Apple’s iPhone 14 gets a Plus size, improved cameras

There's not much new here compared to 2021, to be honest.

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[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

How much does the satellite service cost after two years? If I have multiple phones that can use it (e. g. a 15 and a 17) and I've bought one within the last year, can I use either to contact a satellite or is it linked to the specific phone?

 

[fknuckles]

The loss of the Sim tray is a "courageous" and risky move for sure.

 

[azery]

I like accerlotoetmers.

 

[Apophasis]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

 

[ravin311]

Lack of a sim tray in US model could be a problem when traveling to destinations where e-sim support is not available. But it could be the new future.

 

[mstark90]

I'm sad that it's still a Lightning port and not going USB-C like my iPad and MBP.

 

[hundredmountains]

US model is eSIMs only so how does it work if one needs to travel overseas that only supports physical SIMs?

 

[sword_9mm]

US model is eSIMs only so how does it work if one needs to travel overseas that only supports physical SIMs?

You buy another one when you get there.

So no mini so what's the physical size of the 14? I'm not seeing it listed anywhere.

My SE2 (or new SE or whatever) is right at the 'too big for pockets' point for me. I guess we're going back to the belt holsters. Look at my phone! I'm a tech guy!

Or can we get cargo pants back in style?

 

[N9IWP]

The satellite SOS feature lessens the need for an InReach, though some may still choose that based on ruggedness/battery life/plan cost/other features.

Brian

 

[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

The loss of the Sim tray is a "courageous" and risky move for sure.

Very not a fan of this move. For instance, T-Mobile Prepaid doesn't charge anything to activate an eSIM, but they really can't, because right now you can just take your physical SIM out of one phone and put it in another. What happens when they're no longer in competition with themselves, as it were?

And currently Verizon Prepaid doesn't offer eSIM at all. in theory, that won't matter for me for several years, but eventually my future first SIM-free phone will become my backup phone.

 

[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Yeah, it gives carriers way more power than they should be allowed to have.

 

[MiggityMikeB]

RIP iPhone Mini

Looks like Apple is again no longer making a phone for me. I love the one handed use of the Mini.

 

[RobTheRenderer]

They should call this the iPhone Nothingburger. Yawn.

At least they removed the temptation to upgrade just because.

 

[ConnertheCat]

US model is eSIMs only so how does it work if one needs to travel overseas that only supports physical SIMs?

You buy another one when you get there.

So no mini so what's the physical size of the 14? I'm not seeing it listed anywhere.

My SE2 (or new SE or whatever) is right at the 'too big for pockets' point for me. I guess we're going back to the belt holsters. Look at my phone! I'm a tech guy!

Or can we get cargo pants back in style?

The loss of the mini has been rumored for quite a while now, sadly. Guess I'm not upgrading for another four years until they once again decide to make a human sized phone.

 

[CraigJ ✅]

I keep hoping they'll re-introduce Touch ID on the power button. I despise Face ID.

 

[iim]

I don’t blame Apple but I learned a valuable lesson with eSIM.

My mobile is my only number. So of course when I backed up the phone and did a reset thinking I could just restore everything I was presented with two factor identification wanting to send me a text message to the eSIM iPhone that I now have just factory reset.

I had to wait several agonizing days locked out of my phone for Apple to unlock my account.

Again my fault totally my fault. But don’t ever do that.

 

[VectorRevival]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Physical SIMs are really convenient if you're traveling -- you can just buy a local SIM card from a street vendor, pop it in, and you're online.

 

[iim]

I keep hoping they'll re-introduce Touch ID on the power button. I despise Face ID.

I don’t understand the hate on Face ID? Do you not like convenience?

 

[stormcrash]

Boo for not continuing the mini! I love my 12 mini, people who want huge phones already have a ton of options leave something for those of us who want a decently pocketable and holdable phone. I think Apple really shot themselves in the foot by having the mini launch so close to the prior SE launch that stole sales for small sizes and set the narrative that it was an underseller

 

[trenzterra]

I don’t blame Apple but I learned a valuable lesson with eSIM.

My mobile is my only number. So of course when I backed up the phone and did a reset thinking I could just restore everything I was presented with two factor identification wanting to send me a text message to the eSIM iPhone that I now have just factory reset.

I had to wait several agonizing days locked out of my phone for Apple to unlock my account.

Again my fault totally my fault. But don’t ever do that.

How does one solve this though when doing a reset?

 

[The Ryan]

No Mini, no sale. (well, I'll probably get the iPhone 13 Mini instead...)

 

[Batmanuel]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Yeah, it gives carriers way more power than they should be allowed to have.

On the flip side, it makes switching easier than ever. I've been doing the three-month T-Mobile trial right now to see how they are in the places I go, and they can transfer my service right from the app if I wanted to switch now. I could drive a LOT of churn which would help keep the carrier competitive.

 

[sword_9mm]

US model is eSIMs only so how does it work if one needs to travel overseas that only supports physical SIMs?

You buy another one when you get there.

So no mini so what's the physical size of the 14? I'm not seeing it listed anywhere.

My SE2 (or new SE or whatever) is right at the 'too big for pockets' point for me. I guess we're going back to the belt holsters. Look at my phone! I'm a tech guy!

Or can we get cargo pants back in style?

The loss of the mini has been rumored for quite a while now, sadly. Guess I'm not upgrading for another four years until they once again decide to make a human sized phone.

I'll keep my SE2 for a few more years so I guess I'll see how it all shakes out then.

Still I just don't understand what dudes are doing with these tablets called phones. Is there some man-purse that's in style now? Fanny packs are back maybe? Do all the kids just carry back-packs around now? Rave pants still a thing?

 

[Darc Sentor]

Wish they would improve the iPhone integration with windows, its the main reason I'm still running android.

Love my iPad, but having calls, SMS etc integration with windows would be super useful.

 

[fknuckles]

The loss of the Sim tray is a "courageous" and risky move for sure.

Very not a fan of this move. For instance, T-Mobile Prepaid doesn't charge anything to activate an eSIM, but they really can't, because right now you can just take your physical SIM out of one phone and put it in another. What happens when they're no longer in competition with themselves, as it were?

And currently Verizon Prepaid doesn't offer eSIM at all. in theory, that won't matter for me for several years, but eventually my future first SIM-free phone will become my backup phone.

I'm personally not ready yet to buy a phone without a sim tray, so I'm definitely in the count me out bucket.

 

[sword_9mm]

Wish they would improve the iPhone integration with windows, its the main reason I'm still running android.

Love my iPad, but having calls, SMS etc integration with windows would be super useful.

I actually dislike that on the Macbook I use at home and my ipad. I want txt/messages on the phone. I don't need em binging on everything.

I think I can turn that off I'm sure but just haven't. Need to look into it.

 

[Deranged]

Clutching my iPhone 13 mini. Good thing I bought in earlier this year, when rumours went out regarding the mini’s potential demise. This one will stay with me for a long time then

 

[Uragan]

So does this mean the phone will come with 2 eSIMs?

 

[Batmanuel]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Physical SIMs are really convenient if you're traveling -- you can just buy a local SIM card from a street vendor, pop it in, and you're online.

Theoretically this should push all the overseas mobile carriers to support eSIM now, so soon you'll be able to go to that street vendor and they just give you a QR code to scan. Hopefully it will cut their costs, since the US carriers charge their dealers $10 per SIM, which is a cost that adds up.

 

[some guy in San Diego]

The loss of the mini has been rumored for quite a while now, sadly. Guess I'm not upgrading for another four years until they once again decide to make a human sized phone.

I think they decided that filling "small(ish) phone" and "cheap(ish) phone" with different products meant neither sold as well as they'd like (though both the updated SE and 12/13 mini sold better than all but a handful of non-Apple phones). So I wouldn't be shocked to see the next SE as basically a 13 mini case, screen, and camera hardware with a 15 SOC inside.

 

[ajmas]

I'd be curious to find out more about the satellite related functionality, such as which satellites (Starlink?), what the extra power draw of the feature is, what extra data can be provided in an emergency and whether it needs a subscription?

Edit: Looks like the service is being provided by Globalstar, per Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/technology/appl ... 022-09-07/

 

[some guy in San Diego]

Clutching my iPhone 13 mini. Good thing I bought in earlier this year, when rumours went out regarding the mini’s potential demise. This one will stay with me for a long time then

Erm ... it was pretty strongly rumored that there wouldn't be a 14 mini before the 13 mini was even released. But yeah, I'm kind of glad a bit of clutziness forced me to upgrade my 11 (which I only had because my OG SE was dying, neither the SE2 nor the 12 mini were out yet, and my son was due in a month so I didn't want a flaky phone) so I've got a 13 mini until Apple makes another non-giant phone.

 

[starglider]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Physical SIMs are really convenient if you're traveling -- you can just buy a local SIM card from a street vendor, pop it in, and you're online.

Yep, this is what I'm doing in literally four days: land in Edinburgh, buy a SIM from a vending machine at the airport for what Verizon would charge for one day of roaming and have 20GB of data to use. Forward my old number to my Google Voice number and use GV or any other VOIP app to call back home.

Prepaid options are slowly moving towards e-SIM, but it's not 100% there yet. I'd be loathe to give up my SIM tray just yet, but I bet within a few years (especially with Apple ditching the tray) it'll be more common. In fairness to Apple, the SIM tray takes up a lot of space and is ancient tech. It should be replaced.

This isn't a money-grab like the headphone jack "courageousness"; it's actually the reverse: physical SIMs are a pain, and the carriers have stuck with them very intentionally in order to make switching providers difficult. I actually think it's great that Apple is doing this, but I'm also happy that I have a phone with a SIM tray for a few more years until Apple manages to drag the industry along with them.

 

[Batmanuel]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

It makes it harder to just swap your phone number quickly between phones. I'm sure the tech journalists will be a little annoyed, because I'm not sure if there is a quick way to move the SIM over yourself without dealing with your carrier's customer service agents.

They theoretically could offer some sort of web-based or app-based self-service option, but I just think that could have some security issues because it could open the door to more easy SIM hijacking if your carrier account credentials aren't secured properly.

 

[android_alpaca]

Boo for not continuing the mini! I love my 12 mini, people who want huge phones already have a ton of options leave something for those of us who want a decently pocketable and holdable phone. I think Apple really shot themselves in the foot by having the mini launch so close to the prior SE launch that stole sales for small sizes and set the narrative that it was an underseller

This is a really common idea... and while I'm sure it blunted initial sales... I'm skeptical that it made that much of a difference in the long term because as far as I can tell Max sizes phone generally always outsold SE + Mini phones combined (SE 2020 was release April 2020 and Mini 12 was released Nov 2020).

The next year the iPhone 13 mini was released without an update of the iPhone SE... and sale still lagged. I'm skeptical that sales were poor solely because of the shaky launch of the previous Mini size...

I understand that these graphs are US only... but US is the biggest market and the one most likely to like small phones imo, with Europe or Japan potentially being the next likely to want a smaller phone... I don't believe China market likes small phones.

2021 iPhone Sales by Region
United States – 84.30 million
Europe – 56.10 million
China – 42.90 million
Japan – 17.80 million
Rest of the world – 40.90 million

More people were willing to pay over $1000 for a larger size phone than get a cheaper or smaller one is probably why Apple dropped the Mini size and came out with a Max size for non-Pro iPhones. At the end of the day... most Americans equate size with value (as seen by our vehicle and meal purchases).

Someone mentioned that the Mini and SE could be combined... and released every few years to capture pent up demand like McRibbs and I think that's probably the best outcome one might hope for.

 

[Tobold]

Still Lightning? No sign of USB-C?

 

[ajmas]

Is there a downside to not having a physical SIM? Just wondering as this seems like a no-brainer move that all the major players should have already made.

Physical SIMs are really convenient if you're traveling -- you can just buy a local SIM card from a street vendor, pop it in, and you're online.

I'll agree with this one. I have my home base SIM as an eSIM and when I travel I get a physical SIM.

My reasons for doing this is because Canadian roaming charges are backwards (Fido charges $10 a day for up to 7 days, to use local plan abroad!?) and a physical SIM is generally less of barrier than having to deal with providers that don't do eSIM and potential extra language barriers, due to needing to deal with something online which may not support English.

Edit: I just went to check the iPhone 14 Pro specs on the Apple Canada website and they seem to be providing the choice between:

- Dual SIM (nano‑SIM and eSIM)
- Dual eSIM support

Makes me wonder how many people based in the US will opt to buy their iPhone in Canada, to retain the physical SIM option?

 

[hasib]

Boo for not continuing the mini! I love my 12 mini, people who want huge phones already have a ton of options leave something for those of us who want a decently pocketable and holdable phone. I think Apple really shot themselves in the foot by having the mini launch so close to the prior SE launch that stole sales for small sizes and set the narrative that it was an underseller

I bought a SE2020 and immediately traded it in for a 12 mini. So I guess that’s one customer lured by the promise of a smaller phone into paying much more for a phone that is actually small.

Coming from an OG SE, the 2020 was already so big that I would have had to change how I held, used an carried it in undesirable ways. All while offering no minimal benefit. Even the biggest phone screen is still a phone screen. The 12 mini is still a literal stretch if I want to, e.g. have full use of the phone while holding a dog leash.

But there is evidently a small market for small phones. I’ll just hope that Apple has an unspoken plan to throw us a bone every 3-5 years.

 

[android_alpaca]

Still Lightning? No sign of USB-C?

Rumors have always been that would be next year at the earlier as the European law sets the deadline to be Fall 2024.