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The early part of the year can often seem like a drag after all the fun of December, but for Apple fans there’s always a boost just around the corner. And one of the highlights for 2022 is undoubtedly the eagerly awaited iPhone 14.

If you bagged yourself a swanky new iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro Max for Christmas then you probably aren’t looking to upgrade just yet. But for everyone else, the internet is full of rumour and whispers about what Apple could have in store for the next generation of must-have iPhones.

That’s why we’ve decided to bring you all the best iPhone 14 rumours we’ve heard so far. So you’ve got a good idea about what to look forward to later in the year. Remember, though, for all the big talk of a ‘complete redesign’ these are still not much more than high-level tech world gossip. If previous years are anything to go by, many of these changes may not materialise this time round. After all, even the most credible predictions can be proved wrong in this fast-paced industry.

But whether or not your long-hoped-for upgrade appears on launch day, if you do buy the latest iPhone 14 don’t forget to invest in some iPhone insurance while you’re at it. If you give the team at Gadget Cover a call we’re sure to make iPhone insurance as straightforward as possible. Leaving you much more time to play with your treasured tech rather than worrying about breakdown, damage, theft and loss.

Introducing the new iPhone 14

We all love a good bit of gossip. And when it comes to the world of mobile phones there are few things more worthy of gossiping about than the latest offering from Apple. And 2022 is no different from any other year. Will we say goodbye to the 5.4-inch ‘mini’ member of the stable and hello to yet another ‘max’ model? Perhaps the much-maligned notch will finally be dispensed with? Will the main camera sensor receive a much called-for boost. And what will be the price tag for all this fabulousness? Let’s take a look.    

Release date rumours

Apple has traditionally favoured a September launch event for new iPhones. Held at the company’s Apple Park headquarters in California, drawing media and tech commentators from around the world. All looking forward to that vital first-peek at the most eagerly awaited launch of the year.

Rivalling film premieres and Presidential inaugurations it’s always a hugely hyped celebration of all things Apple, with every tiny change and announcement pored over by tech journalists and Apple devotees alike.

Back in 2020, production delays caused by the pandemic meant the iPhone 12's release was held back until October. With the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max delayed even further into November!

Fortunately, 2021 saw Apple revert to the usual release date schedule with the iPhone 13 breaking cover on the second Tuesday in the month, the 14^th September. With that in mind we should see the new range of iPhones on the first or second Tuesday in September. Which suggests an unveiling on either the 6^th or the 13^th of September.

iPhones are usually open for pre-order on the Friday of that week, with shipping the following Friday. So, be sure to enter 9th September or 16th September in your diary to get your order in as soon as possible. However, as with anything in life, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t work out as we expected.

While we have been hearing about a potential spring Apple event, likely to take place in March or April, don’t get your hopes up that you’ll hear anything about the iPhone 14. Last year, the spring time fun saw the arrival of new Air Tags, iMac models, and refreshed versions of the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

If the latest rumours are to be believed, Apple will be far too busy with a number of other potential announcements to bother with iPhone 14 updates. According to those in the know we could see a new iPhone SE with 5G support and upgraded processor, a fifth-generation iPad Air with similar features to the sixth-generation iPad mini, a redesigned 27-inch iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, and a high-end Mac mini with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips! Could we even be treated to the long-awaited AirPods Pro 2? A big spring event would be the ideal opportunity for Apple to get them all out there.

Promising prices

As ever, pricing is always an important issue when it comes to the latest flag-ship smartphones. There’s obviously no official news yet, but we’re hopeful the iPhone 14 will be priced in a similar way to previous iPhone releases.

If we look at the iPhone 13 range then prices started at £679 for the iPhone 12 mini, £779 for the standard iPhone 13, £949 for the iPhone 13 Pro and £1,049 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max. These prices were ever-so-slightly lower than those for the iPhone 12. So, budget-conscious commentators are hoping that the downward trend continues.

It seems the standard iPhone 14 should hit the same price point as the iPhone 13. But rumours suggest other members of the range will see a price increase of around £100 on that of their predecessors.

Models to the max

While there should be an iPhone 14 to suit a range of budgets, those hoping for a cheaper iPhone 14 mini look like they’ll be sadly disappointed. It seems like the smallest member of the iPhone family won’t feature in the new iPhone 14 range.

But don’t worry, we can still look forward to the arrival of another four members to the iPhone family – the mini just isn’t one of them. While there are no guarantees, the new line-up is likely to be the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

In the past Apple has focused on three launch models a year. However, in 2020 the mini model was introduced as the fourth handset in the iPhone 12 family. Despite suggestions that it hadn’t sold as well as hoped, the mini model was kept on for the iPhone 13 launch.

However, with suggestions of an updated iPhone SE arriving in the spring it looks like this year we’ll say goodbye to this model. Instead, in view of the appetite of consumers for ever-larger phones it seems that Apple is going to add the affordable iPhone 14 Max to the mix.

Design details

Phone design enthusiasts always have a lot to keep them busy when it comes to iPhones. The most recent big design changes occurred in the iPhone 12 range with a return to the flat edges and blockier build inspired by the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. To save on production costs and increase margins, Apple does tend to stick with a product design for several release cycles. So, unsurprisingly while the iPhone 13 saw some serious tweaking it wasn’t a particularly inventive update.

However, if rumours are to be believed then there could be some significant design changes on the way with the iPhone 14. While we’re not expecting a wholesale redesign there could be some meaty changes to get us drooling over our phone screens!

The disappearing notch

The notch first appeared on the iPhone X way back in 2017, and has been a much-discussed feature ever since. Phone design aficionados see it as a big hindrance to Apple’s dreams of an all-screen design. But could 2022 finally see its disappearance? Last year the notch shrank significantly, pleasing those who put a premium on screen real estate.

Some leakers suggest that at least on the Pro models it could now be replaced by a hole-punch camera or perhaps a ‘pill-shaped’ cut-out. One industry commentator reckons both are right. With Apple adopting both a hole punch and pill-shaped cut-out for different purposes.

While the round 'hole punch' cut-out houses the Face ID dot projector, the pill-shaped cut-out will be where the selfie camera and Face ID infrared camera will be stored. But at the moment matters are still quite confused. The notch is still something intrinsic to the iPhone design look. Would Apple really want its flagship phones to look quite so similar to its competitors?

Tough titanium

There are suggestions that hard-wearing titanium rather than stainless steel could be used for the Pro model's chassis. The use of the premium material could drive up the cost, improve durability overall, and help differentiate them further from competitors.

Smoother camera bump

With camera bumps pretty massive on some phones, some renders of the iPhone 14 suggest a big reduction in this area. These show the lenses sitting almost flat on the back of the iPhone. Although this might be achieved by making the phone thicker, it could also be done through the use of a telescoping lens system. While Apple has reportedly been looking into developing such systems, it seems unlikely any of the iPhone 14 siblings will feature it.

Removal of lightning port

One of the more common rumours over the years that never seems to arise is the removal of Apple’s proprietary lightning port in favour of a USB-C or no port. Ever since Apple did away with the headphone port in the iPhone 7, everyone has wondered when a port-free iPhone will one day appear.

However, it’s unlikely that 2022 will be the year Apple adopts a new charging standard. Even if it would please European regulators who would like to see phone charging cables standardised! If we’re talking aesthetic purity then it seems much more likely that Apple’s next step will be to go fully wireless.

Foldable iPhone

How Apple will deal with the design challenges of a foldable phone have long entertained tech fans. There have been plenty of tasty rumours about folding iPhone prototypes circulating. Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 will not feature this innovation. But perhaps one day…

Features and specifications

As any avid tech watcher knows, the long lists of new features and technical specifications are always something worth looking forward to. So, here are just some of the rumours we’ve seen swirling around the internet when it comes to the iPhone 14’s specs.

Display

If you bought the Pro or Pro Max version of the iPhone 13 then you will be enjoying the super smooth 120hz ProMotion refresh rate. If you bought one of the other models then there’s no adaptive display for you!

Could we see all four iPhone 14 handsets debut with the fancy ProMotion 120Hz OLED displays with low power LTPO backpane technology? It’s unlikely.

According to a well-respected observer these are the most likely iPhone 14 display specs:

• iPhone 14 – A 6.06-inch, 2532 x 1170 flexible OLED screen. With a 60Hz refresh rate and 460 PPI.
• iPhone 14 Max – A 6.68-inch, 2778 x 1284 flexible OLED screen. With a 60Hz refresh rate and 458 PPI.
• iPhone 14 Pro – A 6.06-inch, 2532 x 1170 flexible OLED screen. With a 1Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate and 460 PPI.
• iPhone 14 Pro Max – A 6.68-inch, 1284 x 2778 flexible OLED screen. With a 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate and 458 PPI.

It seems the best we can hope for is for the iPhone 14 Max to join the Pro and Pro Max models with a 1-120 Hz variable refresh rate. At least that would put it on a par with other flagship phones.

Another display related rumour is the suggestion that Touch ID might make a much-needed return in 2022. In view of the issues many users have faced with facial recognition software during the pandemic, isn’t it time the iPhone 14 added Touch ID to its biometric systems?

Apple’s phone security is rightly seen as a market leader but when you’re wearing a mask it’s much better to have a Touch ID option as well. Either that or they need to put in some further work on their facial recognition software.

Apple has already brought Touch ID to the iPad Air through the power button. Wouldn’t it be nice if Apple could do something similar for the iPhone 14?

Processor

It’s almost certain the iPhone 14 will feature some expansion in processing power. After all, it’s one of the big reasons why people update their iPhones year after year. The iPhone 14 is reportedly going to display its advance in chip technology by using a new Apple A16 Bionic processor.

The A16 chip is reportedly using Apple chip-supplier TSMC’s 4nm process to improve on both performance and efficiency as compared to the iPhone 13. There’s even been talk of TSMC switching to a 3nm chip! Smoother graphics, quicker responses and slicker 3D maps would provide significant performance boosts to keep Apple ahead of the competition.

That said, with the global chip shortage still ongoing, there's some talk of Apple sticking with a 5nm chip. Fingers crossed such a scenario won’t come to pass.

Battery

Any discussion of new phones and new processors is always going to include hopes for improvements in battery life. In view of all the incredible uses we put our smartphones to, users always want more when it comes to battery power.

There have been tantalising suggestions from some sources of bigger batteries. But as yet we have no idea as to what they involve. The iPhone 13 battery lasts around two and a half hours longer than the iPhone 12, so we'd expect another decent bump in power. If renders of a thicker iPhone body are to be believed then there could be space to allow for battery expansion.

Storage

For the iPhone 13 models, Apple went with 128GB for the entry level mini and standard devices and up to 1TB for the Pro handsets. Recent reports have suggested that Apple could be preparing to go even further in the storage battle, launching an incredible 2TB storage variant of the iPhone 14 Pro models. Could 2022 see Apple smashing storage milestones yet again? If so, it could be one of the reasons why a higher price tag is more likely.

Another leak also suggests the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will get 8GB of RAM. A decent improvement on the 6GB of RAM on the Pro models of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.

Camera

iPhones are always hugely popular with those users who love a bit of cutting-edge mobile phone photography. However, with the iPhone 13 boasting some game-changing advances when it hit the market, it’s unlikely there’s anything too earth shattering on the horizon. But you never know!

To start off with, unofficial renders of the iPhone Pro Max show a triple lens array while other sources claim a similar set up for the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Max. It seems that the entry-level iPhone 14 will have two lenses.

Several reports claim the iPhone 14 Pro models will be blessed with a new 48MP main sensor. A huge leap from the current 12MP sensor on the iPhone 13 Pro. And putting it up there with comparable phones from their competitors. 

But this isn’t just about a good-looking spec sheet. The tech experts at What HiFi say it’s needed for augmented and mixed reality – adding weight to the rumours that Apple is also planning to launch an AR headset in 2022.

In a first for Apple, and in a move to rival Samsung’s 2020 Galaxy S20 and 2021 Galaxy S21 handsets, it’s believed all four iPhones will support 8K video recording.

Another unlikely rumour, but one so good it’s well worth repeating, is the suggestion the iPhone 14 will feature a folding 'periscope' lens. Promising unparalleled digital zoom capabilities! While Apple has patented the tech, the chances of it appearing quite yet are very slim indeed.

Whether these rumours prove to be unfounded or not, the iPhone 14 will be a very desirable smartphone indeed. However, no matter what super stats and fantastic features the new iPhones have, they’ll still be vulnerable to the usual risks. Whether from theft, breakdown, loss or damage, make sure your beloved iPhone is covered by iPhone insurance before you get it home.

And remember, while rumours tend to focus on the obvious hardware updates, there’s usually plenty of surprises in store when it comes to using any new iPhone. For example, there are a huge range of iPhone 13 tips and tricks that are well worth investigating.

From extra security measures to the latest ways to take your photography to the next level, we’ve got plenty for you to discover. Just make sure you’ve got iPhone insurance so you can enjoy your new iPhone risk-free.  

As we’ve said previously, there could be a whole range of Apple products on the way in 2022 worth investing in. So even if you’re not investing in an iPhone 14 it’s still worth adding gadget cover to complement your iPhone insurance.

iPhone insurance from Gadget Cover

The iPhone 14 promises to be yet another exceptional device from Apple that many people will rush to add to their must-buy list. That’s why the team at Gadget Cover are so dedicated to setting you up with an iPhone insurance policy to suit your device, requirements and budget.

Rather than worrying about the potential for mishaps, you’ll be able to concentrate on getting the most out of these gorgeous gadgets.

Policies arranged through Gadget Cover include protection for things like accidental damage, liquid damage, theft, breakdown and unauthorised usage. And for an extra premium your iPhone will be covered against loss, too.

Get a quick quote for iPhone insurance today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.