CUPERTINO, California — Apple today unveiled its flagship 2022 iPhone lineup, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While there have been few surprises after months of accurate leaks and the fundamental design hasn’t changed yearly, there are some interesting new things to see, especially with the Pro phones.
So far, here are our photos of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The 6.7-inch Plus replaces the 5.4-inch mini in the iPhone 14 lineup, while the iPhone 14 is nearly the same size as the iPhone 13.
So the biggest visible change is in the Pro models shown below. The notch is gone, replaced by a camera cutout at the top of the screen, which looks like a user interface element – with functionality and everything – thanks to iOS software and OLED screen technology with true black and pixel-by-pixel backlighting.
We were impressed with the new cutout. There was a certain amount of skepticism at the entrance – it doesn’t look like a cutout was better than a cutout. But Apple has made some clever software decisions to turn a weakness into a feature — and the company has done it in a way that few Android phone makers could have countered in the same way.
The animation is snappy, the shapes are smart, the functionality is useful, and the tablet at the top is a bit like the swipe-up indicator at the bottom of the phone – a ubiquitous UI element.
It’s not enough to upgrade the iPhone 13 Pro, or even a couple of generations before that. But it’s a bright and clever way to address a long-standing thorn in the side of modern smartphone design.
Otherwise, however, in our brief experience, everything was as usual with these phones. The two biggest innovations besides the Pro’s redesign – improved cameras and satellite functionality – weren’t something we could properly test at this location. They will have to wait for our reviews in the coming weeks.