The iPhone 14 is all set to be unveiled on September 7 at Apple’s Far Out event, and this promises to be the biggest iPhone launch in years.
We’re talking huge upgrades for the iPhone 14 Pro series, a rumored new iPhone 14 Max model to replace the mini and more. And the leaks are not stopping just because the Apple event is less than a week away.
Here’s five last-minute iPhone 14 rumors you need to know before Tim Cook takes the stage at the September 7 Apple event.
1. The iPhone 14 Pro price hike looks real
The iPhone 14 Pro promises a ton of upgrades, including a new 48MP camera, an always-on display, faster A16 Bionic chip, and ditching the notch in favor of a couple of cutouts. It could also start with 256GB of storage.
But you should be ready to pay more, as Wedbush analyst Dan Ives says Apple will charge $100 more for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. So you’d be looking at $1,100 to $1,200 for the new Pro iPhones. That’s new MacBook Air territory.
One leaker yeux1122on Korean site Naver claims that the iPhone 14 price could go in a "completely different direction than expected" but we don't know what they mean by that.
2. Phone 14 Pro hands-on photos and all the colors
As we get closer to any iPhone launch you’ll see alleged dummy units show up in the wild, and that’s exactly what has happened with the iPhone 14 Pro.
First, a leaker named Sleepy Afternoon posted a short hands-on video with an iPhone 14 Pro that shows a new purple color that shifts in the light. Other leaked colors include Silver, Graphite, Gold and Blue.
Ice Universe and other sources also show us how the death of the notch looks. It’s reportedly being replaced by a punch hole for the camera and pill-shaped cutout for Face ID tech. And the new cutout approach does seem to leave more screen real estate. But there's some news on the notch front...
3. iPhone 14 Pro notch replacement could be one pill-shaped cutout
Early iPhone 14 rumors said that the iPhone 14 Pro would have two cutouts towards the two of the display. But now the iPhone 14 Pro's rumored dual cutouts are reportedly being replaced by one long pill-shaped design. So you could argue that Apple is just moving the notch downward.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman backs up this rumor, posting the following on Twitter: "This is true. It looks like one wide pill shaped cutout. Having that separation would look odd during use."
It gets more interesting. According to 9to5Mac, this new pill shaped cutout hide a very handy feature. A “source with knowledge of Apple’s plans” says that the space between the two cutouts will house two privacy indicator lights: one for the microphone and one for the camera.
This is true. It looks like one wide pill shaped cutout. Having that separation would look odd during use. https://t.co/SrAtYQsENxAugust 31, 2022
4. iPhone 14 satellite connectivity could be happening
If you find yourself in an area without cellular coverage and need to send an emergency text, the new iPhones could let you do it with iPhone 14 support for satellite communication. The hardware side has already been tested reportedly, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple is in negotiations with operators to get a deal done.
Bonus rumor: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says satellite connectivity could be coming to the Apple Watch 8 Pro, too.
5. Ultrawide camera upgrade
The iPhone 14 Pro is already tipped for a big upgrade for its main camera, going from 12MP up to 48MP for the first time. The addition of the bigger sensor could also mean 8K video support for Apple's Pro phones.
Now a last-minute prediction from Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will upgrade the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max ultrawide camera with a larger sensor with bigger pixels. The pixel size on this updated sensor will reportedly be 1.4 micrometers, a nice boost from the iPhone 13 Pro's 1.0-micrometer pixels. This should allow the iPhone 14 Pros to capture more light, especially at night. And low-light photography is one area where Apple's cameras could stand to improve.
6. iPhone 14 Pro 30W charging boost
Twitter leaker DuanRui says that the iPhone 14 Pro series is getting a new 30W charger using Gallium nitride. The gist is that you’d get faster charging without having to worry about excess heat. The iPhone 13 series did 20W charging, which takes the phone from 51% capacity in 30 minutes — not terrible but in need of an upgrade to compete with some of the fastest charging phones
Apple already has a GaN charger in its lineup for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, so this improved charging rumor is definitely believable.
7. iPhone 14 Max is really the iPhone 14 Plus
We've heard this one before but now there seems to be confirmation from a Twitter user (via 9to5 Mac) that the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max will actually be called the iPhone 14 Plus.
The Twitter user named @Tommyboiiiiii posted images of what appear to be cases for the iPhone 14 Plus, so it could be legit.
Who said Plus? pic.twitter.com/O7GJAsKT8bAugust 31, 2022
8. iPhone 14 could ditch the physical SIM card slot?
Leaker Max Weinbach says that the iPhone 14 is going big on eSIMs or embedded SIMs. "Apple told carriers to be ready for iPhone 14 series to be eSIM only." He goes on to say that it's beyond him whether the phones will actually have a SIM card slot but certainly that's what this rumor implies.
Our guess is that Apple may offer eSIM-only models in certain regions, which was previously rumored, but we'll have to wait and see.
9. iPhone 14 Pro always-on display behavior tipped
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are both expected to feature always-on displays, and now MacRumors has revealed possible details on how it will work and look.
Apparently the iOS 16 Lock Screen will interact with the iPhone 14 Pro series' always-on display and integrate with notifications and the depth effect and colors of wallpapers. In addition, the status bar will move the cellular signal to the left and you'll get a full-width battery status bar.
10. iPhone 14 Pro battery boost looks locked-in
Well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has thrown his weight behind claims of boosted battery life for the iPhone 14 Pro models.
“Beyond the notch, I’m told to expect the iPhone 14 Pro models to appear slightly larger overall and include slimmer bezels,” Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter . “They will have bigger batteries too.”
However, the tech tipster makes no reference to the rumored increased battery capacities of the iPhone 14. But the standard next-gen iPhone and so-called iPhone 14 Max could gain a battery life boost with an improvement in software and operation efficiency.
iPhone 14 bottom line
The more rumors surface, the more we’re convinced that the iPhone 14 Pro will be miles better than the iPhone 14 this year. But maybe there are some upgrades for the regular iPhone that we just don’t know about yet.
Be sure to check out our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro preview comparison for all the biggest expected differences and stay tuned for our live coverage of the Apple event as we bring you all the big news straight from Apple Park.
