Apple announces the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus with the iPhone 13's design and notch, 2021's A15 chip, satellite connectivity, and more
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac :
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already carried the A15, a smaller notch and a similar chassis into the iPhone 13 generation. The iPhone 14 extends that baseline while adding a 6.7-inch Plus option to the non-Pro range.
The launch also formalizes the split anticipated in coverage of the larger non-Pro iPhone 14: the standard models retain the prior chip and notch while the Pro line receives the A16, 48MP camera and Dynamic Island.
First-order effects
- Apple gives buyers seeking a larger screen a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus without moving them to the Pro lineup.
- Apple's iPhone 14 and 14 Plus preserve the A15-era design, while iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max buyers receive the new A16 and redesigned display cutout.
Second-order effects
- The clearer feature gap makes Apple's Pro models the destination for buyers prioritizing the latest camera, chip and display changes, while the Plus competes on screen size within the standard tier.
- Apple can address two screen sizes with the same standard-model technology baseline, rather than reserving the larger format solely for the Pro range.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues pairing a larger standard model with more differentiated Pro hardware, iPhone upgrades increasingly become a choice between screen size and premium capabilities rather than a single annual refresh cycle.
- The later iPhone 16 and 16 Plus update suggests the Plus format persisted as Apple continued to advance the standard line separately from the 2022 Pro-only changes.
The trend: Apple is broadening screen-size choice in its standard iPhone tier while concentrating leading hardware changes in Pro models.