New Apple iPhone 14 release date, prices and plans

Apple’s latest instalments in the iPhone range – the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus – were announced in the wee hours of 8 September 2022 via a sleek video presentation in classic Apple fashion. 

Along with a range of new safety and user interface features, the brand new iPhone 14 boasts longer battery life and improved cameras. 

In Australia, the base-model iPhone 14 is available for purchase now, but those waiting for the iPhone 14 Plus will have to wait until 7 October 2022. However, you can secure an iPhone 14 Plus by preorder. 

Let’s take a look at how much an iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will cost.

According to the Apple website, the starting price for an iPhone 14 128GB is A$1,399, but the price rises with larger internal storage:

• 128GB for A$1,399 
• 256GB for A$1,579
• 512GB for A$1,899

According to the Apple website, the starting price for an iPhone 14 Plus 128GB is A$1,579, and for models with larger internal storage you can expect to pay:

• 128GB for A$1,579 
• 256GB for A$1,749
• 512GB for A$2,099

Here's an idea of the iPhone 14 mobile plans the major telcos are offering. These plans are for the iPhone 14 128GB, so this is where plan prices are likely to start at. 

"With the new, larger 6.7-inch display on iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy more content on screen when browsing the web and even more text."

The standard iPhone 14 comes with a 6.1-inch screen, which is the same size as featured on the iPhone XR, 11, 12, and 13. 

But those who want a little extra room will be stoked to learn that the iPhone 14 Plus screen comes in at 6.7 inches. This is the same screen size that came with the iPhone 12 and 13 ‘Pro Max’ phones.

“With the new, larger 6.7-inch display on iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy more content on screen when browsing the web and even more text,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Both screens for the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are Super Retina XDR displays that use OLED technology. The displays allow for a peak HDR (high dynamic range) brightness of 1200 nits, support Dolby Vision, and have a far-ranging contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1.

Apple has touted the battery contained within the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus is “the best battery life on iPhone”, with the entry-level iPhone 14 reportedly lasting for 20 hours of continuous video playback. The iPhone 14 Plus is said to last for 26 hours of continuous video playback, giving customers all day battery, and then some.

The camera in the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus has been paid careful consideration, given so many phone users these days expect high-quality content creation tools in their pockets.  

Keeping in theme with iPhone releases since the iPhone 11, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus both feature a dual-camera system, as well as a front-facing camera for selfie enthusiasts. 

The revamped main camera features a larger sensor and larger pixels and will take 12MP photos to make for high-resolution shots that rival DSLR cameras. 

The front cameras on the iPhone 14 feature Apple’s TrueDepth technology with an ƒ/1.9 aperture. This means low-light photography and videos could be much clearer. 

Along with the aforementioned features, there’s also:

• An action mode that provides stability for shaky hands and high-speed movement
• An ultra wide lens
• A 10 percent brighter True Tone flash 
• A cinematic video mode with 4K at both 30 fps and 24 fps 
• Dolby Vision HDR 
• Photonic engine to enhance low-light photos

A new feature of the iPhone 14, unlike anything seen previously, is the crash detection feature.

In short, the iPhone 14 has the ability to sense a severe car crash and call triple zero if you’re unable to do so yourself (as in the case of unconsciousness or inability to reach for your phone). 

If a crash is detected, then your iPhone will place an emergency call to 000, unless you tell it not to by hitting the cancel button. 

The iPhone 14 comes fitted with a dual-core accelerometer which can detect G-force measurements up to 256Gs and a gyroscope, which works in tandem with the existing barometer and GPS to detect both cabin pressure changes and speed changes. 

The algorithms for the crash detection feature were trained on over a million hours of real-world driving and crash data, according to Apple.

The iPhone 14 range will be 5G compatible, making it near-future-proof and providing access to the next generation of internet technology. 

One feature of the iPhone 14 for those in the United States which might prove worrisome to some is the lack of a SIM card tray. This means that US-based customers will only have access to eSIM mobile phone plans. 

The adoption of eSIM technology in the US might be the testing ground for future rollouts of iPhones without physical SIM card compatibility.

The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus contain an A15 Bionic chip and 5-core GPU which powers high-performance gaming, as well as the photonic engine and cinematic camera modes, not to mention smoother graphics. 

The GPU also contains the physical privacy and security features of Apple’s secure enclave, which lends itself nicely to Apple’s emphasis on personal and data security. 

The iPhone 14 also contains a 6-core CPU, “updated internal design for better thermal performance”, and a 16-core Neural Engine for machine-learning computations which are used by iOS 16 and third-party applications.

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, but want to avoid the hefty price tag of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, then it could be a good idea to wait. 

Once the iPhone 14 is released, you can expect that older models will drop in price, including the mobile phone plans which come with them. 

If you can’t wait for the price drop however, then you could consider looking into refurbished mobile phones.

In any case, there are plenty of mobile phone plans which come bundled with older iPhones. Here’s a list of some of the latest plans, which include an iPhone 11 128GB: