iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro — the biggest differences between Apple's new phones (2024)

You may still want to pick between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro even in 2024.; Apple's released a new generation of iPhone since then, but if you can get a good deal on these older models, you can still get a thoroughly premium experience with them.

The iPhone 14 Pro feels like a completely different handset instead of simply an enhanced version of the iPhone 14, as previous iPhone Pro models have been. But this time around, basically everything is different, including the design, chipset and more.

They may share the same screen size, but the iPhone 14 feels like a very modest upgrade compared to the iPhone 13, while the iPhone 14 Pro features much more dramatic improvements over its predecessor, the iPhone 13 Pro.

In this iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro face-off, we’ll break down the key differences between the two models so that you can make the best purchasing decision for you. There’s a $200 difference between them, so it’s important to consider what separates these phones that share a number, but little else.

This comparison also applies in a way to the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which face the same differences as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, but with larger screens. Alternatively, if you want a more up-to-date comparison, take a look at the iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro face-off between Apple's latest models.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Specs

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Price and availability

Apple released the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max on September 2022, with the iPhone 14 Plus arriving later in October. The lineup starts at $799, then goes up to $899 for the Plus, $999 for the Pro, and $1,099 for the Pro Max.

Since these are iPhones, you can pick one up practically everywhere. Be sure to check out our best iPhone 14 deals page before you pull the trigger.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Design

This is the first area where things diverge between the iPhone 14 versus iPhone 14 Pro. The standard iPhone 14 looks basically the same as the iPhone 13, including the diagonal camera lens layout and slimmer notch. The iPhone 14 Plus looks like a blown up version of that. If you liked the iPhone 13’s design, you’ll be just fine with the iPhone 14’s.

But the iPhone 14 Pro turns out to be where Apple spent its time. The design from the back looks similar to the iPhone 13 Pro, though the camera module is larger thanks to the new 48MP main sensor. (More on that below.) The fun Pro color this year is a beautiful deep purple, a rich violet fit for royalty. Meanwhile the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus get exclusive access to the new canary yellow hue.

Around front, the notch is gone on the iPhone 14 Pro, replaced with a wide pill-shaped cutout that is the main focus of what Apple calls the Dynamic Island. This feature expands the cutout, taking advantage of the new screen real estate, for alerts and similar notifications. In the keynote, the feature looked slick, seeming to make good use of the space.

So the iPhone 14 Pro killed the notch, the one that’s been around since the iPhone X arrived in 2017. Five years we’ve had to look at its unsightliness, but now the pill-shaped cutout is much more appealing (if we have to look at a cutout at all, since all-screen phones are far from perfect yet).

If you’re tired of the same old iPhone design, then the iPhone 14 Pro might strike you as very exciting.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Display

The good news is that there are just two screen sizes this year across the entire iPhone 14 lineup — 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are the smallest models, while the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Max pack in very large displays.

All four feature Apple’s Super Retina XDR and use OLEDs as the panel tech. The iPhone 14 has a resolution of 2532 x 1170 (460 ppi) while the iPhone 14 Pro is 2556 x 1179 (460 ppi), so the resolutions are functionally identical. For the larger handsets, the iPhone 14 Plus comes in at 2778 x 1284 (458 ppi) with the iPhone 14 Pro Max at 2796 x 1290 (460 ppi).

For brightness, Apple is touting both Pro and standard models as having crazy bright displays. The iPhone 14 is rated to have a peak HDR brightness of 1,200 nits, while the iPhone 14 Pro is set to have a jaw-dropping peak HDR brightness of 2,000 nits. That’s the brightest we’ve ever seen on a smartphone and twice as bright as the iPhone 13 Pro’s rating.

However, in our testing, the iPhone 14 Pro hit a max HDR brightness of 1,448 nits. The iPhone 14 came in much dimmer at 734 nits.

An always-on display feature finally comes to the iPhone with the iPhone 14 Pro. This is a low-power mode that lets you see some basic information at glance while your phone screen is off. The iPhone 14 does not get to enjoy this feature (that is basic on essentially every Android phone), as Apple is leaning heavily on the iPhone 14 Pro’s adaptive refresh rate to keep an always-on display from draining the phone’s battery.

As usual with iPhones, the displays are beautiful. With punchy colors and deep blacks, both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro impress with any visual content. But the Pro holds a distinct advantage with brightness, which is ideal for outdoor use.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Cameras

Like every year, Apple upgraded the cameras on both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus) gets a larger main 12MP sensor with larger pixels (1.9 microns), a faster f/1.5 aperture, and a touted 49% improvement in low-light performance. Sensor-shift image stabilization comes as standard.

The 12MP front-facing camera on all four iPhone 14 models got a serious boost with an enhanced hybrid focus system, partially powered by the new autofocus capability. That should ensure clearer selfies. Apple also introduced the Photonic Engine across the iPhone 14 lineup, which uses AI to improve low-light photography across all three cameras.

Video also sees a bump thanks to Action mode, Apple’s latest tech. While perhaps not as impressive on the surface as the Cinematic mode addition from last year, Action mode looks like it’ll massively upgrade video stabilization, with Apple claiming you don’t need a gimbal.

The iPhone 14 Pro gets all of these software features, but with a new 48MP main sensor that’s also 65% larger than the iPhone 13 Pro’s sensor. It can do 2x optical zoom on its own, but in tandem with the 12MP 3x telephoto lens, you can get some nice zoomed photos. You can see how the iPhone 14 Pro's zoom compares to other flagships in our Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra zoom shootout.

The 12MP ultrawide camera on the iPhone 14 Pro is also better than the iPhone 13 Pro’s, letting in three times more light than before. Even the flash has seen an improvement. And for pro photographers, the iPhone 14 Pro can capture a huge 48MP RAW image, unlocking a ton of potential for later edits.

It goes without saying that the iPhone 14 Pro's camera is better than the iPhone 14's. It is, after all, at the top of the best camera phones list.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Performance

Yet another area where the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro diverge comes down to the chipset. The iPhone 14 sticks with the A15 Bionic from last year, though it uses the more advanced version found in the iPhone 13 Pro — the one with a 5-core GPU. It’s still a powerful chip by today’s standards, outpacing even the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 from Qualcomm, although not by much.

The iPhone 14 Pro, meanwhile, gets the new A16 Bionic with a hexa-core CPU, penta-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, all built on a 4nm process. This is one powerful chip, outpacing all other smartphones. (Though, the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is going to push Android close to Apple's mark.)

In our Geekbench 5 testing, the iPhone 14 Pro scored 1,891 in single-core and 5,469 in multicore. Compare that to the iPhone 14's 1,727 / 4,553 output. That's quite a difference in the multicore performance.

The GPU also shows another divide, with the iPhone 14 Pro managing an average of 74 frames per second (fps) in 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited. In the same benchmark, the iPhone 14 got 69 fps. Not a huge difference, but still worth noting.

Finally, the phones are pretty much equal in the Adobe Premiere Rush 4K-1080p transcode test, with the iPhone 14 Pro completing the benchmark in 26 seconds while the iPhone 14 was right behind it at 28 seconds.

Performance junkies might notice the disparity between the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14, but most people will not. But if you want the best of the best, you have to go Pro.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Battery life and charging

We don’t know a lot about the batteries on the four iPhone models — Apple never shares capacities — so we can only go based on what Apple has said and our experience. With that in mind, both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 disappointed when it came to battery life.

In our battery life test, where we task a phone to endlessly reload web pages over a cellular connection, the iPhone 14 Pro barely exceeded the average we see at 10 hours, 13 minutes. The iPhone 14 clocked in a worse 9 hours, 28 minutes.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Plus fared much better at 14 hours, 42 minutes and 11 hours, 57 minutes, respectively.

For reference, here’s what Apple said about battery performance for its new phones:

• iPhone 14 - Up to 20 hours of video playback
• iPhone 14 Plus - Up to 26 hours of video playback
• iPhone 14 Pro - Up to 23 hours of video playback
• iPhone 14 Pro Max - Up to 29 hours of video playback

Those numbers mean a whole lot of nothing in the context of real world use, as our testing has demonstrated. Many blame the iPhone 14 Pro's inferior battery life (as compared to its predecessor's 12:18) on the new always-on display, which seems to sap a lot of power.

But once again, the Pro holds the advantage, this time needing a charger less often.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Software

Here’s an area where the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are basically the same. They each run iOS 16, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. This comes with features such as the new lock screen, where you can customize to match your style (and create multiple to switch between, such as with Focus modes).

You can also edit and undo send messages in iMessage, use the iCloud Shared Photo Library to share photos with family members, and other improvements. iOS 16 arrives for all compatible iPhones on September 12, so your new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have the latest version right out of the box.

Check out our iOS 16 review if you want to learn more about the software update.

iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Verdict

We said at the outset of our iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro comparison that there has never been more differences between the Pro and regular iPhone models than what you’ll find in the iPhone 14 lineup. Apple seems to have held back on the iPhone 14, making minimal to moderate upgrades over the iPhone 13 while pushing the boat out on the iPhone 14 Pro.

The focus with this round of updates appears to be on the iPhone 14 Pro, from its flashy new design to its upgraded cameras and powerful A16 Bionic chipset. For an extra $200 between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, you get much better performance, stronger telephoto capabilities, a brighter display, and enhanced photography prowess. The same holds true for the iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, though the Plus has some appeal for bargain hunters who want a big-screen iPhone for less than $1,000..

The $200 difference between the two models buys you a lot, from the Dynamic Island to the beefier camera system. It would be fair to call the iPhone 14 "boring."

Next: Check out our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 detailed camera face-off.