iPhone 14 Review: The Verdict
Apple made a disctinction between the standard iPhone 14s and the 14 Pros this year, but almost none between the 14 and last year's models. While the iPhone 14 is an excellent phone on its own, the overwhelming similarities between the 13 and the 14 may be enough to give this upgrade a miss.
What we love
- The new selfie camera is a big improvement
- Excellent performance
- Stellar battery life
What could be improved
- Photography upgrades are marginal for the most part
- Has last year's chipset
- Some features not available in Australia
The essentials
- Performance: Still best in class despite using last year's A15 chipset.
- Battery: Excellent. Six hours screen time which is enough for a solid day and a half of use for most people.
- Screen: Beautiful.
- Camera: Marginally brighter than the iPhone 13, with drastic improvements to the front-facing camera. Great all around.
85/100
While the divide between the standard iPhone 14 and the Pro models is larger than before, the gap between the iPhone 14 and its predecessor is the smallest thus far. Historically every year has brought with it faster processors, better cameras and a more efficient battery regardless of which new iPhone you adopt. But this year, the standard iPhone 14 looks and performs almost identically to the iPhone 13 which could be enough to tempt upgraders to opt for last year’s model instead.
We’re used to incremental updates year-on-year with iPhones, but this year’s upgrades to the standard iPhones are more incremental than ever. Although we’re still seeing improvements in photography, both the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus retain the A15 chipset from last year and arguably the most interesting features aren’t available in Australia and/or are ones you hope you’ll never use.
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iPhone 14: Feature you hope you'll never use
These violent delights have violent ends
During the Keynote this year, Apple really leaned into the idea that your iPhone (or Apple Watch) could save your life. Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite both implement life-saving measures in practical ways, but as it stands these key features are not a good enough reason to upgrade specifically to the iPhone 14 or the 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Crash Detection uses a range of sensors to identify if you’ve been in a car accident, and will send a push notification to let you call for help in the most streamlined way possible. Similar to Fall Detection, the feature would be useful if you ever need it but it certainly isn’t worth upgrading for. Unless, of course, you happen to crash your car quite often, and in which case you have far more pressing issues to deal with than a new iPhone.
Similarly, Emergency SOS via satellite could have been a defining feature for rural and regional Australians, if it was available in Australia. The feature allows you to connect to a satellite to send a text to emergency services if you’re in a place with no mobile or WiFi coverage. The potential this feature holds for remote Aussies is palatable. Considering how poor our regional coverage is, and how dangerous our landscape is, this feature could undeniably save lives in the outback. Unfortunately, there is no word on when this service will become available in Australia as of yet. Local iPhone 14 models have the required hardware, so if it ever did come here the devices are already equipped.
Without these features, or at least with them rarely used, the margin between the 14 and the 13 is ever smaller. Although these features are impressive from both a technical and practical standpoint, you probably won’t notice that you’re missing out on them. It would, however, change the narrative if Emergency SOS via satellite was available in Australia, and while this could eventuate it isn’t worth future-proofing yourself just yet. If I've learned anything from previous relationships, it is that committing simply because of potential is unwise.
iPhone 14: Battery and performance
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Generally, we see a brand new chipset for each iPhone family, but this year the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are holding on to the A15 from the previous generation.
While sticking with the A15 chipset isn’t necessarily bad - it is still the second fastest in a smartphone, coming in behind the A16 in the 14 Pro and Pro Max - it might mean that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will have a year’s less support. Previously we’ve seen security updates and support drop off by processor and by year of release, so there is a possibility that the standard iPhone 14s will lose support at the same time as the 13 family does. We’ve got around six or seven years before we will know if that is the case.
Despite having the same chipset, the A15 is still 15% faster than last year’s version with some of this additional power being channelled into battery efficiency.
Even with these upgrades, we found that the iPhone 14 tracks at around six hours of screen time per charge, which is pretty much the same as the iPhone 13 did last year. Six hours of screen time is excellent battery life regardless, it should get you through a full day of use and then some. According to Apple the iPhone 14 Plus will have the best battery life of any iPhone yet, so we’ll update you on how that performs once it is released in early October.
The extra power in the A15 chipset is also used to fuel the newest computational photography software - the Photonic Engine.
iPhone 14: Camera and photography
What's in a name?
As is custom, the biggest upgrade to the iPhone this year is the camera, and the Photonic Engine along with it. In spite of these improvements, the variance between pictures shot on iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 are so minor that for most people the biggest point of difference will be the name of the device capturing them.
With these upgrades comes a new primary lens, new selfie camera, improved low light performance, and Action Mode on video. The slew of upgrades isn’t insignificant, but to really see the difference between the iPhone 14 and 13 cameras, you’ll need to assess the images side-by-side. If you’re the kind of person (me) who looks at the minute details of camera comparisons, then chances are that you’re probably going to be more interested in the iPhone 14 Pro family, but let’s do it anyway.
Apple’s new selfie camera is the most tangible improvement to the photography line up and considering the gaping divide between the Pro and standard models this year, Apple could very well have kept the updated front-facing camera as a premium feature. I'm relieved it didn’t.
In the iPhone 14 you’ll notice more detail in the shot, specifically look at the difference in skin texture and colour between the two. Where my skin looks washed out, and similar to a Disney heroine circa the 90s on the 13, on the 14 you can actually see texture and the depth of colour within the shadows and highlights.
The colour balance and detail in portrait mode follow the same pattern, but the 14 has definitely gotten smarter when it comes to shaping the subject. Flyaway hairs are always going to be tricky for the bokeh, but the 14 does a better job ascertaining where to draw the line between the background and foreground. Here you can see that the 13 included the roots of hair towards the crown of my head, giving it more of an oval shape, while the 14 ignored them and dipped into the part for a cleaner overall look.
On the rear-facing camera the upgrades are less obvious. Apple’s new lens has a bigger sensor and wider aperture giving it more light-gathering opportunities. As such, photos from the 14 absolutely look brighter than its predecessor, but the upgrade is marginal.
In these shots below you’ll notice that the areas hit by light are in fact brighter on the 14 compared to the 13. Whites also pop that little bit more, and the colour gradient in the background of the sky is ever-so-slightly more pronounced on the 14 as opposed to the 13.
We’re seeing a similar trend when it comes to Night Mode with minimal difference to the end results. With Night Mode on, both the iPhone 14 and the 13 perform exceptionally well, but when shooting in low light with it off you can see a difference. As more light is let in, the 14 retains more depth and balance between high and low lights within its colours even in darker environments. It mostly makes the low light images look warmer with night mode off and cooler with it on, and you should be able to make out more detail at a glance.
Now do you see what I mean by “minute details”? With the exception of the new selfie camera, the upgrades to the iPhone 14 camera setup are almost negligible. Of course, the standard iPhone range has never been for the photographers in the room, but for anyone considering an upgrade from an iPhone 11 or a 12 you’re going to see a similar improvement whether you’re interested in the 13 or the 14.
iPhone 14 - Final Thoughts
The iPhone 14 excels as a standalone device, but when you look at it within the bigger context of the Apple family it fades into the background. With Emergency SOS via satellite unavailable in Australia, Crash Detection as a feature you hopefully won’t have to use, and the choice to stick with last year’s processor, the gap between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 is so small that the two are practically interchangeable.
In a way that is good news for those looking to upgrade their older iPhone. Opting for an iPhone 13 over an iPhone 14 could give you a close-enough experience for a significantly lower price. But at the same time, if you want the latest iPhone will this incremental change be enough to entice you to go for a Pro model instead?
It will be interesting to see if Apple continues this trend in the coming years, and how that will affect users' buying decisions. If the standard models lags a step behind, is it smarter to spend or save the extra money to go one step up or down? For now, you won’t miss out on much by opting for the iPhone 13 over the 14 - unless of course you want to wait for the 14 Plus and get the bigger screen.
iPhone 14 camera samples
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