Despite all the buzz around it, the new iPhone only offers few significant upgrades. So, should you buy it?
The new iPhone is here. With all the aplomb and fanfare, Apple’s latest innovation of a product known for its flair is finally available for purchase. And it’s probably not worth its price tag, even though it is comparatively on the lower end for an iPhone, valued at US$799.
Don’t get us wrong; the iPhone 14 does come equipped with some useful features, such as its safety upgrades allowing you to send emergency SOS messages if stuck in an area with no network. That is especially useful in case you are into hiking or travel a lot to remote locations. However, if that’s the case, you might even do well with a satellite phone that possibly does a more reliable job, as the iPhone 14 hasn’t been tested by average users in that regard.
Moreover, per some reviews, iPhone 14 is a replica of the iPhone 13S with minor improvements.
So, what’s new with the iPhone?
Though it might have been criticized for its similarities, the iPhone 14 is not a totally lost cause. Here are some drool-worthy new characteristics of the phone:
1. Better selfie camera
That a phone’s camera is one of its most essential aspects is well-known, especially in this social media-driven world. The iPhone 14 comes through in that regard, offering a camera quality that is a little better than 1080p. Your photos are more detailed than those taken with the iPhone 13, and you can record videos in 4K, while you could only do so in HD previously. Plus, the phone has a longer battery life than before. These are some noteworthy technical upgrades, even if they aren’t game-changers.
2. Crash detection
If you get in a car crash, god forbid, you can count on your iPhone 14 to be your savior (at least theoretically, no one has tried it out yet…which is probably a good thing). In case the phone detects or feels the impact of a crash, firstly, like a good friend, it will ask if you are okay. If there is no response from your end, it will go on to call emergency SOS services in your area.
3. Satellite phone features
Surprisingly enough, the new iPhone is fit to be on an episode of the American TV show Survivor, where people are left in a forest to fend for themselves. We say so because the new iPhone 14 comes with satellite phone features, allowing you to contact people if stuck without network while hiking, trekking or just in a remote area. Yes, it’s preparing you to thrive in the wilderness or foreshadowing a rather bleak future, like the apocalypse. (Does Apple know something we don’t?)
4. No more physical SIM trays
Because pulling out trays is so passé. It is now the era for everything to go digital, and SIM cards are not exempt. In the U.S. models, the iPhone 14 allows people to include up to eight eSIMs, with two being active at once. With the iPhone 13, too, one can have two active eSIMs. However, realizing that the whole world is not into “e-” everything, Apple is leaving SIM card trays for phones outside the U.S.
5. Easier to repair than previous iterations
Not to question this great feature, but why should phones be hard to repair in the first place? Personal quandaries aside, a mobile repair website has dubbed the iPhone 14 “the most repairable iPhone in years”, and that is saying something. If you really, really needed an excuse to buy the iPhone 14, besides its excellent survival skills, of course, let this be it.
So, is the new iPhone really worth it?
Frankly, it depends. If you already have a newer version of the iPhone, you could hold off on purchasing this one. After all, it offers no significant improvements in performance. However, if you haven’t bought a new one in ages, and these features agree with you, then go for it!
To sum it up—
The new iPhone 14’s similarity with iPhone 13 is probably what urged Apple to discontinue the latter. Overall, the phone seems to be losing its appeal, with statistics revealing a 2.4% decline in its market share in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter. Instead, Samsung reigned supreme with a 21.8% market share when Apple only conquered about 16%. Apple also pared back the production of new iPhone 14 phones, given the fall in demand.
So, if you are looking to change your phone, perhaps it would be wiser to consider some cooler and more affordable, although lesser-known, alternatives, such as the Nothing Phone and Doogee S98 Pro.
And if you’d like to wait, you never know; the iPhone 15 might come loaded with more safety skills, like a theft deterrent or a foreign plug alert.
Also read:
- Top 3 Affordable and Little-Known Smartphones to Bring Home in 2022
- Apple’s Child Sexual Abuse Detection System Stirs Privacy Debate
- Apple’s Third Co-founder: A Lesson in Taking Risks
Header Image by Apple
