iPhone 14 leak suggests we may have it all wrong about the price
iPhone prices could head in a 'completely different direction than expected.'
More potential iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro details are leaking as we approach their likely reveal date, and we just got a big new batch from yeux1122 on Korean site Naver.
The poster cites a developer source in the U.S. who is apparently lucky enough to have their hands on a finished mass-production iPhone 14, but the most tantalizing detail from this leak is not about the iPhone 14 range's hardware, but rather its pricing.
According to yeux1122, the iPhone 14 price could go in a "completely different direction than expected," which — if true of course — has interesting implications for other rumors. We've heard several times, for instance, that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will get a $100 price increase, but perhaps this won't happen after all. Equally, yeux1122 could be referring to a price drop for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, which would make the entry-point models more accessible if the Pro models are too expensive for some users' budgets.
Going further into the leaks' details, the source claims the new Apple A16 chip performance isn't as impressive as early benchmarks indicated, although it's still scoring better than last year's A15 chip. Plus, it can supposedly deal with heat better than the previous model, which should make for improved sustained performance. Other leaks have claimed this chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models, with the standard iPhone 14 versions getting the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13 family.
yeux1122's source also mentions 30W wired fast charging, one of the latest iPhone 14 rumors to break. Although there's apparently going to be no change to the max 15W speed of wireless MagSafe charging, a jump to 30W would be a nice speed boost for most iPhone users. However, with Apple no longer supplying chargers with its iPhones, you'll have to find a compatible charger yourself, if this rumor turns out to be accurate.
Speaking of MagSafe, the power of the magnetic circle built into the back of the iPhone 14 has apparently increased in strength. A new MagSafe battery accessory is reportedly being introduced, too, perhaps building on the current Apple MagSafe Battery Pack.
This new charging tech would pair nicely with the "very small" battery size increase yeux1122 also mentions. Going by previous battery leaks, though, we may see a size decrease for the iPhone 14 Pro Max compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. That said, the Pro Max is already high up on our best phone battery life list, so perhaps Apple can afford to shave off a few mAh without impacting its performance.
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Other assorted details from the leak are that the base storage for the iPhone 14 series will be 128GB, not 256GB in the Pro models as one rumor claimed. Also, an iPhone 14 with a titanium body, like more expensive Apple Watch 7 models, was prototyped as old rumors claimed, but it was too expensive and tricky to make for Apple to make as a mass-production device. Sounds like we'll be sticking with normal aluminum iPhones and stainless steel Pro iPhones for this year again.
The last thing we can take away from this leak concerns the alleged iPhone 14 colors. According to yeux1122's source, those will be green, purple, blue, black, white and red for regular iPhone 14 models, and green, purple, silver, gold and graphite for the Pros.
Obviously we can't speak for the accuracy of any of the above claims, but many of them tally with what we've heard elsewhere. The price claim is the most surprising, but we shouldn't have to wait long to find out if it's true. That's because we're just a week out from the Apple event on September 7, and it feels like a given that this is where Apple's going to announce its new iPhones.
Make sure you're ready for the reveal by checking in on our iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro hubs regularly for all the latest rumors and leaks.
NEXT: We just got a last-minute iPhone 14 Pro design shock.
Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.