15 ‘iPhone 14’ stories
March 2021 – October 2021
The iPhone 14 is the iPhone model that Apple will introduce in the fall of 2022. That’s still a good way off into the future, but the supply chain is already painting a picture of what to expect. Read on as we recap the current rumors and expectations for the iPhone 14.
Table of contents
What will the iPhone 14 be called?
What the iPhone released in 2022 is called ultimately depends on what Apple calls the iPhone model introduced in 2021. If the 2021 iPhone model is
marketed as the iPhone 13, then we expect the 2022 iPhone model to be the iPhone 14.
On the flip side, if the iPhone model introduced in 2021 is the iPhone 12s, then we expect the 2022 iPhone model to be the iPhone 13. This, of course, assumes that Apple doesn’t skip the number 13, given the bad luck it is associated with in many cultures.
There’s also the possibility that Apple abandons numbers on the iPhone line altogether, and new iPhones are designated simply by their size, “Pro” or non Pro, and year. This would match what Apple has done to the iPad lineup over the past several years.
Apple marketing names stay under wraps until the last minute. This means we’ll have to wait until 2022 to learn more about what that year’s will be officially called.
What features and specs will iPhone 14 have?
No notch
The biggest change that we currently expect with the 2022 iPhone is the removal of the notch cutout. The notch design was first introduced with the iPhone X, and it has stayed the same since then. The notch is where Apple houses its sensors for things like Face ID.
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple will drop the notch in 2022, starting with the high-end iPhone 14 Pro. Kuo describes the design change as a “punch-hole design.” This is similar to what’s currently used on many high-end iPhone designs.
Furthermore, Kuo says that the punch-hole design will only come to fruition if Apple’s prototyping and production go according to plan. Apple’s current goal is to bring the hole-punch design only to the high-end iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. As such, the standard iPhone 14 will retain the notch design, unless Apple is able to exceed product yield goals.
If the punch-hole design sounds familiar, it’s because it’s what’s currently used on many high-end Android flagships. It makes sense for Apple to adopt this design with the iPhone 14.
YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser also corroborated the punch-hole design, claiming to have seen real-life images of the iPhone 14 Pro Max without a notch.
On the iPhone 14 Pro, the “punch-hole” would house the camera sensor that’s currently located in the notch. What remains unclear is the fate of Face ID. It’s possible that Apple abandons Face ID in favor of under-display Touch ID.
Here’s the technology currently located in the iPhone’s notch:
That’s a lot of technology to place elsewhere, so it will be interesting to see how Apple pulls this off.
Under-display Touch ID
As for under-display Touch ID, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is working on this technology but it’s not yet clear if it will be ready in time for the 2022 iPhone lineup.
No camera bump
According to Prosser, at least some models of the iPhone 14 will not feature a camera bump. Currently, the iPhone features a protruding camera bump because of the thin design of the iPhone and thickness of the camera components.
Prosser says Apple will be able to forge the camera bump with the iPhone 14 by making the iPhone itself thicker.
Camera improvements
The iPhone 14 will also include dramatic improvements to the front-facing camera, according to Kuo. The biggest change will be upgrades to the front-facing camera’s auto-focus features. More details here are unclear, but the front-facing iPhone camera has a way to go to catch up to the rear camera.
In terms of the rear camera, Kuo says the the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48-megapixels, an increase from the 12-megapixel sensor in iPhone 12.
Although the sensor is 48 megapixels, it is possible that output images from the iPhone will still be 12-megapixels in resolution. Similar to some Android phones, Apple could use a smart 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.
Screen sizes
Kuo also predicts that the iPhone 14 will not include a ‘mini’ form factor like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. Instead, Kuo suggests that Apple will offer four iPhones in two different screen sizes: 6.1-inches and 6.7-inches.
So for example it could be, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, then the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It will be unfortunate to see the 5.4-inch form factor discontinued after two years, but reports have indicated that the device has not sold nearly as well as Apple had expected.
Port-less
For several years, reports have suggested that Apple could introduce a port-less iPhone. This iPhone would not feature a Lightning port, and instead be completely wireless. This was once rumored to come in 2021, but that does not appear to be happening.
Therefore, it’s possible that the iPhone 14 is the first iPhone that’s available without a Lightning port. Instead of Lightning, the iPhone 14 would support wireless charging as well as Apple’s newest MagSafe technology. Apple is likely to make this change at the high end first with the 14 Pro. The lower-end models would follow over the next few years.
Best iPhone charging accessories:
Release date: When will iPhone 14 come out?
With the exception of the iPhone 12, which was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, new flagship iPhones are generally announced and released in September. iPhone 14 will be released sometime during the second half of 2022, according to Kuo.
Kuo also predicts that the iPhone 14 Max, or whatever it ultimately ends up being called, will be priced at under $900 USD.
As such, the iPhone 14 lineup is likely to be announced in September 2022.
Comment: The iPhone’s front-facing camera is due for a major update
– Oct. 3rd 2021 11:07 am PT
With every new iPhone, customers are always expecting camera improvements. While Apple has focused a lot on Night Mode, then Dolby Vision, and now Cinematic Mode, there’s one thing the company hasn’t changed at all: the iPhone’s front-facing camera.
Poll: Would you buy an iPhone with 2TB of storage?
– Oct. 2nd 2021 5:04 am PT
Apple just released an iPhone with 1TB of storage, which some people already think it’s too much. Now, a new report suggests that the iPhone 14 could feature twice the storage available today. Would you buy one?
Gurman: iPhone 14 to feature a ‘complete redesign’
– Sep. 26th 2021 6:15 am PT
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is back with another edition of his Power On newsletter. This time, Gurman doubles down rumors regarding the iPhone 14. Gurman says users can expect “new entry-level and Pro models and a complete redesign” for the iPhone 14 as “the minor changes this year also mean that Apple’s engineers were working behind the scenes on bigger things that will take more time.”
Kuo: Apple delays under-display Touch ID for iPhone to 2023, foldable iPhone to 2024
– Sep. 20th 2021 8:26 am PT
A week after Apple announced the new iPhone 13 line, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared a few tidbits about an iPhone with under-display Touch ID as well as a foldable iPhone.
Following last week’s release of the iPhone 13 lineup, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with new expectations for what to expect from the iPhone 14. The analyst predicts that the iPhone 14 will feature a new punch-hole display design in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
Earlier today we were surprised with renders of the so-called “iPhone 14” before the iPhone 13 was even officially announced. The images show an iPhone with a hole-punch display, which suggests that Apple might place the Face ID sensors under the screen. However, analyst Ross Young now claims that these changes could still be delayed.
A new analyst report says that we can expect to see the first-ever titanium iPhone body next year, the high-end material planned for at least one of the Pro models.
JP Morgan Chase says the iPhone 14 Pro will be made from a titanium alloy, while other models will have a stainless steel or aluminum chassis …
We’re expecting to see an iPhone periscope lens in one or more models in next year’s lineup, and Apple has now been granted a patent for one implementation of the optical technology.
A periscope lens could comfortably allow 10x optical zoom in an iPhone …
A Kuo report last week suggested that Apple’s 2022 iPhone lineup could see a huge jump in the pixel count of the two Pro models, with an upgrade from a 12- to 48-megapixel sensor.
While more is generally better where tech is concerned, that isn’t always the case in regards to megapixels …
In addition to claiming that the iPhone mini screen size is no more, Kuo detailed some impressive camera specs for the 2022 iPhones.
He reports that the standard rear cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48-megapixels, an increase from the 12-megapixel sensor in iPhone 12.
A report today form renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple will drop the 5.4-inch iPhone in 2022, instead offering a lineup of high-end and low-end 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch phones.
The 5.4-inch screen sized featured this year in the iPhone 12 mini, and will be available in the iPhone 13 range this fall. However, it seems that will be its final outing.
Shrinking the notch has been a top design request ever since Apple introduced the expansive display on the iPhone X. Now a reliable source claims Apple will completely replace the iPhone notch with a Samsung-style “punch-hole” design on at least some iPhone 14 models. If Apple actually makes this change, do you consider it a design improvement or a visual misstep? Voice your opinion in our poll and comments!
Yesterday’s report that we’ll see an iPhone punch-hole display next year raised quite a few eyebrows. Three main objections have been voiced.
First, that a punch-hole is uglier and more distracting than a notch…
Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities has published a new report for Apple supply chain investors in which the reliable analyst predicts a bold design change for what could be the iPhone 14 Pro. Kuo also expects the next iPhone SE release to bring 5G cellular connectivity to the entry-priced models. Here’s what they predict to come across 2022.