The iPhone 14 is a bit discontinued now — be sure to check out what Mark Spoonauer had to say about it in his iPhone 14 review — but I can’t help but feel that Apple has made a serious dent with its $799 phone.
At this price, the iPhone 14 is a good bargain, but it’s missing one thing its competitors do best – a high refresh rate screen. Other phones, like the equally priced Galaxy S22, feature 120Hz adaptive screens, while the Pixel 6 (which costs $200 less than the iPhone) offers a 90Hz screen. This makes the 60Hz panel on the iPhone 14 definitely look old.
In fact, that prevents me from saying that the iPhone 14 is the best phone ever at its price level. The Apple phone has great cameras, great performance, decent battery life, and the screen itself is very good. But this 60Hz screen outdated the iPhone 14 even before it came out.
At this point, even phones that cost hundreds of dollars less than the iPhone 14 give you a high refresh rate. I see absolutely no reason why Apple couldn’t use at least a 90Hz panel other than wanting to point everyone to the iPhone 14 Pro, which is a $200 upgrade over the iPhone 14. The takeaway: “If you want the most modern, up-to-date technology in the Your smartphone, you have to become a professional.”
Basically Apple says, “If you want the latest and most modern technology in your smartphone, you need to use the Pro.”
This is understandable (to an ironic degree), but I think it’s a disservice to Apple customers. From all appearances, the star of this year’s show was the iPhone 14 Pro Max because many people recognized the iPhone 14 as the most frequent upgrade. In fact, I suggest you save some money and get the iPhone 13 ($699) since the differences between iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 are very simple. (My colleague Philip Michaels actually made this argument.)
Another reason the iPhone 14’s 60Hz screen disappoints me: gaming. The A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 is certainly powerful, and it can easily deliver over 60 frames per second even in the most graphically demanding games. But since the screen is at 60Hz, you’re locked into 60fps even though the iPhone 14’s GPU can push more than that. It’s a huge missed opportunity for the iPhone 14 and its potential as a gaming phone.
Apple looks behind the times outside the iPhone 14 Pro. The upcoming iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus look like relics from an even older age. Between the notch and the 60Hz screen on those models, I can’t say either is absolutely innovative. To be honest, I’m bored, and the 90Hz refresh rate would have made the iPhone 14 worth recommending over its predecessor.
Instead, it’s a very slight upgrade for the additional $100 Apple charges the iPhone 14 over the iPhone 13. I don’t think there’s a $100 difference between the two. The lack of a high refresh rate is a huge missed opportunity for the iPhone 14 to stand out from the iPhone 13. Right now, it’s not terribly interesting and I think many consumers would agree.
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