Every iPhone 14 Has Something in Common: Way Longer Battery Life Price same as iphone 13.

Apple says the new iPhone 14’s battery will last all day — an improvement over the iPhone 13.

Queenie Wong

Sept. 8, 2022 7:07 a.m. PT

Apple kept up its tradition of unveiling new iPhones in September.

Looking to upgrade to the iPhone 14? It’s not going to be as simple as taking your SIM card out of your current phone and plopping it in. Apple announced at Wednesday’s “Far Out” event that the company is fully embracing virtual embedded SIM cards — aka eSIMs — as the default, a change it has been gradually moving toward for years. That means there will not be a physical SIM card tray on US models.

With eSIMs you will still be able to take full advantage of a carrier’s 4G LTE or 5G networks and use your phone the same way you have in the past. Apple has supported eSIMs on iPhones dating back to 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, and has long supported the technology on its recent cellular iPads and Apple Watches. Last year’s iPhone 13 line even allowed for multiple eSIMs to be enabled at once, useful for those looking to have a work number and personal number on just one device.

During its fall product event on Wednesday, Apple said the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lineups include “all-day” battery life. The company says the best battery life, now included in the iPhone 14 Plus, was previously only available in the iPhone Pro Max models. (Here’s how all four iPhone 14 models compare.)

That likely means the latest models will all offer more minutes of battery life than the iPhone 13 series.

Battery life can vary depending on what people use their phones for so the results might not be the same for everyone. The battery information on Apple’s website suggests that you can watch more video and listen to audio for a couple of more hours on the iPhone 14 compared to its predecessor. The company said that the iPhone 14 includes up to 20 hours of video playback, up to 16 hours of streamed video playback and up to 80 hours of audio playback. The iPhone 13 includes up to 19 hours of video playback, up to 15 hours of streamed video playback and up to 75 hours of audio playback. You can compare the battery life of various models on this website.

CNET’s battery tests last year — playing looped video on airplane mode with the screen at half brightness — showed the iPhone 13 Pro lasting 22 hours, 2 minutes, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max lasting 31 hours, 19 minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how the new iPhones compare.

Apple event: Full coverage

Apple’s improvements to the iPhone’s battery life is one way the tech giant is trying to entice you to upgrade your phone as consumers in general pull back on spending to offset inflation and a murky economic future. While new features like Crash Detection and Dynamic Island draw all the headlines, most consumers have a basic set of needs they look for when buying a new phone.

If the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro’s new battery life still isn’t enough, you can always consider adding a power bank for added charge.

The iPhone 14 starts at $799, the larger screen iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899, the iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099. At Wednesday’s event, Apple also unveiled the AirPods Pro 2, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra and the iOS 16 release date.