Feature Articles

Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Pro series buying guide for Singapore

By Liu Hongzuo - 17 Apr 2023

What's different, which model should you get?

Note: This article was first published on 8th September 2022 and has been updated for relevancy.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

Buying the new iPhone 14? You've come to the right place

By now, you would have already heard of Apple launching the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. To aid you in your purchasing decisions and journey, we’ve compiled all its key details into this piece – starting with its pricing and availability.

 

Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Pro series pricing details

iPhone 14 Pro series, rear cameras.

Here’s a snapshot of the 2022 iPhones, their prices, storage options, and retail availability details.

Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Pro series in Singapore
  Apple iPhone 14 Apple iPhone 14 Plus Apple iPhone 14 Pro Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
128GB S$1,299 S$1,499 S$1,649 S$1,799
256GB S$1,469 S$1,699 S$1,819 S$1,969
512GB S$1,799 S$1,999 S$2,149 S$2,299
1TB NIL NIL S$2,479 S$2,629
Pre-order begins 9 September 2022, 8 PM SGT
Availability 16 September 2022 7 October 2022 16 September 2022 16 September 2022
Colours Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED) Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, Space Black 

Starting and ending prices remained the same as the iPhone 13 lineup back in 2021's launch, with the cheapest starting at S$1,299 and the most expensive option at S$2,629. A key difference is the discontinuation of its Mini variant, which was the least popular iPhone variant in recent times.

 

What's different between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series?

Like the previous year, Apple has kept its smartphone offerings simple. The Pro variant expectedly has more features and perks than the non-Pro ones, with both offering different sizes.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in five colours.

The iPhone 14 series gets the regular 6.1-inch variant iPhone 14 and the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus. The larger body on the latter also comes with a larger battery. Apple's spec sheet claims that the Plus variant has six hours longer video playback than the regular iPhone 14's 20 hours. Both models would otherwise share the same feature-set and components. 

iPhone 14 Pro series with Dynamic Island notch.

The iPhone 14 Pro series has a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. They come with more features than its non-Pro siblings, but their most prominent difference from the non-Pro ones is the camera notch taking on a new Dynamic Island design.

Besides their display and battery size, both Pro models also share the same set of advanced features, right down to their cameras. The Pro can deliver up to 23 hours of video playback, while Pro Max goes all the way up to 26 hours of playback (same as the Plus variant for the latter).

We've tabled down other known differences between Pro and non-Pro models below.

Differences between 14 non-Pro and 14 Pro series
  iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max
Chipset A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU A16 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU
Body material and finish Aerospace-grade aluminium Surgical-grade stainless steel
Notch Type Old iPhone X-styled notch New Dynamic Island design
Display type Super Retina XDR display (Apple custom OLED) Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and Always-On Display (LTPO)
Peak HDR Brightness 1,200-nits 1,600-nits (and 2,000-nits for outdoor)
Rear cameras Dual rear with 12MP Main and Ultra-wide cameras Triple rear with 48MP Main Camera, 12MP 2x Telephoto Camera, 3x Telephoto Camera
Quad-Pixel sensor No Yes
Sensor-shift OIS Main Camera, first generation Main Camera and Telephoto Camera, second generation
100% Focus Pixels Only on Main Camera All rear cameras
Optical zoom 2x 6x range (3x zoom in, 2x zoom out)
Digital zoom 5x 15x
Macro shooting No Yes
Built-in Flash True Tone Adaptive True Tone
LiDAR Scanner No Yes
Apple ProRAW No Yes
Apple ProRes Video playback only Playback, and recording up to 4K30FPS
1TB storage No (Up to 512GB only) Yes
Colours Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED)     Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, Space Black 

The upgraded Always-On Display with low refresh rate, to save on battery life.

Additional features conferred to the Pro series (iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max) thanks to its components are its 1Hz refresh rate for its Always-On Display (helps save battery juice), ProRAW at 48MP (higher than before), and a built-in 2x Telephoto toggle inside the default Camera app. Pro models also get an upgraded rear flash with a 9-LED array.

These differences above are likely why you'd choose Pro over non-Pro (or vice versa), assuming you have already decided on having 6.1 inches or 6.7 inches inside your pants or bag.

 

List of shared features across all iPhone 14 models

Crash Detection on all iPhone 14 models.

All four models:

  • Run on Apple iOS 16
  • Use Ceramic Shield glass on the front
  • Share the same 12MP TrueDepth Camera with the same feature set 
  • Are IP68-rated for water and dust resistance
  • Share the same 15W MagSafe charging and 7.5W Qi wireless charging
  • Get new features like Photonic Engine for front and rear cameras, Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS via Satellite.
  • Have Action Mode gimbal-like stabilisation for videos (2.8K at 60FPS)
  • Have Dolby Vision-powered HDR Recording up to 4K60FPS
  • Have Cinematic Mode shooting at 4K HDR 30FPS (only the Pro models have a special 4K24FPS for filmmakers)
  • Have the same 5G network capabilities, Wi-Fi 6 support, 4x4 MIMO antenna, Bluetooth 5.3, MagSafe compatibility
  • Have an Ultra Wideband chip (UWB) "for spatial awareness"
  • Have NFC with reader mode
  • Have Express Cards support via power reserve

So, this means the Pro models do get more advanced bells and whistles than its counterpart (see Differences table), but it doesn't necessarily affect the fundamentals of non-Pro iPhones, like Crash Detection, Bluetooth versions, charging speeds, network compatibility, and resistance to the elements.

 

What's the whole "no SIM card tray" all about?

Only the U.S. models lack a SIM card tray for physical SIM cards, since Apple decided that the U.S. market is ready to transition towards eSIM (digital SIM card).

For Singapore, all four variants (14 series, 14 Pro series) have a physical nano-SIM card tray. In fact, our market’s handsets can support a dual SIM combo of one nano-SIM and one eSIM. They can also support dual eSIM combos. If you’re still holding on to a physical SIM card for your mobiles, you’re not affected (yet).

As of writing this guide, only M1 supports eSIM (4G network) on iPhones in Singapore, according to Apple. But, we’ll update this part should this arrangement suddenly change.

 

Which model should you get?

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

Prices aside...

Size matters. So you have to decide whether 6.1 inches (iPhone 14, iPhone Pro) or 6.7 inches (iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro Max) feels better to you. Bigger is always bulkier, but you get more battery uptime and a bigger display.

For general consumers who want the non-Pro models, perhaps the missing 1Hz refresh rate, LiDAR Scanner, and one less camera on the non-Pro would be more keenly felt (or, it wouldn't). The older sensor-shift OIS technology on the Main Camera might help them get the photos they want in fewer tries. Otherwise, you're not really losing out on a lot, and you get to save a pretty penny.

iPhone 14 Pro rear cameras.

The Pro models are the leading choices for professional creatives and influencers who rely on iPhones for shooting work. The same goes for folks who need 1TB onboard storage for their iPhone 14. While ProRes video playback is available on both non-Pro and Pro variants, only the Pro ones have ProRes video recording and ProRAW shooting.

If you're a photo/video enthusiast, the Pro models' 48MP main camera with pixel-binning might give you an easier time when taking nicer images and clips, and optical zoom at both 2x and 3x would help to keep your photos looking sharp, clean, and well-lit, even from a distance.

iPhone 14 Pro rear series colours. Deep Purple is on the far right.

If your needs are more specific (e.g. you get skin pain when you touch aerospace-grade aluminium, or you only want PRODUCT(RED) or only Deep Purple, etc.) you can refer to the Differences table to see which is the better fit. 

What's worth noting are the pricing changes to older iPhone models officially offered by Apple. All the details are here, but the short of it is that the older iPhone 13 Pro is no longer offered (likely because the iPhone 14 series inherited its chipset and camera), while the rest of the range is S$150 cheaper than its previous official prices. Also, you can still get an older but smaller iPhone 13 Mini, if you really missed the compact form factor.

We hope this buying guide clarifies what iPhone 14 model is best suited for your needs. If you want to learn even more about the new Apple 2022 smartphones, we have the following articles for you to munch on.

 

Our professional opinion...

... on the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus:-

These are great phones on their own, but consider the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, especially now when you can still find them new.

Read our full review to find out why.

... on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max:-

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are great phones with irreproachable build quality, gorgeous displays, terrific cameras, and blazing fast performance. They are absolutely the phones to get if you are upgrading this year. 

Read our full review to find out why.

 

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