Apple’s Far Out event is confirmed for September 7, 2022 — that’s a week away! At the event, we are expecting the iPhone 14 Pro to be announced as part of the iPhone lineup.
While no one knows the exact details of Apple’s new device coming down the pipeline next week, the rumor mill for the iPhone 14 (opens in new tab) seems to suggest that all the biggest upgrades to Apple’s new generation of flagship phones will come to the iPhone 14 Pro models.
What will the camera array be? Does it have any new features? When will the iPhone 14 Pro be available for order? So many questions and so many rumors. Dive into the rumor mill with us and learn everything we’ve heard so far.
iPhone 14 Pro: Release date
The good news is we know that September 7, 2022, is when we should see the iPhone 14 Pro get unveiled to the world, the bad news is the actual release date is still up in the air.
If you’ve followed Apple’s iPhone events in the past, you know that there’s typically a slight lag between the announcement and the release of their new devices. If Apple follows previous patterns, pre-orders for the iPhone 14 Pro will likely go live on Friday, September 9, and then be released on Friday, September 16, 2022.
Of course, there are some rumors of delays. Reports of supply chain struggles, with both the iPhone 14 Pro and Max models “a month behind schedule (opens in new tab),” but this is not expected to delay the device at all, although it could make the larger “Max” versions of the iPhone harder to get hold off at launch.
It’s possible that if you’re not on top of ordering an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max as soon as you can, those delivery dates will start slipping fast.
iPhone 14 Pro: Models and sizes
Much like the iPhone 13 Pro (opens in new tab) before it, we expect the iPhone 14 Pro to have two different models. The sizes from last year have not appeared to have changed — the iPhone 14 Pro should be 6.1 inches, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max should be 6.7 inches.
Leaked iPhone 14 schematics shared in April appear to confirm this theory. Surprisingly, the leak revealed two larger iPhone “Max” models that will be 6.7 inches in size, along with two 6.1-inch models. It is believed that this means both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will receive “Max” models.
Of course, it’s been reported by Ming-Chi Kuo and others that the mini size found in the iPhone 13 lineup will not be on the docket for the iPhone 14 lineup.
iPhone 14 Pro: Design
The design has probably had the most tumultuous rumors to date for the iPhone 14 Pro. Plenty of rumors dating back to last year seemed to confirm one thing, only to be walked back by most leakers and analysts earlier this year.
Last September, we were told by multiple outlets to expect that the iPhone 14 would be a “complete redesign” over the current model. Not only did Mark Gurman leak this, but the information provided by Jon Prosser stated Apple would drop the camera bump from the device in favor of a flat design. However, more recent leaks of CAD renders of both the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro seem to indicate that Apple is not actually planning to change anything about the design of either phone. In March, a leak about the iPhone 14’s design revealed the company would retain many of the design features of the current best iPhone, the iPhone 13, namely its rear camera bump, squared edges, and more.
Of course, the other biggest set of rumors around the design of the iPhone 14 Pro is all about the notch. Apple’s iPhones have had a notch since the iPhone X introduced the thinner bezel design back in 2017, and although the notch got smaller on the iPhone 13 Pro models, it may disappear on the iPhone 14 Pro.
Leaked panels from April again point to the end of the mini iPhone and (opens in new tab) to the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro being a different shape. As you can see above, the iPhone 14 Pro models seem to have a pill and dot shape at the top, according to the leaks. These would be enough to house all the Face ID technology and the front-facing camera on the phone.
Back in May, Ross Young reported that thinner bezels on the iPhone 14 Pro (opens in new tab) would make for a tiny bit bigger displays than the current iPhone 13 lineup.
More recent leaks have purportedly shown screenshots from new iPhone models showing how the display cutout in the iPhone 14 Pro will make for slight adjustments to the status bar.
iPhone 14 Pro might have two different notches — kind of
A late rumor from MacRumors states that an “anonymous tipster” leaked information saying that when the iPhone is turned on, the cutout will appear as one singular pill shape.
The choice to use software to black out the space in between the cutouts at the top of the iPhone 14 Pro is to offer a “unified pill shape that is less distracting when viewing content on the screen.”
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman seemed to agree with the rumor on Twitter:
This is true. It looks like one wide pill shaped cutout. Having that separation would look odd during use. https://t.co/SrAtYQsENxAugust 31, 2022
A rumor at the end of August claimed that, while Apple may turn off the pixels in between the pill and hole to create the illusion of one long pill on the display sometimes, it may also use that space in others.
According to a source familiar with Apple’s plans for the iPhone 14 Pro, the company will use the space in between the pill and hole to display the camera and microphone privacy indicators. It will also reportedly redesign the Camera app to utilize the additional space towards the top of the display.
iPhone 14 Pro: Colors
Apple has historically been pretty stingy with the color options on the Pro models of its flagship smartphones, usually offering pretty neutral colors and then one additional color.
According to a report in April, Apple is hoping to add a new purple color to both the iPhone 14 Pro and regular iPhone 14 lineup. Whether that purple is similar to the purple we’ve seen on other devices like the iPad Air 5 (opens in new tab) and iPad mini 6 (opens in new tab) remains to be seen.
Other rumored colors from the report include black, white, blue, and red for the regular iPhone and graphite, gold, and silver as the other colors for the iPhone 14 Pro. In other words, Apple doesn’t appear to be changing its strategy with the iPhone 14 Pro too much. We can likely expect some sort of Space Gray, silver, and gold colorway along with one slightly flashier color. Be that a purple or some other hue. However, we have heard one report that the iPhone 14 Pro will have “green, purple, silver, gold, and graphite.” (opens in new tab)
We will have to wait until next week to know whether or not the iPhone 14 Pro will feature more colors than its predecessor.
iPhone 14 Pro: Chip
Regarding the device’s internals, the iPhone 14 Pro models are expected to carry Apple’s newest A16 chip.
Apple currently uses the A15 chip in the iPhone 13, and Apple’s two base model devices will reportedly retain this chip. Ming-Chi Kuo also reported that the A15 is sticking around, but also says that a new A16 chip is coming to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Kuo has stated that this is unlikely to be a major increase in performance and will be more of a marketing effect.
Mark Gurman echoed Kuo’s report, claiming that the A16 chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models:
“This year, for the first time since Apple started designing its own processors, the company won’t be upgrading the chip inside of its main new iPhone. This fall’s entry-level iPhone 14 models will retain the A15 chip from last year, with only the Pro version getting a new A16 processor.”
If true, this does mark a major departure from Apple’s previous M.O. Typically, we’d expect all the models of the newest iPhone to get a new processor.
iPhone 14 Pro: Display
While we don’t expect any changes in the size of the display on the iPhone 14 Pro models, they may be better displays.
One major display upgrade leaked in the iOS 16 (opens in new tab) beta is the possibility of a new always-on display (opens in new tab) that would use a variable refresh rate to display your lock screen all the time, much like the Apple Watch Series 7. At least one insider has predicted the iPhone 14 Pro will have a 1Hz display refresh rate mode. This lines up with Apple’s intense focus on its Lock Screen in its latest software version, which offers Lock Screen widgets so you can see more information on your iPhone when it’s locked.
It’s not hard to see how an always-on display would take advantage of Lock Screen widgets, especially if you’ve been using the beta, and this feature seems to be limited to the Pro models only, which would make sense since the Pro models already use better and more power-efficient display technology.
iPhone 14 Pro: Camera
In recent years, we’ve seen Apple put a lot of emphasis on camera upgrades — especially in the Pro models — and if the rumors are true, the iPhone 14 Pro will be no different.
A massive camera upgrade could be on the cards for the iPhone this year by way of a 48MP camera. We earlier reported that:
“Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will switch to a new 48-megapixel camera, while the following year’s device will see Apple jump to a new periscope camera design for the first time. In a research note seen by iMore, Kuo says that the 2022 iPhone — likely to be called iPhone 14 — will use a new 48-megapixel camera. We’ve heard similar rumors before — not least from Kuo himself. The move to such a camera system could allow Apple to take advantage of pixel binning — a process that would allow for more light to be made available during low-light shots while still enabling high-resolution stills to be taken in well-lit scenes.”
Similarly, analyst Jeff Pu says the new iPhone will get a triple-lens rear camera system featuring a 48MP wide lens. That increase could also allow for 8K video recording.
Mark Gurman has also stated that the iPhone 14 Pro will get a 48MP wide-angle lens.
Kuo also says that Apple may be planning to significantly upgrade its front-facing camera which could bring improved focus and better aperture for improved portrait mode in both photos and FaceTime.
More recently, we’ve also heard the iPhone 14 Pro’s Ultra Wide camera could get larger 1.4-micrometer pixels, a big upgrade on the current 1.0 size.
iPhone 14 Pro: Battery
When it comes to your daily driver, you almost always want more battery life, and the entire iPhone 14 lineup is expected to get a bump in battery capacity.
In addition to featuring larger batteries, a report in August says that the new iPhones could also feature faster-charging speeds. The new iPhones could support charging speeds as high as 30 watts, which appears to be peak performance. The same report notes that speeds are likely to “drop down to 27-25W” after a short while.
Even if that decrease is the case, it would still represent the fastest charging speeds available so far in an iPhone. Of course, those charging speeds will only get that high with wired charging. MagSafe charging still tops out at 15W, and regular wireless charging is still at 7.5W. It’s unclear if Apple plans to improve those types of charging.
A report at the end of August says that the iPhone 14 will support 30W fast charging for “30W or higher bricks for the first bit of a charge cycle,” then drop “down to 27-25W.” The source also says that Apple is going to push its new 35 watt charger as the one to go to for charging the iPhone 14 Pro models.
iPhone 14 Pro: Price
Expensive.
Joking aside, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max had starting prices of $999 and $1,099, respectively. There’s no reason to expect that the prices will be cheaper, and unfortunately, it looks like they may be even more expensive.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives warned that the iPhone 14 could be $100 more expensive than the iPhone 13 (opens in new tab) as Apple looks to cope with increasing costs across its whole supply chain. This includes all the models, meaning the iPhone 14 Pro models would also jump in price.
However, more recently, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple will raise the price of the iPhone 14 Pro models perhaps even more:
“I estimated iPhone 14 series ASP would increase by about 15% (vs. iPhone 13 series ASP) to $1,000-1,050 (USD) due to two iPhone 14 Pro’s price hikes & higher shipment proportion.”
Inflation has certainly hit everywhere worldwide, and higher prices wouldn’t be a complete shock to see in today’s climate.
We will find everything out soon enough
It’s only a week until the big September Far Out event reveals all the details of the iPhone 14 Pro. Be sure to stick around iMore on the day of the big event for up-to-date news on the new devices, software, and other announcements. It’s sure to be an exciting day for both longtime Apple fans and those new to the Apple ecosystem.