iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus announced with an A15 Bionic SoC, two 12 MP rear cameras and slightly better batteries

Rumours about Apple launching a non-Pro iPhone with a larger screen have been around for years. They've been proven wrong year after year, but 2022 is when they finally become reality. Apple has lifted the covers off the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus alongside the Apple Watch Ultra and new AirPods Pro. They are, however, little more than repackaged iPhone 13 variants.

The only difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is their display sizes, with the former featuring a 6.1-inch OLED panel and the latter a 6.7-inch version. They have a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and are compatible with HDR10. The base iPhone 14 supposedly offers all-day battery life, with the iPhone 14 Max claiming to last even longer. In true Apple fashion, the actual battery capacity isn't mentioned. It is also worth noting that the US models will ship without a physical SIM card slot, effectively forcing users to rely on an e-SIM.

Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are powered by last year's A15 Bionic SoC. They also recycle the dual 12 MP rear camera modules, but Apple says that the primary sensor is larger with an aperture of f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS and 1.9-micron pixel size. The main upgrades are software-based, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max offering up to two times better low-light performance than their predecessors.

Other iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus features include a ceramic shield for protection against daily wear and tear, a slightly brighter flash module, 5G and iOS 16 out of the box. Apple has also included car crash detection and emergency SOS messaging via satellite in its iPhone lineup. The former uses on-device sensors to determine if a user has been in an accident while the latter comes in handy in situations where GPS/cellular connectivity is not available. iPhone users in the US and Canada get access to emergency SOS messaging in November. It will be free for two years only, though.

Price and availability

Thankfully, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is relatively affordable compared to their Pro counterparts. The base iPhone 14 will start at US$799 and will be available for purchase on September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus will set one back by at least US$899 but won't hit shelves until October 7.