s sensor went from 12-megapixels to… 48-megapixels? It was Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities who addressed this possibility in his September 2021 letter. A note MacRumors received in December 2021 appears to confirm this move to a better defined sensor. This would allow the iPhone 14 Pro to record in 8K like high-end Android smartphones. Standard models shouldn’t benefit from these extra pixels. Since 2015 and the iPhone 6s, Apple has always used 12 Mpix sensors. This change would allow him to drastically improve his photographic algorithm.
The telephoto lens dedicated to the zoom and the ultra wide-angle module would remain attached to 12 Mpix sensors.
An increase in quality for selfies?
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the four iPhone 14s should have a better front camera than the iPhone 13s. We’re talking about a camera module with a larger aperture (f/1.9 instead of f/2.2) as well as the arrival of autofocus to never have a blurry selfie again.
The A16 chip reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro?
Every year, Apple accompanies the launch of its new iPhone with a new chip. This year the rumors are pretty strange. It is said that Apple would reserve its A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 14 Pro and leave an A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14. This would be a first for the brand, but this would be explained by the lack of new features from the chip A16 and above all the lack of components that would prevent Apple from producing the A16 chip in sufficient quantities. We don’t know if the four iPhones will be eligible for a newer 5G modem with the arrival of Wi-Fi 6E. It is technically possible, no modem is integrated in Apple silicon chips.
6GB RAM… or 8GB?
As the months go by, it seems unlikely that Apple will increase the amount of RAM on its iPhones. Some media outlets have mentioned a move to 8GB of RAM, but Apple would rather opt for 6GB of RAM across the range (only the Pro models are eligible today). It’s not an element he’s highlighting anyway, iOS is too well optimized for that.
Still no Touch ID under iPhone 14 screen
Apple now only sells one smartphone with a round button that links to the home screen and allows Touch ID to work: the iPhone SE. Touch ID technology allows the phone to recognize one or more fingerprints, used in particular to unlock the smartphone.
Since 2017 Apple fans have been hoping for the return of Touch ID, especially since Face ID facial recognition does not work in all conditions. That won’t happen with the iPhone 14, Apple instead relies on Face ID with a mask or on horizontal face recognition, new features of its latest updates.
A switch to USB Type-C from the iPhone 14?
The European Union won, Apple may soon be forced to introduce USB-C in its smartphones. However, it will not be the case with the iPhone 14. Apple would have chosen autumn 2023 for the iPhone 15 to give up its proprietary Lightning port. The iPhone 14 would therefore keep the Lightning but could improve on it with higher speeds.
When will the iPhone 14 appear?
If we follow Apple’s usual schedule and the company keeps up, the iPhone 14 range should be presented in September 2022, with the devices being marketed a few days later. For example, the iPhone 13 was introduced on September 14, 2021 and sold from September 24. Until then, the rumors are likely to continue to multiply.
What prices for the iPhone 14?
Very clever would be the one who claims to know the prices of the iPhone 14 in advance. If we can imagine that they are the same as those of the iPhone 13 (909 euros for the 13, 1159 euros for the Pro), the shortage of components may affect the prices charged by Apple. With the death of the mini model, the starting price of 809 euros will also be dropped. We should have a more expensive Max model instead.
