The life cycle of the iPhone 14 could go down in history as one of the most peculiar ones for a smartphone to be witnessed by humans. No, we aren’t being sarcastic. Released in 2022 as the bread-and-butter variant of the iPhone 14 series, the iPhone 14 was the epitome of what happens when Apple becomes a bit lazy with its R&D for a new product. Critics and fans were quick to label it as the ‘iPhone 13S’, a minor revision of the brilliant iPhone 13 with little changes to the specs (Apple didn’t even upgrade the chipset!) Along with the iPhone 14 Plus, it struggled to get off the shelves in its first few months and questions were raised about the iPhone 14’s future.
While the sales figures have improved in recent months, thanks in large part to the plethora of price cuts, the iPhone 14 is now rumoured to be getting a mid-life upgrade that could finally give it the superstar status it deserved, despite the arrival of the new iPhone 15 in a few weeks. For the uninitiated, the iPhone 14 will get a small yet crucial hardware upgrade, a first for any Apple iPhone in history. Sadly, it’s not the chipset upgrade that most fans and consumers were expecting.
Nevertheless, the upgrade is crucial to Apple and its consumers across the world. The updated iPhone 14 could present a more diverse lineup of iPhones this year, allowing Apple to gently hike the price of the iPhone 15 by a notch and offer the iPhone 14 as a great choice for the value-conscious buyer. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what the iPhone 14’s future has in store for customers.
The iPhone 14’s future: What can you expect?
Based on Apple’s long history of putting its older iPhones on sale, it was expected that the iPhone 14 could continue to sell as a low-cost alternative to the newer and much improved iPhone 15. However, from 2024 and onwards, this lineup wouldn’t be allowed to sell in several European countries.
Thanks to the EU’s revised norms, Apple is now forced to include the USB-C port on every iPhone model it intends to sell in 2024 and beyond. As such, it was a no-brainer to expect Apple to release the iPhone 15 series with the universally accepted USB-C port. The USB-C port is expected to make life easier for an iPhone 15 user, considering the charger for most Android smartphones, Windows PCs and Apple’s Macs will now be able to charge iPhones too. The need to tag along a Lighting cable will no longer be necessary.
However, based on codes extracted from beta versions of tvOS by an Apple developer and writer, it seems that Apple could be giving the iPhone 14 the USB-C treatment as well. This isn’t surprising. After all, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will only be a year old when the iPhone 15 comes out and are likely to be sold for two more years as an affordable alternative to the iPhone 15 and possibly even the iPhone 16 next year.
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Would the iPhone 14 USB-C stand out from Apple’s upcoming lineup?
With the USB-C port, the iPhone 14 could end up being the most value-for-money pick in Apple’s 2023-24 iPhone lineup. The same can also be said for the iPhone 14 Plus, which offers a bigger display and a larger battery.
The iPhone 14, in general, is the complete smartphone package in the premium segment. It offers a well-tuned OLED display, a pair of nice cameras, commendable battery stamina and a super reliable user experience. The A15 Bionic chip in 2023 and 2024 may not inspire confidence on paper but you can count on Apple’s clever optimisation to keep it agile and capable with iOS 17’s newest features. In fact, the A15 Bionic continues to be more powerful and efficient than most chipsets used by Android’s ‘flagship killers’.
With a USB-C port, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will now be future-proof for the rest of their life cycles, getting more compatible with other devices and universal chargers.
iPhone 14 to also get security updates for years to come
Apple will continue to bring all of the latest iOS updates to the iPhone 14 long after the iPhone 15, iPhone 16, iPhone 17 and even iPhone 18 are released. Unlike the largely fragmented Android ecosystem, the older iPhones continue to get the newest OS updates as well as the latest security patches on the same day as the newest models.
Hence, in the event of a security threat, the iPhone 14 will continue to be as secure as the next five generations of iPhones.
iPhone 14’s future: Will we see any new colours?
That’s always a possibility!
The iPhone 14 was originally launched in five colours, including Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Product Red and Purple. Earlier in 2023, Apple released a new shade of Yellow for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. With six colours already available, it’s unlikely that Apple will release its iPhone 14 models in another shade of colour. That said, we won’t mind the return of the iPhone 13’s dark green on either the iPhone 14 or iPhone 15.
Will the iPhone 13 and iPhone SE also get USB-C ports?
As of now, the leaked codes only hint at the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus getting the USB-C treatment. While there’s no mention of the iPhone 13 or the iPhone SE in these codes, we aren’t ruling out the possibility.
In 2023, the iPhone 13 is two years old and it won’t make for a profitable business decision to modify it with USB-C. Hence, the iPhone 13 may end its life cycle with the trusty Lightning port and will be sold for as long as the law allows it. The same can be said for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which will be replaced by the iPhone 15 Pro series.
As for the iPhone SE, it’s up for debate. The iPhone SE 3rd Gen has been around since early 2022 and with the Lightning port, it’s good to sell for a few more months. Rumours of an iPhone SE 4th Gen have been doing rounds and it’s a possibility that Apple could repurpose the old iPhone XR as the new iPhone SE 4th Gen. The only changes expected in the new iPhone SE would be the iPhone XR’s body with a USB-C port and a newer A16 Bionic chip (or even an A17 Bionic chip, if Apple decides to be generous).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Will iPhone 14 get USB-C charging?
Yes, the Apple iPhone 14 is speculated to get the USB-C charging port as a midlife hardware upgrade.
– Which iOS updates are coming to iPhone 14?
The iPhone 14 is already running iOS 16 and will be among the first iPhones to get the iOS 17 update.
– Will iPhone 14 launch in new colours?
The iPhone 14 is unlikely to launch in new colours in the near future.
(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Thai Nguyen via Unsplash)
