The iPhone 14 might feel a little old in the fast-moving world of smartphones, but it still holds up with great performance and a design that’s stood the test of time. Its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display continues to impress, with vibrant colours, deep blacks, and amazing clarity, even years after it launched.
While newer iPhones have introduced a bunch of improvements, the iPhone 14’s display remains one of its best features. So, what makes it stand out? Here’s everything you need to know about the display technology on the iPhone 14 and why it remains relevant in 2024.
iPhone 14: Display specifications
For the third year in a row, Apple has stuck with the same design for its affordable iPhone and the only noticeable difference is some fresh colour options, like the cool blue variant. The matte finish on the flat sides helps keep fingerprints and smudges away, which is a big win compared to the shiny iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 14 features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2532 × 1170 pixels, delivering a pixel density of about 460 PPI. It offers a typical brightness of up to 800 nits and a max brightness of up to 1200 nits, ensuring bright, sharp visuals. The display quality still holds up well, even though it hasn’t been upgraded from the iPhone 13. Additionally, it’s lightweight, comfortable, and durable with an IP68 water resistance rating and Apple’s Ceramic Shield for added drop protection.
iPhone 14: Display performance
The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display on the iPhone 14 is one of the best in its price range. It delivers vibrant colours, great detail, and solid performance, even though it’s not upgraded. The lack of a 120Hz refresh rate is noticeable, especially when scrolling or playing certain games. Still, the display is great for watching TV shows or movies and photos also look fantastic, with crisp details like water droplets on flower petals.
In lab tests, the iPhone 14 scored 117.4% of the sRGB colour gamut and 83.1% of the DCI-P3 colour space, which is slightly on the higher side when compared to the Galaxy S22. The iPhone 14’s display also hasn’t changed much and while the iPhone 14 Pro has a 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother scrolling and animations, the iPhone 14 sticks to a 60Hz refresh rate. If you’ve never used a 120Hz display, it might not bother you, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll miss it. That said, even without ProMotion, the iPhone 14’s screen still holds up with accurate colours, good brightness for HDR content, and sharp detail.
All in all, while the iPhone 14’s display doesn’t feature the latest high-refresh-rate technology or the brightest possible screen, it still offers a solid viewing experience. With vibrant colours, sharp detail, and impressive HDR performance, it holds its own against other phones in this price range. If you don’t mind missing out on the 120Hz refresh rate and can live without the highest brightness levels, the iPhone 14 offers great value for money without compromising on display quality.
