Want an iPhone 14 Plus? You should probably buy one now

We're big fans of big iPhones, and in our iPhone 14 Plus review we gave it the coveted full five stars: if big-screened phones are your thing, it's one of the best phones you can buy. But it seems that customers aren't convinced. According to a new report in The Information, just two weeks after the Plus went on sale Apple is cutting production as it "re-evaluates demand".

In other words, the iPhone 14 Plus isn't popular so Apple's not going to make so many. 

What's going on?

The iPhone 14 Plus may be a victim of poor timing

The later launch of the iPhone 14 Plus – it was announced at the same time as every other iPhone 14 model, but only went on sale a fortnight ago – clearly hasn't helped. And according to Bloomberg, Apple has already revised its sales forecasts for the entire iPhone range after an anticipated demand surge didn't happen. But Apple isn't cutting production of the other models so far, just the Plus. 

I suspect a big part of the problem is that the Plus is sitting in an odd place in the line-up. If you're a Pro fan, you're not going to want it: for only a bit more you get an always-on display, Dynamic Island, better processor and vastly improved camera system in the iPhone 14 Pro. That's more than enough to compensate for the Pro's slightly smaller screen. 

And if you're not interested in the Pro, money's likely to be a factor. I think the strong dollar has made the Plus a harder sell: outside the UK, iPhone prices are up significantly, so the iPhone 14 is £849 – nearly £200 more than the iPhone 13 mini and £80 more than the iPhone 13. The Plus adds another £100 on top, and I think for many buyers that's a stretch too far: it's the same price I paid for my iPhone 13 Pro.

I think we'll see similar stories around Apple's iPads too: Apple's iPad Air has just had a massive price hike in the UK, and the new entry level iPad starts at £499 compared to £369 for the 9th generation. That's only slightly less than I paid for my 2022 iPad Air, and it means that the iPad has effectively jumped into a higher price bracket. For many people, I think, that's going to be a tough sell.