iPhone 14 Plus experience: who needs such a big iPhone? I want to start the text with the fact that the fate of the iPhone 14 Plus is very strange. After all, he appeared instead of the iPhone 13 mini, which did not live up to expectations. We can say that Apple went to extremes and released a very large smartphone instead of a very small one, trying to guess the mood of buyers.
Apple AR viewer, WWDC23 presentation at risk
According to harsh statistics, relative to the rest of the brothers in the lineup, the iPhone 13 mini accounted for only 3%. Even the iPhone 12 mini turned out to be more popular in its time. This is what the top 10 global smartphone sales for 2022 look like, according to a report by analysts from Counterpoint:
- Apple iPhone 13.
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max.
- Samsung Galaxy A13.
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro.
- Apple iPhone 12.
- Apple iPhone 14.
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro.
- Apple iPhone SE (2022).
- Samsung Galaxy A03.
In other words, in the top ten most popular phones in the world, eight positions are occupied by Apple devices. Moreover, even the outdated iPhone SE (2022) got there, but there is no iPhone 13 mini. Alas, the baby turned out to be a failure and was not bought as actively as other models. Although on the Internet for several years people have been asking for small, convenient smartphones. But the sales statistics are inexorable: the small device turned out to be unclaimed.
If you don’t need small ones, then you need big ones. For several years in a row, to buy a large iPhone, you had to purchase the top and most expensive smartphone of the Pro Max series. Now you can not squander money, overpaying for features, but buy a balanced device.
Is he comfortable?
Estimating iPhone 14 Plus sizes is up to you. For example, I go with the iPhone 14 Pro Max as my main phone, and 14 Plus feels like a lighter and, accordingly, more convenient model against its background. You hold it more confidently in your hand, it does not press so hard on the little finger, protecting it from corns. Even in the side pocket of jeans, this rather big smartphone lies well. In general, it is large, but at the same time it is surprisingly light, which is a thrill. And it’s funny that it’s even lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro, such a miracle: 203 grams versus 206.
But my second iPhone is the iPhone 13. And against its background, the difference is, of course, colossal. If the iPhone 13, as well as the 12 or 14, is very convenient and versatile, then the 14 Plus is simply a whopper against its background. One-handed usability is out of the question, so I would give it some serious thought if you plan to upgrade from a relatively small iPhone.
Typing is more comfortable with two hands, working with applications is again inconvenient with one hand, reaching for the icons at the top of the screen – well, you understand. Moreover, due to the peculiarities of the iOS interface, it is impossible to simply put icons at the bottom. According to the ancient canons of design, icons line up from top to bottom in order, in the era of the iPhone 6 or iPhone X this was tolerable, but now we want a change. Therefore, you have to place some large widget above the icons so as not to suffer.
However, if you take something like the iPhone 11 or XR as an example, then against the background of these old models with large screen bezels, the iPhone 14 Plus no longer looks so defiant. Yes, big, but not to say that frighteningly huge.
If you wish, you can dig even deeper into history and look at the iPhone 14 Plus through the eyes of those who use Plus models: 6 / 6S, 7 or 8. The dimensions, if not exactly, then very much match, and you can immediately see for whom this device was made . I am leaning towards the version that Apple saw that the proportion of users of large old iPhones with a Home button is large enough and decided to offer a modern large iPhone.
What’s with the flowers?
In autumn, the iPhione 14 Plus was sold in five colors, and another one was added for the spring-summer season. I really like iPhones in this yellow color, but not everyone likes such bright colors, this time. And the second point is that iPhones are often worn in opaque cases, and here it doesn’t matter at all what color the case is. As usual, black and white is the leader in sales, overtaking all other colors by a margin. Red is generally rare, yellow is also almost exclusive so far.
cameras
The main camera feels the same as in the iPhone 13. That is, you can count on stable results in any situation. Automation works fine, it remains only to correct the exposure, avoiding too bright shots at night.
Unlike the more expensive iPhone 14 Pro Max, there is no separate telephoto lens for portraits, nor is there a 2× mode, which is very practical and without loss in quality. But the situation is solved by software: the background is blurred quite neatly, and the iPhone 14 Plus does portraits well. And of course, the strongest side of the iPhone is the gorgeous video quality, here it is out of competition.
What is the difference between iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14?
There are few differences, and they all come down primarily to physical dimensions. The difference in screen resolution is insignificant, but the diagonal is significantly different. Also in a larger iPhone is a battery with a larger capacity.
- iPhone 14: 6.1 inches, 3279 mAh, 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.80 mm, weight 172 g.
- iPhone 14 Plus: 6.7 inches, 4325 mAh, 160.8 × 78.1 × 7.80 mm, weight 203 g.
Whether it is worth paying extra $100 for an iPhone with a large screen, here everyone can decide for themselves. This is a new and modern iPhone with an excellent margin for several years ahead. It will last two or three, or even four years, and then it’s time to go for a new device.
Battery
At the presentation, Apple said that this is the longest-lived of all iPhones. In principle, this is easy to believe: a regular screen at 60 Hz and a high-capacity battery.
The phone definitely works for a long time, it turns out about 7-8 hours of screen time, if you mostly stay at home in the Wi-Fi zone. I have the same results with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is noticeably more expensive. If you wish, of course, you can put your smartphone down faster – games like CoD Mobile consume about 15% of the battery per hour. But still 6 hours of gaming is a good result.
As an example, here are the graphs of the battery. With not very intensive use of the phone, by the evening I had about 50% of the charge, taking into account 3 hours of screen activity. The iPhone eats up the battery quite a lot in standby mode, 1% steadily leaves for an hour in idle mode. Therefore, if you are outside the Wi-Fi zone, often move around the city and actively use cellular communications, it will be no longer 7–8 hours, but rather 6–6.5 hours.
Like all iPhones, the 14 Plus does not come with a power adapter. If the question arose of which charger to choose, then there is no particular point in chasing heavy-duty units. As various tests show, about 20 W of power is enough, and if you connect a unit of 30 W or more powerful, you will not win in charging speed.
When it comes to charging, you have to wait – in half an hour, a completely dead iPhone will only charge up to 50%, and you will have to wait for a full charge for two whole hours. Someone will say that it’s okay, left it for the night and there are no problems; someone will argue that Android smartphones with super-fast chargers have gone far ahead.
How to save money on shopping?
I want to draw your attention to the fact that the iPhone 14 Plus exists in different versions, in principle, this also applies to other iPhones as well. The most common model is with one physical SIM card and one eSIM.
But there are models with two physical SIM cards for the specific Chinese market. However, if there are two physical SIMs, then there will be no eSIM. In addition, there is also a version for the US market, it is exclusively with two eSIMs. So this point needs to be taken into account. For some, eSIM is not a problem and a way to save about 10% of the price of a smartphone. But for some, this can be a very unpleasant surprise after the purchase.
Can take 14 Pro Max?
There is a big price difference between the iPhone 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max in Russia, almost 30,000 rubles. For this money you can buy a whole iPad of the ninth generation or something else useful. On the side of the 14 Pro Max “Dynamic Island”, support for 120 Hz and telephoto. I can’t say that the notorious cutout of the new shape gives some new opportunities, and 120 Hz radically change the feeling of the device – I wouldn’t pay extra for them.
The steel case and frosted glass are nice, but only for those who use a smartphone without a case. I, for example, go without it, but such a minority. At the same time, 14 Plus is noticeably lighter and more comfortable, there is no feeling of a burden. The more advanced camera system in the 14 Pro Max will certainly come in handy, but the question is how often you plan to use it in principle and whether you are going to take pictures at all. In my opinion, the 14 Plus is the ideal version of a large iPhone with convenient dimensions, where there is nothing superfluous.
