8 reasons not to buy an iPhone 14. Apple has introduced a new generation of iPhone. The base model has always been the most popular in the range: innovation at the same price, balanced performance, reliability. But something went wrong with the iPhone 14. We explain why you should refrain from buying.
Apple has created a GymKit certification app with Fitness Plus
The design hasn’t changed
The iPhone 14 looks exactly the same as the iPhone 13. If the owner of the iPhone 12 can be identified by the camera unit (where the modules stand vertically, diagonally here), then the happy owner of the iPhone 14 can only be recognized by the color of the iPhone case.
The color “Blue” (blue) in the iPhone 14 is the same as in the iPhone 13 Pro. And nowhere else. Lilac (“Purple”) was already in the iPhone 12, but here it is paler, softer. But distinguishing the last three iPhones in black, white or Product (RED) color is almost impossible. The shades have changed slightly, but from a distance they look the same.
The rest is unchanged. The same dimensions (thickness reduced by 0.15 mm can be neglected), the same Ceramic Shield protective glass, the same aluminum frame. Only the weight has changed. Well, that is, how it has changed: the new iPhone 14 is 2 grams lighter than the iPhone 13. When using it, you will not notice it at all. And the color panel is likely to be hidden under the cover.
Former display with “notch”
The iPhone 14 has a Super Retina XDR display. Exactly the same as in the iPhone 13: 460 ppi detail, up to 800 nits of brightness in automatic mode, up to 1200 nits when displaying HDR content. The 6.1-inch diagonal remained in the iPhone 14, and in the new iPhone 14 Plus model it has grown to 6.7 inches – as in the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iconic “bangs” also remained unchanged. The Dynamic Island cutouts were reserved for the Pro version only. The frequency remained the same: 60 Hz. Although there was hope that the iPhone 14 will receive a screen from the iPhone 13 Pro with a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz. Alas: Pro-versions are increasingly moving away from the “people’s” iPhones.
By no means can you call the iPhone 14 screen “bad”. It’s still one of the best displays in the world. But there is no progress.
Last year’s processor
There may be several reasons to leave the Apple A15 Bionic processor in the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus:
- Difficulties with the production of microchips due to the Sino-Taiwan crisis and the pandemic;
- The desire to promote the older Pro-model as the most equipped;
- Savings and a way to keep the cost of iPhones at the same level.
All this does not detract from the advantages of the Apple A15 Bionic: one of the most powerful chips among all smartphones, even taking into account the flagship Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and MediaTek Dimensity 9000. They added one additional core to the graphics coprocessor – this can slightly speed up the iPhone in games. And now 6 GB of RAM instead of 4 GB.
The new iPhone 14 will run smoothly, uninterruptedly, and will be updated to new versions of iOS longer than any Android smartphone.
However, the same applies to the iPhone 13. Last year’s flagship can do all the same and works no less quickly and stably. It could get new in-camera shooting algorithms, but Apple policy is forcing us to upgrade to a new model. At least for the sake of a couple of modes.
The camera hasn’t evolved much
Again, the best cameras went to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. There is a new 48-megapixel sensor, and improved shooting in the dark on all modules (including the front camera), a 48-megapixel Pro RAW mode for professionals, a double “optical-like” zoom (just a crop from the main sensor) and brighter optics on the ultra-wide-angle module .
In the iPhone 14, only the lighter optics of the main module can be distinguished from physical changes: f / 1.5 versus f / 1.6 in the iPhone 13. The camera should shoot a little better in the dark, but for this you have to look at the pixels with a magnifying glass. At the same time, we did not receive either an optical zoom, or autofocus in the “ultra-wide”, or a macro mode. From a practical point of view, nothing new.
And what did you get? New action camera mode: when shooting in motion, the video shakes less. A kick in the gut GoPro – they will soon have a presentation of the GoPro HERO 11 action camera. It’s the same here, but in a thin smartphone. And we’ve made Cinematic Mode more cinematic, allowing you to shoot in 4K HDR at 24 fps, the gold standard of cinema. Previously, it was only possible in 1080p 30 fps.
The front camera is now equipped with autofocus, and the aperture has been increased to f / 1.9. The new photo processing technology is called Photonic Engine, it is designed to improve the quality of shooting.
This is really good news, but is it worth the extra $100? Especially for those who rarely (or never) use cinematic mode and take few selfies. Despite the fact that the quality of the selfie with the iPhone 13 is still little equal.
Autonomy: on paper it’s better, in reality it’s minuscule
Apple in the characteristics of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 gives the operating time in different modes:
- Video playback – 20 hours vs. 19 hours;
- Streaming video – 16 hours vs. 15 hours;
- Audio playback – 80 hours vs. 75 hours;
It turns out that the autonomy of the iPhone 14 has increased by about 5%. The battery of the iPhone 13 was enough for a full day of work, and at night you have to charge both iPhones. Parity.
The charging power has not changed: 20 W (the adapter needs to be purchased in addition). Up to 50% both are charged in 30 minutes. Compared to budget “androids”, this is already very slow.
Oh yes, the most important thing is that we never saw the USB connector. We continue to suffer with slow Lightning and throw off 4K videos on the PC for an excruciatingly long time.
The new chips do not work in some countries (especially Russia)
Along with the new iPhones, Apple introduced iPhone 14 technology to communicate with satellites to send short messages. How it works: you are lost in the mountains, point your smartphone at the sky (an animation will appear on the screen, where the best signal is) and send a short SMS message. Sending takes from 15 seconds to a couple of minutes.
The option only works in the US and Canada for now, for buyers of the iPhone 14 and other models, the first two years are free. But even if satellite support appears in Europe, or if the iPhone is brought from the US to Russia, it is unlikely that the feature will work.
The same goes for the crash warning. The new iPhones “feel” if the owner has been in a car accident and send an SOS signal to emergency services. Now the emergency call function in Russia works on the iPhone, but it is not known whether it will work in the event of an accident. Yes, and the option is very rare in use (or better, if it never comes in handy at all).
Switch to eSIM
The new iPhone 14s are now being sold in the US without a physical SIM slot. Apple has completely gone into the “electronic” future and suggests using only eSIM.
Other manufacturers will now laugh, release a couple of mocking memes, and in six months we will see a boom in flagship smartphones without trays.
So it was with the audio jack, so it was with the bundled charger, so it will be with the eSIM. We do not doubt.
It would seem that there are only pluses: you won’t lose an eSIM, it’s easy and quick to change it, you don’t need to carry a paper clip and a spare SIM card when traveling. But this is not always convenient for everyone. But the cheapest iPhones will just be brought from the USA (parallel imports, “shuttles” are not the point). If you want an iPhone with a SIM card, ask from Europe. And the prices are much higher there. In the iPhone 13 and younger models, there is no such dilemma. There is a slot for SIM-cards – and that’s it.
Last year’s models are still on sale
Another signal that Apple is betting on the Pro model. Along with the iPhone 14, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 are still sold on the official website. And they are cheaper:
- iPhone 14 Plus — from $899;
- iPhone 14 — from $799;
- iPhone 13 — from $699;
- iPhone 12 – from $599.
The big iPhone 14 Plus is like no other. It will be taken for the sake of a large battery and a large screen. Whereas the difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 is negligible – and $ 100 will not be superfluous. If you are ready to put up with a slightly simpler camera and a slightly less bright display, then you can already save $ 200 and take the iPhone 12. So far, an excellent device.