The iPhone 12 line was launched in late 2020, so the next Apple phones we’re looking forward to are the iPhone 13s – but all the rumors suggest a number of minor improvements. This means that we may have to wait until Apple’s 2022 phones, the supposed iPhone 14 line, for the big changes that could bring iPhones into the future.
Some of these big changes are advances that may be coming, but not in time for the iPhone 13. So, we hope that things like finally losing the notch happen on the iPhone 14 – in that case, we would expect a drilling hole to house the selfie camera, but it’s always possible for Apple to put it under the screen – which would make sense, given all of its sensors that enable Face ID.
We are more than a year away from the launch of the iPhone 14 and many things can change before that. The main among the uncertainties is the name: some rumors suggest that Apple could return to its ‘S’ nomenclature and make 2021 phones the ‘iPhone 12S’, meaning that Apple’s 2022 devices could be the iPhone 13 – but before we confuse you further, let’s just refer to this next generation as the iPhone 14 that we hope to launch next year until we hear something different.
As we haven’t heard much about the iPhone 14 line, we will share what we have and expose what we would like to see on Apple phones, including features that we’ve seen debut on Android phones and advanced benefits that we’ve seen outlined in Apple patents. Here’s everything we know – and what we want – on the iPhone 14.
iPhone 14 giving up the notch
1 rumor suggests that the iPhone 14 will finally get rid of the notch – and given that it comes from the famous Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, we would give it more consideration than other predictions so far.
Other Android phones lost their notches years ago, but Apple kept the notch to hide the front sensors (dot projector, infrared camera and floodlight) that enable Face ID. But the rumor says that the iPhone 14 may give up the notch and just have a hole for the selfie camera – although it is unclear where these sensors would go.
It is possible that the sensors obtain a smaller notch or are minimized – perhaps combined in fewer units – and placed next to the selfie camera for an elongated drilled hole.
Or Apple could just jump ahead of most Android phones and hide its sensors under the screen, like the ZTE Axon 20 5G. We will have to see how Apple rearranges its sensors (or replaces them with sensors dedicated to the photo entirely), but in the end, everyone will like to see the drilling hole go away.
iPhone 14 … glasses?
This one is a little more complicated, but one patent suggests that the much-talked about Apple glasses will simply be frame holders to fit an iPhone, like the Google Cardboard. And since we haven’t heard about the iPhone 13 working this way, then the iPhone 14 may be the Apple device that enables this functionality.
Of course, we don’t hear much more about Apple glasses that use the iPhone screen instead of custom binocular lenses – recent rumors we aim for an RV headset mainly coming in 2022 that precedes an AR unit mainly in 2023, but let’s wait to see if Apple ends up offering a cheaper ‘device’ that fits on an iPhone.
MagSafe main charger for iPhone 14
The iPhone 12 debuted the MagSafe system, which allowed wireless charging via chargers magnetically attached to the back of phones. But the nickname ‘MagSafe’ was first used on MacBook laptops as a type of breakaway charger, and according to another patent, this concept could be used for future Apple phones – potentially the iPhone 14.
As such, this charger would function like the MagSafe charger for MacBooks: magnetically fitting to the bottom of the iPhone 14 and separating easily. This means that the iPhone 14, if it implemented this charging method, would finally lose the Lightning cable, which has been an accessory of Apple phones since the iPhone 5. It would be the right time, finally, to abandon the main charging solution for phones from Apple to a faster charging cable – although it would certainly be a curved ball if iPhones didn’t switch to USB-C.
The iPhone line of 2022 turns into 5G
The same rumor from Kuo suggests that all phones in the Apple line will have 5G in 2022. The iPhone 12 line has established 5G in all major Apple phones – leaving the low-cost handsets to be upgraded to next generation connectivity by then.
That just leaves a probable 5G update to the iPhone SE in early 2022 and all that replaces the iPhone 11. It is possible that the standard iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 will simply take its place, but it is always possible that there is another iPhone 14 model that fills that gap.
What else do we expect from the iPhone 14
Given that we do not yet know how much the iPhone 13 range will cost, we will be relying on similar speculation for the iPhone 14 prices. We will mainly use the iPhone 12 prices to guide our estimates.
The cheapest iPhone 14 mini may be the most affordable model, and can start at $ 699 / £ 699 / AU $ 1,199 (the price of the iPhone 12 mini). Likewise, the standard iPhone 14 can cost $ 799 / £ 799 / AU $ 1,349 if it stays in line with the cost of the iPhone 12.
The price of the iPhone 14 Pro can start at $ 999 / £ 999 / AU $ 1,699, which is where the cost of the iPhone 12 Pro starts. The iPhone 14 Pro Max can then start at $ 1,099 / £ 1,099 / AU $ 1,849, like the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Of course, these expected prices could change if Apple finds a reason to charge more – they are practically in line with its predecessors of the iPhone 11, but there may be new indispensable features that justify a price increase.
The iPhone 14 release date is also a mystery: Apple tends to launch its phones in the third quarter, and we expect the phones to be officially unveiled in September 2022 before they hit the market in October 2022. But due to delays in pandemic in the iPhone 12 launches in 2020, there is a little uncertainty about whether Apple could deviate from the precedent and launch the phones on a different schedule.
iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13S vs. iPhone 13: what will the future iPhone look like?
There is some uncertainty about whether the iPhone 14 will be called that – and the numbering depends a lot on what happens with the next phone to come. The 2021 line can be called the iPhone 13 or can be numbered the iPhone 12S. In that case, the 2022 phones could be called the iPhone 13.
Or, if the 2021 line is numbered iPhone 13, Apple’s 2022 devices could be called the iPhone 13S. Nothing is certain until the company gives the phones its official name, which usually happens well after WWDC, in the middle of each year.
Which iPhone 14 devices to expect
We hope that Apple will follow the tradition and launch an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It remains to be seen whether there will be an iPhone 14 mini – we will have to see if another small-format phone will be launched in the 2021 line before we start. consider it a permanent fixture of the flagship iPhone line.