by Hartley Charlton
The iPhone 14 now sits in the middle of Apple's iPhone lineup below the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, but above the iPhone SE and iPhone 13. The iPhone 13 starts at $599, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are priced at $699 and $799, so how different are the two successive iPhone generations?
In 2021, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 as the successor to the popular iPhone 12, with improved rear cameras, longer battery life, the A15 Bionic chip, and more. The iPhone 14 launched one year later, with the headline upgrade being a new iPhone 14 Plus model with a 6.7-inch display –a screen size that was previously exclusive to Apple's "Pro" iPhones. Upon the debut of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus to $599, $699, and $799, respectively. The iPhone 13 mini has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 both feature the same display size, 5G connectivity, A15 Bionic chip, and design. Nevertheless, the iPhone 14 still offers a number of upgrades, such as an additional GPU core, Emergency SOS via satellite, the Photonic Engine, and Action Mode.
As the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 share the overwhelming majority of their features and have the same design, should you consider sticking with the iPhone 13 to save money? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you, and serves as a way to clearly see the differences that the iPhone 14 brings to the table.
iPhone 13 | iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus |
---|---|
Thickness of 7.65mm | Thickness of 7.80mm |
Weighs 174 grams | Weighs 172 or 203 grams |
4-core GPU | 5-core GPU |
4GB of memory | 6GB of memory |
12-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture | 12-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture and larger sensor |
12-megapixel front-facing camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture | 12-megapixel front-facing camera with ƒ/1.9 aperture and autofocus |
Photonic Engine | |
Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps) | Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (4K HDR up to 30 fps) |
Action mode | |
Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Emergency SOS | Emergency SOS via satellite |
Crash Detection | |
19-hour battery life | 20- or 26-hour battery life |
eSIM optional | eSIM only (in the U.S.) |
Available in Green, Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and PRODUCT(RED) | Available in Blue, Yellow, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, and PRODUCT(RED) |
Starts at $599 | Starts at $699 or $799 |
The iPhone 14's upgrades over the iPhone 13 are fairly minor, offering small refinements in terms of photography and videography capabilities, battery life, and GPU performance. 6GB of memory, Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite, three features that also came to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2022, are moderate upgrades for the safety-conscious. That being said, the iPhone 14 is probably best suited to those coming from an older device and intend to keep their iPhone for a long time.
- iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 Buyer's Guide: Comparing Apple's Cheapest iPhones
- iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 15 Buyer's Guide: 20+ Upgrades Compared
At face value, there is likely not enough to justify getting the iPhone 14 over the iPhone 13. Matters may be different if you want a larger display size, as there is no equivalent to the iPhone 14 Plus in the iPhone 13 lineup. Even then, the iPhone 14 Plus's $799 starting price is the same as the iPhone 15 –one of Apple's latest models. The iPhone 15 sports a wide array of new features, such as the Dynamic Island, a 48-megapixel camera, a USB-C port, and more, making for a much more attractive and future-proof purchase.
The iPhone 13 is still highly capable for everyday use, and iPhone 14 shares the vast majority of the iPhone 13's most versatile features, such as the A15 Bionic chip, OLED Super Retina XDR display, Ceramic Shield, Night mode, MagSafe, and IP68 water resistance, so it is generally better to save the $100 and get the older model, or opt for the iPhone 15 instead.
Related Roundups: iPhone 13, iPhone 14
Related Forum: iPhone
216 comments
Top Rated Comments
AppliedMicro
19 months ago
No mini - no upgrade.
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
schneeland
19 months ago
Based on experience from previous years, the answer to "should you upgrade from iPhone X to iPhone X+1?" is almost universally no. Same for Watch and iPad. The devices have all reached a maturity where they can easily be used for 3+ years.
That being said, I agree with previous comments that "should you upgrade" articles seem kind of ill-advised before the device in question is actually out.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoIdentity
19 months ago
ah yeah, a buyer's guide based on speculations. I recon, why buy the 13 or 14, heck skip until we reach 20. I heard the 20 will have killer features and way worth the wait. Considering the price jump between 16 and 17 will be very steep it only makes sense to upgrade when the 20 hits the market. Save up, until then. /s
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eriamjh1138@DAN
19 months ago
The 14 will be the best iPhone ever.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut
19 months ago
Waiting for iPhone 15 with USB-C and alternative AppStores, alternative Payment + Sideloading :D
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vespi
19 months ago
I still have Iphone 11 from release with og battery, health at 82% and ios 15.6.1, I go to bed with ~50%, its fast enough and cameras are still good, Im not upgrading from 11 to 14 either, replacing battery this year though. Hope iphone 15 brings more than 14
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments
Popular Stories
Apple Said iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States
Monday February 12, 2024 7:51 am PST by MacRumors Staff 2
In 2021, Apple introduced a feature that lets residents of participating U.S. states add their driver's license or ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age. Unfortunately, states have been slow to adopt the feature since it was first announced in September 2021, with IDs in the Wallet app only available ...
Read Full Article
iOS 17.3 Added New Feature That Every iPhone User Should Know About
Friday February 16, 2024 6:28 am PST by MacRumors Staff 2
Apple's recent iOS 17.3 software update includes an important new feature that all iPhone users should know about: Stolen Device Protection. The Wall Street Journal last year reported about thieves spying on an iPhone user's passcode before stealing the device, often in public places like bars. With knowledge of the passcode, the thief can then change the victim's Apple ID password, turn off ...
Read Full Article
iOS 18: All the Rumors and New Features Expected So Far
Thursday February 15, 2024 8:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18 is still months away from being unveiled, but there are already rumors and expectations for the software update, as outlined below. iOS 18 is rumored to include new ChatGPT-like generative AI features for Siri and several built-in Apple apps. The update is expected to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience with Android users. A sketchy rumor claimed...
Read Full Article • 70 comments
Apple Responds to Meta's Plan to Charge 30% Fee on Boosted Posts Purchased Through App Store
Thursday February 15, 2024 10:39 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In October 2022, Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to clarify that sales of "boosted" posts in social media apps must use the App Store's in-app purchase system. Apple thereby receives up to a 30% cut of these sales. As a result of that clarification, Meta today announced that it will soon charge advertisers a 30% fee when they purchase boosted posts through the Facebook and...
Read Full Article • 134 comments
iPhone 16 Rumored to Feature 'Significantly' Upgraded Neural Engine for iOS 18's Generative AI Features
Wednesday February 14, 2024 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's next-generation A18 and M4 chips for future iPhone and Mac models will feature an upgraded Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores, according to a report today from the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News. An upgraded Neural Engine would improve performance for AI/machine learning tasks. iOS 18 is rumored to have new generative AI features for Siri, Shortcuts, Messages,...
Read Full Article • 143 comments
Apple Confirms iOS 17.4 Disables Home Screen Web Apps in the European Union
Thursday February 15, 2024 11:02 am PST by Juli Clover
With the second beta of iOS 17.4, Apple disabled much of the functionality of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in the European Union. There was some speculation that it could be a temporary change or a bug related to some of the updates to the app ecosystem in Europe, but Apple has confirmed that PWAs were intentionally removed and won't be returning. In an update on the Developer website (via 9to...
Read Full Article • 434 comments