iPhone 14 Plus review

Apple has ditched the mini model of the iPhone for this, the iPhone 14 Plus. It’s a bigger model of the common iPhone 14, which itself is virtually an iPhone 13 each inside and outside.

Hearsay has it Apple wasn’t proud of the low gross sales figures of the iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini and has determined folks need the choice of an enormous or larger display screen.

It means we now have two 6.1in iPhones (the 14 and 14 Professional) and two 6.7in fashions (the 14 Plus reviewed right here and the 14 Professional Max).

However on this scenario, the iPhone 14 Plus finally ends up worst off due to the options it misses out on and its worth. It’s solely $100/£150 cheaper than the iPhone 14 Professional, a telephone with a excessive refresh fee display screen, an always-on show, the Dynamic Island redesigned notch, a brand new 48Mp predominant digicam, a telephoto digicam, and the most recent A16 chipset.

The iPhone 14 Plus has none of these options. It’s an enormous iPhone 13. It’s an excellent telephone, however it’s the worst worth in 2022’s iPhone line-up.

Design & construct

Apple pressed Choose All on the iPhone 13 and copied and pasted it to make the iPhone 14. It then clicked and dragged one nook of the iPhone 14 and made it a bit larger. That’s the iPhone 14 Plus.

It’s too large, actually. The flat edges on a telephone 7.8mm thick with a big display screen make this a pocket buster. I didn’t actually thoughts on days I used to be at residence, however as soon as I went out with a case on the factor, I spent all day wishing I had a smaller telephone.

Regardless of the iterative design (it may very well be mistaken for 2020’s iPhone 12 from a distance) the Plus is a well-built piece of tech that’s surprisingly gentle for its measurement at 203g. I just like the design regardless of its ageing, and the digicam module is as small as they get for twin lenses as of late.

The telephone has aluminium rails and a shiny glass again, however that cup is grippy and the starlight (white) color of my overview unit exhibits barely any fingerprints. My favorite color is the Product Pink model.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

I nonetheless assume the common iPhone fashions of the final three years really feel nicer to carry with no case than the Professional fashions. The Execs have shiny aspect rails that look soiled with fingerprints, and their metal development makes them pocket paperweights. If you would like the most important iPhone doable this yr, the 14 Plus is an effective decide when you additionally need it to be as gentle as doable.

That is nonetheless an enormous telephone although and I struggled to ever use it with one hand. The acquainted notch is on the prime of the display screen for Face ID and the front-facing digicam, with the same old mute swap, quantity buttons, energy button, and Lightning port on the sides.

On US fashions of the telephone there isn’t a SIM tray, with Apple forcing North People to go all-in on eSIM. That is very annoying. For the remainder of the world, the only SIM tray remains to be there.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Show & audio

The iPhone 14 Plus has a 60Hz show, which for the $899/£949/€1,169 asking worth is insulting. Each different smartphone in the marketplace that prices as a lot as this telephone has both a 90Hz or extra doubtless 120Hz refresh fee. This implies menus, apps, and textual content scrolls and appears smoother, with much less ghosting.

Apple nonetheless received’t put its 120Hz ProMotion show from its Professional fashions on the common iPhones, however 60Hz in 2022 on a display screen this huge appears to be like dated. It is a premium telephone with no key premium function.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

It’s an excellent OLED panel at the very least, with good colors and viewing angles. It helps excessive dynamic vary (HDR) and has Apple’s wonderful True Tone tech that adjusts the blue gentle degree relying on the ambient lighting.

However you can have it so a lot better with the 120Hz iPhone 14 Professional, or the Google Pixel 7 Professional, a 120Hz telephone with the identical measurement display screen because the 14 Plus. That Pixel additionally prices the identical or lower than the 14 Plus relying on the place you reside.

I additionally reviewed the smaller iPhone 14, and I most popular utilizing that telephone day by day for its extra pocketable measurement however I ended up appreciating the 14 Plus once I wished to blob and watch YouTube or learn books and articles at size. Other than that for my private telephone utilization, I choose a smaller machine.

For those who spend a number of time on Instagram and TikTok, or certainly make content material for these platforms, the 14 Plus’s additional display screen measurement shall be a no brainer.

It’s additionally an excellent telephone for audio as Apple’s audio system are nonetheless greatest in school. Music has stunning depth, and for podcasts, gaming, and TV exhibits the stereo audio system are greater than ok.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Specs & efficiency

The 14 Plus will carry out at a superb degree for completely anybody. It’s whip-fast, with the identical A15 chipset because the iPhone 13 Professional from 2021.

But it surely’s the primary time Apple has put a brand new chip, the A16, in its Professional telephones and left the common iPhone fashions with final yr’s. It’s practically unattainable to inform the distinction, however it’s one other galling element contemplating the excessive worth of the 14 Plus and what you truly get for the cash.

You possibly can see the slight dip in uncooked benchmark outcomes, each for the GFX Bench assessments for body fee as a result of greater decision show in comparison with the iPhone 14, however it’s just a little odd the 14 Plus scores about 800 factors much less on the Geekbench 5 rating. This measures the CPU efficiency, and each telephones have the identical A15 chip.

Fortunately you don’t need to learn into these outcomes an excessive amount of, and neither do I having used the iPhone 14 Plus for greater than every week as my predominant telephone. I didn’t as soon as need to stop apps or restart it. Video games, multitasking, taking pictures and movies, gentle picture and video modifying, recording music – this telephone can do all of it.

I examined the 512GB mannequin however you may also get it with 128GB or 256GB. Apple doesn’t disclose how a lot RAM is in its telephones, however Geekbench reveals it to be 6GB, which is greater than sufficient right here.

Battery & charging

The most effective factor concerning the iPhone 14 Plus is its battery life. Identical to RAM, Apple retains tight-lipped on its battery sizes however it appears to be like as if the Plus has a 4323mAh cell. That is fairly massive and with Apple’s good iOS optimisation, the telephone lasts for completely ages.

With regular use this can be a two-day smartphone, simply. I solely as soon as dipped beneath 30% when utilizing the telephone on someday the place I used the digicam, WhatsApp, and Google Maps extensively.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

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Together with the bigger show, the battery life is the one motive to choose the 14 Plus over the iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Professional. The 14 Plus outguns them each, and other than video playback, Apple claims the 14 Plus is the longest-lasting iPhone ever. I discovered that to be correct. I barely thought of charging the factor, and by no means as soon as received battery nervousness.

It’s a disgrace it prices slowly in comparison with Android flagships. With a Lightning cable the Plus prices at as much as 20W with a appropriate charger in keeping with Apple (there’s solely a USB-C to Lightning cable within the field, no brick). In half-hour the telephone charged to 45%, which may be very gradual in comparison with a telephone just like the OnePlus 10T that may totally cost from useless in beneath half an hour.

The telephone additionally has wi-fi charging by way of any Qi pad or Apple’s MagSafe normal at speeds of as much as 7.5W and 15W respectively.

Digicam & video

Every part that I mentioned concerning the digicam and video capabilities of the iPhone 14 in my overview of that telephone applies to the iPhone 14 Plus, as a result of they’ve precisely the identical digicam system.

Which means you get a 12Mp predominant f/1.5 lens with optical picture stabilisation (OIS) and a 12Mp ultra-wide f/2.4 lens with a 120-degree discipline of view – not the brand new 48Mp predominant sensor discovered on the iPhone 14 Professional. There’s additionally a 12Mp selfie digicam with autofocus, which is nice.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

The rear cameras are a tiny bit completely different to these on the iPhone 13 and are apparently the sensors used on the 13 Professional. Marginal positive aspects are the secret. I took a number of comparability pictures with an iPhone 13 and this 14 Plus and will see no actual variations.

Pictures are just a little over-sharpened to the purpose of trying hyperrealistic and I choose the contrasty, moody look of the Pixel 7. However this can be a superb digicam setup, regardless of the dearth of an optical telephoto lens. You received’t wish to do a lot zooming with digital zoom on the 14 Plus as issues quickly get shaky.

For those who’re coming from an iPhone 11 or older then you definately’ll recognize the brand new options which have collected through the years similar to improved portrait mode with lighting results, photographic types that allow you to tweak the distinction of nonetheless pictures, cinematic mode for moody blurring of video, and motion mode that does an excellent job of making stabilisation for movies.

I hate that Apple doesn’t allow you to take pictures in its ProRAW RAW file format on this telephone, a function this {hardware} and software program can simply deal with however one thing the corporate saves for the Professional line. For such succesful cameras to not be capable of take RAW pictures within the native digicam app means many individuals must pony up extra cash for the Professional in the event that they wish to use it as a digicam in an expert setting. Less expensive telephones than this could shoot in RAW.

Software program & updates

Regardless of all my gripes with the 14 Plus I’ve to say I loved utilizing it and that’s largely right down to iOS. Apple’s software program makes the iPhone feel and look nice, and there are many wonderful options similar to Face ID, AirDrop for recordsdata between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and the overall really feel of a really properly optimised working system that works seamlessly.

Apple Pockets is a wonderful place to place your cost and loyalty playing cards, and although sure, Android had widgets first, iOS widgets are extra engaging and higher constructed. Together with the brand new customisable lock display screen replace for iOS 16, the 14 Plus feels suitably new.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

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It is a crafty trick as a result of it truly is nothing new in any respect. When you’ve got an older iPhone, replace it to iOS 16. It is going to really feel newer and also you won’t wish to purchase a brand new telephone.

I swap between iOS on Android relying on what I’m reviewing however I rapidly settled into the 14 Plus’s massive display screen and utilizing the very nice Apple Books app to learn – a way more pleasant expertise on this measurement show in comparison with any smaller iPhone. It’s additionally nice for any text-heavy app for studying information or articles. I despise the phrase ‘content material consumption’, burn it down – however that is certainly a telephone for studying and watching issues on.

It’s simply if you’re doing different issues like social media, texting, telephone calls, or just making an attempt to carry the factor with one hand, it’s too large.

Apple will doubtless assist the 14 Plus for 5 or 6 years of updates, which is industry-best ranges of assist and an excellent motive to purchase an iPhone.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Worth & availability

The iPhone 14 Plus prices from $899/£949/€1,169. You should purchase it directly from Apple in all areas.

There’s no two methods about it, the iPhone 14 Plus is unhealthy worth in 2022. It prices the identical within the US and UK because the Pixel 7 Professional, which is a superior smartphone with the next refresh fee show and much better cameras.

The iPhone 14 Professional is costlier than the 14 Plus at $999/£1,099/€1,329 however packs in a lot extra new stuff like a 120Hz display screen, the Dynamic Island notch, higher cameras, and a telephoto digicam.

If you would like a large-screen iPhone, the 14 Plus is admittedly $200/£250/€310 cheaper than the 14 Professional Max, however when you can stretch to it the Professional Max is once more a extra totally featured improve with all of the ‘professional’ new issues.

An alternative choice is 2021’s iPhone 13 Professional Max, which can also be a greater telephone than the 14 Plus. It’s price seeing when you can decide that up discounted relatively than purchase the 14 Plus new.

Verdict

The iPhone 14 Plus is the odd one out in 2022’s iPhone vary regardless of having wonderful battery life.

It’s an unwieldy measurement in comparison with the far more pocketable iPhone 14, although the additional display screen and battery are enhancements that many will worth.

However the telephone is satirically unhealthy worth when it’s already so costly and you may pay just a little bit extra upfront or on contract and get the far-superior iPhone 14 Professional.

I’ve loved utilizing the iPhone 14 Plus for studying books, watching movies, and taking pictures. However I get to get pleasure from it with out having regretted paying for it. Whereas it isn’t a nasty telephone by any means, within the context of the market it’s overpriced, and the iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Professional are higher buys for the cash saved and options gained respectively.

Until you need the most important iPhone doable and may’t stretch to the costlier iPhone 14 Professional Max, the 14 Plus is in no man’s land.

Specs

• 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8mm
• 203g
• 6.7in Tremendous Retina XDR show (2778 x 1284)
• IP68 mud and water resistance
• A15 Bionic
• Major 12Mp digicam, f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS
• 120-degree 12Mp ultrawide, f/2.4
• 4K@60fps with Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR assist
• 12Mp f/1.9 front-facing digicam with autofocus
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Wi-Fi 6 with 2xMIMO
• NFC
• Satellite tv for pc connectivity
• Automotive Crash detection