Apple iPhone 14: Premium smartphone with innovation problems

What makes the difference iPhone 14 from its predecessor iPhone 13? The answer, unfortunately, is very little. The list of features is quite short, since Apple only made a few minor upgrades. These include improved main and front cameras, automatic collision detection, more RAM, two new color variants and better repairability. Truly revolutionary new features for the series such as always-on display, 48 MP camera and Dynamic Island are exclusive to the Pro models iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

If you’re already using the iPhone 13, switching to the iPhone 14 probably won’t sound appealing because of the many similarities. In addition, the base price has increased slightly. The lowest storage configuration of the new Apple iPhone 14 with 128 GB costs about $800 – the iPhone 13 cost only $700 at launch. Since when iPhone 13 Pro which today falls into a similar price range, may be a better alternative for future iPhone 14 buyers. Advantages include an additional telephoto camera as well as a responsive 120 Hz screen. On the other hand, the standard 2022 iPhone still relies on a slower 60Hz panel.

The main camera of the iPhone 13 Pro

The new camera is perhaps the most important upgrade for the Apple iPhone 14. The main 12MP camera is now identical to the iPhone 13 Pro. This means that the sensor size increases to 1.7 to 1.9 µm, while the aperture improves from f/1.6 to f/1.5. In our testing, this is especially noticeable in images taken at night. In low-light conditions, the iPhone 14 takes significantly better pictures than last year’s model and reveals much more detail and richer colors in darker areas. The selfie camera has also been improved and now has autofocus, allowing it to take sharper photos, especially at close range.

Our detailed review of the Apple iPhone 14 case is available here.

My fascination with computers started with the C64. Since then, I’ve been putting everything that comes my way in terms of hardware through its paces. From the C64 to the Amiga 500 and the first PC with an 8088 CPU, my list of projects keeps getting longer. For more than 20 years I have also turned my hobby into my profession and have been active in the mobile part of Notebookcheck since 2021. Before that I worked as a hardware editor for IDG Media (tecChannel.de) and VNU Business Publications (PC professional), among others.

Already at a young age I was very enthusiastic about technology and as a result I started building computers, optimizing them and writing programs while I was still in school. When faced with the inevitable hardware and software problems associated with computers, I was always relentless in my search for the necessary solutions. The compact forms of laptops and smartphones have introduced additional challenges in this regard. In my reviews for Notebookcheck, I try to communicate as objectively as possible how well the device copes with these obstacles.