Apple iPhone 14 Plus review: It’s an iPhone, but bigger

The iPhone 14 Plus, which has a starting price of $899, effectively bridges the gap between the basic iPhone 14 and the more expensive Pro Line.

Apple often has one or two surprises in store for its product portfolio, and the iPhone 14 Plus is one of those twists for 2022. That’s because Apple has finally produced a more cost-effective big-screen choice starting at $899 for anyone who doesn’t need or want to spend $1,099 for an iPhone 14 Pro Max, rather than continuing to produce a miniaturized version of the standard iPhone.

Having saying that, we’ve already given the stock iPhone 14 a thorough examination. Hence, rather than recapping what is essentially the same phone with a larger display, our review will concentrate on the most crucial features as well as what is unique about this year’s new Plus model.

The basics

The iPhone 14 Plus has the same size as the Pro Max and has a 6.7-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2778 x 1284. Nevertheless, it has a much lighter shell (203 grimes vs 240 grams). The iPhone 14 Pro, despite having a much smaller screen, weighs somewhat more (206 grimes) than the 14 Plus due to features like its triple back cameras and strong stainless steel chassis.

The core features of the iPhone 14 Plus are identical to those of the regular iPhone 14. Compared to the Pro line, you get a wider range of colors (blue, purple, midnight, starlight, and red), but you give up some more cutting-edge features like Apple’s Dynamic Island, the new A16 Bionic chip, or a dedicated telephoto camera. Instead, you receive a new 12MP True Depth selfie camera up front, an A15 Bionic processor (the same as last year’s models), and simply two back cameras (including the 12MP primary sensor from the iPhone 13 Pro).

Although it still feels high-end, the phone is more than capable of handling any task you can throw at it. Also, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus include a new mid-frame that makes it simpler to replace the front and back glass panels in the event of an accident, which is great news for anyone with butterfingered fingers.

But remember not to attempt to transfer your old phone’s actual SIM card, as the Plus, like the rest of the iPhone 14 series, only supports Sims. Since Apple has long supported Sims on its phones, this change shouldn’t make too much of a stir. For those who haven’t switched, just keep in mind to leave enough time to get in touch with your carrier and get your physical card turned into a virtual one.

Display

The ability to fit a larger screen is the iPhone 14 Plus’s most obvious benefit, and using it over the period of approximately a week has been a treat. Apple claims that the maximum brightness when showing HDR video can reach 1,200 nits. Conversely, I discovered that our review device actually exceeded its stated average brightness of 800 nits, achieving just short of 825 nits using a light meter. Also, you get excellent contrast and vibrant colors because it is an OLED panel.

Sincerely, every now and then I’m pleasantly amazed by how light a phone with a screen this large and colorful is. Compared to the Pro Max or other big-screen phones, the weight decrease makes it slightly more comfortable to carry when watching movies. The only drawback to it is that, since the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus still employ 60Hz panels, display experts may more readily detect that quick action or UI animations don’t appear as fluid as they would on an iPhone or iPad with a 120Hz Pro Motion screen.

Battery life

The battery life of the iPhone 14 Plus over the basic device is the other significant improvement. The iPhone 14 Plus is among the few smartphones that, in my experience, genuinely live up to the claims made by many manufacturers that they can create devices that can survive for several days. I completed the day with more than 45 percent energy left, even after going through the regular setup, running a number of benchmarks, viewing a number of YouTube videos, and playing a number of levels of Kusto’s endearing tactics game, Desta. That meant that even with moderate use, I would not need to worry about recharging until the next night when I went to bed.

Although I use Android predominantly, I also want to praise the fantastic standby times that iPhones offer. I’m used to smartphones losing three to five percent of their battery over night, but the iPhone 14 Plus is only expected to lose one or two percent. That may not seem like much, but it demonstrates just how effective Apple’s smartphones are. The iPhone 14 Plus also outlasted all other phones this year in our typical video rundown test, lasting a massive 21 hours, 17 minutes, only below the OnePlus 10T’s record of 22:59.

Cameras

The iPhone 14 Plus only features two rear cameras, as opposed to the Pro line’s three: a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide with a 120-degree field of view. The iPhone took pictures during the day that had vivid, bold colors and a tone of detail, so there isn’t much space for criticism. If I’m being picky, I did notice that the iPhone 14 Plus occasionally overexposed some images when compared to the Pixel 6 Pro, which led to a little bit more washed-out colors and a littleness dynamic range.

In contrast, the iPhone 14 Plus performed nearly as well in low light as the Pixel 6 Pro’s Night Sight function, taking vivid shots with good detail. Grogu (baby Yoda) was photographed at night by an iPhone 14 Plus, which also captured a gorgeous golden glow from adjacent lights. Sadly, the Pixel 6 Pro image shows that the effect was overdone as it appears more balanced and has significantly finer details on Grogu’s robe and the plants in the background.

The Photonic Engine, though, is what I believe has made the most improvement to the iPhone 14 Plus’s overall photo experience. There is less delay between shots because low light photo processing is up to 2.5 times faster, but more crucially, there is also a lower possibility that you’ll skip out on capturing that special moment.

iPhone 14 Plus camera samples

The 12MP front-facing camera in the iPhone 14 benefits from Apple’s upgraded camera technology. That’s because you can take crisper selfies with a lot less effort now that there is a genuine focusing mechanism (instead of a fixed focus distance like on many other phones). This makes it much simpler for someone like me to take a good-looking selfie when I do, as opposed to Cherlyn Low, our resident selfie queen, who has a tried-and-true selfie-taking position.

Wrap-up

Now I realize that the introduction of a slightly larger basic iPhone to the lineup won’t significantly alter the situation. Yet the launch of the iPhone 14 Plus truly broadens the lineup. Before, the Pro Max model, which costs more than $1,000, was the only option if you wanted an iPhone with a large screen. Nevertheless, you can obtain the same screen size with the 14 Plus without having to pay for ostentatious features you might not need or want. You practically never have to worry about having sweaty hands because its heat management is even better than the basic model.

I’m still a little disappointed that the Mini line appears to have been discontinued in order to make room for the Plus, as the iPhone family would then have a genuinely fantastic range of sizes and prices. I should also mention that Google’s Pixel 6 Pro has a screen that is comparable in size and a dedicated telephoto lens for the same cost (and soon, the Pixel 7 Pro, probably). Yet I am aware that it is useless to ask devoted Apple consumers to switch operating systems. So, the 14 Plus is your new champion if you’re an iPhone fan who merely wants a familiar gadget with a larger screen and excellent battery life.