No more “mini”
Leaks have suggested for months that the iPhone 14 series will not come without a compact “mini” variant. Apple has apparently decided to abandon the small-sized iPhones due to poor sales and will not continue to manufacture them from the iPhone 14 series. While the flagship of the number series focuses on larger phones, Apple fans who want a compact device could now stay with the iPhone SE series only.
Four new iPhone variants
Despite the lack of a “mini” variant, Apple will continue to make four different iPhone variants this year, just like the iPhone 12 and 13 series. However, a new iPhone 14 Max is set to debut this year alongside the regular lineup a vanilla Apple iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Pro and a 14 Pro Max. This will leave buyers with two options for a large iPhone, as they will be able to get a larger iPhone without spending more money behind a ‘Pro’ variant just for the size.
Different chipsets across the range
The iPhone 14 series may also be the first iPhone series where we may see different chipsets powering the Pro and non-Pro versions of the phone. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will only bring the new A16 Bionic chip to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max may still be powered by last year’s A15 chip or a variant of it with some changes. Apple is also reportedly bringing in new components from Sony (for the camera) and LG (for the phone’s display) only for the Pro variants, suggesting that the non-Pro iPhone 14 variants may not see a major camera upgrade in compared to the previous year either.
New i-shaped notch
The new iPhone 14-seres is also reported to be the first to ditch the signature Apple notch and instead implement a new i-shaped notch. This will include a round punch hole along with a longer pill-shaped notch. While the punch hole is expected to cover the front-facing camera, the pill-shaped notch could house the infrared sensors for Apple’s FaceID feature. This is the iPhone 14 Pro in purple – with @Jon_prosser See more in the latest FPT episode pic.twitter.com/AJSIR52ns7 — Ian Zelbo (@ianzelbo) May 25, 2022 However, we still don’t know if the new design will come to all four models or just the Pro variants.
Full renders leaked
A new leak from CGTrader has shown us what the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max variants could look like. Check the images below. What the new iPhone 14 Pro variants could look like. (Image source: CGTrader) As you can see, not much difference is expected in the design this year apart from the new notches. The phones will have the same metal frame design and triple camera setup at the back.
The iPhone 14 Max could be in short supply at launch
The latest entry in the range, the non-Pro ‘Max’ variant, is expected to run short due to supply constraints. Analyst Ross Young suggested that display panel shipments for the new Max variant are “way behind” schedule. This also suggests that we will see a unique display panel for the iPhone 14 Max, one that is expected to be roughly the same size as the rumored 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, but with a different notch implementation.
