iPhone 14 Plus begins shipping today

From today, the iPhone 14 Plus is finally available around the world. Released last month at Apple's launch event, the 14 Plus is the last of the new iPhone generation to go on sale.

It's the first time Apple's vanilla line of handsets will be available with a larger 6.7-inch display – a feature that would usually have been reserved for the coveted iPhone 14 Pro Max.

But is the 14 Plus just an inflated iPhone 14, or can it stand up on its own? Let's take a look. 

iPhone 14 Plus: key features

As mentioned, the standout feature of the iPhone 14 Plus is that bigger overall case size. In previous generations of iPhone, the only way to get your hands on that extra screen real estate was to opt for the flagship Pro Max model. That carried a substantial price tag, though, and was rammed with a wealth of features that some people just didn't need.

But that's not the only benefit. The bigger case allows more room to house a bigger battery. Rumours suggest the 14 Plus will have a 4,325mAh battery, and Apple suggest this will net an extra 4-6 hours of video playback time. That a massively chunky battery, and should serve to keep the 14 Plus going all day.

The A15 Bionic chip in the Plus is boosted with a 5-core GPU for enhanced graphics. Couple that with the bigger screen size and this could easily be one of the best gaming phones available today.

iPhone 14 Plus: the verdict

I'm certain this will be a popular handset. In fact, I'd suspect that at least part of the reason for the iPhone 14's slight underperformance so far comes from people waiting for the Plus model. For the sake of £100, it seems like a better choice.

It's going to have its work cut out – yesterday saw the release of the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which is similarly sized, similarly priced and features a stack of software changes to make it one of the most attractive propositions on the market. Apple die-hards wont be deterred, but winning over consumers who sit on the fence could be a tougher ask.