As Apple gears up for its fall launch event, which is likely to be held in September, everyone’s eyes are on the iPhone 14. The Cupertino giant is expected to launch the new iPhone 14 series in the upcoming event. The new iPhone lineup will include four models without a ‘mini’ version this year. Reports also suggest that there will be major differences between the standard iPhone models and iPhone Pro Max models this time around. That said, here’s a quick look at the iPhone 14 series’ launch date, specifications, and price in India, among other things.
Table of Contents
iPhone 14 release date
Apple has sent out invites for its iPhone 14 launch event, which is set to take place on September 7th. The tech giant is expected to announce the iPhone 14 series in the upcoming event along with other Apple hardware such as Apple Watch 8 series, new Airpods Pro, iPad models, and more. This is in line with the previous rumours suggesting that Apple could launch the 2022 iPhone models around the first week of September.
Previously, reports from iHacktu ileaks and Max Weinbach also suggested that the sale of the next generation iPhones will take place starting from September 16th. That said, according to another report from Nikkei Asia, at least one iPhone model, specifically the iPhone 14 Max, has fallen behind the production schedule due to the lockdown in China. So it is possible that the iPhone 14 series’ shipping dates may be affected, at least for the iPhone 14 Max model.
iPhone 14 models
iPhone 14 series is expected to include four models just like the iPhone 13 series. However, according to the reports, Apple is dropping the iPhone ‘mini’ lineup this year owing to poor sales. Instead, we will see a new ‘iPhone 14 Plus/Max‘ model this time. If that is indeed the case, the new iPhone series will look something like this — the standard iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus/Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
According to the previous leaks and rumours, the iPhone 14 Pro series is set to receive pretty substantial changes this time. For more details keep reading.
iPhone 14 price in India (expected)
The iPhone 14 is likely to be more expensive than the iPhone 13 (review), possibly due to the missing mini variant and inflation. According to an analyst, the price of the new generation of iPhones is set to increase by at least $100 or Rs 10,000 in India since Apple values USD 1 to Rs 100 due to import duties, taxes, and other factors. If true, the base model of the iPhone 14 could start at $899 (~Rs 89,900 in India), whereas iPhone 14 Max could cost $999 (~Rs 99,900 in India). But Apple may still decide to keep the current pricing in hopes of increasing sales. The iPhone 13, to recall, is priced in India starting at Rs 79,900.
That said, the higher pricing may be justified for the ‘Pro’ models as Apple is expected to introduce wider spec differences between the standard iPhone models and the Pro models. So, the iPhone 14 Pro price in India may start at Rs 1,29,900 for the 128GB storage variant, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max could cost $1,199 (~Rs 1,39,900 in India) for the 128GB storage variant.
iPhone 14 design
Rumours are all over the place about the iPhone 14’s design and specifications. And as discussed earlier, the standard models of the iPhones are expected to retain the same boxy design with flat edges. However, the same is not true for the ‘Pro’ models, which seem to have received significant changes in terms of their design as well as specifications. Read on below to find out.
iPhone 14 specifications
Display
All the iPhone 14 series will launch with OLED displays, just like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. Reports once again claim that all the iPhone models including the standard iPhone 14 and the iPhone Plus/Max model will use a ProMotion display, a term Apple uses to indicate high refresh rates. The standard models using a higher refresh rate will be a first-timer for Apple, if true since Apple still uses a normal 60Hz display on the standard iPhone 13.
Coming to the particulars of refresh rates, the standard iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus/Max will use a 6.1-inch LTPS OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The displays of the standard models will, however, not get a variable refresh rate feature and thus, will lack the Always-on Display (AoD). The iPhone 14 Pro models on the other hand will use a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED 120Hz Promotion display with variable refresh rate capabilities. Thus, would get the AoD feature.
Camera
The standard models of the iPhone 14 are expected to retain almost the same camera hardware with a 12MP dual-camera at the rear and a 12MP front camera for selfies. But, it won’t be Apple if we didn’t see any camera upgrades with the new iPhones. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the selfie camera is also getting a larger f/1.9 aperture lens with autofocus instead of the older f/2.2 aperture with a fixed focus on the older iPhone models. Apple is now also considering front cameras to be high-end components of the iPhones. So we will probably see much-improved selfie camera performance in the upcoming iPhones.
On the other hand, reports from Mark Gurman, Editor at Bloomberg, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest that Apple is making major changes to the Pro models at the front. Instead of using a ‘notch’ design, which houses the necessary hardware for the Face ID, Apple will use a combination of punch-hole and pill-shaped cutouts for the Face ID dot projector and camera hardware and other components, respectively. According to another tipster Ross Young, Apple is also planning to put some of the Face ID hardware under the display to help with the new design changes and make the cutouts smaller. Apple is also making changes to the rear camera. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max could also come with a 48MP high-resolution main sensor. The larger sensor could mean the camera bump at the back will get bigger, but not by a large margin. The recent teasers from Apple suggest that iPhone 14 series’ camera might feature astrophotography.
Connectivity
There have been rumours of a portless iPhone for some time now, but we don’t know if the 2022 iPhone will feature such design changes. What we know, according to the tips is that iPhones may retain the Lightning port this year and Apple will not switch to the USB-C port, which is a little disappointing to see. But According to reports from Ming-Chi Kuo Apple plans to use USB-C from the iPhone 15 onwards, just in time for when the new EU mandates come into effect.
Apart from this Apple 14 series is tipped to get a satellite connectivity feature for emergency communication. If true, the feature will help you to send short messages when there is no cellular connectivity. Reports also have that iPhone 14 series could come with an eSIM-only option, sold alongside the physical SIM variant. But according to analysts, Apple may decide to keep selling the dual e-SIM and the physical SIM variant in markets where eSIM mass adoption hasn’t taken place. Additionally, the new iPhone will also feature Wi-Fi 6E connectivity according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors).
RAM
As for the amount of RAM in the next generation iPhone 14 models, the latest reports from Digitimes Asia (via AppleInsider) suggest that all the iPhone models will use 6GB RAM. This is unlike the previous iPhone models, where Apple used two different amounts of RAM to differentiate the standard and the Pro models. To recall, iPhone 13 standard models have 4GB of RAM and iPhone 14 Pro models use 6GB of RAM. The report further states that, apart from featuring 6GB RAM on all iPhone models, Apple is using faster memory, particularly, LPDDR5 RAM on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. The standard models will however continue to use the LPDDR4X RAM. With the faster memory along with the new A16 Bionic chipset, users can expect improved performance and energy efficiency. Previous reports suggested that iPhone 14 Pro model would come with 8GB of RAM.
Processor
Now coming to the processor, Apple for the first time, plans to use its latest-generation processor, likely the A16 Bionic, only in the Pro models of iPhone 14. The standard models, likely the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus/Max, will continue to use the A15 Bionic, the same chipset that is in use on the current iPhone 13 series. This means, there will be no major performance differences between the current iPhone series and the standard iPhone 14 models. Ming-Chi Kuo also notes that A16 will have minor upgrades over the current A15 chipset. As the new A16 chipset will continue to use the N5P process node — same as the A15, thus limiting the performance gains that can be achieved. That said, Twitter user ShrimpApplePro, the non-Pro iPhone 14 models may still get a performace boost over the iPhone 13 series. The tipster claims the improvements might come in the form of “New cellular modem, new internals design, etc”.
Apple is also said to be “aggressively testing” a vapour chamber cooling system (VC cooling), which the company aims to use in the higher-end variants of the iPhone 14. According to Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), the VC cooling will be similar to the cooling system used in the existing Android smartphone from OEMs such as Samsung, Mi, Realme, and others. The reason Apple is opting for the VC solution is that the higher-end iPhones’ increased processing speeds and higher 5G speeds cause the phones to heat up and experience thermal throttling. If true, we might see this new cooling system in iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Battery
Now moving on to the battery capacities of the new iPhones, a post on the Chinese social media platform Baidu suggests that Apple could increase the battery capacities of all the iPhone 14 series models, except for the Pro Max model. Information shared by Twitter user ShrimpApplePro suggests iPhone 14 will feature 3,279mAh battery capacity, iPhone 14 Max will use 4,325mAh, iPhone 14 Pro has 3,200mAh capacity, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max 4,323mAh. But, the tipster isn’t sure if the information is legit, so take the information with a grain of salt.
Software
All models of iPhone 14 will run the next iteration of the iOS – the iOS 16, out of the box. One of the main highlights of iOS 16 is its completely revamped lock screen, which now includes a slew of features for customisation. You now get the ability to customise the lock screen with your photos, font styles, and the ability to add widgets such as weather, calendar events, date, time zones, alarms, battery level, Activity, and more. Further, you can add multiple lock screens as well.
Notifications on iOS 16 stack and appear at the bottom of the lock screen, so they don’t distract you. The software also allows you to track ongoing activities such as food delivery or use Now Playing controls without unlocking the device. Messages are also getting some changes. You now edit sent messages or unsend them within the time limit of up to 15 minutes after seeing them.
Other notable features of the iOS 16 include a shared photo library feature in the Photos app, the ability to use the dictation and keyboard simultaneously to type faster, improvements to health and fitness features, Email scheduling and undo send feature in the Mail app, Multi-stop feature in Maps, live text support in videos, Passkeys and Shared Tab Groups support in Safari, and many others.
Also read: iOS 16 update tracker: release date, beta download, features, supported devices, and more
iPhone 14 news
Apple officially announces iPhone 14 release date (August 26th)
Apple has sent out invites for its iPhone 14 launch event, which is set to take place on September 7th. The tech giant is expected to announce iPhone 14 series in the upcoming event along with other Apple hardware such as Apple Watch 8 series, new Airpods Pro, iPad models, and more.
iPhone 14 to be more expensive this year (August 10th)
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 will be about 15 percent more expensive than last year. This is likely due to the inflation and chip shortages that are going around the world.
Fake cases start to appear in the Chinese market (August 9th)
Although the launch of the iPhone 14 series is around a month away, fake cases have already started making rounds in the Chinese market. Tipster Majin Buu has shared an image of the fake cases, and they seem to indicate that the series will have four models, namely iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro (both around 6.1-inches in size), iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max (both of them around 6.7-inches in size).
iPhone 14 release date has been tipped (August 8th)
As per the latest rumors, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 series on September 4. Tipster Max Weinbach has said that while the announcement is on September 6, the sales are likely to begin on September 16. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has also confirmed that Apple has started to record and assemble its September event, indicating that this will also be a pre-recorded livestream, something that has been in practice ever since the pandemic wreaked havoc on the world.
iPhone 14 to be assembled in India from launch (August 5th)
According to analyst Ming Chi Kuo, Apple is reportedly planning to assemble the iPhone 14 simultaneously in India and China for the first time from launch. This will indeed be a big boost to the “Make in India” initiative.
iPhone 14 will have a faster A15 Bionic processor (August 1st)
According to tipster ShrimpApplePro, the A15 Bionic processor to be used in iPhone 14 will be more powerful than the one used in the iPhone 13. A new cellular modem, internal design changes and an extra GPU core (similar to the iPhone 13 Pro) could be the reason that it will perform better than the iPhone 13.
Leak suggests that All iPhone 14 models will have 6GB of RAM (July 28th)
According to a report by DigiTimes, all the iPhone 14 models will have 6GB of RAM. This will be an upgrade from the iPhone 13 series, which will help in better multi-tasking. While the iPhone 14 and 14 Max will have LPDDR4X RAM, the iPhone 14 Pro series will have LPDDR5 RAM with better performance.
iPhone 14 series could have models with eSIMs only (July 17th)
According to a new report by Wall Street Journal, Apple is aiming to offer the iPhone 14 series without any SIM card slots. However, from the looks of it, these models are likely to be offered only in Western countries, where there will be two options: either you buy an iPhone with two eSIM cards, or one physical SIM card slot and one eSIM. This is because in countries like India, the adoption of eSIM is slow, and such a sudden shift would cause inconvenience to new users.
