The iPhone 14 rumors have not died down even though we’re just one day away from Apple’s big unveiling event. If anything, there’s a significant uptick in leaks, with last-minute reports delivering additional details about the new smartphone series. For example, a new report claims the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will feature an “enhanced version” of the A15 Bionic chip Apple used in the iPhone 13 series.
Why the iPhone 14 Pro will be more expensive
The iPhone 14 will be Apple’s first new generation to feature two significantly different pairs of iPhones. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus will be updated variants of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. But they’re getting much better prices than you’d pay for an iPhone 13 Pro model after the iPhone 14 launch.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will get significant upgrades. We’re looking at a new design, a better display, the A16 Bionic chip, and a 48-megapixel primary camera. All that will warrant a $100 premium over last year’s iPhone Pro pricing. The economy is also a factor here.
It’s the economy that The Wall Street Journal looked at in its latest iPhone 14 report.
The paper explained that Apple’s decision to raise iPhone 14 prices follows recent consumer trends. Buyers have spent more money on the iPhone in recent years, with storage being one element that convinced them to pay more.
As a result, Apple saw the iPhone’s average selling price rise to $954 in the June 2022 quarter compared to $783 in the September 2019 quarter. Higher price tags for the iPhone 14 Pro models will help Apple navigate the overall slowdown in the industry. Analysts expect iPhone sales to see minimal growth year to year. But iPhone revenue will outpace unit sales growth thanks to the price increase.
Apple’s A15 Bionic chip upgrades
Against this backdrop, The Journal dropped the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus processor detail. The report says the handsets will receive an enhanced version of the current A15 chip without going into more details about these upgrades.
The iPhone 13 Pro models already feature a better version of the A15 that powers the cheaper non-Pro models. Specifically, the iPhone 13 Pro has an extra GPU core for a total of five. Moreover, the iPhone 13 Pros come bundled with 6GB of RAM.
This is the sort of upgrade we’ve discussed in the past. The upgrade that will allow Apple to market the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus as upgrades over last year’s base iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13.
It’s unclear whether Apple will make additional changes to the A15 Bionic variant powering the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. If possible, Apple could bump up performance so that the cheaper iPhone 14 models outperform the iPhone 13 Pros. But that’s just speculation.
Regardless of the A15 variant, the base iPhone 14 models will be great upgrades for iPhone users on older generations. We’ve already explained why the $799 iPhone is so compelling, a price that The Journal also expects.
As for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the two handsets should start at $1,099 and $1,199. That’s going to be $300 more than the base models and $100 more expensive than their predecessors.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
