The 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus is finally in the hands of consumers. The larger iPhone 14 offers 5G connectivity, an improved front camera, and Emergency SOS via Satellite. The device does feature the same design as its predecessor along with the same A15 Bionic chip. However, according to the first batch of reviews published, it’s a worthy upgrade due to its larger screen and next-level battery life.
iPhone 14 Plus reviews are out!
Starting off strong, Sam Rutherford for Endgadget praises the display of the iPhone 14 Plus. Rutherford says that the 6.7-inch display can reach up to a brightness of 825 nits while offering stunning colors and impressive contrast. The reviewer also notes that the iPhone 14 Plus is lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max (203 grams vs 240 grams), which is great news for users who may find using the 14 Pro Max to be uncomfortable for long periods of time.
The most obvious advantage of the iPhone 14 Plus’ increased dimensions is its ability to fit a bigger screen, and over the course of about a week, using it has been a delight. When displaying HDR content, Apple says peak brightness can go as high as 1,200 nits. Meanwhile, using a light meter, I found that our review unit actually exceeded its claimed typical brightness of 800 nits, hitting just shy of 825 nits. And because it’s an OLED panel, you get superb contrast and bright colors.
Honestly, every now and then I find myself pleasantly surprised that a phone with a screen this big and vibrant is as light as it is. That weight reduction makes it just a little bit easier to hold than the Pro Max or similar big-screen phones while watching movies.
This year’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus come equipped with the same A15 Bionic chip that was used in last year’s iPhone 13 lineup. But, the models do feature 6GB of RAM resulting in smoother performance. Mashable’s Stan Schroeder says that in day-to-day use, the iPhone 14 Plus is fast. This isn’t entirely shocking considering that the A15 Bionic chip is only a year old.
Inside, the chip powering the iPhone 14 Plus is almost the same as last year’s Apple 15 Bionic, with an additional fifth graphics core. Apple doesn’t say this, but the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus come with 6GB of RAM memory, as compared to iPhone 13’s 4GB. It’s a sizeable upgrade.
In actual usage, though, I felt no difference between the iPhone 14 Plus and the last year’s iPhone 13. Both phones are fast.
Now, let’s talk about battery life. In every iPhone 14 Plus review, there is a consensus about how the device offers stellar battery life. It even beats the iPhone 14 Pro Max in this area. Allison Johnson for The Verge says that the 14 Plus offers more than the “all-day battery life,” Apple promises for the device.
Apple’s claim of the “best battery life in an iPhone” isn’t an exaggeration. Typically, a day of moderate use with about two hours of screen-on time and plenty of time away from Wi-Fi only drained the battery by about 25 percent in my experience. I even managed to get three days of use on a single charge. Reader, I can’t remember the last time I used an iPhone that comfortably made it through multiple days of use.
Not everyone should expect multiday performance. With heavier use like extended periods of gaming or video streaming, two days feels more reasonable, and that might mean pushing into the single digits by the end of day two. My two hours of screen-on time isn’t a whole lot, but I didn’t take it easy on the 14 Plus by any means. Throughout each day, I used some navigation, connected to 5G rather than Wi-Fi as often as I could, and recorded some short video clips. And at the end of every day, I felt like I should have pushed the phone’s remaining battery percentage much lower than I had. Color me impressed.
Next up, we have the front-facing camera. Apple bumped up the megapixels for the front-facing camera across all four iPhone 14 models this year. The difference, 12MP up from 7MP, results in sharper images since the new camera is coupled with an autofocus system. Rutherford says:
Apple’s improved camera experience carries over to the iPhone 14’s 12MP front-facing camera as well. That’s because thanks to the addition of a true autofocus system (instead of a fixed focus distance like on a lot of other phones), you can take sharper selfies with way less effort.
On the topic of cameras, CNBC’s Sofia Pitt says that the rear-end camera system on the iPhone 14 Plus is solid. Obviously, users will not get a telephoto lens or the bigger sensors that are on this year’s iPhone 14 Pro, but the 14 Plus still takes impressive images. Pitt notes that the low-light performance of the smartphone works particularly well, resulting in clearer and brighter photos at night.
The cameras are also solid. While you don’t get the telephoto or really sharp main cameras that you’ll find on the iPhone 14 Pro models, you still get an improved 12-megapixel main camera that took good pictures, including clearer and brighter photos at night when there weren’t a lot of lights.
To summarize, TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff says that while the iPhone 14 Plus is not an attractive upgrade for iPhone 13 owners, the device should not be written off. The 14 Plus offers a big screen, excellent performance, and next-level battery life at a cheaper price than the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
While it can be difficult to avoid fixating on what the iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t have, we think many will look at what the iPhone 14 Plus brings to the table: big-screen iPhone fun, performance, and battery life at a more affordable price than the equivalent Pro. And where the iPhone 14 offers no compelling reason to upgrade from the iPhone 13, the appeal of the iPhone 14 Plus is visibly obvious.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the iPhone 14 Plus shares a ton of similarities with last year’s iPhone 13. However, if a larger display, lighter weight, and multi-day battery life are features you would enjoy, the 14 Plus is a solid option and an approved upgrade from numerous reviewers.
iJustine’s first impressions:
CNET’s review:
The Tech Chap’s review:
