Apple fans have been holding their breath to see what the next generation of iPhone would bring since the iPhone 13 was released in September 2021. This September, we’re hoping to see big changes and a completely new design.
Apple releases a new iPhone every year, but some years are more eventful than others. While the iPhone 13 series is great, we haven’t had a truly redesigned iPhone since the iPhone X launched all the way back in 2018. We’re overdue for an update, and we’re more than ready for it.
Here are five features we want to see in the iPhone 14.
1. Even Better Battery Life
Battery life on the iPhone has come a long way in just the last few years. Equipping the iPhone 13 with a slightly thicker body allowed Apple to squeeze in a significantly larger battery than on the previous model. The iPhone 13’s battery will last for about 15 hours of video streaming. That’s about four hours more than on the iPhone 12, with the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max offering even more.
These numbers are impressive, but your experience may vary. If you need to connect to the 5G network to get the fastest data speeds, you’ll also run through your battery far more quickly than on 4G LTE. Heavy data streaming activities like cloud gaming can eat through even the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s monster battery in just a few short hours.
Even though the latest iPhone lineup is packing some impressive battery life, we want to see more with the iPhone 14.
2. ProMotion on All Models
Apple brought ProMotion to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max last year, but this year we want to see ProMotion on the entire iPhone 14 lineup.
ProMotion is Apple’s high-refresh-rate display technology. With ProMotion, your iPhone’s display can refresh at up to 120Hz. That’s double what you’ll get on most smartphone displays. Having a high refresh rate means animations and movements are smoother, and games feel much more fluid.
The biggest drawback of high refresh-refresh rate displays is that they use more power, so your battery life will take a hit. But Apple’s ProMotion displays are adaptive, meaning the refresh rate can change on the fly depending on what you’re doing. If you’re reading something or looking at a static image, the refresh rate slows down all the way to 10Hz, barely working at all. But when animations are playing, ProMotion can ramp up your display’s refresh rate to give you the smoothest possible experience.
This means you can get all the benefits of a 120Hz screen, without taking a massive hit to your phone’s battery life. There are tons of reasons to love ProMotion, but for now it’s still a premium feature. We want to see Apple bring ProMotion to all iPhone models, so everyone can get the most fluid experience on their iPhone.
3. No More Notches
When the iPhone X launched all the way back in 2018, Apple finally decided to ditch the bezels and give us an all-screen iPhone. Well, almost. During that release we were also introduced to the now infamous notch.
Last year, when we got the iPhone 13, Apple finally shrank down the notch. The notch on the iPhone 13 series is about 20% smaller than on the iPhone 12. Although the notch did get smaller, it’s still very noticeable. Even worse, that extra screen real estate isn’t being used by anything on iOS.
While iPhone users are still dealing with the notch, many Android phones have embraced hole-punch displays, popout selfie cameras, and other solutions for creating a true all-screen phone. Samsung even brought an under-screen selfie camera to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
We’ve gotten used to the notch over the past few years, but although we’ve learned to live with it, we’re ready to finally say goodbye.
4. The Return of Touch ID
Face ID is great, but we want Touch ID, too. Although it had its fair share of skeptics, Face ID has proven itself in the last few years to be secure, reliable, and fast. But, it’s still not perfect. If you don’t position your phone in just the right way, Face ID won’t recognize you, and if your face is covered by anything, you might have trouble getting into your phone.
We’ve spent the past few years dealing with a pandemic, and for many people, masks have become part of their daily life. But Face ID struggles to recognize faces while wearing a mask. An easy solution to Face ID’s shortcomings is a fingerprint sensor.
Apple changed the game when it introduced Touch ID on the iPhone 5S, but seems to have abandoned that idea for the iPhone. In the meantime, many Android phones are now shipping with fingerprint scanners built into their power buttons, or even scanners built right into their displays. This allows users to access their phones quickly and securely whether their face is covered or not.
Despite its flaws, Face ID is a great piece of technology, and we don’t want to lose it. But adding Touch ID to the next iPhone means there will always be a backup for those times when Face ID doesn’t work.
5. Add USB-C
Apple has embraced USB-C across its lineup, but the iPhone is still being left out.
Lots of Apple devices already use USB-C. Since 2016, all of Apple’s MacBooks have been primarily USB-C, and the entire iPad series is now USB-C only.
Unfortunately, Apple still insists on using Lightning ports on the iPhone and its accessories. Lightning was a great step up from the 30-pin connector Apple previously used on the iPhone, but times have changed. Lightning charges slower, and transfers data much slower than USB-C.
If you’ve been a loyal iPhone user for the last few years, you’ve probably collected more than your fair share of Lightning chargers, dongles, and accessories. While it’s going to be sad to throw out all those accessories, USB-C’s many advantages make it worth it.
In 2021, the European Union proposed a law mandating all smartphones sold within the EU to be equipped with USB-C. With even politicians now getting involved, we’ve got our fingers crossed that we’ll finally see USB-C on the iPhone 14.
When Can We Expect the Next iPhone?
Apple typically announces new iPhone models during its fall event every September, so we can expect to see the next iPhone around the same time. Last year, Apple held its iPhone 13 event on September 14. Pre-orders began just a few days later on September 17, and new models hit store shelves on September 24.
You can expect to see a similar timeline for the next iPhone’s release.
The Countdown to the iPhone 14
While the iPhone 13 series is great, in a lot of ways, the iPhone feels like it’s playing catch-up to its Android competitors. Adding new features like USB-C, a true all-screen design, and ProMotion to the entire lineup will help the iPhone stay competitive and attract new users.
For now, keep your eyes and ears open for what Apple announces in September.
