05/09 Update below. This post was originally published on May 7
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro plans are daring but it is arguably the company’s refusal to make any meaningful changes to the standard iPhone 14 models which is where the real shock lies. And that just got worse…
Following eye-opening reports in February that both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will again lack Apple’s 120Hz ProMotion display technology, now the industry’s most accurate insider has doubled down on this news.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max render based on multiple leaks
Ben Geskin
05/09 Update: hugely popular (8.3M subscribers) Apple YouTuber EverythingApplePro (aka Filip Koroy) has delved further into the new iPhone 14 design. Koroy obtained schematics of the iPhone 14 Pro models and 3D printed them, admitting that “it doesn’t appear that much has changed at first glance” but on closer inspection they reveal the earpiece has been repositioned higher in the phone.
“Another surprising change that I didn’t notice at first but then I cannot not see is the increased corner radiuses alongside thinner bezels which are getting 21% thinner. You’ll have more screen but less bezel and more of a pleasant rounded shape which is going in the direction of the Series 7 Apple Watch.”
Koroy warns that these changes don’t add a lot of screen estate, but it does take the iPhone lineup in a bold new direction. Koroy also adds that the schematics “absolutely confirmed” the new dual hole punch on the Pro models with the standard iPhone 14 and new iPhone 14 Max retaining the notch. For iPhone 14 Pro buyers, 2022 looks like an exciting upgrade year, but those considering the standard iPhone 14 should probably wait until 2023 when bigger changes are coming.
In an attempt to correct an inaccurate report, Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), tweeted that “Only Pro models” will sport ProMotion. And given Young’s remarkable track record, this looks like the final nail in the coffin for technology which has become both popular and ubiquitous in mid-to-high-end Android smartphones in recent years.
And my feeling is Apple has boxed itself into a corner here. This year, Apple is determined to increase the separation between its Pro and non-Pro iPhones and it cannot do this while giving standard iPhone models a feature called ‘ProMotion’. This is despite the fact there is nothing particularly Pro about ProMotion in 2022. It is a rare example of Apple’s marketing jargon coming back to bite the company and it could not come at a worse time.
Under another name, ProMotion would have been an easy and popular upgrade for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max. High refresh rate screens bring a level of smoothness and responsiveness that simply isn’t possible on a 60Hz display, while also reducing eye strain. Apple itself markets ProMotion as the “display that changes the game.”
Apple markets ProMotion on the iPhone 13 Pro as game changing…
Apple
But without it, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are left with almost nothing to recommend them. In an unprecedented move, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will reuse the design, display tech, camera modules and chipset from the iPhone 13. All the big upgrades are being saved for iPhone Pro models.
Moreover, this comes at a time when Apple is likely to be forced into price upgrades across the range. So Apple needed an easy win and ProMotion could have been it. As it stands, market analysts are now raising questions about the range’s potential success, and they might just have a point.
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