What will the iPhone 14 be called?

Since the 2021 iPhone was indeed named the iPhone 13, we expect the 2022 iPhone to be the iPhone 14. Whether Apple will ever return to the ‘S’ branding remains to be seen, but rumors suggest that its iPhone 2022 will be a big enough upgrade to warrant a new number altogether. We expect iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to be three of the names. What is unclear, however, is the name of Apple’s new 6.7-inch non-Pro iPhone. Although this device is commonly referred to as the “iPhone 14 Max”, more recent reports suggest that it could actually be called the iPhone 14 Plus Apple’s marketing names are kept secret until the last minute. That means we’ll have to wait until the event itself to find out more about what this year’s release will officially be called.

iPhone 14: No notch, but…

The biggest change we’re currently expecting with the 2022 iPhone is the removal of the notch. The notch design was first introduced with the iPhone X and has remained the same ever since. The notch is where Apple houses its sensors for things like Face ID. Trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple will drop the notch in 2022, starting with the high-end iPhone 14 Pro. Instead of the notch, the iPhone 14 will use a new “pill hole” design. Instead of a simple hole-punch opening used by many Android phones, Apple will use a combination of a hole-punch and a pill-shaped stop. This will allow Apple to squeeze in the front-facing camera and Face ID hardware, while also increasing the amount of screen available. Back in March, 9to5Mac exclusively reported that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have slightly larger screens. This was also confirmed by analyst Ross Young.

iPhone 13 Pro – 6.06″ iPhone 14 Pro – 6.12″ iPhone 13 Pro Max – 6.68″ iPhone 14 Pro Max – 6.69″

Here’s the tech currently in the iPhone notch:

Infrared camera Flood light Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor Speaker Microphone Front camera Dot projector

In a report, Young explained: We now believe that Apple will have a hole + pill design on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. The smaller hole will not be invisible… The two-hole concept will be unique to Apple, like the notch, not similar to all Huawei pill models. The pill-hole design may not be as ambitious as some had hoped, but it’s the next step in the process of making the iPhone truly all-screen, with no notch at all. However, Apple is also reportedly planning to use software tricks to bridge the gap between the two switches. This would put dead space between the two notches, giving the illusion that it’s actually a longer pill-shaped cutout, rather than two separate ones. In that time between the two notches, sources tell 9to5Mac that Apple plans to put privacy markers for the camera and microphone. This means you’ll see an orange dot during this time when an app is using your microphone, and a green light when an app is using your device’s camera. Apple’s goal is to make the experience similar to the green indicator light that the Mac currently uses.

iPhone 14 Pro always-on display

Speaking of iPhone 14 Pro display technology, this will be the year Apple finally adds always-on display support to the iPhone lineup. The company is reportedly planning to add always-on screen support to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. This would allow users to see information on their iPhone’s screen, even when it’s turned off. You might be wondering why the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can’t have this always-on display feature. The key is that the iPhone 14 Pro models will have an updated ProMotion display technology that allows it to scale all the way to a 1Hz refresh rate. Existing ProMotion displays used by Apple can be reduced to at least 10 Hz. iPhone 14 Pro’s support for even lower refresh rates will help preserve battery life while still offering always-on functionality. For the environment, the Apple Watch’s always-on display can also scale to a 1Hz refresh rate.
There are many clues in iOS 16 that suggest Apple is preparing always-on technology for the iPhone 14. 9to5Mac found direct evidence of the feature in iOS 16, while Apple is also preparing its collection of default wallpapers to support the new technology.

Face ID is here to stay

While early iPhone 14 rumors suggested that Apple would bring Touch ID under the display on the iPhone, that no longer seems to be the case. More recent reports from Ming-Chi Kuo suggest that Apple has been forced to delay under-display Touch ID to 2023. According to Kuo, Apple has experienced “lower than expected development progress” in its work to integrate Touch ID into the iPhone’s display. It’s also possible that Apple will take a less ambitious approach and integrate Touch ID into the iPhone’s power button, similar to the iPad Air and iPad mini. But ultimately, Touch ID is not expected to be a feature of the iPhone 14 this year.

The iPhone 14 will offer the biggest camera updates in years

The iPhone 14 will feature dramatic improvements to the front camera, according to Kuo. The biggest change will be upgrades to the front camera’s autofocus functions. This has been described as the “biggest upgrade in years” to the front camera. Adding autofocus support alone will greatly improve camera performance. Other upgrades include a six-segment lens, up from the existing five-segment lens. The iPhone 14’s front camera is also expected to have a larger f/1.9 aperture, which would let in more light. More details here are not clear, but the iPhone’s front camera may approach the rear camera. As for the rear camera, Kuo says the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48 megapixels, an increase from the 12 megapixel sensor on the iPhone 12. Although the sensor is 48 megapixels, it is possible that the output images from the iPhone will still have a resolution of 12 megapixels. Similar to some Android phones, Apple could use a clever scaling algorithm that takes the raw 48-megapixel data and creates a 12-megapixel output image with more detail and less noise. Kuo believes the video camera system will also be upgraded for the iPhone 14, supporting 8K recording for the first time.

Even bigger camera bump?

While early reports indicated that some iPhone 14 models will not have a camera bump, this is no longer believed to be the case. In fact, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to have bigger camera bumps than their predecessors. Kuo offered his reasoning for this, saying that the widespread camera upgrade is to blame: The main reason for the biggest and most obvious rear camera bump on the 14 Pro/Pro Max is the upgrade of the wide camera to 48MP (versus the 13 Pro/Pro Max’s 12MP). The diagonal length of the 48MP CIS will increase by 25-35%, and the height of the 48MP 7P lens will increase by 5-10%.

The iPhone 14 will be the last iPhone with Lightning

For several years, reports have suggested that Apple could introduce a portless iPhone. This iPhone will not have a Lightning port, instead, it will be completely wireless. It was once rumored to take place in 2021, but that didn’t happen. The portless iPhone is rumored to be something Apple is still testing, but it’s several years away at this point. In fact, Apple is expected to switch to USB-C in 2023. But the iPhone 14 coming this year will still use Lightning. However, Apple is rumored to boost Lightning to USB 3.0 data transfer rates starting with the iPhone 14 Pro this fall. USB 2.0 supports transfer speeds of 480 Mbps, while USB 3.0 supports speeds of up to 5 Gbps. With 8K video recording on the go, faster data transfer speeds are a necessity. While some rumors had predicted that the iPhone 14 could use a new chip produced with 3-nanometer technology, this is no longer expected to be the case. Currently, Apple’s chip partner TSMC is expected to use an improved 5nm manufacturing process for the chip in the iPhone 14, likely referred to as A16. Best iPhone Charging Accessories:

iPhone 14 performance: A major change

The iPhone 14 series is expected to herald a major shift in differentiation strategy between “Pro” and non-Pro models. For the first time, Apple is expected to upgrade only the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to its newest processor. These two models are expected to upgrade to the A16 chip, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will retain the same A15 chip in the current iPhone 13 lineup. The A16 chip inside the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be manufactured using the same 5-nanometer process as the A15, which is also the same as the A14. This limits performance improvements year over year, but doesn’t mean we won’t see improvements. A recent supply chain report showed that initial tests of the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max showed a performance boost of “just a few percent” compared to the A15 chip. Since then, however, Apple has reportedly worked to improve the thermal management of the A16 chip to further increase performance. This ultimately means that the actual real-world change could be more noticeable for the A16 than first anticipated.

iPhone 14 colors

What will be your color choices this year? From what we know right now, there are some notable changes in store…