Phones · Model guide · Maker specs
iPhone 14
Keep iPhone 14 if yours still works, and buy one only cheap: it has satellite SOS and Crash Detection, but Lightning, a 12MP camera and no Dynamic Island.
Product images
iPhone 14, from its Amazon listing.
Credit: Amazon.com (Associates Program). Amazon listing
Product image from the Amazon listing.
In short
Keep iPhone 14 if yours still works, and buy one only cheap: it has satellite SOS and Crash Detection, but Lightning, a 12MP camera and no Dynamic Island. It runs the A15 Bionic with a 6.1-inch OLED screen and charges at up to 15W on MagSafe; Apple rates it for up to 20 hours of video playback. If you want USB-C and a 48MP camera, iPhone 15 has both and the same battery ratings.
Who it is for
- iPhone 14 owners whose phone still works. Crash Detection, satellite SOS and MagSafe are already yours, so upgrading one generation mostly buys USB-C, a 48MP camera and Dynamic Island.
- Budget buyers who want Crash Detection and satellite SOS in a 6.1-inch iPhone and can find one used or refurbished well below its $799 launch price.
- Owners of Lightning docks, cables and accessories. iPhone 14 is the last 6.1-inch non-Pro iPhone with a Lightning port.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants USB-C, a 48MP Main camera or Dynamic Island. iPhone 15 has all three, plus a screen that reaches 2,000 nits outdoors.
- Pro-feature shoppers. iPhone 14 Pro adds the A16, a 48MP Main camera with a 3x telephoto, ProMotion, Always-On and LiDAR.
- Fans of an Always-On screen who don't want a Pro. iPhone 17 is the first non-Pro iPhone with one, along with a 3,000-nit outdoor peak and an 18MP Center Stage front camera.
- People who'd use an Action button or Camera Control. iPhone 14 has the Ring/Silent switch; the Action button arrived with iPhone 15 Pro and Camera Control with iPhone 16.
What sets it apart
- Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite, which arrived with the iPhone 14 generation, plus Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite.
- A 12MP Main camera with an ƒ/1.5 aperture and sensor-shift stabilization, and video up to 4K at 60 fps with Dolby Vision, Cinematic mode and Action mode.
- MagSafe at up to 15W, and a 50% charge in about 30 minutes over Lightning on a 20W or higher adapter.
- IP68 water resistance, rated for 6 meters for up to 30 minutes, behind a Ceramic Shield front.
Caveats
- Apple hasn't said how long iPhone 14 will keep getting iOS updates. It launched in 2022, alongside iOS 16.
- There's no telephoto camera. Anything past 1x is digital zoom, up to 5x for photos and 3x for video.
Key specs
In the same order on every phone page, so you can compare models.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 6.1-inch (diagonal) Super Retina XDR; 6.06 inches as a standard rectangle (actual viewable area is less) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Display type | All-screen OLED; Ceramic Shield front; glass back; oleophobic coating; aluminum design | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsNo Dynamic Island; iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 have it. |
| Display resolution | 2532 × 1170 px at 460 ppi | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 15 moved to 2556 × 1179. |
| Refresh rate | No ProMotion (no 120Hz mode) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 14 Pro has ProMotion. |
| Peak brightness | 800 nits typical; 1,200 nits HDR peak; 2,000,000:1 contrast (typical) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 15 adds a 2,000-nit outdoor peak, and iPhone 17 reaches 3,000 nits outdoors. |
| Always-On display | No | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 14 Pro has Always-On; iPhone 17 is the first non-Pro iPhone with it. |
| Dimensions | 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.80 mm (5.78 × 2.82 × 0.31 in) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Weight | 172 g (6.07 oz) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 15 (171 g) and iPhone 16 (170 g) are a gram or two lighter. |
| Build materials | Aluminum design; Ceramic Shield front; glass back | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07Apple calls it aerospace-grade aluminum. |
| Finishes | Midnight, Purple, Starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, Blue, Yellow | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsYellow wasn't one of the five launch colors. |
| Water and dust resistance | IP68 (IEC 60529); maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Chip | A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance/4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 use the A16. |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB or 512GB | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 14 Pro adds a 1TB option. |
| Rear cameras | Dual-camera system. 12MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.5, sensor-shift OIS, 100% Focus Pixels. 12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 15 moved to a 48MP Main camera with a 2x telephoto option. |
| Telephoto / zoom | No telephoto camera; 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 14 Pro adds a 3x telephoto. |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsiPhone 17 moves to an 18MP Center Stage front camera. |
| Video | 4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic 4K HDR/30; Action mode 2.8K/60; slo-mo 1080p 120/240; digital zoom up to 3x | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsNo ProRes or Log recording. |
| Battery capacity | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion; capacity not published | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Battery life | Video playback up to 20 hours; streamed video up to 16 hours; audio playback up to 80 hours | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Wired charging | Lightning. Up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) and a USB-C charging cable | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsThe cable in the box is USB-C to Lightning; iPhone 15 switched to USB-C. |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsApple lists Qi2 at 15W for iPhone 15 and at 25W for iPhone 16. |
| Operating system | iOS 16 at launch (released 12 September 2022) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Update policy | No set number of years promised for iPhone 14 | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA; models A2649 and A2632 | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2×2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness; NFC with reader mode | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsWi-Fi 7 and Apple's N1 chip came with later iPhones. |
| Port | Lightning connector. Video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter or Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately) | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| SIM | Dual eSIM (two active, eight or more stored). US models of iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are eSIM-only and take no physical SIM; models bought outside the U.S. have a SIM tray | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| NFC / contactless payments | Apple Pay; Express Transit (select cities); Express Cards with power reserve | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| GNSS / GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsNo precision dual-frequency GPS or NavIC listed. |
| Biometrics | Face ID via the TrueDepth camera | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Other sensors | Barometer; high-dynamic-range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensors | Apple iPhone 14 tech specsNo LiDAR Scanner; iPhone 14 Pro has one. |
| Safety / incident alerts | Emergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite; Messages via satellite; Find My via satellite; Crash Detection | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| US price at launch | $799 before trade-in (7 September 2022); iPhone 14 Plus was $899 before trade-in | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07Launch price, not what a used one costs in 2026. |
| Price band | Previous-generation iPhone (launched at $799; used and refurbished prices vary) | Based on Apple's 2022 launch price of $799 |
| Announced | 7 September 2022 | Apple Newsroom; Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Availability | Pre-orders from 9 September 2022 (5 a.m. PDT); US stores 16 September 2022; more countries 23 September 2022; iPhone 14 Plus in stores 7 October 2022. No longer sold new by Apple as of 2026-09-19 | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
iPhone 14 extras
Specs only this model has.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Lightning port, with a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box; the last standard (non-Pro) iPhone with Lightning | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Ring/Silent switch | Ring/Silent switch; no Action button or Camera Control | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Satellite and Crash Detection | Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite were introduced with iPhone 14 and 14 Plus; Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite are listed too | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07; Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Dynamic Island | No; it arrived on iPhone 14 Pro and reached the standard iPhone with iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| Model numbers | A2649 and A2632; Apple's identify-your-iPhone page matches a model number to a phone | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
| In the box | iPhone 14; USB-C to Lightning Cable; documentation. No power adapter or EarPods | Apple iPhone 14 tech specs |
Apple announced iPhone 14 on 7 September 2022 and sold it on three things: a new Main camera, Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite. The safety features are why it’s still worth a look. The Lightning port, the 12MP camera and the lack of Dynamic Island are what newer iPhones have moved past.
What newer iPhones added
| Spec | iPhone 14 | Newer iPhones |
|---|---|---|
| Port | Lightning | USB-C from iPhone 15 |
| Main camera | 12MP | 48MP on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 |
| Zoom | No telephoto; 2x optical zoom out to the Ultra Wide | 2x telephoto option on iPhone 15; 3x on iPhone 14 Pro |
| Dynamic Island | No | iPhone 14 Pro, then iPhone 15 |
| Brightness | 800 nits typical; 1,200 nits HDR | 2,000 nits outdoors on iPhone 15; 3,000 on iPhone 17 |
| ProMotion and Always-On | No | iPhone 14 Pro; iPhone 17 is the first non-Pro with Always-On |
| Chip | A15 Bionic | A16 on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe 15W; Qi 7.5W | Qi2 at 15W on iPhone 15; 25W on iPhone 16 |
| Side controls | Ring/Silent switch | Action button from iPhone 15 Pro; Camera Control from iPhone 16 |
| Front camera | 12MP | 18MP Center Stage on iPhone 17 |
For most people the step that matters is iPhone 15. It fixes the port, the camera and the missing Dynamic Island in one go. If one costs only a little more than an iPhone 14, buy it instead.
Cameras
Both rear cameras are 12MP. The Main camera has an ƒ/1.5 aperture, sensor-shift stabilization and 100% Focus Pixels; the 13 mm Ultra Wide is ƒ/2.4 with a 120-degree view. With no telephoto, zooming in is digital: up to 5x for photos and 3x for video.
Video goes up to 4K60 with Dolby Vision. Cinematic mode records 4K HDR at 30 fps, Action mode records at 2.8K and 60 fps, and slo-mo runs at 1080p in 120 or 240 fps. The 12MP TrueDepth front camera has autofocus.
Battery and charging
Apple rates iPhone 14 for up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours of streamed video and 80 hours of audio, and gives no typical-use figure or battery capacity. iPhone 15 carries the same three ratings, so a one-year upgrade doesn’t buy battery life.
Charging is where its age shows. Over Lightning it reaches about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter, which you buy separately; the box holds only a USB-C to Lightning cable. Wireless charging tops out at 15W on MagSafe and 7.5W on Qi. Apple lists Qi2 at 15W for iPhone 15 and at 25W for iPhone 16.
Satellite and Crash Detection
Alongside Crash Detection, iPhone 14 has Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite. Without a cell signal you can still call for help, request roadside assistance, send messages and share your location in Find My. That set is the strongest reason to pick iPhone 14 over an older, cheaper iPhone.
Price
iPhone 14 launched at $799 before trade-in with 128GB, and also came with 256GB or 512GB; iPhone 14 Plus started at $899. Apple no longer sells either new, so you’re choosing between used and refurbished phones. Pay well under what a used iPhone 15 costs, since that phone fixes most of what dates this one. Used prices change week to week, so check a few sellers before you buy.
Sources
- Amazon product listing — accessed 2026-09-20
- Apple Support — iPhone 14 tech specs (HT111850) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — Apple introduces iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple — Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy iPhone 14 or iPhone 15?
iPhone 15, unless the 14 is much cheaper. It adds USB-C, a 48MP Main camera with a 2x telephoto option, Dynamic Island and a 2,000-nit outdoor peak, and Apple gives it the same battery ratings.
Does iPhone 14 have USB-C?
No. It uses Lightning and ships with a USB-C to Lightning cable, and video out tops out at 1080p through Apple's Lightning adapters. USB-C came to the standard iPhone with iPhone 15.
Is satellite SOS still free on iPhone 14?
Not necessarily. Apple made the satellite service free for two years at launch, starting in the US and Canada in November 2022. Check Apple's current terms before you rely on it.
Can I use a physical SIM card in iPhone 14?
Not in a US model. US iPhone 14 models are eSIM-only, with two eSIMs active at once and room for eight or more. Models bought outside the U.S. have a SIM tray.
Is iPhone 14 the same as iPhone 14 Plus?
No. The Plus is the 6.7-inch model, which Apple rates for longer battery life. It launched at $899 and reached stores on 7 October 2022.
Does iPhone 14 come in yellow?
Yes. Apple lists Yellow alongside Midnight, Purple, Starlight, (PRODUCT)RED and Blue, though it wasn't one of the five colors announced in September 2022.
Official product page: iPhone 14. Tech specs: iPhone 14 specs.