Slowly, but surely, we are getting closer to the probable release date of the new iPhone. Titled, in all likelihood, iPhone 14, it should, in many ways, renew the range and delight Apple customers. For several weeks, rumors have been swirling about him. Let’s take stock of all the information released here and there and its veracity.
The disappearance of the mini model
Since the iPhone 12, Apple has multiplied iPhones like bread. In 2020, then in the midst of a pandemic, Apple unveiled during its back-to-school keynote the latest news in the iPhone universe, the iPhone 12 mini. A significantly smaller model, since it measures 5.4 inches, compared to 6.7 inches for the largest model, the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Unfortunately for Apple, the format and the price, both smaller, will not have succeeded in finding a clientele. The battery, very uncompetitive, was probably the number one culprit.
This lack of interest in the mini range would thus push Apple to review its formula. We would therefore remain on four different models, but an iPhone Max would replace the mini model. With the demand for large smartphones being visibly important, Apple could find its account there.
There would therefore be 4 different models this year :
- iPhone 14: 6.12 inches
- iPhone 14 Max: 6.69 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro: 6.12 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6.69 inches
A notch half replaced
Here too, you have to go back a few years to understand Apple’s choice to want to evolve. In 2017, Apple unveiled the iPhone X for the 15th anniversary of the iPhone brand. A smartphone with a much larger screen, but which had a nasty defect: a notch at the top of the screen. Very quickly, the notch will be mocked on social networks.
It will however be necessary to wait four years before the notch is modified. With the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple will reduce its size by half. A slight modification, however, leaves users unsatisfied.
This year, we could say goodbye to the notch. Well, not quite… The iPhone 14 Max will retain that ugly notch, while the Pro models will upgrade to a punch and a pill. The camera would be included in the punch, while sensors such as the infrared camera, the proximity sensor, or the ambient light sensor will pass into the pill.
A supercharged camera
Again, Apple should significantly differentiate the Pro model from the non-Pro model of the iPhone 14. Already with the iPhone 13, we noticed that the cheapest model lacked Night mode, a telephoto lens and that optical and digital zooms were absent or of lower quality. The 12 MP sensor of both models would still be relevant, but only on the normal iPhone 14.
Indeed, only the iPhone 14 Pro would switch to a supercharged lens, with 48 MP. Some rumors point to 4 groups of 12 MP to improve dynamic range and boost shadows. Video capture would go to 8K, a famous leap forward for a headed smartphone. Finally, rumors agree that the front camera will be able to autofocus, which is particularly practical for FaceTime calls or Portrait mode.
Not all housed in the same boat for the chip
This is the big debate about the next iPhone. Virtually all leakers agree that the new Apple Silicon chip, which should be called the A16 Bionic, will not be available on all iPhones. Only the Pro models will get it, while the iPhone 14 and 14 Max will run on the older processor, the A15 Bionic.
This would be above all due to Apple’s desire to further differentiate the Pro and normal models. There would be a real market for high-end models, the sales figures would attest, and Apple would obviously like to mark the occasion with the iPhone 14.
Very few new features
Apple has very rarely, in recent years, granted new features to its new devices. It is mainly iOS that manages the software and therefore the functions of the devices.
However, the iPhone 14 should stand out from its predecessor in relation to a feature that has been enormously expected on the iPhone for years: the Always-On. Introduced on Apple Watch with the Series 5. It keeps the time and date on the screen, even when the phone is locked, without consuming more battery. Indeed, the refresh rate of the iPhone 14 Pro would be able to go down to 1Hz, which would allow the iPhone to save resources while displaying the time.
A higher selling price
The iPhone 14 will be more expensive than the iPhone 13. This sentence is probably the one feared by all Apple customers, and it could prove to be in September. The current global situation, combining shortage of components and economic crisis, would force Apple to revise upwards the price of all its iPhones.
Concretely, we are talking here about an increase of one, or even several, hundred euros. The Pro models would be $100 more expensive ($1,099 and $1,199), while the normal models would increase by $200, thus rising to $899 and $999.
Delay in launch
Finally, and this is what everyone wants to know: the release date. On this point, there should be no surprise, with iPhone 14 and 14 Max scheduled to land before the back-to-school keynote, around mid-September. In all likelihood, we are even talking about September 13 for the keynote.
On the other hand, the situation is more complicated for the Pro models. Impossible to know, for the time being, if they will come out at the same time as their little brothers or if they will be late. Some leakers insist that Apple is struggling to manage inventory, while others point out that mass production is about to begin, so there will be no delays