Although the new iPhone 14 promises plenty of upgrades — including a new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max to replace the mini — all eyes seem to be on the iPhone 14 Pro series this year. And that's because the early reports and rumors point to lots of key differences between the regular and Pro models.
In fact, if you look at our early iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro comparison that breaks down all the leaks so far, we could be looking at the biggest gap in features and power ever when it comes to the two different batches of new iPhones.
We're talking about everything from cameras and design to charging, displays and overall performance. Here's the biggest iPhone 14 Pro rumored upgrades so far. (Oh, and speaking of iPhones, Apple WWDC 2022 finally has a date, and we've got all the details on the annual event where the new iOS will be revealed)
iPhone 14 Pro: no notch (finally)
Apple has used the same general design for the front of the iPhone since the iPhone X way back in 2017. And while the notch has served its purpose well — housing both the front camera and all the tech used for Face ID — it looks like the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will break from the past.
Multiple reports suggest that the iPhone 14 Pro series will ditch the notch in favor of two smaller cutouts on the front of the display. There would be a punch hole for the selfie camera and a pill-shaped cutout for the TrueDepth sensor. It's possible that this design could prove even more distracting than the singular notch, but the renders that we've seen don't make it seem that intrusive.
iPhone 14 Pro tipped for 48MP camera
Despite sticking with a main 12MP camera for ages, Apple continues to make the best camera phones around. And that's because it has continued to enlarge and improve the sensors behind these cameras while also enhancing its computational photography.
Still, Pro-level users prefer more resolution to work with, especially when it comes to cropping photos after the fact. And they could very well get their wish if the reports around a 48MP wide camera prove true for the iPhone 14 Pro series prove accurate. A 48MP camera on the iPhone 14 Pro could also use pixel binning to resolve high-megapixel shots to 12MP pics for easier sharing.
In addition, opting for a sharper 48MP main camera could also allow Apple to jump up to 8K video recording, something Samsung already does with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Meanwhile, we continue to expect only the iPhone 14 Pros to offer a telephoto lens, though we don't know if the optical zoom will be limited to 3x once more.
USB-C for iPhone 14 Pro
At least one leaker has claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro series will be getting USB-C connectivity. So at least for the Pro line, Lightning connectors would go away, which saddles the iPhone 13 and previous iPhones with slower charging. Plus, Lightning connectors are simply not as reliable and long-lasting as USB-C cables.
This move by Apple reportedly isn't about adopting a more modern standard but enabling higher transfer speeds for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. After all, if the iPhone 14 Pro series is going to pack a 48MP camera and possibly support 8K video and ProRes video, USB-C would help transfer files more quickly to a powerful MacBook Pro 14-inch or MacBook Pro 16-inch.
iPhone 14 Pro: A16 power and better RAM
We're hearing conflicting things around the iPhone 14 Pro's specs, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the new A16 Bionic chip may be reserved for the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The regular iPhone 14 lineup would get the same A15 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 13 series.
In addition, Kuo says that all four iPhone 14 models will get 6GB of RAM, which would be a boost from the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. However, while the base models would use LPDDR 4X RAM, the Pro models will allegedly feature faster and more efficient LPDDR 5 RAM.
iPhone 14 Pro: 120Hz display exclusive again
A 120Hz ProMotion display for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is a lock since it would just carry over from the iPhone 13 Pro line. Meanwhile, the regular iPhone 14 is tipped to feature a new 90Hz refresh rate, up from 60Hz.
So the iPhone 14 Pro series will presumably still offer the smoothest scrolling and overall performance. And by the time the iPhone 14 series launches, we would expect many more games and apps to be optimized for a 120Hz experience by developers.
Bottom line
It makes sense for the iPhone 14 series to get the most advanced upgrades, especially since they should continue to demand a premium. If we assume the regular iPhone 14 will start at $799, jumping up $200 to the Pro has to be worth it. And if there is a $899 iPhone 14 Max, the $1,099 iPhone 14 Pro Max will also have to justify its higher price tag.
All of the above leaked upgrades should do just that, but we'll have to see which rumors actually pan out.
