Hands-on with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

The iPhone 14 is here, and it’s available in two sizes this year: regular and big. The standard iPhone 14 sticks with the 6.1-inch display — notch intact — and the 14 Plus brings a big 6.7-inch screen to the standard, non-pro iPhone series for the first time. That’s the story: aside from the new size, not much else has physically changed from the iPhone 13.

The 14 looks and feels identical to the 13, and the 14 Plus is a bona fide big phone. Apple makes some big claims for its battery life, too, calling it the best battery performance of any iPhone to date. The screens are both Super Retina XDR displays. The 14 Plus looks every bit as big as the 13 Pro Max but is noticeably lighter.

Apple is sticking with the iPhone 4-era flat screens and rails it brought back in 2020, and I, for one, am glad to see the design hanging around — I’ve felt the rounded edges of my iPhone 11 slip out of my hand one too many times. It’s a design that worked in 2010, and it still works in 2022, so why mess with it?

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Around back, the story is the same: two 12-megapixel cameras — wide and ultrawide — with 12-megapixel sensors behind each lens. There’s not much to see on the hardware level, but the sensor behind the main camera is bigger than in the iPhone 13, with bigger pixels and an f/1.5 aperture.

Another new feature you won’t see on the surface is Emergency SOS, which makes it possible to send messages from areas without cell service by using communication satellites. Both iPhone 14 models support it and will come with the service free for two years.

Overall, the design and hardware are all very familiar by now, and the two phones look and feel like minor refreshes of the 13 — except that it now comes in big. And I’m here to tell you that yes, it is indeed large. If you’ve been eyeing the Pro Max but been put off by its $1,100 (or more) price tag, then the 14 Plus might just be the big iPhone you’ve been waiting for.