If you want an iPhone 14 Pro this Christmas, these are your best options - Macworld

A batch of radical bargain caller iPhones, for themselves oregon for gifts, astir the end-of-year vacation season. This year, the iPhone 14 Pro (regular oregon Max) is the exemplary of choice; customers really privation that always-on show and Dynamic Island, not to notation the improved camera.

But it’s besides intolerable to find. A fewer weeks ago, Apple has issued a informing astir supply, and conscionable astir each model–every colour and retention capacity–has shipping estimates into precocious December. And bully luck uncovering 1 astatine Best Buy oregon a carrier store. So arsenic Christmas nears, what should you do? Let’s speech astir your options.

Just get the regular iPhone 14

We’re not going to prevarication and accidental you’ll beryllium conscionable arsenic blessed with the iPhone 14 arsenic the iPhone 14 Pro. You don’t get an always-on show oregon ProMotion. You don’t get the Dynamic Island. You won’t get a telephoto camera, oregon a 48MP sensor wide-angle camera (compared to 12MP connected the non-Pro model). There’s a crushed that, contempt costing a mates of 100 dollars more, it’s the astir fashionable exemplary this year.

But the iPhone 14 is by nary means a atrocious phone. It’s a comparatively tiny upgrade implicit the iPhone 13, but it’s accelerated (much faster than immoderate Android phone) and has an fantabulous camera and fantastic artillery life. If you’re upgrading from an iPhone that’s much than a mates of years old, it’ll inactive beryllium a immense betterment (especially the artillery life). And you’ll prevention hundreds of dollars implicit the iPhone 14 Pro oregon Pro Max! If you (or the idiosyncratic you’re gifting it to) are genuinely successful request of a caller iPhone, you’ll astir apt beryllium truly impressed by however overmuch amended the iPhone 14 is than your aged one.

Visit your section Apple Store aboriginal and often

It’s a spot of a agelong shot, but your section Apple Store gets caller shipments of iPhone 14 models each day. There’s nary warrant that determination volition beryllium immoderate iPhone 14 Pros successful determination oregon that you’ll beryllium capable to get the circumstantial colour oregon capableness you want, but if you get determination adjacent the opening you mightiness get lucky. Based connected shipment estimates, Apple’s proviso issues person been easing and since determination are inactive a mates of weeks earlier Christmas, this is astir apt your champion stake for uncovering don’t.

Order 1 online and hope

Nobody wants to bid a caller iPhone and not get it for implicit a month. And if you’re buying it arsenic a gift, wrapping up an bare container that says “iPhone 14 Pro coming soon” isn’t arsenic festive arsenic you mightiness hope, but the recipient volition understand–everyone other is fundamentally successful the aforesaid boat.

But it’s going to beryllium okay! It’s conscionable an iPhone, it’s not an emergency. Supply shortages are atrocious but nobody’s going to blasted you for them. Just enactment successful your bid and hold patiently for your caller iPhone 14 Pro to arrive–maybe successful the caller year. And who knows, possibly you’ll get a Christmas occurrence and it’ll get successful clip to wrapper and enactment nether the tree.

Wait for the iPhone 15

Do you really request a caller top-of-the-line iPhone close now? I mean, truly? Sure, your iPhone 12 Pro doesn’t bash each the awesome worldly the iPhone 14 Pro does, but it’s lone 2 years old. It’s fine.

Why not hold a twelvemonth and get an adjacent amended phone? We don’t cognize for definite what features the iPhone 15 Pro volition have, but it’s astir definite to beryllium faster, with a amended camera system, is apt to person USB-C, and mightiness adjacent diagnostic a titanium body. You don’t privation to bargain an iPhone 14 Pro and past crook astir and besides get an iPhone 15 Pro conscionable a twelvemonth later, bash you?

Instead, possibly see an iPhone accessory that volition enactment with your existent and aboriginal iPhone. The 2nd-generation AirPods Pro are large and already on merchantability for $200. And bash you person an Apple Watch yet? (Those are on sale too.)

Don’t bargain from scalpers!

With specified a blistery tech point successful abbreviated supply, the scalpers are already reselling them astatine prices hundreds implicit retail. It’s lone going to get worse arsenic we get into December. It whitethorn beryllium tempting to conscionable wage to get what you want, but each this does is make request that keeps the scalpers buying up each the inventory and overcharging for it. And it’s casual to get scammed! Just beryllium beardown and accidental nary to the scalpers.

Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor