iPhone 14: Release Date, Price and Every Other Rumor You Should Know - CNET
This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Apple's most popular product.
This iPhone 14 may make its debut next week at Apple's "Far Out" launch event. After nearly a year of waiting, we've heard a slew of rumors about the new iPhone lineup, from its possible release date and price to design changes and new camera features. We even got a look at its operating system, iOS 16 -- here's how you can download the beta now if you haven't yet.
Even with all the buzz about the iPhone 14, Pro, Max and Pro Max, there are plenty of questions still floating around. Will Apple raise the price for its upcoming iPhones? When exactly will you be able to preorder and buy the iPhone 14? How will it be different from the iPhone 13? And what will it even look like?
We won't have definitive answers until Apple's big announcement, but one thing is certain: Now isn't the time to buy a new iPhone, especially since Apple's 2022 flagship is likely so close to its debut. We expect to see the Apple Watch Series 8 and possibly a new Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Pro soon, too.
While we count down the days to the iPhone 14's likely arrival, we're continuing to collect all the rumors about the upcoming iPhone. We'll update this story as new information becomes available. If you're looking for ways to pass the time until Apple's Sept. 7 event, check out CNET's list of the best places to trade in your old phone. Plus, here's every hidden iOS 16 feature we didn't expect to find and the 22 iPhone tips that'll make you a power user.
Early renders of the iPhone 14 from Jon Prosser suggest a notchless design and flush camera setup.
Jon Prosser
iPhone 14 lineup rumors: Will there still be four phones?
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 2021 report from Nikkei Asian Review predicted the death of the iPhone 14 Mini, and a 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 14 vs. iPhone 13: Selfie Cameras May Get Biggest Overhaul in Years
iPhone 14 size rumors: How large will screens be?
Apple's last two iPhone lineups have featured the same 6.1-inch size for the base model, going up to 6.7 inches for the Pro Max. According to the same Nikkei Asian Review report, Apple will stick with these sizes for the iPhone 14, but delete the 5.4-inch Mini. This rumor is corroborated by a March report from 9to5Mac. Reports showed sluggish sales of the iPhone 12 Mini, so it'll be no surprise should Apple retire the small phone in 2022.
Although the size of the next iPhone is expected to stay the same, the display bezels for the Pro Max are rumored to be 20 percent smaller compared to previous iPhone generations, according to CAD renders shared by Twitter leaker ShrimpApplePro. This means the screen would be slightly larger. However, it's important to note that this rumor should be taken with a grain of salt since ShrimpApplePro doesn't have an extensive track record to support their speculations.
Rumored iPhone 14 screen sizes
| iPhone 14 | 6.1 inches |
|---|---|
| iPhone 14 Pro | 6.1 inches |
| iPhone 14 Max | 6.7 inches |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | 6.7 inches |
Release date: When will the iPhone 14 go on sale?
Apple has set its next launch event for Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST). The new iPhone is expected to make its debut at this event, possibly alongside Apple Watch Series 8.
Although we now know the probable launch date for the iPhone 14, its release date has yet to be confirmed. But like other aspects of the new iPhone, rumors can provide a few hints. A recent Bloomberg report suggests that the new iPhone will go on sale Sept. 16.
Apple holds its annual fall iPhone event in September almost every year, with the phones being released shortly thereafter, usually the Friday of the following week. 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 tends to hold its events on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Apple's iPhone 13 event was held on Tuesday, Sept. 14, and this year's event is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 7.
- 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. Although our hypothesis was a week off for 2021, this year it aligns with the date of Apple's scheduled launch event.
Read more: We Can't Wait For These Upcoming Phones
iPhone 14 price: How much will Apple's 2022 iPhone cost?
Apple didn't make any major price changes between 2020's iPhone 12 and 2021's iPhone 13. But with bigger changes expected to be on the way for the iPhone 14, it's reasonable to believe that Apple may raise prices in 2022.
The new iPhone may see a $100 price increase, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. "Prices have been increasing across the whole supply chain, and Cupertino needs to pass these costs to the consumer on this release," Ives told The Sun. Kuo also estimates that Apple may increase the price for its new iPhone.
However, other rumors suggest that the iPhone 14 will share the same price as last year's model, or will be even cheaper. A Korean leaker who goes by the handle yeux1122 suggests Apple plans to "freeze" the price of the base model of the iPhone 14.
For reference, here's how much each version of the iPhone 13 lineup cost at launch.
iPhone 13 pricing
| | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 13 Mini | $699 | $799 | $999 | N/A |
| iPhone 13 | $799 | $899 | $1,099 | N/A |
| iPhone 13 Pro | $999 | $1,099 | $1,299 | $1,499 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,399 | $1,599 |
Camera rumors: A better front-facing camera and more for the iPhone 14?
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 mode, ProRes 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 ProsserRead more: Every iPhone 14 Feature I Want to See at Apple's Next Event
Design rumors: iPhone 14 might be notchless... or will it?
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 2021 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
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