The more I learn about the iPhone 14, the more I'm convinced that the iPhone 14 Pro is going to be the best phone in the line-up: the Pro Max will be too expensive, and the standard and Max versions too little of an upgrade over the iPhone 13.
Judging by the latest report from industry expert Mark Gurman, it's pretty clear that if you're going to be upgrading from the current generation, the iPhone 14 is going to be the best phone for you.
Mark Gurman's track record of Apple leaks and predictions is very impressive. In his latest newsletter he says that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are getting an always-on display including the new Lock Screen widgets of iOS 16, but the standard and Max variants won't. And that's not the only difference.
Why the iPhone 14 Pro is the best phone for me, and probably you, too
The processors in the Pro and Pro Max models are going to be different too. This year's A16 Apple Silicon chipset is reserved for the two most expensive models, with the cheaper ones sticking with the same A15 we've already seen in the iPhone 13. And the move to 48-megapixel camera sensors appears to be reserved for the Pro and Pro Max too.
For me, that means the Pro is the iPhone 14 to go for. Photography is the thing I use my iPhone 13 Pro for the most, so the move to 48 megapixels was already important to me; I really want an always-on display too, and while the inevitable speed bump of the new Apple silicon isn't really an issue to me – my Pro is already fast enough for everything I do on it – I'm assuming new silicon means better energy efficiency and hopefully better battery life too.
The new iPhone 14 range is expected to launch in September for similar prices to the current range, but the new Max (not Pro Max) model will sit between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro, reportedly coming in at $300 less than the similarly sized Pro. That makes a big iPhone more affordable, but it won't deliver the killer features that mean the iPhone 14 Pro is the iPhone I'm planning to buy this year.
