The new iPhone 14 series was released at the recent Apple event in California. People pretty much expected iPhone 14, iPhone Pro, and Max. However, this time, Apple replaced its Mini-series with the Apple iPhone 14 Plus. iPhone fans were excited about this phone as this was like the old time when the iPhone 6 was released with its bigger display version, the iPhone 6 Plus. We are here with a detailed and in-depth Apple iPhone 14 Plus review.
The new iPhone 14 Plus in features and specification is ultimately the same as its more minor brother iPhone 14. It has the identical Super Retina XDR display but is more prominent and bigger, which is 6.7-inch instead of 6.1-inch. However, the iPhone 14 Plus wins the game regarding the most prominent need of a user from a phone: battery life. It comes with a bigger and better battery compared to iPhone 14.
As we all know, to buy bigger iPhones, you only have to buy the Pro version, which is quite expensive. However, this time with the launch of the iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy a slightly bigger screen iPhone at a nominal price. Therefore let’s dive deep into the review of this phone and help you decide whether you should consider this phone or not.
What will you see here?
Overall Review
iPhone 14 Plus has a massive 6.7-inch display and costs $100 more than iPhone 14 base model. Compared to Apple's Pro models, iPhone 14 Plus is $200 cheaper but comes with a bigger screen. The frame is made of aerospace aluminium, not surgical-grade stainless steel as on the Pro models. The iPhone 14 Plus has an OLED display with a resolution of 2778 x 1284 pixels with a pixel density of 458ppi. It supports conventional refresh rates of 60Hz rather than the iPhone 14 Pro's 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate. There are also other colour options, like Red, Midnight, Blue & Starlight. iPhone 14 Plus has a massive 6.7-inch display and costs $100 more than iPhone 14 base model. Compared to Apple's Pro models, iPhone 14 Plus is $200 cheaper but comes with a bigger screen. The frame is made of aerospace aluminium, not surgical-grade stainless steel, as on the Pro models. iPhone 14 Plus comes with the same 12MP main and ultra-wide sensors as iPhone 14. You don't get a telephoto lens like the Pro Max nor a high 48MP main sensor. The iPhone 14 Plus also gets an autofocus mode and wider f/1.9 aperture for better low-light photography.
- Big and bold display
- Upgraded Front-facing Camera with Auto-focus
- New & Powerfull A16 Bionic Chip
- New Purple Color Option
- Solid design
- Lightweight for size
- Improved battery claims
- Camera improvements
- Still has a notch
- Just two cameras
- Small chip upgrade over iPhone 13
- No ProMotion
- No Always-on Display
Specs at a glance:
- Release date: September 7, 2022
- Price: £ 949.00 / € 1149.00
- Gorilla Glass back and front
- Front screen guarded by Ceramic Shield layer
- Power/Siri button on one side, and volume buttons on the other side
- Aluminum build
- No Always-on display
- Dual SIM for international, Only dual eSIM for the US
- IP68 water rating
- Super Retina XDR OLED display
- Peak brightness: 1200 nits
- 6.7 inches size
- 1284 x 2778 pixels and 458pp
- iOS 16 version with A15 Bionic (5 nm) chip
- Storage options: 128GB, 256GB , 512GB
- Camera : 12 MP wide , 12 MP ultrawide
- Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR
- Lightning- USB 2.0 charging cable
- Colors available: Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red
- Face-ID unlock
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
- New features: Emergency SOS via satellite and crash detection
- MagSafe fast wireless charging 15W and Qi wireless charging 7.5W
- 26 hours of video playback
Price & Availability
Starting with the price, it’s a plus point for users to get a bigger screen iPhone which is just $100 more expensive than the base variant iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 Plus costs $899 for 128GB of storage, around £949. However, comparing its price with the Pro models, iPhone 14 Plus is $200 cheaper.
The $200 difference is a lot for a user if he wants a new iPhone experience with a bigger screen. Overall, if you don’t want to pay Apple’s Pro extra money, the iPhone 14 Plus appears to be a good buy.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus review – Design
- 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8mm, 203g
- Aluminum, IP68
- Colors available: Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, Product Red
The iPhone 14 Plus is bigger when compared to iPhone 13 or 14. However, at first glance, it looks the same as iPhone 14, with two cameras at the back and an old notch at the front. The front and back glass is of the same material as the last gen, which is Gorilla glass. Talking about the build of the body, the frame is made of aerospace aluminum, as opposed to surgical-grade stainless steel on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which makes the iPhone 14 Plus roughly 40 grams lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the same is true for the smaller variant.
Though the iPhone 14 Plus looks the same as last year’s, Apple launched the purple color to spice up the overall design. There are also other color options, like Red, Midnight, Blue & Starlight. Coming to the other design aspects, on the right side, there’s the power button. And on the other side, there’s the iconic mute switch, volume buttons & SIM card slot. Sadly iPhone 14 Plus still comes with a lighting port instead of USB-C for Fast Charging.
Display
- 6.7-inch, 2778 x 1284 pixels, 458ppi Crisp Resolution
- 60Hz, OLED
- 1200nits Bright Display
Coming to the display, it’s the most noticeable upgrade differentiating iPhone 14 Plus from iPhone 14. It comes with a massive 6.7-inch display. This isn’t as big as the Pro Max model. However, the models are more expensive in terms of pricing. Therefore getting this much display in the iPhone 14 Plus at this price is reasonable.
The display has a resolution of 2778 x 1284 pixels with a pixel density of 458ppi. Though the resolution is high, the display density is the same as the iPhone 14 display. The display is crisp, and you won’t notice any pixel tear. It’s an OLED display; therefore, it manages the colors very well, and you will love to use those dark wallpapers to save more juice from your battery.
Sadly, you won’t get any Always On Display feature on iPhone 14 Plus like the Pro Models, which is strange, considering it also uses an OLED display. It packs all the standard Apple display features, including True Tone, Haptic Touch, and HDR compatibility, are all present. However, you won’t get the company’s ProMotion technology. Also, it supports conventional refresh rates of 60Hz rather than the iPhone 14 Pro’s 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, which is kinda bummer.
Specifications & Performance
- A15 Bionic, 5-core GPU
- 5G connectivity, satellite connectivity
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage
iPhone 14 Plus packs the A15 Bionic chip with a 5-Core GPU, so you won’t get any comprise in terms of gaming or overall performance. However, this is the same processor offered in the last gen iPhone. Sadly, you don’t get the newly launched A16 Bionic Chip, which is offered in Pro Variants. The iPhone 14 Plus has 4GB of RAM so that you can do fair multi-tasking. Coming to storage, it comes with three storage variants, that is, 128GB, 256GB & 512GB. The 1TB option is only for Pro models. Also, there’s no MicroSD card support for external storage.
It also has a 5G connection, Bluetooth 5.3 & Wi-Fi 6. If you live in the US, you can only buy an eSIM variant. This can be a hassle if you travel a lot. The iPhone 14 series, including the Plus model, includes an industry-first satellite connection function for making calls and sending emergency messages when cellular coverage is unavailable. The latest Apple devices introduce the SOS feature for users’ safety.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus review – Features & Software
- Revamped System Apps
- iOS 16 Out of the box
- Car Crash Detection
- SOS emergency services
The Apple iPhone 14 Plus comes with iOS 16 out of the box, which is excellent as it offers many visual changes to the old lock screen. The most noticeable change is the redesigned lock screen. Larger fonts, customizable widgets, and picture segmentation allow you to place a portion of your photo subject in front of the time, elevate the platform, and make many more tiny improvements. With the iOS 16, you get the revamped system apps like Messages, Mail & Photos, also other improvements like Focus Mode.
Sadly, there are two new features throughout the range that iPhone 14 & Plus have at this price: accident detection & emergency SOS via satellite. Crash detection is exactly what it sounds like: owing to enhanced sensors and updated software, the iPhone 14 Plus can recognize if you’re in a vehicle accident and assist you in contacting emergency services.
You can also experience iOS 16 in older-generation iPhones, as it isn’t just for iPhone 14 series. However, you get some exclusive features in the camera app like Photogenic Engine and ProMode only for iPhone 14 series.
Cameras
- Dual rear camera (12MP + 12MP)
- Photonic Engine
- Upgraded front camera (12MP, autofocus)
Reaching to Cameras, the iPhone 14 Plus offers the same camera sensors as iPhone 14. It has a dual rear camera setup, a primary 12MP sensor, and another 12MP ultra-wide sensor. However, you don’t get a telephoto lens like the Pro Max nor a high 48MP primary sensor. The central 12MP sensor performance is better than the iPhone 13 but the same as the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
It offers a 12-megapixel sensor with an f/1.5 aperture rather than an f/1.6 aperture and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture.
Photonic Engine – There’s also something called the Photonic Engine, featured in all four iPhone 14 versions and praised for aiding low-light photography. It is essentially a system for image processing. A photogenic Engine is a processing-based feature that enhances your image pixel by pixel after you click an image, which also makes the image appear clear after zooming.
Moreover, you also get a handful of features like Photographic Styles and Cinematic Video for recording videos more professionally. You also get Night mode and Portrait mode for beautiful portraits for taking images at night. Sensor-shift stabilization and Action Mode are integrated into the board for better video stabilization. You can shoot 4k at 24fps & 30 fps on cinematic video on iPhone 14 Plus. The iPhone 14 Plus has an upgraded 12MP selfie sensor compared to last-gen iPhones. Also, now it gets an autofocus mode and a wider f/1.9 aperture compared to f/2.2, allowing better low-light images.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus review – Battery Life
As you all know, the bigger iPhones also have a bigger battery. The iPhone 14 Plus claims a battery life of up to 26 hours, three hours less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max but three hours more than the iPhone 14. However, talking about charging, you get the old lighting port; therefore, don’t expect very fast charging.
Does iPhone 14 have wireless charging?
Yes, the new iPhone 14 Plus supports wireless charging. In reality, it supports two wireless charging standards: Apple’s MagSafe magnetic wireless charging method and the traditional Qi wireless charging standard.
Does the iPhone 14 Plus still use Lightning?
Lightning is used to charge the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. Despite reports that the iPhone 14 or 14 Plus might utilize USB-C or be wireless exclusively, Apple maintains the same standard that it debuted with the iPhone 5.
Conclusion(Should You Buy It Or Not)
Concluding, if you’re currently using the last-gen iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, we suggest there’s no reason to upgrade to iPhone 14 Plus, as it offers the same specs and a smaller display compared to Pro Max. With a handful of new features like a Photogenic engine and a bigger battery.
However, if you’re currently using an iPhone 13 or a non-pro variant and you’re considering buying a new iPhone. You should consider the iPhone 14 Plus instead of the iPhone 14. It offers a more prominent display, features, and a very rich battery life compared to iPhone 13 at a very reasonable price.
