The iPhone 14 series goes up for preorder on Friday, and Apple’s latest and greatest handsets are likely to sell out quickly. You need do some early prep work if you want to get your hands on the iPhone 14 Plus or the new Pro models as soon as possible.
AirPods Pro 2 also up for early orders at the same time.
Here’s how to be completely ready to put in a preorder for either or both items.
iPhone 14 series and AirPods Pro 2 build on a brilliant past
2022 isn’t the year for a radical design of Apple’s handsets. Still, there are welcome improvements in every new model.
The biggest change in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is undoubtedly the Dynamic Island that replaces the old screen notch. But there are also dramatic camera improvements, including a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera with enhanced low-light capabilities.
The iPhone 14 Plus borrows the 6.7-inch screen from last year’s Pro Max, but not the price. The handset doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some Apple models, but it offers that big screen and price tag $200 below the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 14 is a modest update when compared to its predecessor.
And don’t forget AirPods Pro 2, which replace the 2019 version. They offer better active noise cancellation, improved touch controls on their stems, and the charging case supports Find My.
Set your clock
Apple will start taking preorders for the iPhone 14 series and AirPods Pro 2 at 5 a.m. PDT (8 a.m. EDT) on Friday, September 9.
In the past, demand for some iPhone versions has outstripped the supply of units that Apple has ready to deliver on day one. Putting in an order as soon as possible is therefore important. Sleep a couple of hours past the start of preorders and you might not get your iPhone 14 Pro until October.
Of course, that’s inevitable with one of Apple’s new devices. You can preorder the iPhone 14 Plus starting on September 9 but it won’t be available to anyone until October 7. Preorders for all three other iOS handsets begin Friday, Sept. 9 and will start reaching customers on Sept. 16. AirPods Pro 2 can also be preordered on Sept. 8 and will begin arriving, Sept. 23.
If you want your iPhone 14 or AirPods Pro as soon as possible – whatever day that is – go set your clock now.
Be sure to take time zones into account. In the United States and Canada, think 5 a.m. Pacific or 8 a.m. Eastern. It’s 13:00 BST in the UK. In Germany or the Netherlands, be ready at 14:00 CEST. In India, the time will be 5:30 p.m. IST.
Get the Apple Store app
The next step is to download the official Apple Store app to your iPhone. It’s less likely to crash from huge numbers of people all trying to buy at once. At the very least, it gives you a second option is the website is jammed.
Now that you have it installed, open the app and tap on your image in the upper-right corner to bring up your account info. Scroll down to Primary Payment and check that it shows the right credit card info. Because the middle of placing your order Friday morning is a bad time to realize your credit card deets are out of date.
Also, check that your shipping address is correct. That’s not something you want to be typing in when you’re in a hurry and/or drowsy. You can find it under Primary Shipping.
Choose your exact iPhone 14 configuration now
Next, it’s time to decide on the exact specs of the iPhone you want to preorder. Both the Apple Store app and Apple.com will let you choose a configuration then save it. On September 9, you can quickly pull the configuration up again and place your order.
On the website, choose whether you want a standard iPhone 14 or an iPhone 14 Pro. Choose View pricing and you’ll be taken to a page where you can decide on the model, color, storage and wireless carrier. You’ll also be asked about a trade in and AppleCare+. When you’ve done all that, tap on Get Ready to Order.
That begins a multi-step process where you confirm your carrier, consider some accessories, confirm your payment method, then review your order. After you finish, you’ll be ready for Friday.
If you don’t want to go through all of that now, you can choose Add this item to a list instead and the configuration will be saved. You’ll still have to complete the rest of the process later.
For those who decide to use the Apple Store app instead of the website, go to the Shop tab, scroll down to Save Time at iPhone pre-order and tap on it. Configure your device then tap on Get Ready for Pre-order. That will start you on the same multi-step process as Apple’s website.
Screenshots: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Alternatively, once you have configured the iPhone you want, you can tap on Add to Saved Items. You can easily come back to this later.
If you chose to save your order without working through all the steps, on Friday you’ll need to open the Apple Store app than tap on your image in the upper-right corner to open your account info, then go to Saved Items. Or, on the Apple website, tap on the shopping bag in the upper-right corner, then choose Saved Items.
On either option, hit Show more to review the exact specs you’ve chosen, then Continue to start the ordering process.
Don’t forget AirPods Pro 2
Currently, there’s no configuring AirPods Pro two – there’s only one model. All you can do at this point is Add this item to your saved list and come back to it on Friday.
Most importantly, don’t get so excited when you put in an order for an iPhone 14 that you forget about the wireless earbuds.
Get your wallet ready
Apple ignored inflation so there were no price increases versus last year’s models – in the United States, anyway. Here are the U.S. base prices.
- iPhone 14: $799
- iPhone 14 Plus: $899
- iPhone 14 Pro: $999
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1099
All of those base versions have 128 GB of storage. The Pros can be preconfigured with up to 1 TB, while the non-Pro models top out at 512 GB. Doubling the storage capacity of each handset adds between $100 and $200 to the price.
If you want AiPods Pro 2, that’ll set you back $249, the same as the original version.
Place your order
When your alarm clock goes off on Friday, open the Apple Store app or go to Apple.com and place your order. If you’ve done your prep work and added your desired configuration to Saved Items, everything will speed by.
It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And if you’ve been quick enough, you can look forward to getting your iPhone 14 and/or AirPods Pro 2 as quickly as anyone.
