The smallest iPhone 14 in the line-up brings moderate upgrades, so is this Apple upgrade worth considering?
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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
T3 Verdict
Reasons to buy+Reliable and familiar design+Easy-to-use and capable cameras system+6.1-inch screen ideal for many – and it looks greatReasons to avoid-Still has a notch-Not a major upgrade over iPhone 13-No ProMotion fast-refresh screen tech or always-on display
Reasons to buy+Reliable and familiar design+Easy-to-use and capable cameras system+6.1-inch screen ideal for many – and it looks great
Reliable and familiar design
Easy-to-use and capable cameras system
6.1-inch screen ideal for many – and it looks great
Reasons to avoid-Still has a notch-Not a major upgrade over iPhone 13-No ProMotion fast-refresh screen tech or always-on display
Still has a notch
Not a major upgrade over iPhone 13
No ProMotion fast-refresh screen tech or always-on display
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
To many anApplefan theiPhone14 could be seen as just an ‘iPhone 13S’ – because the design, screen and processor in bothiPhone 14 and iPhone 13are one and the same. That may well not be the most exciting opening gambit I could begin an iPhone 14 review with but, hey, that’s the rub of it.
But that’s not to say the iPhone 14 doesn’t bring new stuff: its cameras (dual 12-megapixel shooters on the back) have been updated with new sensors and enhanced processing; its software,iOS16, brings a bunch of new and exciting features (yes, I know, that’ll also run on the iPhone 8 or later); and there are new SOS satellite and crash detection features that you don’t get in earlier models.
iPhone 14: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
The iPhone 14 is available now, priced £849 in the UK for the 128GB model. You get a better deal in the USA, where it’s $799, while in Australia expect to pay AU$1,339. The 256GB and 512GB models are invariably pricier.
However, that makes it the cheapest iPhone 14 of the bunch, behind theiPhone 14 Plus,iPhone 14 ProandiPhone 14 Pro Max. But it’s still very much a flagship price tag. There’sno iPhone 14 Minifor this generation, as the smaller-screen iPhone model has been dropped.
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iPhone 14 review: what’s new?
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
While I’ve already summarised the main differences from generation to generation, the iPhone 14 does feature some additional updates. One of the more interesting, especially for US customers, is the step change in SIM: all iPhone 14 models support eSIM, but in the USA it’s eSIMonly(i.e. no physical card tray). I suspect that, comeiPhone 15o’clock, we’ll be in an embedded-SIM era throughout the world. Fewer seams and openings will only look better, in my view.
Speaking of aesthetics: the iPhone 14’s design is, well, a classic really. Yes, it’s chunkier than thebest Android phones, but it doesn’t look any different to the iPhone 13. I suppose I shouldn’t therefore mention it in the ‘what’s new?’ section of this review, as it’s tried and tested stuff, but it’s well-made and refined.
One thing you can pretty much guarantee with each new iPhone iteration is the inclusion of a new colour. The iPhone 14 introduces Purple, which joins the Midnight, Starlight, Blue and special edition Product Red. I’ve got the Midnight finish for this review, which is classic iPhone; I would’ve really liked to see the new Purple or Blue really, but Apple is always going to sell more of the simpler black/silver finishes than anything else.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Despite appearing the same as the iPhone 13, the iPhone 14 does bring some new kit to the game: there’s an Emergency SOS satellite calling system (which is free for two years, there’s a subscription thereafter – but Apple won’t (yet) say how much extra that’s going to cost), plus a Crash Detection feature that uses not only algorithms but an updated gyro and accelerometer to, as the name suggests, automatically detect if you’re in a serious crash/accident and be able to alert the relevant authorities.
The last core part of the ‘newness’ puzzle is the iPhone 14’s cameras: the new sensors on the rear are still 12-megapixels apiece, but the main can autofocus across 100 per cent of its breadth, while the main aperture gets a little wider (now f/1.5 rather than f/1.6). The way Deep Fusion processing is applied is also at an earlier stage in the pipeline to retain more quality without compression. Small, behind-the-scenes changes, ultimately. The way the camera acts in use feels much the same though.
iPhone 14 review: Design and display
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
As I’ve hit on above: the iPhone 14 is really a carbon copy of the iPhone 13. It’s the same size and weight (well, it’s a single gram lighter, not that you’ll notice) and features the same 6.1-inch display with a notch top and centre.
I think it’s a bit of a shame Apple hasn’t pushed to advance the iPhone 14’s screen with some additional features though. Principal on that wishlist would be ProMotion to up the refresh rate, as the iPhone 14 is 60Hz only, not the adaptive 120Hz of the Pro and Pro Max models. That shift in fluidity would make for greater smoothness. It’s clearly no deal-breaker that it’s absent though.
Besides, who am I kidding, the iPhone 14’s display justlooksgreat. Yes, there are higher-spec displays out there in pretty much every regard, but that doesn’t always translate to an actually better resulting image. There’s just something very natural about the presentation of image on this Super Retina XDR OLED panel.
If I had a crystal ball I’d predict this will be the final iPhone series to feature a notch. I suspect the whole series from iPhone 15 onwards will go full-on with Dynamic Island, moving the notch away from the top edge and, well, placing it within the screen instead. Apple is the only brand I’ve seen really explore integrating software animations with that cut-out area (as per the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max) to make for something much more interactive and interesting.
iPhone 14 review: performance and battery
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
I also must give a shout-out to the iPhone 14’s very capable sound: the built-in stereo speakers are rich, well separated and deliver a bolder output than you’ll find from many anAndroidphone competitor. Not that I spend especially extended periods of time using said speakers, but for a bit of personal time gaming or for calls on speaker it’s a useful feature to have.
iPhone 14 review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
While Apple has boosted the cameras in all iPhone 14 models, the entry model doesn’t get a giant boost in this department. I wouldn’t take that as bad news though, as the iPhone 14 is highly capable when it comes to easy point-and-shoot photography. Indeed, this has been the series' strength for years now, and it’s only gotten better over time.
The iPhone 14 has two rear cameras, both of which are 12-megapixel in resolution. As said up top, both have new sensors compared to the earlier iPhone 13 (well, not theiPhone 13 Pro, as that’s the exact sensor now on hand), while the main sensor gets a slightly wider aperture. Now this doesn’t add up to a groundbreaking difference generation on generation, but it does open the door for mild improvements in results, if you were to pixel peep looking explicitly for image noise patterns.
Image1of5(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Image1of5(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Most people aren’t going to peel back the layers with the images they can capture with the iPhone 14 though. All I really need to relay is that it’s plenty capable without the need to intervene after the fact; simply point, shoot, let Apple’s processing do its thing, and you’ll get nicely balanced images whether shooting with the main or wide-angle lens.
Unlike the higher-spec iPhones in the range, however, the iPhone 14 doesn’t feature a zoom lens. You’ll find that 3x optic in the Pro and Pro Max handsets, which I think is a really useful zoom to have available.
Action Mode is another example of what Apple does so well: introduces simple, practical new modes that don’t overcomplicate things and are effective in their results. I would still prefer a zoom lens, sure, but in the absence of any revelationary new cameras or optics, I still think the iPhone 14 nails the photography basics.
iPhone 14 review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
That said, with shiny new iOS 16 software on board, a reliable and familiar build, and pretty much everything in its right place from cameras to battery life, this smaller-screen iPhone is still mighty attractive.
Also consider
Got more cash to spare? Want a more powerful iPhone with better screen, Dynamic Island, and improved cameras? Yeah, I would too. TheiPhone 14 Prois an upgrade in every way and, for my money, the best iPhone 14 model to go for.
Want bigger than that? Take a look at theiPhone 14 Pro Maxinstead then. Its 6.7-inch screen makes it larger still, while delivering all the feature upgrades of the Pro model.
If you want to go on a total tangent, however, spend a lot less and go with an Android device then I’d suggest taking a look at theGoogle Pixel 6a. On paper this might not sound comparable to Apple’s flagship, but having used both phones extensively I find them closer aligned than you might expect.
Today’s best iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6A dealsPlansUnlockedApple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6A dealsPlansUnlockedApple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6A dealsPlansUnlockedApple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6A deals
PlansUnlocked
PlansUnlocked
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Unlocked
Unlocked
Apple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all prices
Apple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all prices
Apple iPhone 14 Pro36 monthsUnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizonSee all prices
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
36 months
36 months
UnlimitedminsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddata
Unlimitedmins
Unlimitedtexts
Unlimiteddata
$999.99upfront$90/mthVisit WebsiteatVerizon
$999.99upfront$90/mth
$999.99upfront
$90/mth
$90/mth
/mth
Visit WebsiteatVerizon
atVerizon
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