Everything we know about the iPhone 14 so far

Editor's note: This article was written before the iPhone 14 launched on 7 September worldwide. Have you heard? You can get your hands on one here, with all the goodness and perks from us!

Launching September 2022

The iPhone 14 is coming our way in Sep 2022. Cue the Apple site crashing (just kidding). Or snaking queues outside the Apple flagship store (for real). 

Here are the main bits and pieces of news we’ve caught about the latest iPhone. But if you can’t wait or are terrified of the queue, Circles.Life has the equally cool iPhone 13 Pro Max.

You can choose to pay upfront or via 0% interest instalments. Even cooler, it comes with a no-contract SIM-only combo plan! 

Mini no more

The midgets of the smartphone world are shrinking out of existence. Sadly too, for the iPhone Mini, which can’t punch above its weight, and never did.

After barely landing a blow in the sales of the iPhone 12 and 13, the Mini is likely to disappear from the iPhone 14.

Whether it was because of the smallish battery life or squinty visuals, it’s clear that for users, bigger is better. Or maybe they just got confused with the iPhone SE.

Well, expect Apple to still retain a four-strong lineup for the iPhone 14. In the Mini’s place, we’d see a Max version of the standard model, coming in at 6.7” (170mm).

So, with a little drumroll, here’s the lineup:

• iPhone 14 (6.1”/155mm)
• iPhone 14 Max (6.7”/170mm)
• iPhone 14 Pro (6.1”)
• iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7”)

Say cheese to lotsa megapixels

For years, Apple has stuck with the sweet dozen. While Android phones galloped away with three-digit megapixels cameras, the iPhone has cantered along at 12MP ever since iPhone 7.

It now seems to be making up for those lost miles by showering you with lotsa pixelated love in the iPhone 14. Four times more, in fact, from 12MP to 48MP for the rear camera.

That said, this would only apply to the wide-angle camera lens in the Pro models.

It’s hard not to get excited by this quadrupling of image resolution. Some of us may even fret at our freckles becoming all-too obvious in photos.

But we think there’s another improvement to the camera which’d bring a wider smile to shutterbugs and amateurs alike.

And that’s the 48MP camera sensor increasing in size by over 50% vs the iPhone 13. Without getting too technical, this means more space for bigger pixel sizes on the sensor, capturing more light for brighter photos with less noise.

But even with a 48MP camera, you’d most likely end up with a 12MP photo. Many phone manufacturers do this, sacrificing resolution for brightness and colour tone.

What all these mean for the iPhone 14 is that no, your freckles ain’t becoming sharper in photos, but your day and night shots are gonna be even more awesome and vibrant.

Plus, it could also shoot 8k videos. Budding film director, anyone?

A mightier engine

All those awesome shots are going to take more processing power. Not to mention uploading to your social media and showing off to the world.

Every new iPhone usually debuts with a more powerful processor, and the iPhone 14 is expected to continue this proud tradition.

What makes Apple even prouder, we suspect, is that unlike Android phones, their chips are made by Apple, for Apple. Which goes to explain an iPhone’s performance and how one can last us for years.

A16, as the new chip’s likely called, could put even the iPhone 13’s A15 to shame. The latter is already the leading smartphone processor in the market. But we’ve heard that the A16 comes with 15% better CPU speeds, and up to 30% faster graphics. And that’s just the start.

However, the A16 is only available for the Pro models. As for the vanilla iPhone 14, Apple has very kindly bulked it up with the A15 from the iPhone 13 Pro. We’re sure that it’d run as smooth as, well, vanilla.

All the models get an upgrade this year, and everyone’s happy. Not least you, with even more flawless streaming, gaming and a whole lot more.

Bye bye notch

The iPhone is as much style as substance. But for some users since the iPhone X, it was no-love at first sight. 

The reason? The infamous notch at the top of the screen. Imagine having a floor-to-ceiling window in your 50th-floor hotel suite, but with a utilities box jutting out from the top. 

It just spoils the view. And for some iPhone users, the notch simply messes up the full-screen experience. 

The good news for the iPhone 14 is, the notch is no more. 

The not-so-good part is that because Apple still needs somewhere to house cool stuff like the Face ID, we’d see a “pill + hole” design in the iPhone 14. The pill-shaped cutout would have the Face ID sensors, while the front camera would sit in the pinhole. 

Not perfect. What folks really want is probably an all-screen design with everything hidden underneath. But we think it’s still a nifty compromise, one that screams more modern and stylish, and less retro a.k.a outdated. 

And unfortunately, better looks, even compromised ones, cost more - the notch is only going away for the Pro and Pro Max. 

Conclusion

Get ready your popcorn and prepare for the launch we’ve all been waiting for. And if you need the freest, most rewarding plan to go with your shiny new iPhone, Circles.Life is just a click away!