iPhone 14

[Mchart]

Not a huge upgrade this year. That being said, the satellite SOS feature is pretty amazing if you do lots of backpacking, etc. This is going to put Spot out of business, and it's pretty impressive Apple is offering this service for free.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

I usually upgrade my phone every 3-4 generations. I'm not disappointed with what I'm getting going from an 11 to a 14. I'm particularly interested in the camera improvements. Here's hoping that the lenses are good.

 

[Liver]

I didn’t catch it so I’m assuming it’s still a lightening link connection?

 

[Mchart]

Only real physical change is the removal of physical SIM, which will be a big gripe point for certain users for sure.

 

[bobsuncledan]

I have a 12 so I'll wait another year. Nothing announced this year or last to get me to upgrade.

 

[Algrim]

I got my wife's 12 when she bought the 13. Nothing in the 14 stands out to me but may to my wife. We'll have to see if anything tempts her from her 13.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

I didn’t catch it so I’m assuming it’s still a lightening link connection?

Yup, no USB-C this go-around.

 

[vegeta535]

Do they really need to put on such a event for a phone? The phone space has been pretty damn stagnant for both android and apple for years now.

 

[Shoganai]

Do they really need to put on such a event for a phone?

Yes. It’s like 80% of their yearly revenue.

 

[Mchart]

It’s really not even an event anymore. It’s just a recorded briefing.

 

[Aurelius]

It’s really not even an event anymore. It’s just a recorded briefing.

Not entirely true. There was a bit of a live component, and there was a full hands-on session at Apple's campus. This is likely one of the last major Apple events where you'll see evidence of the pandemic; I suspect the likely spring event could have a fully live presentation.

 

[bobsuncledan]

It’s really not even an event anymore. It’s just a recorded briefing.

more like a streaming advertisement that had been prerecorded.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

My short assessment is that the iPhone 14 isn't worth it. If you're just going to buy a "regular" 14, then skip it and buy a 13 and save yourself the money.

The 14 Pro is enough of an upgrade that it's worth it for those with 3+ year old phones. And "maybe" worth it for those with 2+ year old phones. Although honestly a 12 Pro/Pro Max is still a beast of a phone. Even an 11 Pro isn't slow by any stretch. It's still going to be mostly for people that want all the side benefits of ProRes, always on display, 120vrr, dynamic island, better cameras (I think the selfie camera upgrade is actually more important than the 48MP main camera upgrade), better compute/algorithms for cameras, better faceID, better speakers, better mics, etc. For pure power any of these phones from 3-4 years ago are great and there is less of a reason there.

If you really want to save money, then I think the 13 Mini is a complete steal. Basically all the power of the A15 bionic, in a very inexpensive (relatively) and compact package. Basically all the features of the 13, but with a bit less battery life and screen size. Although since the screen is smaller the drop in battery life isn't linear.

It's a great time to be alive. All phones are amazing.

 

[Aurelius]

My short assessment is that the iPhone 14 isn't worth it. If you're just going to buy a "regular" 14, then skip it and buy a 13 and save yourself the money.

The 14 Pro is enough of an upgrade that it's worth it for those with 3+ year old phones. And "maybe" worth it for those with 2+ year old phones. Although honestly a 12 Pro/Pro Max is still a beast of a phone. Even an 11 Pro isn't slow by any stretch. It's still going to be mostly for people that want all the side benefits of ProRes, always on display, 120vrr, dynamic island, better cameras (I think the selfie camera upgrade is actually more important than the 48MP main camera upgrade), better compute/algorithms for cameras, better faceID, better speakers, better mics, etc. For pure power any of these phones from 3-4 years ago are great and there is less of a reason there.

If you really want to save money, then I think the 13 Mini is a complete steal. Basically all the power of the A15 bionic, in a very inexpensive (relatively) and compact package. Basically all the features of the 13, but with a bit less battery life and screen size. Although since the screen is smaller the drop in battery life isn't linear.

It's a great time to be alive. All phones are amazing.

Yeah, this isn't so much a condemnation of the base iPhone 14 (although it is a timid upgrade) as it is a recognition that smartphones have hit a plateau, at least temporarily.

The iPhone 14 Plus, on the other hand...I definitely see that selling like nobody's business, since it finally brings big iPhones down to a more attainable (if not exactly cheap) price. Particularly for folks who tend to get phones on instalments.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

Yeah, this isn't so much a condemnation of the base iPhone 14 (although it is a timid upgrade) as it is a recognition that smartphones have hit a plateau, at least temporarily.

The issues at TSMC and the global silicon shortage have basically put Apple's plans on hold. I'm assuming this is also going to play out with any and all M2 Pro models as well. The M2 in general being only a modest upgrade, there's info that the M2 in its current form was not what was intended either.
The iPhone 14 and "A16" chip also clearly fall into this category. I do wish Apple would have upgraded more of the things around the phone, but they probably decided not to in order to keep the regular vs pro differentiators for years after this year.

The iPhone 14 Plus, on the other hand...I definitely see that selling like nobody's business, since it finally brings big iPhones down to a more attainable (if not exactly cheap) price. Particularly for folks who tend to get phones on instalments.

The interesting part is that current sales indicators point to no. There is even a meme I've seen, more or less about: you think we don't want a mini? Jokes on you we don't want a Plus either.

While not being either here or there, I think the Mini should've been retained and they shouldn't have bothered with Max.
We'll see if that trend continues though. It's early days. "Normal" buyers will be throughout the whole year. Current buyers are basically all tech enthusiasts. The Pro models are outselling the regular models by wide margin as a result.