The iPhone 14 will not be released until the start of the 2022 school year, but rumors are already multiplying about future Apple smartphones. Design, sizes, prices and technical characteristics… Numerama helps you see things more clearly.
In a few weeks, presumably around September 10, the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro will have successors. In this article, we have collected all the leaks and hypotheses on the iPhone 14 and its possible versions (iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max). It will be regularly updated according to new information published. Keep in mind, however, that we are talking about rumors here, and that you must therefore read each information with great care while waiting for the formalization of Apple. However, the closer we get to September, the more reliable the rumors are.
To wait before the release of these new models, do not hesitate to consult our guide to the best Apple smartphone to choose in 2022 (iPhone 13 Pro? 13 mini? SE?) to make the most informed choice.
Notch or bubble in the screen? All the rumors about the iPhone 14
4 versions of iPhone 14
In 2022, Apple would still market four different versions of its iPhone. However, for the first time since 2020, there would be no mini version. Instead, Apple is reportedly offering a Max version of the iPhone 14 aimed at those who don’t want the more expensive model but want a big screen. The catalog would be as follows:
- iPhone 14 (6.1 inch)
- iPhone 14 Max (6.7 inch)
- iPhone 14 Pro (6.1 inches)
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7 inches)
Two diagonals would therefore be offered, 6.1 and 6.7 inches. Users would only have to choose between standard models and premium versions, with better materials and exclusive functions.
Why would the mini disappear?
Obviously, sales of the iPhone 12 mini were not satisfactory (to the point where the production lines would have been stopped). For more than a year, all rumors have agreed on the end of the most compact iPhone in 2022. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reputed to be very knowledgeable about Apple, has announced for several months that the iPhone 13 mini will be the last of its kind. No offense to fans of this format, the 5.4-inch iPhone should not return in 2022.
A double punch on the iPhone 14 Pro?
What if the iPhone 14 no longer had a notch? It was the big rumor that spread in September 2021 and has continued to gain momentum ever since. A video of influencer Jon Prosser revealed it first, serious media like The Elec later confirmed his claims.
In January 2021, analyst Ross Young, whose area of specialization is displays, announces that Apple is indeed preparing to eliminate the notch. However, it delivers much more accurate information than its predecessors. This novelty would be reserved for the Pro and Pro Max models and, above all, would see the introduction of a double punch. The front camera would be hidden in a small circle while the Face ID system would be housed in a pill. There would therefore not be a total elimination of the notch.
Since then, all the leaks have gone in the direction of this double punch. Several supposed images of Apple’s 3D plans present this aesthetic peculiarity. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max would retain the notch of the iPhone 13.
An always-on screen for the iPhone 14 Pro?
Thanks to their ProMotion screens, the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are able to vary their refresh rate to improve display fluidity. They can go from 10 to 120 Hz, while the iPhone 13 are always on 60 Hz.
All iPhone 14s should inherit ProMotion technology, but the iPhone 14 Pro could go even further. We are talking about an improved OLED panel capable of varying between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, which would allow Apple to activate a function well known to Android smartphone owners: the always-on screen. Even in standby, the iPhone 14 Pro would show the time and notifications. The redesign of the lock screen in iOS 16 goes in this direction.
48 megapixels on the iPhone 14 Pro, to film in 8K?
What if the iPhone Pro sensor went from 12 megapixels to… 48 megapixels? It was Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities who addressed this possibility in his September 2021 brief. A note obtained by MacRumors in December 2021 seems to confirm this switch to a better defined sensor. This would allow the iPhone 14 Pro to shoot in 8K, like high-end Android smartphones. Standard models should not benefit from these additional pixels. Since 2015 and the iPhone 6s, Apple has always used 12 Mpix sensors. This change would allow him to drastically improve his photographic algorithm.
The telephoto lens dedicated to the zoom and the ultra wide-angle module would remain attached to 12 Mpix sensors.
An increase in quality for selfies?
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the four iPhone 14s should have a better front camera than the iPhone 13s. There is talk of a camera module with a larger aperture (f/1.9 instead of f/2.2), as well as the arrival of autofocus to never have a blurry selfie again.
The A16 chip reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro?
Every year, Apple accompanies the launch of its new iPhone with a new chip. This year, the rumors are quite strange. It is said that Apple would reserve its A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 14 Pro, and would leave an A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14. This would be a first for the brand, but this would be explained by the lack of new features of the chip A16 and, above all, the shortage of components that would prevent Apple from manufacturing the A16 chip in sufficient quantities. We do not know if the four iPhones will be entitled to a newer 5G modem with the arrival of Wi-Fi 6E. It is technically possible, there is no modem integrated into Apple Silicon chips.
6 GB of RAM… or 8 GB?
As the months go by, it seems unlikely that Apple will increase the amount of RAM on its iPhones. Some media have mentioned a switch to 8 GB of RAM, but Apple would rather opt for 6 GB of RAM for the entire range (today, only the Pro models are entitled to it). It’s not an element that he highlights anyway, iOS is too well optimized for that.
Still no Touch ID under the iPhone 14 screen
Apple now only sells one smartphone with a round button that links to the home screen and allows Touch ID to work: the iPhone SE. Touch ID technology allows the phone to recognize one or more fingerprints, which is used in particular to unlock the smartphone.
Since 2017, Apple fans have been hoping for the return of Touch ID, especially because Face ID facial recognition doesn’t work in all conditions. It will not happen with the iPhone 14, Apple is instead relying on Face ID with a mask or on horizontal facial recognition, new features of its latest updates.
A switch to USB Type-C from the iPhone 14?
The European Union has won, Apple should soon be forced to adopt USB-C in its smartphones. However, it will not be with the iPhone 14. Apple would have chosen the fall of 2023, the iPhone 15 therefore, to abandon its proprietary Lightning port. The iPhone 14 would therefore keep the Lightning but could improve it, with faster speeds.
When will the iPhone 14 be released?
If we follow Apple’s usual schedule and the company keeps its pace, the iPhone 14 range should be presented in September 2022, for the marketing of the devices a few days later. The iPhone 13, for example, was presented on September 14, 2021, and sold from September 24. Until then, the rumors should continue to multiply.
What prices for the iPhone 14?
Very clever would be the one who claims to know the prices of the iPhone 14 in advance. If we can imagine that they will remain in line with those of the iPhone 13 (909 euros for the 13, 1159 euros for the Pro), the shortage of components can have an impact on the prices charged by Apple. The death of the mini model will also remove the call price of 809 euros. We should have a more expensive Max model instead.