There were whispers about Apple coming out with a new yellow iPhone 14, and lo and behold, the rumors were true. Today, the Cupertino-based tech giant announced the new colorway for the standard iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus.
The Laptop Mag team had the opportunity to inspect the new iPhone 14 phones wrapped in the polarizing banana-yellow finish, and truth be told, we weren't moved. No, it's not hideous, but its Pikachu-esque hue didn't garner a warm reception from the office either.
We took this funky yellow phone out for a spin in Bryant Park, and interestingly, we discovered something quite disappointing about this device that makes the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max a better buy over the standard variant.
The chassis is bright, but the display is not
As mentioned, I took to Bryant Park to give the new yellow iPhone 14 a glamorous photoshoot. Although the Laptop Mag team is indifferent to the new color, we all agreed that the shiny yellow finish complements the golden flat edge that wraps around the display.
During the photoshoot, I felt that the display was too dim (it intensified the unsightly glare), so I pulled down the Action Center to turn up the brightness. To my surprise, the brightness was already maxed out.
Four months ago, we tested an iPhone 14 review unit shortly after its release. Whether adaptive brightness was on or off, the display peaked at 758 nits. For comparison, the iPhone 13's brightness can climb to 795 nits and the iPhone 14 Pro tops out at a whopping 1,448 nits! On the Android side, we've seen the Samsung Galaxy S23 get as bright as 1,158 nits! The typical smartphone delivers 879 nits of brightness, and unfortunately, the iPhone 14 drops below this figure. If ain't over 1,000, I don't want it!
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| iPhone 14 | 758 nits |
| iPhone 13 | 795 nits |
| iPhone 14 Pro | 1,448 nits |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | 1,565 nits |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | 1,158 nits |
| Average smartphone | 879 nits |
As such, if you want a phone that you can actually see during a sunny day, opting for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max may be your best bet. (And if the iPhone 14 Pro Max is too pricey for you, here are 5 phones that are cheaper and arguably better.)
The iPhone 14 Pro Max, for example, can climb to an incredible 1,565 nits. Plus, it has much better battery life (13 hours and 7 minutes) as opposed to the iPhone 14's measly 9-hour runtime.
To top it all off, feast your eyes on the iPhone 14 Pro Max's stunning gold color (see above), yellow's sexier shade.
The yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are available for pre-order now starting at $799. They will officially hit store shelves on March 14.
