The iPhone 14 event is fast approaching with this year’s lineup expected to include a number of upgrades and changes. While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the new iPhone, an important question to consider is “Is the iPhone 14 worth it?” Follow along with us to get some help getting your answer.
Whether or not you will find the iPhone 14 to be worth the upgrade will determine how important and valuable the changes and features are – or it may also be about getting the latest technology. But there’s one more thing to consider this year, Apple may increase the price of its new Pro iPhones by nearly $100.
Is iPhone 14 worth it?
Expected promotions
Pill-shaped break
One of the biggest changes that came with the iPhone 14 is that Apple is dropping the notch that started with the iPhone X and has been on major iPhones ever since.
The iPhone 2022 lineup is expected to see a new pill-shaped cutout, a minimalist way to house the TrueDepth Face ID camera, sensors, and more.
new sizes
The iPhone 14 lineup should make a huge difference to what we’ve seen over the past few years. In an exclusive 9to5Mac report, we revealed that Apple is abandoning the iPhone mini and will instead introduce the iPhone 14 Max alongside the iPhone 14, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
In addition, Pro models should have slightly larger screens.
camera upgrades
The iPhone 14 will also have significant improvements to the front camera, according to Kuo. The main changes will be upgrades to the autofocus features of the front camera and the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48MP, up from the 12MP sensor on the iPhone 13.
Kuo also believes that the camera system will be upgraded, supporting 8K video recording for the first time. Meanwhile, the camera bump is expected to remain with the new iPhones.
Lightning or USB-C?
Apple has been rumored to be working on a portless iPhone for some time now. However, this in addition to the USB-C iPhone is not expected this year.
The switch to USB-C could happen in 2023 as predicted by Kuo and Bloomberg, but we expect the iPhone 14 lineup to stay with Lightning.
There’s a chance we’ll see Lightning get USB 3.0 speeds this year, but that rumor is superficial.
A16 and A15 chip
Interestingly, it looks like this year could be the first Apple introduces a different chipset strategy to the iPhone lineup.
Historically, all the new iPhones announced got Apple’s latest A chip, but this year Apple is expected to introduce only the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. This means that the iPhone 14 and 14 Max will keep the same A15 chip as the entire iPhone 13 lineup.
It’s hard to know how much performance improvement Apple will be able to achieve with the A16 chip, time will tell.
Connection ID?
Early rumors of the iPhone 14 said that Apple would bring under-screen Touch ID to the iPhone 2022, but that no longer appears to be happening.
A recent report by Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple has had to delay the Under-Screen Touch ID – perhaps even after 2023. This means that the iPhone 14 will stick to Face ID as biometric identification.
price increase?
Apple usually keeps the prices of its new iPhone lineup roughly the same as previous models (when they were originally launched). However, the change this year amid difficult economic conditions may be an increase in prices.
Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max would cost around $100 this year. However, it’s tricky because we’re expecting Apple to drop the iPhone mini and introduce the 14 Max this time around.
Read more about all this in my colleague Chance’s article:
iPhone 13 price drop
As always, once Apple launches the iPhone 14 lineup, prices drop on the iPhone 13 (and 12, etc.). And carriers often offer compelling promotions on old iPhones.
Don’t forget to include that in your formula to see if iPhone 14 is worth it for you.
Is iPhone 14 Worth It – Conclusion
When it comes down to it, determining how important the iPhone 14 features/changes are will decide your opinion on “Is iPhone 14 worth it?”
One clarifying question to ask yourself is that after the initial fuss of getting a new iPhone is over, how different will the features and changes below make in your daily life?
- Pill-shaped break
- camera upgrades
- New sizes (iPhone 14 Max and slightly larger for 14 Pro and Pro Max)
- A16 for Pro and Pro Max models, A15 for non-Pro models
- Possible price increase on new Pro models and lower prices on previous models
what do you think? Are you already ready to pick up the iPhone 14? Will you wait to see all the specs and prices? Did you already know you won’t be upgrading? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Thank you for reading our guide to answering the question “Is the iPhone 14 worth it?”
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