Today Apple has announced the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus as part of its September Far Out event. The new phones feature new sizes and color options, including Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and (PRODUCT)RED. Storage options include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus go up for preorder Friday, Sept. 9. Beginning Sept. 16, the iPhone 14 will be available in most countries, and the iPhone Plus will be available Oct. 7.
Apple Announces the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
Along with new colors and sizes, the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus also offers emergency satellite SOS, better battery life, an upgraded camera, Crash Detection and no SIM tray.
Apple stated in a press release,
Our customers rely on their iPhone every day, and iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus introduce groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities. With the new, larger 6.7-inch display on iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy more content onscreen when browsing the web and even more text, said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Both phones have a powerful new Main camera with a huge leap in low-light performance, advanced connectivity capabilities with 5G and eSIM, and the incredible performance of A15 Bionic, which helps enable even better battery life. All of this, tightly integrated with iOS 16, makes iPhone more essential than ever.
One of the newest changes concerns size. The iPhone 14 Plus now features a large 6.7-inch screen size, same as the Pro Max. The previous base model 5.4 inch mini is no longer available.
Sizes, Processor and Camera
Concerning the new size, the new 6.7-inch model is the same size as the previous most expensive iPhone. Along with a new screen size, the iPhone 14 Plus will also feature the same long battery life as the Pro Max. According to Apple, the iPhone 14 lineup provides the best battery life of any iPhone.
In terms of processor, both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will utilize the 5-core GPU A15 Bionic chip. Featuring a 6-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine, the processor is capable of handling 15.8 trillion operations per second.
Regarding the camera, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature a new camera system. The main 12-megapixel camera features a new larger sensor that takes in more light, thereby producing better images with more detail and less grain. This will be especially useful in low-light environments. Additionally, the new front-facing TrueDepth camera also improves low-light performances while also including autofocus for the first time.
Furthermore, Apple is also upgrading its image processing pipeline, and will now apply Deep Fusion algorithms earlier in the process. Dubbing it the “Photonic Engine”, the process touts up to 2x improvement in low-light environments across all cameras. The Photonic Engine will also help the new Ultra Wide camera to offer more unique wider shots. Additionally, cinematic mode is now available in 4K at 30 fps and 4K at 24 fps, and end-to-end Dolby Vision HDR is naturally only available in the iPhone.
Apple also introduced Action mode, which helps create smooth-looking video that adjusts to shakes, motion and vibrations as video is being captured in real time.
eSIM, New Emergency Mode and Pricing
Apple is also trying something new by pushing for eSIM this year. Concerning U.S. iPhones, the SIM tray is no longer apart of the physical device. U.S. customers will need to sign up for a cellphone plan that includes eSIM.
One of the largest new features for the iPhone 14 is Emergency SOS mode with satellite connectivity. Users will be able to send short text messages when away from cellular connectivity should they need help in emergency situations. Additionally, the service also integrates with Find My. This new feature will be available starting in November and Apple is offering it for free for two years.
The new devices will also integrate Car Crash detection. This feature incorporates the accelerometer to notice if a user gets into a crash while driving. The iPhone will automatically invoke Emergency SOS should it be necessary.
Of course, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will also run iOS 16. According to Apple, iOS 16 will be a free software update available Sept. 12.
In terms of price, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available for preorder Friday, Sept. 9. The iPhone 14 starts at $799 and the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899. Expect prices to increase based on storage availability.
Are you going to buy the iPhone 14 when it’s available? What do you think of the new features? Let us know in the comments.