iPhone 14 — the latest scoop
Colours, cameras, cables n’all!
So, this the weekend, I was thinking that over recent blogs and videos (yes I have a YouTube channel too), I have covered a fair few rumours, leaks, and stories about our favourite Apple product. So, what I thought I would do today, is tie them all up in just one blog. Here is all I think we currently know about this year’s iPhone 14.
The early myths
Even before the 13 was launched last year, there were rumours about the 14. Early on, we heard there would be a radical re-design; flush cameras, under screen Face ID, and even a retro iPhone 4S feel to it. Whilst some radical new design features, may have receded, we are still expecting a better camera with a larger camera bump, new colours, a better front facing camera and a faster lightning cable too. So, the 14 could be more exciting than we had feared.
The design
We already have a pretty good idea on the look and size of this year’s phone, due to the schematics and case CADS recently leaked. Both of these have confirmed what we heard early on, that there will no longer be a mini in this year’s lineup. That means we will now have only four phones later this year, two 6.1 — inch screens (14 and 14 Pro), and two 6.7 — inch models (14 Max and Pro Max). The leaked images also show us just how massive the camera bump will be. Ming-Chi Kuo has tweeted that the bump of this year’s phone will be up from 3.6mm to 4.17mm, resulting in an overall thickness of over 11mm, which is thicker than the original iPhone. Although not ideal, the trade-off is that the camera will see massive improvements. We’re hearing that it will be 48MP and that we’ll be able to record 8K video, elevating the phone’s specs to more of what we would expect in 2022. Moreover, this would be the first substantial boost of the camera since the 6S of 2014. Ian Zelbo has produced renders that show the whole design being more rounded, with the bezels now tracking the radius of the body for the first time.
The front of iPhone 14
Much has been made of the fact, the notch is being replaced with the pill & hole design. The hole will be for the improved selfie camera, whilst the punch will be for Face ID detection, as under the screen technology is still some way off. I have written many times before that the notch has never been something I have lost sleep over. Until I can physically see this new layout in person, I am not altogether sure if it will be to my liking or not.
It’s worth bearing in mind, all the changes I have gone through so far, apply only to the two Pro phones. The two regular phones will only have an updated 12 MP camera, lifted from the 13 Pro, minus the telephoto lens, and also retain the notch. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning, that this year, we will have different chips running the regular 14’s over the Pro series. The A15 chip, with the full CPU count, seem likely to be in the non-Pro phones. The A16 will only be in the Pro iPhone. Good or bad idea? What do you think?
The new, improved front facing camera I spoke of, will be for the entire range, however. Again, referencing Ming-Chi Kuo, he told us that the camera will be updated from a f2.2 aperture to a f1.9 aperture allowing for selfies with a blurry background and better low-light functionality.
Still lightning — but better
We all want the lightning connector to be a thing of the past, and for it to be replaced with USB-C. Sadly, that is not happening anytime soon, but the transfer speeds from the phone, look likely to be improved — range wide. Unlike the iPad Pro, iPhone’s connector is running 2.0 USB, meaning transfer is slow, at around 480Mbs. Apple engineers realise that this is not baked in, so are working hard to have a USB 3.0 connector on all this year’s phones. Bearing in mind, the Pro phones could be shooting 8K video, getting files from these devices needed to be looked at. Whilst not perfect, at least it is an improvement. 3.0 USB speeds will see a significant bump to transfer speeds of 5Gbs via the lightning cable.
Colours
Generally, the more fun and vibrant colours have been reserved for the non-Pro lineup. I guess the theory being, that in a professional environment, colours don’t quite cut it! This year, though, they may be breaking with tradition. Hopefully, a deep purple will be available throughout the range. There was a purple once before, but only as a muted, spring colour upgrade on iPhone 12.
Thoughts
Whilst I concede that the two regular phones don’t look like changing all that much, it is an altogether different story when it comes to the Pro phones. A new chip, vastly improved camera and the notch free designs actually all add up for this to be quite a design change. It is something I may even look in to myself, in particular with that rumoured 8K ProRes video, 48 MP camera and faster transfer speeds, The Pro or Pro Max may be just what I am after.
What about you, though? Do you feel it is a shame that there is such a difference coming between the two lines, or, do you feel it is more than justified? We have seen it happening with the Mac’s, surely, it was only a matter of time before iPhone went the same way.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts are.
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Originally published at https://www.talkingtechandaudio.com/blog on April 25, 2022.
