With about four months to go before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 14 series, the overwhelming majority of rumors related to the new devices have so far focused on the iPhone 14 Pro rather than the standard iPhone 14 – which has led to questions about where different iPhone 14 will actually be from its predecessor, iPhone 13.
iPhone 14 Pro and 14iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to make headlines with features such as thinner frames and a “pill and hole punch” TrueDepth camera array design instead of the notch, but the standard iPhone 14 models are thought to lack these upgrades. For the first time, the standard iPhone models are also expected to miss Apple’s latest chip, where the “A16” is only reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro. According to rumors so far, the standard iPhone 14 models will give up a number of new features exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models, including:
Other, less likely rumors about the potential of a titanium chassis and a steam chamber thermal system also focus on the iPhone 14 Pro models. As such, it looks like Apple is planning to continue its trend of increasingly differentiating its Pro and non-Pro iPhone models, with many new, advanced features debuting on the Pro models before dripping down to the non- Pro models at a later date. For example, it is rumored that the standard iPhone 15 models have the 14iPhone 14 Pros pill and hole punch TrueDepth camera array design.
With this in mind, what upgrades and features are the standard iPhone 14 models expected to offer later this year?
Possibility of larger size: ‘iPhone 14 Max’
Following a weak sale of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini, both of which have a 5.4-inch screen, Apple reportedly plans to discontinue its small form factor iPhone and introduce a larger model to take its place in the lineup.
“iPhone 14 Max” is expected to sit above the iPhone 14 in the series and have a 6.7-inch screen like the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. In the same way that “mini” iPhones in recent years have offered all the same features as the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, the iPhone 14 Max is expected to offer all the same features as the standard iPhone 14, but with a significantly larger screen.
Although there will reportedly be no “iPhone 14 mini”, the iPhone 14 Max will provide an option for users who want a new iPhone with a larger screen but do not need “Pro” features such as a ProMotion screen and telecamera. As one of the most notable visual changes in the iPhone range this year, the iPhone 14 Max may be at the center of iPhone 14’s marketing.
50% more memory
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that all iPhone 14 models will have 6GB of memory, with the standard iPhone 14 models having LPDDR 4X memory and the iPhone 14 Pro models with LPDDR 5 memory.
Currently, the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 have 4 GB of memory, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max already have 6 GB of memory. These amounts are unchanged compared to the iPhone 12 series. Although Kuo suggested that all iPhone 14 models will have 6GB of memory, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max’s LPDDR 5 memory will be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.
50 percent more memory in iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max could allow it to keep more apps and browser tabs open in the background for faster recovery, give developers more room to build powerful, memory-intensive apps and make the devices more future-proof in the following year.
Improved battery life
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max could offer improved battery life thanks to a new, more efficient 5G chip.
IPhone 14s 5G RF chip is said to be made with TSMCs 6nm process, which results in a physically smaller chip with lower power consumption. The 6nm RF process allows the chip to use less power on both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G bands while still providing a high level of performance.
In addition to being more efficient, shrinking the large RF transceiver component inside iPhone is expected to free up physical space. Every extra square millimeter of volume recovered is said to create more space for a larger battery. Taken together, the improved efficiency and miniaturization of the iPhone 14’s RF chip is believed to result in a better overall battery life.
Wi-Fi 6E connection
All iPhone 14 models are expected to support Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6, including higher performance, lower latency and faster data speeds, extended to the 6 GHz band. The extra spectrum provides more air space in addition to existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, resulting in increased bandwidth and less interference.
Emergency satellite functions
With a feature originally rumored for the iPhone 13 series, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 modem in the iPhone 14 series is expected to facilitate a range of satellite-based emergency features that allow users to send emergency messages and report major emergencies in places where is not mobile coverage.
More specifically, emergency message via satellite will allow users to send SMS to emergency services and contacts using a satellite network when no mobile or WiFi signal is available. It will reportedly be a new communication protocol along with SMS and iMessage, will show gray message bubbles, and the message length will be limited. Another feature will allow users to report major emergencies such as plane crashes and fires using satellite communications.
These features are still under development and are rumored to be launched in 2022 at the earliest, but other estimates have placed the feature more solidly with the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 series.
Ultra-wide camera enhancements
While the iPhone 14 models will reportedly miss the new 48-megapixel widescreen and stick to the iPhone 13s 12-megapixel widescreen instead, all standard 2022 iPhones could see improvements to the Ultra Wide camera.
13iPhone 13 Pro introduced a new ƒ / 1.8, 6P (six-element lens) Ultra Wide camera with autofocus. This year, this enhanced ƒ / 1.8 Ultra Wide camera is rumored to seep down to both standard iPhone 14 models.
Front camera improvements
In addition to improvements to the rear camera system, it is rumored that the iPhone 14’s front-facing camera contains several significant improvements.
Specifically, all four iPhone 14 models are likely to have an upgraded front-camera system with autofocus and a wider ƒ / 1.9 aperture. In comparison, the front camera on all iPhone 13 models has fixed focus and a ƒ / 2.2 aperture.
The wider aperture will allow more light to pass through the lens and reach the sensor. Kuo has said that these camera upgrades can result in an enhanced depth of field effect for photos and videos in portrait mode, while autofocus can enhance focus during FaceTime and Zoom video calls.
Renewed color settings
IPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are rumored to come in a range of color options that include black, white, blue, red and purple.
Assuming that rumors about the black and white options for the iPhone 14 actually refer to Midnight and Starlight, the new color line would mean the interruption of the iPhone 13s Pink and Green. With the exception of color additions in the center, such as green and alpine green for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro earlier this year, the information suggests that the iPhone 14 will be launched with the same number of color options as its predecessors.
As in recent years, when the same polychrome colors have been updated across generations, the blue and red color options of the iPhone 14 are likely to be updated shades compared to the iPhone 13 models. Nevertheless, the range of color options of the iPhone 14 and honeiPhone 14 Pro may be similar to those of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, but are likely to be trumpeted with the reintroduction of a purple hue.
A purple color option for iPhone 14 seems plausible given that Apple introduced a purple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a mid-term update in April last year on a positive response from customers, and the 24-inch iMac, sixth generation of iPad mini and The fifth generation iPad Air is all available in purple.