Apple iPhone 14 leaks have already revealed what everyone knows to be the most shocking change in the iPhone 14 range: the notch-less redesign. Right? Wrong. New information reveals it will be their prices…

In an exclusive report, Bloomberg’s excellent Apple guru Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s decision to replace the iPhone 13 mini with an iPhone 13 Max is likely to result in a price increase of up to $300.

In other words: an iPhone 14 Max will be circa $200 cheaper than an iPhone 14 Pro Max. Now let’s break this down. Currently, an iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1099 which would price an iPhone 14 Max at $899 – a $200 increase on the $699 iPhone 13 Mini it replaces. But not so fast.

Multiple leaks have claimed that rising component costs and Apple’s determination to differentiate Pro and non-Pro iPhones, will see the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max increase to $1099 and $1199 respectively. That $200 gap now potentially pushes the iPhone 14 Max as high as $999 — $300 more than an iPhone 13 Mini.

And this is just the start because, as Gurman points out, standard iPhone 14 models will share far fewer Pro features than in previous generations. Among the features he claims they will miss out on are:

• A new 48-megapixel primary camera (12MP for standard models)
• Apple’s next-gen A16 Bionic chip (the 2021 A15 will reused)
• A “far more curved” and notch-less new design

Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone 14 in late 2022, but this one got an early start on the rumour mill, with the first bits of news coming in before the iPhone 13 had even made its debut. But, as a release so far out, the little bits we have heard are likely to evolve and change over the coming year. Phones take a long time to build, and conditions like the ongoing pandemic and chip shortage could still force a change in plans before launch, so take everything here with a pinch of salt.

CONTENTS

• Cameras
• Pricing and release date
• Models
• Specs
• Design

For now, here’s everything we expect so far from the next iPhone 14:

Cameras

Kuo previously shared that Apple is considering a 48-megapixel camera for the iPhone 14. The company has stuck with 12MP for the last few iPhones, so a 48MP main camera would be a pretty huge increase and allow for tricks like oversampling, which phones like the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S21 already use. A report from Bloomberg adds some further color to this, clarifying that Apple plans on differentiating the iPhone Pro line from the regular iPhone by limiting the newer, higher-resolution camera to the iPhone 14 Pro line. This means the iPhone 14 and 14 Max would keep the same capable 12MP cameras that we see in the iPhone 13. Google is predicted to be doing the same thing with the Pixel 6a and reusing a smaller-resolution camera for its cheaper phone — a sensible, cost-saving measure that preserves value for the more expensive models, especially when one considers the bifurcation going on in the chipset arena as well. The 12MP cameras will be good enough for most users, and those who want the best camera possible would be buying the Pro models anyway.

Kuo also says that the new iPhone could support 8K video, further pushing Apple ahead as a mobile videography champion. This is also probably going to be limited to the iPhone 14 Pro series if true. It’s also something that’s interesting because Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 specifically supports 8K HDR video recording and a slew of other AI-enhanced features for smartphone photography. The ball is in Apple’s court now to respond with its own in-house Bionic chips.

One other camera upgrade for the iPhone 14 is rumored to be autofocus support in the ultrawide camera. While Apple already implemented this for the iPhone 13 Pro, it would come to all models in the iPhone 14 lineup, allowing even those who purchase the cheaper iPhones to capture sharper wide shots.

The iPhone 14 probably won’t have the periscope camera we see in the Pixel 6 Pro, according to Kuo. Apple is testing a periscopic telephoto lens, but that’s likely to make a debut with the iPhone 15 in 2023.

Pricing and release date

As with all Apple iPhones in the recent past, the next iPhone is expected to launch in or around September 2022. Whether Apple will hold a virtual event like the past two years or have its first in-person launch in years is something we can’t say for now.

Pricing-wise, it’s not clear if Apple will keep the same pricing structure as the current iPhone lineup, or if it’ll move the regular iPhone size down a tier to fit in the rumored iPhone 14 Max. Either way, Apple may well start the iPhone at around $699, with prices going to the mid $1,000s, depending on the configuration.

Models

Apple has shipped multiple iPhone models since the iPhone 5S, and the iPhone 14 is expected to be no different. Unlike the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 before it, however, the 14 is predicted by multiple analysts to be discarding the 5.4-inch iPhone 14 Mini model.

Instead, Apple may instead release a new iPhone 14 Max, a 6.7-inch version of the regular iPhone 14 (and equip both with the currently iPhone Pro-exclusive 120Hz ProMotion displays). This will be the same size as the current iPhone 13 Pro Max model and offer a bigger screen and a larger battery, and is perfect for those who want a large screen iPhone experience, without paying a premium for the Pro model’s better camera.

Specs

Apple is expected to be making a few quality-of-life tweaks with the iPhone 14. There’s likely going to be a new A16 chip to replace the A15 introduced with the iPhone 13 and iPad Mini, though it’s not yet clear what part of the iPhone experience Apple will prioritize with this chip.

More interestingly, Apple is said to be dividing the processor of the new iPhone between the A16 for the iPhones 14 Pro and Pro Max, with the iPhone 14 and 14 Max sticking with the tried and true A15 as per Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo also adds that Apple would be shipping all four devices with 6GB of RAM. This counters earlier reports that the iPhone Pro-devices would ship with 8GB of RAM. This report came first from analyst Jeff Pu at Haitong International Securities before being retracted. A later rumor on Korean site Naver breathed fresh life into it. If those had turned out to be true, this would bring the iPhone up to par with Android rivals like the Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S22. Apple had frequently fallen far below rivals when it came to RAM, instead choosing to rely on the optimization of iOS to effectively manage apps. Kuo’s prediction has been backed up by reporting from 9to5Mac, making it more likely than not.

Finally, the iPhone 14 (or perhaps, only the 14 Pro) might be improving on the excellent battery in the iPhone 13 with a more energy-efficient 5G RF chip as Apple opts to source components from TSMC over Samsung.

Design

Depending on who you ask, the iPhone 14 will either feature a design revamp that will change the look Apple has favored for the last four generations of iPhones, or it may simply be more of the same — or it could even be both. Renders submitted by leaker Jon Prosser hint that Apple will be adopting the hole-punch design that’s preferred by Android phones. This would mean the removal of the now-iconic notch, and the adoption of an in-display fingerprint sensor in place of FaceID or the implementation of under-display Face ID.

A later report from South Korea’s The Elec pins Samsung and LG as candidates to supply the displays for this notch-less iPhones, and it’ll be iPhone Pro-exclusive. This will be a visual differentiator between the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and older or cheaper iPhones, if true. Given The Elec’s track record with supply chain reports, this does make it more likely than not that Apple would be adopting a novel design for the iPhone 14 Pro.

The iPhone 14 could also keep the squared-off edges and elongated buttons Apple introduced with the iPhone 12, and there may be no camera bump at the rear for the first time. Prosser’s renders are backed up by earlier reporting from reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who also claimed that Apple would be dropping the notch on 2022 iPhone models. A further report from Mark Gurman in his January Power On newsletter corroborated that the iPhone 14 series would have a cut-out for Face ID on the top, with this and a report from Dylandkt adding that the punch-hole would be pill-shaped. This shape would be a differentiator from Android devices, which often have a simple circle, allowing iPhones to retain a distinct silhouette.

Going even further, Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), says that Apple would be putting both a pill and a circle cut-out side by side. This would be a first in modern smartphones, with even Android phones that have similar aesthetics choosing between one or the other. You won’t be confusing the iPhone 14 for another iPhone — or any other smartphone — if true.

Following this, renders from 91Mobiles emerged purporting to show off the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14. If these renders prove accurate, the 1Phone 14 would be a lot like the iPhone 13, contradicting renders from Prosser. The 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max would be, in contrast, a little taller than the 14 and 14 Max to accommodate the Face ID components that would typically have resided in the absent notch. It would be the first time since the iPhone X and iPhone 8 that Apple would release a pair of iPhones with different form factors.

Anything else?

There have been whispers here and there about Apple dropping Lightning for USB-C. With the EU bearing down on the company to make its phone more interoperable, that’s not an impossible scenario. Apple has invested a lot in the Lightning ecosystem, but the company has already started to move to USB-C on the rest of its products, from iPads to MacBooks to HomePods. The iPhone stands out as a holdout, and the sooner the transition is made, the better. Apple may also finally be putting that long-reported satellite communication feature into the iPhone 14, according to 9to5Mac. A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman backs that up as well, what the publication adding the company would work on allowing the iPhone to handle emergency texting of an SOS response in situations where regular cellular connectivity would fail. As with the iPhone 13, Apple may skip shipping it this year as well, so it’s more of something that could possibly happen rather than something that will probably happen. Aside from iPhones, this is also expected to come to Apple Watch as well.

Aside from that, there’s a lot still up in the air about the iPhone 14, but we’ll be updating this piece frequently as new leaks, rumors, and other information comes out, so check back periodically.