Apple’s yearly iPhone launch is the biggest date in the company’s calendar, and expectations are high for the iPhone 14 in the fall of 2022.

In this article we round up the latest leaks and rumors concerning Apple’s next flagship iPhone launch, including the iPhone 14’s release date, tech specs, design changes, new features, pricing and more. The latest news is that all iPhone 14 models are expected to get an upgraded front camera with autofocus and an f/1.9 aperture, while a controversial hole + pill design is set to replace the notch on the Pro models and the handset could gain an always-on display. Pro models will further differentiate themselves with a 48-megapixel rear camera and A16 processor.

While we wait for the new phones to arrive, you can pick up a bargain on the current range with our roundup of the best iPhone deals.

iPhone 14 release date: When will the next iPhone launch?

The iPhone 14 will almost certainly launch at Apple’s Far Out event on September 7.

We expect that following the announcement Apple the iPhone 14 series will go up for pre-sale on Friday, September 9.

The phones are then likely to ship from Friday, September 16. However, it is possible that Apple will delay the release of the Pro handsets, as has happened in the past.

New iPhone names & sizes: Plus, Pro and Max

It will come as no surprise that the new iPhone will be called the iPhone 14, but the range of names does look set to change.

Reports suggest that there will be changes to the usual line up. All the signs suggest that the 5.4-inch iPhone mini line is going to be discontinued: Ming-Chi Kuo, for example, has predicted that Apple will kill off the mini to introduce the Max in 2022.

Not everyone will be glad to see the back of the mini form factor, as we explain in our article about why we mourn the iPhone mini. It’s likely that some customers will choose not to upgrade this year because of the lack of a mini model; Jason Snell is one of them. But after reportedly disappointing sales of the 12 mini and 13 mini, Apple must have calculated that their numbers will be sufficiently small that it makes sense to change to the new size strategy.

In place of the discontinued iPhone mini will be a new larger version of the standard iPhone 14, according to reports. This means we’ll still get four models, but instead of these being split into one small, two medium and one large, it will be two medium and two large.

In other words, this lineup:

• iPhone 13 mini (with a 5.4-inch screen)
• iPhone 13 (6.1-inch screen)
• iPhone 13 Pro (6.1-inch screen)
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (6.7-inch screen)

will be replaced by this one:

• iPhone 14 (6.1-inch screen)
• iPhone 14 Plus (6.7-inch screen)
• iPhone 14 Pro (6.1-inch screen)
• iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7-inch screen)

Leaked images of case molds–used to design iPhone cases of the correct dimensions–illustrate these long-rumored size changes. Knowledgable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman supports this theory, adding that Apple “will have to get more dramatic with [2022]’s overhaul, especially as competition mounts.”

While most pundits have been united in their expectation that a larger version of the standard iPhone 14 will launch, there has been some uncertainty about what it will be called. Early on the reports referred to this new model as an iPhone 14 Max, but a report in August 2022 suggested the–more likely we think–name iPhone 14 Plus. This will be the first Plus handset from Apple in five years (the iPhone 8 Plus launched in 2017). Using the Plus name does make more sense and should lead to less confusion (with Max usually beating Pro in Apple’s naming conventions).

This new iPhone 14 Plus isn’t the only iPhone that will be bigger. A leak in August 2022 claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro is “thick” and the Pro Max feels “like a brick,” perhaps owing to the bigger camera system and in support of a larger battery.

In fact all the iPhones could get slightly bigger screens, thanks to slimmer bezels. Slimmer bezels around the screen mean the Pro iPhones will gain a fraction of an inch in diagonal measurement, according to the reliable display analyst Ross Young.

iPhone 13 Pro – 6.06″

iPhone 14 Pro – 6.12″

iPhone 13 Pro Max – 6.68″

iPhone 14 Pro Max – 6.69″

Differences due to pill + hole replacing the notch and narrower bezels.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) May 10, 2022

You read that right: the Pro Max model is gaining precisely one hundredth of an inch of diagonal screen size. Needless to say, these microscopic changes in screen dimension are unlikely to be proclaimed in Apple’s marketing materials, which will continue to round to the nearest tenth of an inch.

Phone 14 price: How much will the the new iPhones cost?

Over the years there hasn’t really been a huge difference in price between the different iPhone generations. The iPhone X cost $999 when it launched in 2017 and the iPhone 13 Pro costs the same $999 five years later. Similarly, the iPhone XS Max cost $1,099 when it arrived in 2018 and Apple hasn’t increased the price of that model either despite adding a bigger screen and extra camera. But this year, rumors say the iPhone 14 Pro models are going to jump by $100 across the board, meaning the Pro will start at $1,099 and the Pro Max at $1,199. We imagine that outside the US the prices will be even higher (following the launch of the MacBooks earlier in 2022 prices in the UK and other countries increased despite falling or not changing in the US).

In January 2022 that Apple “is currently considering” bumping the prices of the Pro iPhones by $100 apiece, pushing the iPhone 14 Pro to $1,099 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max to $1,199. The account cites increasing production costs and the need to provide more than a $100 difference between the 14 Max and the 14 Pro. A report in June also claimed Apple will up the price of the Pro models by $100 in 2022, with the iPhone 14 Pro could start at $1,099 and the Pro Max starting at $1,199. With the expected removal of the mini model, the low-end model will likely start at $799, while the iPhone 14 Max model will slide in at $899.

14: $799

14 Max: $899

14 Pro: $1099

14 Pro Max: $1199

Apple is currently considering this.

Production costs are increasing and there has to be more than a $100 difference between the 14 Max and the 14 Pro.

Makes sense to me and wouldn’t expect changes.

Will keep you updated.

— LeaksApplePro (@LeaksApplePro) January 9, 2022

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that iPhone ASP (that’s average sale price) is expected to rise by 15% in the iPhone 14 generation. The removal of the $700 “mini” variant, replaced by a $900+ “iPhone 14 Plus” model, would account for a large portion of this. It is also estimated that the Pro models, which cost more, could be big sellers this year, which raises the ASP.

However, at a time when people are tightening purse strings and anticipating recession this may mean that iPhone sales are a little more subdued in 2022-2023. Perhaps to combat this, Apple is said to be preparing to unveil an iPhone subscription service which will see it bundle new hardware with its other services such as Apple TV and iCloud.

While we’re on the subject of sales, there have been reports of Apple “cutting orders” for the iPhone 14, which some have taken as an indication of soft demand. But as the Macalope explains, that doesn’t make a lot of sense: the demand is anticipated to be as high as ever, but there seems to be supply-chain disruption. There might not be quite enough iPhone 14 handsets to go around when the launch is announced, but that’s nothing new for Apple.

As well as the starting price for the iPhone 14 being higher than the iPhone 13 mini was, it’s possible that Apple will reduce the line up of older models. The company currently sells the following handsets:

• iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max – to be replaced by 14 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 13 – to be replaced by 14 and 14 Plus
• iPhone SE 2
• iPhone 12 – could be discontinued
• iPhone 11 – could be discontinued

The iPhone 14 is said to use the same processor and not add any new features compared to the iPhone 13, so it is possible that the iPhone 13 will not remain in the line up.

Read our iPhone buying guide for help deciding which iPhone is right for you.

iPhone 14 design: What will the new iPhone look like?

What will the iPhone look like in 2022? We expect significant design changes, at least for the Pro models. Here are the latest rumors concerning the iPhone 14’s external appearance and physical chassis.

A bigger camera bump, and slightly thicker body

We discuss the camera in more detail below, but there is one design feature coming to the 14 Pro and Pro Max that is entirely related to the camera: a much bigger bump.

A series of photos on Twitter compared an iPhone 14 Pro mock device with an iPhone 13 Pro. The shots really make it clear just how much further the camera bump will protrude from the back of the iPhone 14 Pro–likely necessary to house the new 48-megapixel wide camera, if other rumors are to be believed. If you look closely, it appears the body itself is just slightly thicker as well. This could be good news for those hoping for better battery life–thicker phones usually means bigger batteries.

Of course, this isn’t an official iPhone 14 Pro, just a dummy “mock” device built from leaked specifications.

No notch: Meet the “hole + pill” camera cutout

The iPhone 13 range saw a small decrease in the size of the infamous notch on the front display. But in 2022 it’s set to be replaced by something different, at least on the Pro models.

Instead of a notch cut out of the top of the screen, we now understand that the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max will have a pair of smaller apertures for the front-facing camera and other sensors: both a pinhole camera and a notch, as we first heard back in October. Here’s what that might look like, based on an image showcasing the “hole + pill” design that was posted on Chinese social media in February 2022:

Another leak in May gave us another glimpse of the twin-hole design, and a direct comparison between the pilled-up Pro models and their notch-based equivalents. In this image (sourced from Weibo, via Twitter), we can clearly see the slight difference in bezel thickness which will mean more screen space on the costlier models.

In August, images surfaced that show the two holes connected by a black bar, suggesting that Apple may eliminate the space between them. That would make the iPhone 14 more notch-like and symmetrical, but we don’t know for sure yet if that’s the final design for the iPhone 14 Prios display.

The changes to the notch will at least spruce up the design for the Pro models, but, while notch-haters will probably appreciate the new look, the iconic notch might turn out to be a reason to choose the iPhone 14 over the iPhone 14 Pro.

New color options for the iPhone 14 & 14 Pro

Every year when Apple introduces a new iPhone it changes the color variants somewhat. There is also a clear distinction between the colors of the Pro and non-Pro iPhones, with the Pro models usually being more metallic. Here’s what the color options have been for the past few years:

• 2021 iPhone 13 & mini: green, pink, blue, Midnight, Starlight, red
• 2021 iPhone 13 Pro & Max: Alpine Green, Silver, Gold, Graphite, Sierra Blue
• 2020 iPhone 12 & mini: purple, blue, green, black, white, red
• 2020 iPhone 12 Pro & Max: Pacific Blue, Silver, Gold, Graphite
• 2019 iPhone 11: purple, yellow, green, black, white, red
• 2019 iPhone 11 Pro Max: Midnight Blue, Silver, Gold, Space Gray

Each year the team at Apple comes up with new colors and new names for those colors. In the past the company has said that it takes inspiration from the colors that are deemed fashionable that season. The appear to be bold shades of orange, red, pink, yellow and green, so perhaps this seasons crop of Apple phones will be bold and brightly colored.

This year there are rumors that the iPhone 14 Pro will be coming in a deep purple shade (much darker than that of the 12). Dark blue is also rumored as a new Pro color. It’s also said that the iPhone 14 Pro will come in a new color that will have an iridescent sheen that changes its hue depending on the light.

iPhone 14 specs: What features will the next iPhone have?

One of the tech community’s favorite games is working out what improvements and innovations Apple will come up with each year for its new iPhones.

Apple tests many new technologies, but whether they make it into the iPhone or not has to do with a complicated web of technical feasibility, cost, availability of parts from suppliers, and more. Here are the strongest clues we have about the features and spec upgrades you may see in the iPhone 14.

Always-on display

One recurrent rumor is that Apple is planning to give the iPhone an always-on display. Rather than turning off completely when you press the power button or leave the device idle for a few minutes, the screen would remain lit at all times, albeit–assuming Apple follows the same system it uses on the Apple Watch Series 5 and later–with a dimmer, simplified interface to preserve battery life.

This is an old perennial rumor, but it became particularly popular in 2021, when the feature was heavily rumored to appear on the iPhone 13. Although it failed to materialize that year, some pundits believe it has been delayed rather than abandoned, and that it could yet make an appearance this year.

So far, so vague. But things got more concrete at the end of May 2022, when knowledgeable leaker Mark Gurman nailed his colors to the mast with a specific prediction: iOS 16 includes a revamped, customizable lock screen with widgets, perfect for an always-on display. This change will not be available retrospectively to existing iPhones, Gurman says, but will be restricted to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max only.

For more information about Apple’s plans for an always on display read: Will the iPhone get an always-on display?

Camera upgrades

Big changes are apparently coming to the iPhone’s camera in the iPhone 14. While the two lines are expected to retain the same setup—dual camera in the standard iPhone 14 and triple-camera in the iPhone 14 Pro—Apple is planning a big leap for the higher-end models. Leaked schematics show a massive camera bump on the Pro models, protruding 4.17mm from the back of the case for a total thickness of 12.02mm, about a milimeter thicker than the iPhone 13 Pro.

According to Kuo, Apple is said to be considering a 48MP sensor for the standard wide camera, which would combine the pixels’ light collection in a 2×2 grid when in a low-light situation (producing a 12MP photo). The camera would reportedly be capable of shooting 8K video, at least on the Pro models. Kuo also says the front camera will gain autofocus and a wider aperture (f/1.9 instead of f/2.2). A late leak claims the camera is amazing in bright light, but that Apple still has work to do for Night mode.

In April, a post on Weibo () claimed that the wide camera sensor will be 20 percent larger than ‌iPhone 13 Pro. Together with the 48MP lens, that likely means the iPhone 14 Pro will take extremely detailed images in bright light while still relying on night mode to capture low-light images.

While the Pro models were previously rumored to include a “periscope” lens with variable zoom, says that feature won’t arrive until the 2023 iPhone (presumably the iPhone 15).

A16 processor

Every new iPhone has a new A-series system-on-chip (SoC) but in the case of the iPhone 14 this may not be the case. Reports suggest that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are destined to get a new chip, but the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus may retain the A15 – recent rumors suggest only the Pro models will get the newest chip.

The A16, as it will likely be called, could be one of the first large-scale processor releases to use TSMC’s 3-nanometer manufacturing process, which should help improve performance, efficiency, and battery life. However, suggested Apple might stick with a 5nm process due to struggles with TSMC’s “cutting-edge manufacturing technique.”

You can read all about the new chip’s expected performance in our guide to the A16.

If the non-Pro models use the same A15 found in the iPhone 13 Pro models that would be a doubling-down of the strategy Apple introduced with the iPhone 13 generation, when the Pro models got a slightly different chip for the first time: their version of the A15 featured five rather than four GPU cores, and 6GB of RAM rather than 4GB. Nevertheless, it would be unprecedented for one of Apple’s new flagship iPhones to come with the previous year’s A-series chip.

This is likely to set a precedent for the future, too. Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that “The latest processor chip will be exclusive to iPhone high-end models in the future, so a high shipment proportion of iPhone high-end models will be the norm.” As he notes, this is all part of a strategy to push more customers into buying the more expensive Pro models.

Improved battery life

In June, a rumor from TheGalox on Twitter claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro will have a 3,200mAh battery (up from 3,095mAh in the iPhone 13 Pro) and the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a 4,323mah battery (down very slightly from the 4,352 mAh in the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro Max

– A16 Bionic

– 6.1 | 6.7 inch 120hz Amoled Display

– 48/12/12 cameras

– 128/256/512/1TB storage & 8gb ram

– 3,200 | 4,323mah battery

– Always On Display

– Face ID

– iOS 16

$1099 | $1199

— Anthony (@TheGalox_) June 28, 2022

Further reports have suggested that the iPhone 14 Pro might offer 1-2 hours more battery life than the predecessor (the iPhone 13 Pro offers up to 22 hours while the iPhone 13 Pro Max can among 28 hours).

On the subject of battery life, the Chinese-language site Economic Daily News believes the iPhone 14 will get a battery life boost thanks to improvements in 5G technology. The latest 5G components are smaller and more energy-efficient than the ones used in the previous generation of iPhones, freeing up space in the chassis and enabling Apple to fit in a larger battery.

Another battery related change: charging capabilities may improve. Right now you can charge at 20W, but 30W charging is apparently coming, which might save 10-15 minutes of charging time.

Apple is widely expected to upgrade the RAM allocation in its flagship iPhones, but there are two differing theories as to how it will do this.

Rumors from South Korea circulating in February 2022 suggested that Apple planned to bump the Pro and Pro Max handsets from 6GB of RAM in the 13-series generation to 8GB for the 14-series. The standard models, meanwhile, would jump from 4GB to 6GB.

A in June 2022, however, claimed that all four new models will have 6GB of RAM; the Pro models, rather than gaining any more RAM, will instead be upgraded to feature faster LPDDR5 (versus LPDDR4X in the iPhone 14). This faster-RAM theory was backed up by a in July 2022, and now appears to be the more likely to actually happen.

Up to 2TB of storage

Apple has only just broken the terabyte barrier, offering a cool 1TB as the top storage tier on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max for the first time ever. But optimistic rumormongers think Apple will blast past that milestone and double up again to 2TB in 2022.

This theory is based on early testing activity at supplier partners. But we’re not entirely convinced.

mmWave 5G

iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models sold in the US offer mmWave (or millimetre wave) 5G, but elsewhere this form isn’t available. For instance, users in the UK rely on the slower sub-6GHz version of 5G, which US users get in addition to mmWave.

That may change with the iPhone 14. We reported back before the launch of the iPhone 13 that Apple had made a large order for mmWave antenna, which suggested that the UK and other countries would get faster 5G with the iPhone 13. But in the end the technology was kept a US-only option.

In April 2021 the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that support for mmWave would be rolled out in far more countries as part of the launch of the iPhone 13 models. He mentioned Canada, Australia, Japan and “major European mobile operators,” which may include the UK. Maybe Kuo’s radar was slightly off, and mmWave will make its international debut in the iPhone 14 instead?

So, what’s the big deal with mmWave? Well, the theoretical maximum speed for mmWave is 1-2 gigabits per second, compared to the 100-400 megabits offered by Sub-6 GHz. However, Sub-6GHz offers a much longer range, which is to the benefit of users outside the big cities. We have a separate article where you can read about the 5G coverage problems faced by the iPhone in the UK.

We have a good idea, by the way, of the components Apple will use to provide this improved 5G connectivity, with the newly updated X65 expected to appear in the iPhone 14. This is interesting because it allows the use of mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G at the same time, and offers unprecedented speeds of up to 10Gb/s and even improved power efficiency.

Satellite connectivity

When Apple named its September 7 event ‘Far Out’ with a space-themed backdrop the speculation became rife that the company would make a space-related announcement. It is thought that this could relate to using satellites to place emergency phone calls. The service could be used for those times when you can’t connect to a network the iPhone 14 is rumoured to be able to use satellite connectivity to make emergency calls. This feature was actually rumored for the iPhone 13, but Apple didn’t have the deals in place with the carriers back then, according to analyst .

Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 6E is similar to Wi-Fi 6, which the last three generations of iPhone already support. But it adds compatibility with the 6Hz band, increasing bandwidth, improving speeds and reducing interference.

According to a July 2021 report from the Taiwanese site DigiTimes, the late-2021 iPhones were thought to feature support for the new Wi-Fi 6E wireless standard. But this didn’t happen, suggesting that it could be one of the new features in the iPhone 14 range–and in November 2021 Ming-Chi Kuo gave this theory his backing.

DigiTimes wasn’t the first site to predict Wi-Fi 6E in iPhones, with Barclays analysts forecasting the same upgrade back in January 2021.

The death of the Lightning port

The idea that Apple will ditch the Lightning port on the iPhone and feature no ports at all has been rumored since before the iPhone 12 was launched. In this concept, rather than rely on cables for charging, all power would be delivered wirelessly. This would instantly render many accessories and power banks redundant, but Apple has never been shy about making unpopular decisions in the past. That could yet become a reality, but not in the near future.

In the meantime, a more likely option is that Apple will ditch Lightning and replace it with USB-C, as it’s already done on most of its iPads. The EU has been on the warpath for a while about proprietary charging standards, and a draft law forcibly standardizing smartphone ports was rumored in August 2021. This came a step closer in September 2021, when the EU Commission presented a bill to unify charging cables. This could legally oblige Apple to produce a USB-C iPhone for sale in Europe–or to base all its new iPhones on USB-C so as to avoid the production inefficiency of making more than one design.

Sure enough, Ming-Chi Kuo has now gone on record with a prediction that Apple will indeed switch from Lightning to USB-C on its iPhone, although this won’t happen until 2023. That means the iPhone 14 will have an Lightning port, but it will be the last iPhone to do so.

Folding screens

An embryonic clamshell design currently known as the iPhone Flip is in development at Apple HQ. Prolific leaker Jon Prosser says it’s reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Flip, and will come in “fun colors.” But he also warns that it won’t launch in 2022, ruling out the iPhone 14.

The analysis company Omdia has also predicted that Apple will launch two foldable iPhone models in 2023. Our own Samuel Nyberg, however, thinks that Apple will not release a folding iPhone. Catch up on the latest rumors in our foldable iPhone news hub.

For a deeper dive into the future, read Samuel Nyberg’s analysis piece: The next 20 years of the iPhone.