The annual “new iPhone every year” ritual will occur at its usual time in September. If you’re on Apple’s upgrade plan, you’ll get hit with a slightly inconvenient pre-qualification form, then (after a credit check) you’ll receive notice of your approval, then – after you pre-order your phone – you’ll learn how much your monthly fee will increase. When your new iPhone arrives, you can expect to spend just under an hour transferring all of your data and settings and logging back into your accounts on your new device.
For people who are not on an annual new phone plan (the major carriers offer their own versions), this year’s choice is more nuanced. If you have an iPhone 13, is there a compelling reason to upgrade to an iPhone 14?
If you’re still reading this, the short answer is no. There are very few people who will truly benefit from the upgrade. People who “need” the new iPhone 14 models, or who are addicted to having the latest tech, or who just “want” the newest new-new thing are going to get it anyway, but if you have any version of the 13 and you’re considering the benefits of upgrading to the same version of a 14, save your money. There’s nothing to see here.
So far, the rumor mill says we can expect a pill-shaped cutout instead of the notch at the top, a slightly better camera, and a chip upgrade (A16 for Pro and Pro Max, A15 for non-Pro models). I reserve the right to change my mind after the Apple event, as it’s possible that the rumor mill is wrong and there are some groundbreaking new “must have” features on the way. But from everything I’ve seen so far… yawn.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.