iPhone 14 leaked release date, price, design and all you need to know

The iPhone 14 might be the smallest upgrade we’ve seen Apple introduce in a long time – but there have still been a huge amount of changes that we’ve been tracking on the new models.

The basics: we’re expecting to see four new iPhones launch on September 7 and within that, there won’t be an iPhone 14 mini, replaced with the iPhone 14 Max. However, the main upgrades will be coming to he iPhone 14 Pro Max (and Pro), with far more power and features on their way.

The iPhone 14 leaks are now coming thick and fast, and from more reputable sources as we begin to close in on the launch date, which we’re now expecting to be September 16, giving only nine days from launch to on-sale, which is shorter than in previous years.

This article is designed to do one thing: allow you to get an instant hit of all the latest iPhone 14 leaks and rumors, so you can feel as confident as we are about what’s real and what’s not. And we’ve been at this a while, predicting and analyzing leaks on release dates, prospective prices and the most likely specs and changes since the very first iPhone emerged in 2007.

We also want to hear from you – get in touch over at @techradar on Twitter to let us know your thoughts!

Our handy guide will be updated multiple times a week in the lead up to the iPhone launch at the next Apple event that we’re expecting to happen in the middle of September, so bookmark it now if you’re interested in finding out what’s coming and whether you can get excited about the impending upgrades from Apple.

Latest iPhone 14 news

Aug 18: Respected journalist Mark Gurman has confidently predicted the iPhone 14 launch will be on Sept 7, and go on sale nine days later.

Aug 15: A leaker claims the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera could struggle in low light, but that the battery could be better this year.

Aug 14: Storage capacities in the iPhone 14 line might be broadly the same as in the iPhone 13 line according to a leak.

Aug 12: Apple is reportedly on track to build a whole lot of iPhone 14 units this year.

iPhone 14: what you need to know

iPhone 14 release date: This one looks pretty certain now: the iPhone 14 launch event will take place on September 7 and the phones will go on sale September 16.

iPhone 14 price: The iPhone 14 is strongly tipped to match the iPhone 13 starting price of $799 / £779 / AU$1,349, but the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will rise by $100, starting at $1099.

Design: The iPhone 14 non-Pro model looks very likely to match the iPhone 13, but the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max look likely to get a punch-hole camera instead of a notch. It’s looking almost certain that the iPhone 14 Mini has been replaced in the line-up by the iPhone 14 Max.

Display: The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are set for 6.1-inch (or 6.06-inch) 1170 x 2532 OLED screens, while the iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have 6.7-inch (or 6.68-inch) 1284 x 2778 OLED screens. Expect a 120Hz refresh rate on the Pro models and a 60Hz refresh rate on the others.

Camera: The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are hotly tipped to have 48MP main cameras (up from 12MP on the current models). A triple-lens snapper on all but the standard iPhone 14  and 14 Max is likely, with the basic phone instead having two rear lenses.

Specs: The iPhone 14 is set to have the A15 chipset again this year, but could have it rebadged to the A16 with a very mild upgrade. All phones will have 6GB of RAM, according to the rumors, but the Pro range will have faster and more advanced memory. 

Battery: There are strong claims that the battery capacity could increase, with the phones getting thicker to house their larger batteries. One leak has detailed possible specific capacities, with them all increasing except the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

iPhone 14 release date

• All four models launching on September 7
• Launch date of September 16, although possibly not the iPhone 14 Max

A recent report from Mark Gurman, as we mentioned, has claimed with some confidence that the iPhone 14 launch will happen on September 7, with the on-sale date coming just nine days later on September 16 – although, potentially, not for the iPhone 14 Max.

This would be the joint-earliest the iPhone has ever launched, matching the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus from 2016.

There were rumored delays in the build up to the prospective launch time, but in recent months they’ve abated with trial production apparently starting in late February and the engineering validation stage supposedly having been entered (as of late March), which is on schedule.

We’ve did hear that lockdowns in China have slowed things down, with at least one model in the iPhone 14 range – believed to be the iPhone 14 Max – apparently being three weeks behind, it seems that most models are on course.

Apple is supposedly trying to speed things along, and Ming-Chi Kuo (opens in new tab) – a reputable analyst – claimed the situation was under control as of May, but in July we heard from another source that Apple is still “way behind” on panel production for the iPhone 14 Max, so things aren’t looking good for that model.

That said, in early August we heard that Apple was planning to produce 90 million units of the iPhone 14 line in 2022, which is in line with previous years, and suggests there aren’t any major delays.

iPhone 14 price

• iPhone 14 starting at $799 / £779 / AU $1,349
• iPhone 14 Pro beginning at $1,099, a $100 hike

We’ve heard one iPhone 14 price leak which detailed four members of the new range – with a Max included, but no Mini.

Apparently the base phone will start at $799 – the iPhone 13 starts at $799 / £779 / AU$1,349, so that fits – with the iPhone 14 Max going for $100 more than that. We’ve similarly elsewhere heard that the iPhone 14 will have a similar starting price to the iPhone 13.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are said to go for $1,099 and $1,199 respectively, which would mean each would be $100 more than the starting price of their predecessors. This claim has been echoed regularly, looking pretty nailed on to be happening.

iPhone 14 design

• Thicker designs for better battery
• Larger camera bump on the iPhone 14 Pro
• ‘Pill and punch’ combo replacing notch on Pro models

Our original look at the iPhone 14 design came from one big leak below, which includes unofficial renders of the iPhone 14 Pro Max – although we’ve since gained some better, more-plausible ideas of the forthcoming design.

Since then, the design of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro range has come into sharper focus, with the ‘basic’, non-Pro range looking similar to the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14 Pro range getting some noticeable changes: a slightly thicker case, larger camera bump and a ‘pill and punch’ combo at the top of the screen to replace the notch.

Both Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo (two leakers with excellent track records for Apple information) have since said that the notch will be replaced with a punch-hole camera, and it’s consistently been shown in renders and designs since then.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max might actually have a slightly bigger camera bump than the iPhone 13 Pro series, reportedly due to the use of a new 48MP sensor (more on which further down).

There were some early leaks that suggested the iPhone 14 line-up would go back to the round volume buttons of previous models of years gone by, but that’s since been dismissed, with plenty of leaked cases and schematics pointing to the longer, lozenge-style we’re used to:

Earlier in the year we also saw some dummy case 3D models from Weibo, that could well have been based off the rumors we’ve seen rather than actual leaked models from Apple, but give a good idea of the different sizes to expect.

CAD renders have also shown what the iPhone 14 Pro Max might look like – of course, renders are essentially really fancy digital sketches, but these from Madmix line up well with what we’re expecting.

Elsewhere, we’ve heard that the Pro models could use a titanium alloy for their frame. This would likely be stronger than the materials used in current models, and this source also claims there will be an iPhone 14 Max in place of an iPhone 14 mini.

iPhone 14 display

• Two 6.1-inch phones, two 6.7-inch
• 120Hz refresh rate in Pro models, ‘standard’ 60Hz in iPhone 14
• Always-on display for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max

Reputable leaker Ming-Chi Kuo claims that there will be two 6.1-inch iPhone 14 models (a standard one and a Pro), and two 6.7-inch ones (a Pro Max and a Max).

We’ve also heard more detailed screen specs from Ross Young (another leaker with a good track record). Young claims that the iPhone 14 will have a 6.06-inch 1170 x 2532 OLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and 460 pixels per inch. 

The iPhone 14 Pro will apparently have similar screen specs, but with a 120Hz variable refresh rate.

Then the iPhone 14 Pro Max is said to have a 6.68-inch 1284 x 2778 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 458 pixels per inch. The iPhone 14 Max will likely have the same screen specs as the Pro Max but a 60Hz refresh rate.

It was said that Apple is considering a 120Hz screen for the iPhone 14 Max, but the results of that decision haven’t leaked as yet – and it seems unlikely, given there were whispers of a 90Hz display for the larger model, which we really don’t think is going to happen.

One of the key things that’s very likely is the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Max both packing an always-on display (opens in new tab), like Samsung has used for years and is used in Apple’s wearable since the Watch 5.

This idea, which has been hinted at again in code buried within iOS 16, means that you would get simple, small widgets and the time without needing to turn on your iPhone – it’ll be interesting to see, if an always-on display does come to pass, how Apple will explain why it’s taken so long to bring this to an iPhone.

And there’s also a patent for a technology that could make the iPhone screen stronger, without making it any thicker. That would be a nice addition, but patents often don’t turn into anything, so don’t count on seeing this.

iPhone 14 camera

• Two sensors on the 14, three on 14 Pro
• A jump to 48MP for the main camera on 14 Pro
• Capable of 8K video recording
• Questions remain over night-recording quality

On the camera front, most sources point to the Phone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max having a triple-lens camera, while the iPhone 14  and 14 Max will apparently stick with two lenses.

So that doesn’t sound like much change from the iPhone 13 range, though the specifications of the lenses and sensors may well differ.

Indeed, Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will each have a 48MP main camera, up from 12MP on the current models. This would apparently be capable of recording 8K video, and it’s something he’s reiterated, so he seems very sure of this.

Plus, another analyst has also joined Kuo in that claim saying that they expect both the Pro models in 2022 to feature 48MP cameras. That isn’t confirmation, but it certainly helps Kuo’s original claim.

We’ve more recently heard that this 48MP camera could be “the best one in a smartphone if there’s enough light,” but that it might perform worse than the iPhone 13 Pro in low light.

What does that mean? More testing is needed, but Apple is clearly tinkering with the capabilities of the sensors to try and get even-better daylight pictures, which means that it’s having to iron bugs in other areas, and could likely manage that before launch, as it’s often software-improved.

There are also rumors of a periscope camera in the works (for long range optical zoom), and we’ve even seen a patent supporting these claims. However, most sources suggest this is further out – probably landing on the iPhone 15 or later.

Then there’s the front camera, which could be improved for every phone in the iPhone 14 line, with multiple sources pointing to the addition of autofocus, which would alllow for sharper and more dynamic selfies. 

We’ve also heard that it might have extra elements in the lens, and a change in aperture that would grant better low-light capabilities, but these are the kind of leaks that are in flux until Apple decides on the final specs of the phone, which can happen quite late in the process.

iPhone 14 specs and features

• Upgraded processor for iPhone 14 Pro to A16 Bionic
• 6GB of RAM for all models, but not the same speed
• Starting at 128GB storage
• Separate, eSIM model coming

One thing we’re almost certain of is that the iPhone 14 Pro range will have a new chipset, probably called the A16 Bionic, but not the iPhone 14 models.

The process used to make these has been the subject of much deliberation, but it essentially boils down to this: the 5nm process could be used as it has been for the last two years, as TSMC (the company that’s producing the chipset) is apparently struggling to switch to a 3nm (or 4nm) process. This is something we’ve now heard multiple times.

We’ve also heard that potentially only the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max would get this chipset, with the basic models being stuck with the A15 Bionic – albeit the more powerful model that we saw in the iPhone 13 Pro. The same source says to expect 6GB of RAM in every model, although the iPhone 14 Pro line-up will get the faster LPDDR5 RAM.

Macworld has published an excellent deep dive (opens in new tab) on what sort of power increases you can expect for the iPhone 14 Pro models – check it out if you fancy geeking through what’s coming in the transistor space.

On the storage front, the Pro models of the iPhone 13 increased the maximum amount of internal storage you could buy from 512MB to 1TB, and we’re hearing that the iPhone 14 Pro phones could double that again – all the way to 2TB, but more recent leaks have sa the capacity will again top out at 1TB.

What’s conflicting at the moment is the starting storage of the iPhone 14 Pro models – if they start at 256GB, as has been mooted, then the $100 price increase is more palatable… but we’re not hearing anything concrete on that yet.

Other changes? Well, Mark Gurman has said that while Apple apparently tested under-display Touch ID, the company is now all-in on Face ID, so it sounds like this probably won’t happen – and if it does, it’s likely to be as well as Face ID rather than instead.

The switch from a Lightning port to USB-C was rumored at the start of the year, but it’s way too soon to see that – it’ll be iPhone 15 at the earliest, in order to comply with new EU legislation.

A patent suggested the iPhone 14 might also have a new form of 3D Touch, which would use haptic feedback to make interactions more intuitive. But as with all patents we wouldn’t count on anything coming of this one.

There’s also talk that Apple could switch from a physical SIM card to an eSIM (which you wouldn’t be able to remove). The iPhone 13 range already has this but it’s in addition to a physical one, not instead. However, if Apple does go eSIM-only with any iPhone 14, it will probably also offer models that have both kinds.

Finally, we’ve also heard that the speakers might be better on the upcoming models, with improved bass and clarity – that’s an underrated rumor and one we really hope comes to pass.

iPhone 14 battery life

• Up to two hours’ better battery life on 14 Pro models
• All internal battery sizes increased

In terms of the iPhone 14 battery, it sounds like there could be improvements there, with one source saying it will be larger in the next models, and another saying the phones will be thicker – which could leave room for a larger power pack.

More specifically, a leaker has claimed that the iPhone 14 may have a 3,279mAh battery, the iPhone 14 Pro may have a 3,200mAh one, the iPhone 14 Max may come with 4,325mAh, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max may have a similar 4,323mAh power pack.

Those would all be upgrades except in the case of the Pro Max, which would be a slight downgrade – but, more likely, it’ll raise as well, given the odd closeness of the mAh levels here.

Elsewhere we’ve heard that the iPhone 14 Pro might offer two hours more life than its predecessor, which is certainly promising, which would be a combination of the improved efficiency of the A16 Bionic chipset and the slightly-larger design, and would certainly help.

When it comes time to charge, you might be making use of a MagSafe charger rather than the Lightning port based on one patent, though notably early unofficial renders show the Lightning port intact.

One key upgrade we’re expecting: 30W charging, which would mean you could chuck your new iPhone onto a fast charger and you’ll be done in far less time than ever before – Apple has been slack in this area, and rivals have stolen a march.

Sure, Apple wants to preserve the condition of the battery for longer, something that fast charging can hurt, but there’s a balance to be had, and the communication between charger and phone is advanced enough nowadays that this can be mitigated.