I'm using an iPhone 13 but I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 14 series for one reason only - 6.7" iPhone 14 Plus. I like the bigger screen without having to pay for extra for Pro features. Here in Canada the price difference between a 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max is $300.
We'll be evaluating the iPhone 14 Plus seperately when it ships.
I was without a phone all weekend because my new iPhone 14 Pro Max would not activate. I spent 4 hours in an AT&T store with no one able to activate it on Sunday and went to the Apple Store where they tried to tell me that it was either, a bad phone and I would have to wait until November to get a replacement, or AT&T would have to because it was their fault. After 2 hours in the Apple Store, an older employee restored the phone to new and then restored my backup from my iPhone 12 Pro Max. AppleInsider.com disappeared from my 14 Pro Max and is not available in the App Store? I’m on my iPhone 12 Pro Max Wi-Fi posting this. Does anyone know why that APPLEINSIDER.COM is not available on iOS 16.01???
This review is technically sound, but the premise of the score is ridiculous. Scoring a product has nothing to do with what one already owns. That’s like reviewing a BMW, but then dinging it because people who own non-luxury brands are unlikely to upgrade. If you want to run an article as to whether or not it’s worth it to upgrade depending on which phone you already own, that’s one thing. But the entire premise as expressed through the headline boils the entire thing down to a value proposition. Again, it’s a good point to mention, but that’s not exactly a “review.”
Cry me a river, it's a summary score, it can be based on whatever the reviewer wants to base it on. Anyone who takes the score alone without reading the text will receive exactly what their effort deserves.
I read the text. That's the point. I shared my opinion. If you don't like it, that's fine.
I'm using an iPhone 13 but I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 14 series for one reason only - 6.7" iPhone 14 Plus. I like the bigger screen without having to pay for extra for Pro features. Here in Canada the price difference between a 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max is $300.
We'll be evaluating the iPhone 14 Plus seperately when it ships.
<snip>. Does anyone know why that APPLEINSIDER.COM is not available on iOS 16.01???
If you're referring to the app which it seems like you are, it was unavailable yesterday for a few hours for reasons known only to Apple. It has since returned. Otherwise, the site works fine on iOS 16.0.1
This review is technically sound, but the premise of the score is ridiculous. Scoring a product has nothing to do with what one already owns. That’s like reviewing a BMW, but then dinging it because people who own non-luxury brands are unlikely to upgrade. If you want to run an article as to whether or not it’s worth it to upgrade depending on which phone you already own, that’s one thing. But the entire premise as expressed through the headline boils the entire thing down to a value proposition. Again, it’s a good point to mention, but that’s not exactly a “review.”
Show me where there's a universal scale for review scores and how they should be applied. Your analogy to BMW fails, because a review absolutely has to consider products by the same company in the vicinity to discuss value. That hypothetical BMW should absolutely discuss other BMWs that are closely priced.
We only include scores, because if we don't, the review will get buried by Google. I am on record on saying in reviews, that we hate them.
If you wish to have further conversation about the philosophy of reviews, feel free to DM me.
1. Let me get this straight: You would base the score of a current product (e.g. a 2023 BMW) to a previous model year (e.g. a 2022 BMW) partially on whether or not the manufacturer made enough changes between them? It's a product review, not an opinion piece on whether or not to upgrade.
2. That's fine, I wasn't really complaining about existence of the score, just what it seemed to be based on.
3. I wish to post my opinion. I don't need to get into the "philosophy" of reviews. My opinion on basing the score on last year's iPhone comparison stands. Thanks for the reply.
This review is technically sound, but the premise of the score is ridiculous. Scoring a product has nothing to do with what one already owns. That’s like reviewing a BMW, but then dinging it because people who own non-luxury brands are unlikely to upgrade. If you want to run an article as to whether or not it’s worth it to upgrade depending on which phone you already own, that’s one thing. But the entire premise as expressed through the headline boils the entire thing down to a value proposition. Again, it’s a good point to mention, but that’s not exactly a “review.”
Let's face it, most people do not upgrade their phone every year.
What would be more useful is a recommendation of which older phone might be worth upgrading at this point, using the same criteria that compares it to the 13.
I bet anyone upgrading from an 11 or older would be thrilled with a 14. Someone with a 12 or 12 Pro, maybe less so.
Agree most people don’t. But such people would be thrilled with an iPhone 13 and the extra USD$100 plus tax in their pockets.
Buying an iPhone 14 just makes Apple even richer for no meaningful additional benefit to the buyer, and the bean counters at Apple should not be allowed to start thinking they can get away with this kind of thing.
I would recommend for most people with an 11 to keep their money for next year, or if they break it, get a 13.
It's really up to each person. The 13 is only $100 less, which isn't a big difference if you're on an installment plan. I can see an argument either way. But someone with an iPhone 11? That's a 3 year old phone with limited storage and a chip two generations behind the iPhone 14. For me, it's like spending $35k on a 2020 car with 30,000 miles vs. spending $38K on a 2022 with 15,000 miles. Sure, you'll pay a little more, but you have to weigh that you're sinking X per month into the payment already. X+10% might be worth it.
As a year on year upgrade this is the poorest we have ever seen from Apple.
But it effectively had to be so. Apple decided that they had to differentiate the line more so as there was more than a camera and a different looking chassis separating the Pro and non Pro models.
That logically meant holding the line on the CPU and they had to do it somewhere, so here it is.
If you’ve been waiting to upgrade and don’t want or need the Pro then try and limp by another year. If you have to upgrade now there is nothing wrong with the 14, but you’d be much better served trying to get a 13 Pro at a discount as it’s a superior device.
Now that I agree with. The 13 Pro may be a better choice.
If you're into photography, Austin Mann gives a pretty comprehensive review that I found very handy. Still, impressed as I am with the upgraded camera features, I'm holding onto my iPhone 13 for another year, at least.
Thanks it is a nice article, but looking at the pictures of the dog, i do see a much sharper grass, and the hair of the dogs ear and coat in the iPhone 13 picture. The iPhone 14 picture is less sharp to me.?
What you're seeing is a difference in contrast, not sharpness or detail. The photo from the 13 seems to have a higher default contrast setting. Colours are also a bit cooler and greener in the 14.
This review is technically sound, but the premise of the score is ridiculous. Scoring a product has nothing to do with what one already owns.
The review is indeed solid and the reviewer clearly states that iPhone 14 doesn't live in a vacuum. It is a nice phone but other iPhones (13, 12) do deliver more value while having nearly the same features while iPhone Pro 14 adds more features. In that perspective the 3.5 score is very generous.
As for the review: Bluetooth 5.3 seems to deliver improved data rates and battery life for AirPods Pro (2022). The improved repairability is also very nice. The new 5G modem holds the promise of delivering more battery life on 5G. The lack of Wifi 6E is disappointing to those living in apartments as the 6 GHz band does reduce network congestion. This is not a must-have iPhone. It is iPhone 12 3rd generation.
This review is technically sound, but the premise of the score is ridiculous. Scoring a product has nothing to do with what one already owns.
The review is indeed solid and the reviewer clearly states that iPhone 14 doesn't live in a vacuum. It is a nice phone but other iPhones (13, 12) do deliver more value while having nearly the same features while iPhone Pro 14 adds more features. In that perspective the 3.5 score is very generous.
As for the review: Bluetooth 5.3 seems to deliver improved data rates and battery life for AirPods Pro (2022). The improved repairability is also very nice. The new 5G modem holds the promise of delivering more battery life on 5G. The lack of Wifi 6E is disappointing to those living in apartments as the 6 GHz band does reduce network congestion. This is not a must-have iPhone. It is iPhone 12 3rd generation.
It doesn't live in a vacuum because the review's score is based on the nation that it doesn't live in a vacuum. It's circular reasoning. When I read product reviews, I want to know about the product being sold. That's it. I want to know about features, design, durability, battery life, and price. Then, I will compare said product to what else is out there and make a decision. A review containing a blurb about the 13 Pro perhaps being a better value is fine. A Buying Guide is fine. But dinging the score of the product based on that value calculation doesn't make sense to me.
no sim card slot is a deal breaker this sucks for any one who travels internationally and has SIM cards from other countries i am dying to know why they did this (this also means i have to pay roaming anytime i travel, whether i like it or not, if i want to have phone service that is) its not to save internal space, as the phones sold outside the US have the SIM card slot
Would it be possible to select another eSIM provider when roaming? I agree with you in principle. Another problem is that things can be blocked or politicized through software, whether with SIM it’s just a physical connection thing that enforces the switch to a carrier.
I'm using an iPhone 13 but I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 14 series for one reason only - 6.7" iPhone 14 Plus. I like the bigger screen without having to pay for extra for Pro features. Here in Canada the price difference between a 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max is $300.
We'll be evaluating the iPhone 14 Plus seperately when it ships.
<snip>. Does anyone know why that APPLEINSIDER.COM is not available on iOS 16.01???
If you're referring to the app which it seems like you are, it was unavailable yesterday for a few hours for reasons known only to Apple. It has since returned. Otherwise, the site works fine on iOS 16.0.1
Wait, what? AppleInsider has an App? Going to have to check that out.
I'll be waiting a while before I upgrade. I'm on the 12 Pro currently, and my previous phone was the 7.
I'm not sure if camera improvements drive your upgrade decisions or not, but as a former owner of the 12 Pro Max--which itself had a better camera system than your 12 Pro--I can tell you that the 13 Pro improvements were a big leap forward. So far, I would not say the same about the 14 Pro. You have to shoot ProRaw to get 48MP pics, and I've found the benefits of pixel binning for 12MP photos are not nearly what I had hoped they would be. I haven't yet returned my 13 Pro to Apple (I'm in the annual upgrade program), so I've been able to shoot a lot of side by side comparative pics with both iPhones, and I often prefer the look of 13 Pro pics in terms of how the image is processed.
Thanks it is a nice article, but looking at the pictures of the dog, i do see a much sharper grass, and the hair of the dogs ear and coat in the iPhone 13 picture. The iPhone 14 picture is less sharp to me.?
Not only that, the colors in the picture from the iPhone 14 are dull and lifeless.
Comments
I read the text. That's the point. I shared my opinion. If you don't like it, that's fine.
2. That's fine, I wasn't really complaining about existence of the score, just what it seemed to be based on.
3. I wish to post my opinion. I don't need to get into the "philosophy" of reviews. My opinion on basing the score on last year's iPhone comparison stands. Thanks for the reply.
It's really up to each person. The 13 is only $100 less, which isn't a big difference if you're on an installment plan. I can see an argument either way. But someone with an iPhone 11? That's a 3 year old phone with limited storage and a chip two generations behind the iPhone 14. For me, it's like spending $35k on a 2020 car with 30,000 miles vs. spending $38K on a 2022 with 15,000 miles. Sure, you'll pay a little more, but you have to weigh that you're sinking X per month into the payment already. X+10% might be worth it.
Now that I agree with. The 13 Pro may be a better choice.
The review is indeed solid and the reviewer clearly states that iPhone 14 doesn't live in a vacuum. It is a nice phone but other iPhones (13, 12) do deliver more value while having nearly the same features while iPhone Pro 14 adds more features. In that perspective the 3.5 score is very generous.
As for the review: Bluetooth 5.3 seems to deliver improved data rates and battery life for AirPods Pro (2022). The improved repairability is also very nice. The new 5G modem holds the promise of delivering more battery life on 5G. The lack of Wifi 6E is disappointing to those living in apartments as the 6 GHz band does reduce network congestion. This is not a must-have iPhone. It is iPhone 12 3rd generation.
It doesn't live in a vacuum because the review's score is based on the nation that it doesn't live in a vacuum. It's circular reasoning. When I read product reviews, I want to know about the product being sold. That's it. I want to know about features, design, durability, battery life, and price. Then, I will compare said product to what else is out there and make a decision. A review containing a blurb about the 13 Pro perhaps being a better value is fine. A Buying Guide is fine. But dinging the score of the product based on that value calculation doesn't make sense to me.
I agree with you in principle. Another problem is that things can be blocked or politicized through software, whether with SIM it’s just a physical connection thing that enforces the switch to a carrier.
https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown
Going to have to check that out.
Problem: I'm still happy with my phone.
[That said... I hope Apple doesn't sabotage me... so I have to give them my money for a new iPhone...]