iPhone 14 Plus Review: Battery God

You know what they say about phones with big screens? Big batteries.

Okay, that isn't always the case, but the iPhone 14 Plus has the best battery of a phone we've tested in the 5G era. Possibly the best ever. It can easily get eight hours of screen time per charge, which is outstanding.

The iPhone 14 Plus is a phone that just won't die.

Cannot kill the battery (insert Metallica riff here)

The iPhone 14 Plus isn't going to have any issues getting through a full day. With 5G on, you should easily be able to get eight hours of screen time per charge. Possibly more - I even paced to nine hours one day in my testing. This could once again be greater if you stick to WiFi or don't have a 5G plan.

In real-world terms, lighter users should easily get two full days per charge from the iPhone 14 Plus. Moderate users might start to get a little uncomfortable near the end of the second day, while heavy will still easily make it through a full day with a buffer. You're going to have to be using the iPhone 14 Plus non-stop to try and kill it.

For comparison, we typically saw between four and five hours of screen time on the iPhone 14 Pro, between five and six on the standard iPhone 14, and around seven hours on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Outside of the iPhone world, we've seen many Android phones struggle to even hit four hours of screen time per charge over the recent year. With battery seemingly less of a priority in the Android realm, it's nice to see a handset that just goes and goes.

It's worth noting that there are some circumstances where the iPhone 14 Pro Max could potentially outperform the iPhone 14 Plus in terms of battery. For example, Apple says the iPhone 14 Pro Max can get up to 29 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 14 Plus will only get up to 26 hours.

This is because of the ProMotion display. Most video plays at 24 frames per second, so the iPhone 14 Pro Max can slow the screen down to a 24Hz refresh rate, while the iPhone 14 Plus holds firm at 60Hz.

However, in real-world testing with mixed usage, we've found the iPhone 14 Plus is consistently the better performer. While the ProMotion display can conserve battery for some tasks, it also uses more on others, and the always-on display also contributes to power drain. The iPhone 14 Pro Max battery is excellent, but the iPhone 14 Plus is just a step ahead.

Pro Max Air

If the iPhone 14 Plus is your first larger iPhone, it can be a bit imposing. The larger iPhone variants are my personal favourites, but I know I was a bit shocked the first time I used the iPhone XS Max - even though I'd used every "Plus" iPhone from before Apple went all screen.

That being said, the iPhone 14 Plus is a little more welcoming. Since the build is aluminium rather than stainless steel, it's not only lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but also the standard iPhone 14 Pro. It's great in the hand and feels really balanced. It could easily be the more ergonomic option for some.

In the same vein, a larger iPhone isn't always just about more screen real estate. Personally, I love that, but iOS accessibility features also let you zoom in for a smaller activity area with larger UI elements. You can even set this up on an app-by-app basis.

A big iPhone 14

For better and for worse, the iPhone 14 Plus is a big iPhone 14. For a deeper dive, have a read of our iPhone 14 review, but I'll go over the key points here.

The iPhone 14 Plus is powered by last year's processor - the A15 Bionic. This is admittedly the souped-up version that was featured in the iPhone 13 Pro, but it marks a change of pace for Apple. Not every new iPhone is on a level playing field anymore, at least on paper. In practice, it doesn't make too much of a difference. The A15 Bionic is still faster than any processor you'll find in an Android phone, and the iPhone 14 Plus is silky smooth to use.

On a similar note, the iPhone 14 Plus also misses out on the always-on display, the dynamic island, and the ProMotion high refresh rate display you'll find in this year's Pro models. The last is the most egregious. Every other phone in this price bracket has a 120Hz screen these days. Even if Apple wants to keep some distinction between Pro and non-Pro iPhones, upping the refresh rate to 90Hz would have been a nice middle ground.

The rear-facing cameras are really nice! They're not a huge step up from the iPhone 13, but they still take lovely photos. And even if you don't get the 48MP primary lens from the Pro models, you really need to pixel peep to see the difference in quality in most cases. It's a very reliable camera, it's just a little less versatile than what you get in the Pro series.

Conversely, the selfie camera upgrade is huge. Shared with the Pro models, the new selfie camera consistently delivers far better photos than previous iPhones. Dynamic range is wider, skin tones look more natural, and the overall image is more detailed.

The iPhone 14 Plus can alert emergency services and your emergency contacts if you've been in a car accident. Hopefully you won't need this feature, but it's here.

The other new safety feature is Emergency SOS via satellite. If you don't have cellular connectivity or WiFi, the iPhone 14 Plus can tap into satellite networks to message emergency services in the event you need help. This is currently only confirmed for the US and Canada, but we'd love to see it in Australia. iPhone 14 models sold in Australia support this feature.

iPhone 14 Plus - Final Thoughts

While the standard iPhone 14 is all but interchangeable with last year's iPhone 13, the iPhone 14 Plus has a clearer purpose. It's a big iPhone for those who don't want to go to all in on an iPhone 14 Pro Max. And given it's a $320 saving, I'm there will be many who will appreciate the cheaper option. It's nice to not have to spend top dollar to get a larger display and longer battery.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is easily the glitzier of the pair, especially thanks to headline new features like the always-on display and dynamic island, but it also feels a little first generation. The big new features still have growing pains.

Conversely, the iPhone 14 Plus is cut from the same well-refined mould as last year's devices. It's iterative, but impeccably polished. A safe but excellent choice backed by a battery that just won't quit.

Disclosure: This author owns shares in Apple

iPhone 14 Plus camera samples

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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