iPhone 14 review: Is it good enough good enough?

iPhone 14 at the Best Price

$799.99

The iPhone 14 is basically the iPhone 13s. The iPhone 14 is essentially the iPhone 13s. It has the same processor as the iPhone 13, and looks very similar to the iPhone 13. However, it offers many new features for photography that are similar to the S iPhones.

Starting at $799, the iPhone 14 costs the same as the iPhone 13 in the U.S.—though if you live elsewhere you will be paying more. In the U.K. for example the iPhone 14 costs £849 while the iPhone 13 was £779. This bump in price means the standard iPhone is less affordable than it was for many, and when you consider you could save $100/£100 by buying a new iPhone 13, the question is: Do the new features justify the price?

What’s new (and what’s the same)

Apple has increased the gap between Pro iPhones and Standard iPhones with the iPhone 14. Nearly all of the iPhone 14’s headline features have been removed this year. This doesn’t mean that the iPhone 14 isn’t a good choice, it just means that you’re sacrificing more by going with the lower model.

One thing you won’t be sacrificing is the notch. You can still use the standard notch on the iPhone 14; however, Dynamic Island is not available on the iPhone 14 Pro. If you are interested in the new Dynamic Island, there are two options. Either wait for next year’s iPhone 15 to be released or buy the iPhone 14 Pro. The notch on iPhone 14 is the same size and shape as the iPhone 13’s (which is smaller than earlier iPhones).

Foundry

If you were hoping that the iPhone 14 would gain the display improvements that came with the iPhone 13 Pro you’ll be disappointed as well. ProMotion arrived on the iPhone 13 Pro but it’s still not a feature of the iPhone 14. The headline feature of iPhone 14 Pro is not always-on screen. Nor is the ultra-brightness of higher-end models. Rather, the iPhone 14 offers a very similar experience as the iPhone 13: 800 nits max brightness and 1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR), though it’s still an improvement on the 625 nits max of the iPhone 12 and iPhone SE 3.

What are the new features of the iPhone 14? The iPhone 14 includes Crash Detection and Satellite Connectivity, which can be used to make emergency phone calls in Canada and the U.S. These are great features, but not many people will upgrade their phones because they might save their lives. Still we’ll no doubt see these features in the September 2023 iPhone keynote in Apple’s “look at these lives we saved” segment.

The iPhone 14 has new color options that set it apart from the iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 has pale, light, Midnight (black), Starlight, silver, and Product Red. While the iPhone 13 offers green, pink, and dark blue as well as Midnight Starlight, Product Red and Starlight, there are new color options for the iPhone 13. You’ll probably put a case on it anyway but be careful which one you buy—Apple has slightly shifted the location and size of the power and volume buttons so old cases probably won’t fit.

Foundry

Camera action

You can tell the difference between the iPhone 13 (and iPhone 14) by placing them on your back. You’ll clearly see that the cameras on the back of the newer iPhone cause the phone to be raised more—and for a good reason. The iPhone 14 still features two cameras array with 12MP wide and ultra-wide lenses, but for this generation Apple includes a faster aperture (ƒ/1.5 rather than ƒ/1.6) and a larger sensor and larger 1.9μm pixels on the main camera. There’s also a new Photonic Engine computational system which allows Apple’s Deep Fusion image processing (a feature on all iPhones since the iPhone 11) to be performed on uncompressed images with more data available.

These changes will primarily lead to better low-light shots. Apple claims that these conditions provide 49 percent more performance. This claim was put to the test, and I was surprised at the results. In this example, the iPhone 14 photograph shows that the details of the green leaves are much more visible in low light.

Portrait Mode now has a new blurred foreground feature that is controlled by the Photonic Engine. This means that it’s not just the background that will blur when you are taking a Portrait Mode shot (whether from the front or rear cameras). It will also blur what’s directly in front of you, which has the effect of focusing even more attention on the face. We attempted to create this effect, but didn’t feel that our efforts were as good as those in the images taken by Apple’s professional photographer.

The front-facing camera has also seen improvements compared to the iPhone 13. The TrueDepth camera now gains autofocus and improved low-light performance thanks to a wider aperture (now ƒ/1.9 rather than ƒ/2.2 aperture). The big difference between the selfies below is the time it took for them to be taken. The shutter speed of the iPhone 13 has been significantly improved. The meta information lists it as taking a 1/43s shot, compared to the iPhone 14’s 1/60s. The real difference is how long you have to hold your arm still and still achieve the same result.

The best reason to upgrade to the iPhone, however, isn’t photos—it’s videos. You will notice a new icon in the top left for Action Mode. It looks like a person running. This will allow you to film as you walk, run, or cycle and still produce smooth videos. It did an excellent job, even though it warned about insufficient light. Overall, the iPhone 14’s camera is a nice upgrade. However, Action Mode is worth every penny.

Camera improvements include a brighter True Tone flash, and an Ultra Wide camera that can capture a slightly larger image. Night Mode photography also has fewer exposure times.

Battery life and performance are improved

Aside from the fact that the iPhone 14 looks like the iPhone 13, there’s another reason why some will say that there isn’t a big difference between the new and old handset: both phones have an A15 processor. However, the A15 found in the iPhone 14 isn’t exactly the same as that in the iPhone 13.

The A15 Bionic used in the iPhone 13 Pro is also used in the iPhone 14. It uses one more GPU core than standard A15 chips. Apple claims that the iPhone 13’s GPU performance is 18 percent better than the iPhone 13. If you use graphics-intensive apps or play games, this extra GPU core can be a benefit. There’s not just an extra GPU core on offer here though. The iPhone’s internal design was redesigned to improve heat dispersion. This resulted in slightly longer battery life.

These benchmarks demonstrate that the iPhone 14 provides decent speed increases compared with the iPhone 13 and push it into iPhone 13 Pro territory. Some tests even surpass it.

One of the big changes for the U.S. market is Apple’s abandonment of the SIM card in favor of eSIM, which won’t matter to most users. The iPhone 14’s new Qualcomm X65 modem allows for faster speeds and uses less power.

Foundry

Apple claims the iPhone 14 can deliver up to 20 hours video playback per charge. That’s about one hour more than the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13. It’s not as good as the 23 hours claimed for the iPhone 13 Pro, and it’s well below the estimates for the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Plus.

These scores were consistent in our tests. Geekbench 4 battery tests measured just under nine hours on the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro. Normal use should give you more than a full day of battery life. You will likely get rid of nightly charging. Here’s where fast charging comes in: all of Apple smaller iPhones offer “Up to 50% percentcharge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher” (you’ll need five more minutes to get the same for the larger models).

Apple no longer ships iPhones equipped with the power adapter, as has been the case since 2020. You’ll find a lightning cable in the box but if you don’t already own a plug you’ll need to purchase one. To take advantage of the fast charging times, we recommend you purchase a 20W adapter.

Is it worth buying an iPhone 14?

The majority of people who are pondering whether to buy the iPhone 14 will be upgrading an older iPhone than the iPhone 13. However, those same people might be wise to consider the iPhone 13 as an option since the iPhone 13 is still available for purchase. Aside from Action Mode and the other camera improvements there isn’t a big difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so if those features don’t appeal you’ll be just as happy with the cheaper iPhone 13.

If you find the new camera features in the iPhone 14 appealing, you might want to spend a bit more on the iPhone 14 Pro. It has a 48MP and a 3X zoom lens as well as all the new iPhone 14 camera features. Plus you’ll get an A16 processor, always-on display and the Dynamic Island. Those features might be worth an extra $200/£250 to you.

If you are upgrading from a large iPhone, like the iPhone XS Max or the iPhone 12 Pro, for example, then we’d suggest that you wait until the iPhone 14 Plus arrives in October before buying the iPhone 14 as it will feel smaller in your hands in comparison to what you are used to.

If you’re looking to upgrade from an iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 offers enough features to make it a good choice. The iPhone 13 is still available, and is cheaper, which is the biggest disadvantage to upgrading to the iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 is a great phone, but it’s harder to wholeheartedly recommend it at a time when you could save a bit by buying last year’s model without sacrificing much.

Our reviews of other iPhones 2022 are a great resource for help in making your decision. Best iPhone chartOur Guide to buying an iPhone.