Update: iPhone 14 Pro renders just revealed a stunning notch-free design.
We’ve long been expecting there to be no iPhone 14 mini, with Apple reportedly streamlining the range in the face of lackluster sales. Instead, word has been that the iPhone 14 will come in just two sizes — 6.1-inches of 6.7-inches — whether you want a standard model or an enhanced Pro handset, and now we’ve got some hard evidence to back up the rumors.
Sourced from the Chinese social networking site Weibo, and shared by MacRumors, the picture appears to show design molds sent to third-party case makers to ensure they can build accessories in time for the iPhone 14’s anticipated September release date.
For our purposes, however, it shows everything you need to know about the general look of the phone, with the Pro model maintaining three camera lenses in a triangle formation, and the regular handset making do with just the two.
To back this up further, another Weibo user by the name of Cosmic Ultra Machine, has shared some raw schematics of the handsets which show much the same thing.
What neither shows us, of course, is the front of the phone, where we’re expecting the long-awaited death of the notch — at least for the Pro versions.
RIP iPhone mini
Anybody who was expecting an iPhone 14 mini hasn’t been paying attention to the dire sales figures.
Despite reviewing well and comfortably being the best small phone you can buy, iPhone buyers weren’t convinced, opting for the cheaper SE, the more expensive iPhone 13 or splurging on a Pro model. It was reported that Apple only persisted with the iPhone 13 mini because the company was too far along the design road to back off, despite the weak sales figures of its predecessor.
While that’s disappointing for those with small hands or limited pocket space, doing this is very sensible if, as analysts believe, the market really has decided that bigger is better.
Previously, if you wanted an iOS handset but wanted a big screen, the only option was to break four figures with the $1,099+ iPhone 13 Pro Max. Opening up the ‘Max’ size with the regular, cheaper iPhone 14 is pretty sensible, and the iPhone 14 Max could actually make Samsung and Google nervous if the rumored $899 price is true.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro
The risk there is that Apple may lose the ability to upsell without the large screen being a Pro-only feature, but it appears the company has plenty of differences in store. As you'll see in our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro preview, one rumor reports that only the iPhone 14 Pro range will benefit with a new A16 processor, with the regular models set to persist with the A15 chip that powers last year’s handsets.
In addition, the iPhone 14 Pro series is tipped to get a sharper 48MP camera that's capable of shooting 8K video, as well as possible USB-C charging. Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will reportedly ditch the notch in favor of a punch hole and pill-shaped cutout, which should let you see more of the display.
The downside to going Pro is that the rumored iPhone 14 prices point to a $100 price hike for the two models, so you the iPhone 14 Pro could go for $1,099 and the Pro Max $1,199.
There's plenty of time to go before the new iPhones launch this fall, so be sure to bookmark our iPhone 14 hub and iPhone 14 Pro hub for all the latest rumors and leaks.
