iPhone 14 and 14 Pro go on sale as Apple hopes ‘Dynamic Island’ and other upgrades can win fans over

(AFP via Getty Images)

The iPhone 14 and 14 Pro are now on sale, with Apple hoping a range of new features can encourage customers to upgrade.

The new devices offer a range of additional features: an always-on display, improved cameras and more. Perhaps the most discussed is the “Dynamic Island”, which turns the cut-out at the top of the screen for the cameras and other sensors into a new place for notifications.

Apple will hope that those upgrades – and a price freeze in the US, though increased prices in the UK and elsewhere – are enough to keep purchases of the phone continuing despite a difficult economic outlook for the coming months.

For many of the iPhone’s now 15 years on the market, the launch of new devices was marked with long queues outside of its stores and cheering staff to welcome them in.

Recent years have been more subdued affairs, however, with Apple encouraging customers to reserve their phones online. While it is possible to pick them up from stores, Apple offers a virtual queue where customers are told when they will need to arrive to get their new iPhones.

One reputable analyst, Ming-chi Kuo, has suggested that pre-orders for the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus – the cheaper versions of the devices – may be down this year. Interest was low for the plus model in particular, he said, despite it being the first year that Apple has offered a larger version of the lower-end device instead of the old “Mini”.

The larger model has also been delayed, however. While the other three phones are available from 16 September, the plus size will not arrive until 7 October.

Interest in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is good, however, he suggested. That may be a result of the fact that the Pro and non-Pro devices are more different than usual, this year, with only the higher-end devices getting a processor upgrade and that new Dynamic Island.

Apple announced all of the iPhone 14 devices at an event last week, alongside a range of Apple Watches including a new “Ultra” model aimed at explorers. The company also launched new AirPods Pro.

The iPhones opened for pre-orders on 9 September, and those pre-orders will arrive from Friday, as well as new sales being offered in stores.