iPhone 14 Plus: Premium Review

iPhone 14 Plus Review: Specs

As a perfect replacement for the mini-series, Apple combined a 6.7-inch screen and lightweight materials to have the iPhone 14 Plus peaking in the big-screen Smartphone world. Though a bit old-generation, major upgrades on the battery life give Plus the best iPhone battery life award.

While we appreciate the camera milestones, without the camera telephoto zooms and 120Hz refresh rates, Plus can't compare to its sibling 14 Pro series. Besides the Plus affordability, what else could drive you to buy the device?

iPhone 14 Plus: Price and Availability

On September 7, 2022, Apple released the iPhone 14 generation (the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max), and they are now available across all Apple stores. All other lines except the 14 Plus were available as of September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus pre-orders began on September 9 but were available from October 7.

iPhone prices are determined based on your region and storage capacity. However, the lowest price for the iPhone is £949 for a 128GB, while the highest is £2,099 for the 512GB.

The same refurbished iPhone 14 Plus, working optimally at Back Market, is available at a relatively low price. For example, a 128GB midnight colour with a 12-month warranty and 30-day return policy retails at £777 (price of writing), saving you £172. Why spend more when you can have the same quality, second hand iPhone refurbished, plus contribute to sustaining mother earth?

👉 Read our in-depth guide about the iPhone 14 series pricing here.

iPhone 14 Plus: Design

Without question, the iPhone 14 Plus retains the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 designs. The only significantly noticeable difference is the size variation. Though they have the same thickness of 7.8mm, the 14 Plus is larger and measures 6.33 inches (160.8mm) tall and 3.07 inches (78.1mm) wide, while iPhone 14 measures 5.78-inch (146.7mm) by 2.82-inch (71.5mm). Those 14 Plus dimensions are similar to 14 Pro Max.

In terms of weight, the 14 Plus dangles between the iPhone 14 and the 14 Pro Max. That's to say, being 203g, the Plus is heavier than the 172g iPhone 14 and lighter than the 240g 14 Pro Max. You must be wondering why these dimensions? As you probably don't want a phone that is too big and too heavy, right? The 14 Plus is a big phone with sharp edges. Apple says it's because of the Plus's new thermal management system to help it in cooler operations.

Generally, it is a bigger but sleeker phone that needs a firmer grip. Though, you may find it too big for single-hand handling. But, with its cooling system, it's easier to replace the back side and support a longer battery life.

Colours

Like the iPhone 14 line, the 14 Plus has five colour finishes; Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight and (Product) Red. Some reviewers indicated that the product Red is too bright but hey! What do you expect? Sometimes we become too biassed. 

👉 Read our in-depth review of the iPhone 14 colours here.

Protection

Your iPhone needs an extra protective layer against scratches, dust and drops. Therefore, an iPhone 14 Plus case will come in handy; fortunately, the cases are out already.

That’s not to say the iPhone is not designed with durability. iPhones have the most durable and elegant designs. Though subject to scratches, the ceramic shield glass over the screen keeps the screen intact after drops. The aluminium body and the glass back are hardwearing and light in weight.

And, to protect the phone from dust and water, Apple has always included the IP68 rating. You can still use your 14 Plus after retrieving it from the water; but don't charge it immediately.

👉 If you're thinking about protecting your iPhone 14 Plus, then read our guide on iPhone 14 cases here.

iPhone 14 Plus: Display

The iPhone 14 Plus 6.7-inch OLED screen of 2778 x 1284 pixels can transform your watching experience. You need not continuously scroll to see more text when browsing or texting. This iPhone can only hit 1,100 nits, meaning you can work in standard lighting but not out on sunny days. Its colour is richer, more natural and more accurate than the iPhone 14. The Plus screen is better, but it needs more improvement to keep up with its counterpart equals.

Unfortunately, we don't understand why Apple chose to stick to a 60Hz refresh rate in this 120Hz refresh rate generation. Apple still limited the ProMotion display and Dynamic Island to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. As much as a 90Hz screen enhances gaming and smooth scrolling, you can’t have that on this version. Even the always-on Display in the 14 Pro series, fantastic animations, alerts and live activities on Dynamic Island are unavailable. You'll have to get used to your old-school notch.

iPhone 14 Plus: Performance

We wondered why Apple didn't include the A16 Bionic chipset for the iPhone 14 series also and not just limit it to the Pro series only, making the iPhone 14/iPhone 14 Plus on par with last year's iPhone 13 Pro's A15 Bionic chipset instead. But that's not to say that the Plus is weak in Performance. If we had not mentioned it here, you would not have even realised it.

The A15 chipset is equally competitive in Performance and comes equipped with iOS 16. You can access your lock screen widgets, iCloud Shared Photo Library and other display widgets more conveniently from the bottom of your screen when using the portrait orientation. Thanks to the iOS 16 reachability mode. With iOS 16, you can also unsend messages and edit, use the fitness App and view your battery usage.

You can be sure that the chipset is adept at handling every task you throw at it. Thus, any worry of this iPhone performing poorly with slow rendering because of the larger screen and un-upgraded chipset can be deemed invalid.

Storage

Don't expect up to 1TB storage with this iPhone since there are only three memory capacity configurations: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. Our recent reviews don't show that as a weakness but prove that you may not need all that space. Still, with the 256GB, you can comfortably have lots of photos, videos, games and files without running out of space. Additionally, the 6GB RAM reinforces that memory capacity.

Another significant upgrade to the iPhone 14 Plus allows you to connect an eSIM number if you are a US-based user. Since the iPhone lacks a physical nano-SIM card tray, UK-based users must ensure that what they buy is appropriate. Even with that, 5G connectivity is still the standard across borders.

Connectivity and safety features

This phone has two security and safety features embedded within. First, car crash detection, which detects and sends a report when you're in an accident. All credit goes to the iPhone 14 Plus' improved gyroscope and accelerometer. When stranded in a wilderness or generally an area without call signals, the Plus will automatically dial emergency services and contact all designated emergency contacts.

From Apple News, Apple expects to launch a wider Emergency SOS in the UK. The emergency service is currently unavailable. The launch will explore using Apple satellites instead of phone networks for faster connectivity in difficult to reach areas like deep forests. Another upgrade included by Apple is an emergency prompt via SOS, combining software and new antennas to connect to satellites when you can't access Wi-Fi or cellular signals.

iPhone 14 Plus: Battery life and charging

iPhone 14 Plus boasts a multi-day battery life, so you can't run out of juice so easily. The phone may compare with the other 14 series in other respects, but not the battery life. You don't need to carry around your power bank or spend time looking for wall chargers for fear of the battery going low. You can enjoy YouTube videos, dance to your Spotify music, make regular calls, messages and emails for up to three days without a recharge pretty much, which is great, right?

On intense use, you can't go below two consecutive days. That's 6 hours above its siblings. As an improvement, Apple increased the battery size, significantly improving the battery life in this model.

As usual, iPhones come with a USB-C lightning cable but no charger. A standard 20W Apple charger will take an hour to get your zero battery to 80% and about 90 minutes to charge fully. You can as well use wireless charging. However, it's high time Apple switches from lightning cables to standard USB-C cables in this year's updates. And that's expected with this generation.

For reiteration, the 14 Plus generation takes home the 'The best battery life in an iPhone' award. So, if you're looking for an affordable and efficient iPhone with a long-lasting battery, iPhone 14 Plus is the ideal choice.

iPhone 14 Plus: camera

Are you a social media influencer? Or do you pride yourself in taking quality photos and videos? If so then the iPhone 14 Plus may be your best companion. Capture the best selfies for your BeReal or Instagram stories, and that's not an exaggeration.

Apple made significant upgrades to improve low-light photography and auto-focus selfies by working on the 12MP primary camera, faster apertures and large but stable sensors.

Compared to iPhone 13 Pro cameras, you will see a marked improvement. The iPhone 14 Plus clears the background blurs in portraits giving more clarity, contrast and detail to your shots. The iPhone works better by keeping the edges sharp, and the colours natural.

As selfies shots need confidence, 14 Plus front camera upgrades inspire just that. The camera has a high resolution for your FaceTime videos and an auto-focus feature for the best selfie focus. After several trials, we assure you that the performance of the selfie is impressive, with no signs of blurriness.

It is, however, disappointing that you cannot take zoomed-in shots with this iPhone. None can tell whether Apple intentionally ignored or overlooked updating the telephoto option. If you want better zoom captures, you should spend a little more and invest in the 14 Pro series.

Talking of video quality, the iPhone 14 Plus is one of the best, capturing up to 4K resolution at 60fps.

One gimbal-like feature that has revolutionised video quality is the action mode. It gives room for taking steady footage even in the rain.

👉 Check out our separate review of the iPhone 14 camera specs.

Our Take on iPhone 14 Plus

The iPhone 14 Plus is an excellent phone but awkwardly hangs between the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models in terms of functionality and price. To decide the way to go, be clear on your priorities and budget. iPhone 14 Plus is the ideal choice if you appreciate the old design and a good battery but the big Pro Max screen. Otherwise, you'll have to keep waiting for a newer iPhone 15. For other options on iPhones, be sure to check out all the cheap iPhone deals available on Back Market, which  always come attached with 1-year warranty and 30-day return policy for added peace of mind.

👉 Read our review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max to understand the difference in specs.