Apple iPhone 14 Plus in for review: Big iPhone for small(er) wallets

The Apple iPhone 14 Plus is now reaching customers who had pre-ordered the handset. Here is a quick look.

iPhone 14 Plus starts at a price of Rs. 89,990 in India for the base 128GB variant. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

It has been over a month since the iPhone 14 series came out in front of the world and so far, things have looked weird. For the first time in a long while, it is the iPhone 14 Pro models that are in greater demand than the standard models, courtesy of the “real” generational upgrades. The standard iPhone 14 is considered a beefed up iPhone 13 – it even has the same chipset as the iPhone 13 Pro from last year. Hence, the only non-Pro variant of the iPhone 14 series all of us are waiting for is the iPhone 14 Plus.

Yes, Apple has finally returned to the “Plus” sized iPhones with this year's iPhone 14 series. Ditching the “Mini” dimensions, the iPhone 14 Plus is the exact opposite of the phone it replaces. It is as big as the iPhone 14 Pro Max but has the same class of components as the iPhone 14. Starting at Rs. 89,990, is this the non-Pro iPhone 14 you must buy? We will take a few weeks to answer this question but for now, let us take a quick look at the iPhone 14 Plus.

iPhone 14 Plus Quick Look: What's new

The most obvious change here is the size. Compared to the handy dimensions of the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Plus is huge. It has a massive 6.7-inch display and that means the phone feels like a phablet. The big size, however, is not accompanied by an ungainly weight. Yes, the iPhone 14 Plus is heavy by all means but at 203 grams, it feels lighter than the 240 grams bulk of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is where the Aluminium frame helps.

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iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Other than the size, the iPhone 14 Plus looks like any other iPhone we have seen from the past. In just the early few hours, the build quality is as remarkable as all other non-Pro iPhones we have seen so far. The back glass is glossy and I like the Purple shade on this one. The diagonal iPhone 13-esque camera helps with the identity of this being the Plus, while the display notch on the front is a reminder that you are still a mere mortal in Apple's universe.

As for the rest of the package, you still get the USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, and some paperwork. Oh yes, the Apple sticker is present too. We also have the Purple Silicon MagSafe case for the iPhone 14 Plus and it has the same shade of Purple to complement the handset.

iPhone 14 Plus features at a glance

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

After the first boot up, the iPhone 14 Plus reminds you of its hierarchy in the iPhone 14 lineup. The 6.7-inch display is Apple's Super Retina XDR OLED display but it defaults to a standard 60Hz of refresh rate. Coming from the ProMotion display on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it feels jittery and rather uncomfortable. In fact, coming from any modern day Android phone, the 60Hz refresh rate looks unpleasant to the eyes. And NO, there's none of that “Apple's 60Hz is better than Android 120Hz” thing here – the animations are fluid but eager eyes can notice all the time, especially while unlocking.

Running the show here is the A15 Bionic chip from the last year's iPhone 13 Pro, and so far, it just feels as fast as the A16 Bionic on the Pro variants. I guess this chip will only show the differences in benchmark apps and platforms, with the 6GB RAM helping with multitasking. Lots to observe here, it seems.

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The cameras have gotten an upgrade from the iPhone 13 – the rear cameras are borrowed from the iPhone 13 Pro whereas the front camera has Autofocus lens. The Photonic Engine is present here too and we will have to see how much are you losing in comparison to the iPhone 14 Pro Max's cameras.

Battery life is where Apple makes big promises and that is what we are eager to see. The best battery life of any iPhone? We will see how it handles the daily loads. Will it beat the iPhone 14 Pro Max?

First Impressions

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iPhone 14 Plus (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The iPhone 14 Plus is simply a big iPhone for those who want to stay within a budget of Rs. 1 lakh and not miss out on a large screen display. Over the coming days, I will be testing out the phone and observe its acclaimed “best battery life”. Keep an eye out for our full review.