The Apple iPhone 14 is coming in 2022. Here’s everything we know so far about the design, specs, models, and more.
Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone 14 in late 2022, but this one got an early start on the rumor 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 measure of skepticism.
With that out of the way, here’s everything we know so far about the iPhone 14 series.
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 expected 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 it should be perfect for those who want a large screen iPhone experience without paying a premium for the Pro model’s better camera.
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. 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 Face ID or the implementation of an under-display Face ID.
A later report from South Korea’s The Elec pins Samsung and LG as candidates to supply the displays for notch-less iPhones, and they’ll be iPhone Pro-exclusive. This will be a visual differentiator between the iPhone 14 Pro/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 is 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 by 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 cutout 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.
Renders from 91Mobiles have emerged purporting to show off the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14. If these renders prove accurate, the iPhone 14 would be a lot like the iPhone 13, contradicting the renders from Prosser. The 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max would be, in contrast, a little taller than the iPhone 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. Videos later emerged online from leaker Sonny Dickson, showing off what claimed to be dummy models of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro.
As for colors, the iPhone 14 is rumored to come in green, purple, blue, black, white, and red, while the iPhone 14 Pro would be shipping in green, purple, silver, gold, and graphite. It would be the first time an iPhone “Pro” model shipped in purple, if true.
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).
