iPhone 14 Rumors: Release Date, Price, Always-on Lock Screen and More

Apple’s iPhone family will likely get a new addition in the next three months. The iPhone 14 is expected to be the follow-up to 2021’s iPhone 13 and could offer plenty of upgrades, from a notchless design to an always-on lock screen. That is, if leaks, reports and rumors about the new iPhone are to be believed. 

In an effort to piece together what’s in store for Apple’s 2022 flagship ahead of its release date, we’re collecting all the rumors about the iPhone 14’s price and specs. We even have a wish list of features we want to see on the next iPhone.

Meanwhile, Apple’s annual developers conference, WWDC, is less than a week away, and we’ll likely get a look at iOS 16 and WatchOS 9. We have high hopes for Apple’s next major iPhone update, but there’s still plenty to enjoy now in the current iPhone software, iOS 15.5, including a bunch of privacy features

While we wait for more intel on the iPhone 14, here’s why a new Apple Watch SE is more exciting than the Apple Watch Series 8 and the 20 iPhone tips that’ll make you a power user. We’ll update this story as new information becomes available.

Early renders of the iPhone 14 from Jon Prosser suggest a notchless design and flush camera setup.


Jon Prosser

We still don’t know much about the iPhone 14, but we’ve heard that Apple’s next lineup will nix the Mini and focus on larger phones instead. A July report from Nikkei Asian Review predicted the death of the iPhone 14 Mini, and an April research note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo obtained by MacRumors also suggested that the Mini was not long for this world. However, Kuo reported, the iPhone 14 lineup will still comprise four models, a “high-end” and a “lower-end,” with two size options for each.

While name speculation isn’t as germane to the discussion of Apple’s 2022 lineup as it was for unlucky 13, rumors suggest a small shift in naming conventions, with an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max, with “Pro” designating higher-end specs and “Max” referring to the larger screen size.

Read more: iPhone 13 vs. 13 Mini vs. Pro vs. Pro Max

Rumored iPhone 14 screen sizes

The iPhone 13 is on sale, but we’re already thinking about the iPhone 14.


Patrick Holland/CNET

There haven’t yet been many reputable release date rumors for the iPhone 14, but we expect Apple to hold its annual fall iPhone event in September, as it does almost every year, with the phones being released shortly thereafter, usually the following Friday. Sometimes Apple will stagger release dates for specific models, especially when introducing a new design or size. So it’s possible that the iPhone 14 lineup will have more than one release date.

Here’s what we know: 

  • Apple likes to hold its events on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Apple’s iPhone 13 event was held on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
  • iPhone release dates are typically a week and a half after Apple’s announcements. 
  • In general, new iPhones are released on a Friday, around the third week of September. For the iPhone 13, preorders began Sept. 17 and the phones went on sale Sept. 24.

A few years ago, CNET took a deep dive into the Apple event timeline and emerged with a compelling Labor Day hypothesis, which you can read about here. Based on the 2022 calendar, the Labor Day rule would put the September Apple event (and unveiling of the iPhone 14) on Sept. 7, with a Sept. 16 release date. However, our Labor Day hypothesis was a week off for 2021 — and, because of coronavirus delays, about a month off in 2020

Read more: iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12

There’s no word either way on iPhone 14 pricing, but Apple didn’t make any big price changes between 2020’s iPhone 12 and 2021’s iPhone 13, so the existing price structure is at least a good place to start our speculation. However, Kuo predicts the high-end 6.7-inch phone (the iPhone 14 Pro Max) will launch at a record-low price, under $900. Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which ranges from $1,099 all the way up to a staggering $1,599, that’s quite a steal.

For reference, here’s how much each version of the iPhone 13 lineup cost at launch.

iPhone 13 pricing

Apple may have a few camera upgrades in store for the upcoming iPhone 14. Rumors say the tech giant has chosen a new supplier for its front-facing camera to make a higher-end lens. According to a report from Korean tech site ET News, citing unnamed industry sources, South Korean supplier LG Innotek will provide the new selfie camera for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. 

Kuo also shared insights about the iPhone 14’s potential camera upgrades in an investors note reported on by 9to5Mac just after the iPhone 13 launch. In the note, Kuo predicts a hole-punch front camera, making the iPhone 14 notchless, as well as a 48-megapixel wide rear camera for the Pro and Pro Max models, up from 12 megapixels on previous iPhones.

Display analyst Ross Young hypothesizes, however, that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will have a hole-and-pill shaped design to accommodate for the front-facing camera and Face ID. The hole cutout is believed to be for the Face ID dot projector, and the pill-shaped cutout holds the front camera and Face ID camera, according to a January report from MacRumors. Supposedly leaked CAD renders of the iPhone 14, seen by 91mobiles, corroborate this rumor.

Kuo’s speculation regarding the camera’s megapixel capacity aligns with both a recent research note from Haitong International Securities, also reported on by MacRumors, and a report from research company TrendForce. Both Jeff Pu and TrendForce hypothesize the two Pro models will be equipped with a 48-megapixel wide lens. Pu, however, adds that the iPhones will sport a triple-lens rear camera system with a 12-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto lenses in addition to the 48-megapixel wide lens. The analyst adds that the Pro versions of the iPhone 14 could sport 8GB of RAM, as well. (In comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have 6GB.) This is corroborated by a report from a Korean blog that cites domestic supply chain sources, as MacRumors spotted.

iPhone 13 camera upgrades include a new Cinematic modeProRes video and some improvements in zoom capabilities. We had previously reported on rumors that the entire lineup would feature lidar, the iPhone 12 Pro’s standout depth-sensing feature, but lidar ended up making an appearance only on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max after all. It’s possible Apple might expand the feature to its full lineup in 2022 instead, but we haven’t heard anything yet. 

Another of the camera features we’re still waiting on is an improved telephoto lens. While the iPhone 13 Pro’s zoom capabilities were given a 3x optical zoom, it still pales in comparison to a lot of competitor flagships, including Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, which boasts a 10x optical zoom.

iPhone 14 could have a camera setup that’s flush with the back of the phone, nixing the chunky camera bump.


Jon Prosser

Read more: Is Buying an iPhone 13 Worth It? Let’s Compare the Last Five Years of Apple’s iPhones

YouTuber and iPhone leaker Jon Prosser (whose track record is admittedly spotty) made waves the week before the iPhone 13 announcement by releasing renders he commissioned of the iPhone 14 Pro Max based on “real images and schematics” leaked to him from purported sources at Apple. 

Prosser’s renders corroborate a number of previously reported rumors, including the notchless display and hole-punch camera previously reported by Kuo, and the iPhone 14 Pro’s titanium alloy chassis, which was first referenced in a July report from JPMorgan Chase. We’d been expecting to see the iPhone 13 go notchless, but instead we got a slimmed-down, but still very notchy, notch. Apple introduced the world to the notched display in 2017 with the release of the iPhone X, and as rivals solved the selfie conundrum with hole-punch and under-display cameras, Apple still hasn’t, er, taken it down a notch. 

Read more: iPhone 14 Design Rumors

But Prosser’s renders seem to align with these earlier reports that Apple would finally excise the iPhone’s notch in 2022. And Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also hinted at its removal in a September edition of his Power On newsletter, wherein he predicted a “complete redesign” for the iPhone 14, while Young says Apple could introduce a hole-and-pill shaped design for the new iPhone. This hole-and-pill display emerged in schematics on Chinese social media site Weibo, and were later shared by Prosser. 

Those who’ve been crossing their fingers for a notchless iPhone since the iPhone 12 and had their hopes dashed once again by the iPhone 13 can possibly now look forward to a potential realization of their all-screen dreams in 2022’s iPhone 14. 

However, before you get too excited, there’s a possibility that not all the iPhone 14 models will get a new notchless design. MySmartPrice published supposed CAD renders of the iPhone 14 in March, depicting — you guessed it — a notch. But renders of the 14 Pro model published the day before on 91Mobiles do show a notchless display. If these rumors prove true, it looks like you’ll have to spring for the Pro in order to get rid of the notch.

A schematic of the iPhone 14’s display, shared to YouTube by Jon Prosser.


Jon Prosser

The other big design change Prosser’s renders show is a flattened camera bump. According to Prosser, the iPhone 14’s body is going to be a “thick boy,” thick enough, it seems, to encompass all the camera hardware without an annoying, protruding camera setup on the back. Why is the iPhone 14 supposed to be so thick? Perhaps to house a bigger battery, or even the previously rumored periscope camera, which Kuo projected in 2020. However, Kuo and famed tech leaker Max Weinbach have actually pointed to a thicker camera bump in the 14 Pro and Pro Max.

Two prior rumors that won’t pan out, according to Prosser at least, are the death of the Lightning port and the addition of USB-C (the EU may force Apple to add USB-C ports to iPhones, however). Rumors of a completely portless iPhone have been circulating for a while, but it appears those won’t come true in 2022.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini: Check out the redesigned camera module and smaller notch

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As far as colors go, Prosser’s render colors were not based on any actual information from his sources, except for a pale gold color, which he claims to have seen evidence of himself. However, like all other rumored specs, we won’t know the true color options for the iPhone 14 until it’s released.

The iPhone 13 lineup came in a rainbow of new hues.


Apple

Here’s everything else we know (and think we know) so far about the iPhone 14 lineup’s specifications and potential new features.

An always-on lock screen

Apple’s iOS 16, the company’s next major iPhone update, will include an always-on mode for the lock screen, according to Bloomberg. This feature, however, may be exclusive to the high-end iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

Better battery life

Apple’s 2022 iPhone could offer better battery life, according to a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (via MacRumors). This is said to be due to a new 5G chip that could also provide the new iPhone with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. 

Wi-Fi 6E adoption

The iPhone 14 could be equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, according to a November note from Kuo, reported on by 9to5Mac. However, the analyst says the components needed for Wi-Fi 6E may be in short supply. Apple’s rumored VR headset is also said to have Wi-Fi 6E

A16 chip

Previous speculation was that the whole iPhone 14 series would upgrade to an A16 chip, improving upon the last iPhone‘s A15 chip in keeping with Apple’s previous pattern. However, Kuo predicted in March that the A16 will only appear in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, while the 14 and 14 Max will keep the A15. 

120Hz ProMotion display

All iPhone 14 models could include Apple’s ProMotion display, which only the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max variants currently have. ProMotion boosts the screen’s refresh rate for smoother performance, up to 120Hz. This is more speculation than actual rumor, based on changes in Apple’s supply chain that would make it easier for the company to offer the feature across its next lineup.

Young, however, speculates that Apple will continue to offer ProMotion displays exclusively to its Pro models. The analyst suggests that Chinese manufacturer BOE would be one of Apple’s LTPO OLED display suppliers, but the company doesn’t have a large production capacity right now. 

5G connectivity 

Apple introduced 5G connectivity to its iPhone 12 lineup and, unsurprisingly, included it in the iPhone 13 as well. There’s no reason to believe we won’t see 5G-compatible iPhone 14s, too. A July report from Nikkei Asian Review also predicts Apple will “go all in on 5G” in 2022.

MagSafe accessories

Like 5G, MagSafe was introduced to the iPhone in 2020’s iPhone 12 lineup. The snap-on, magnetic accessories include wallets, battery packs and chargers, and it was one of our favorite iPhone 12 features. The iPhone 13 is also compatible with MagSafe, and we expect the same for Apple’s next generation of phones.

Satellite connectivity

An 11th-hour iPhone 13 rumor via Kuo that didn’t come to fruition was the addition of satellite connectivity, which would allow users to send text messages via satellite in areas without cellular coverage, at least in emergency situations, as reported by Bloomberg. Alas, satellite connectivity is nowhere to be found in the iPhone 13 lineup, but perhaps that means it’s coming in the iPhone 14 instead.

The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack on the iPhone 12.


Patrick Holland/CNET

Stay tuned for more iPhone 14 news as it comes out, and in the meantime, check out CNET’s reviews of the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini, and the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. Plus, here’s how all four iPhone 13 models compare, how the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 differ, whether it still makes sense to buy an iPhone 12 or iPhone 11, and how all of Apple’s iPhones from the past five years stack up. And here’s everything to know about the iPhone SE 2022 and everything else Apple still owes us.

Article source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/iphone-14-rumors/#ftag=CAD4aa2096

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