iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: The biggest differences
An iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 comparison should come in handy whether you're thinking of an upgrade or you just want to know the biggest differences between these two phones. After all, Apple may have just introduced the iPhone 14, but the iPhone 13 remains on sale at Apple's store for a reduced price.
At first glance, the iPhone 14 looks pretty much identical to the iPhone 13, but there's plenty of notable upgrades, including a bigger and brighter main camera sensor, safety features like Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection and a slightly more powerful version of Apple's A15 Bionic chipset.
However, the iPhone 13 has now been discounted and remains one of the best phones around. This iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 guide will help you decide which phone is better for your needs.
iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13: Specs
iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 13 iPhone 14 mini Current starting price $799 $899 $699 $599 Screen Size 6.1 inches 6.7 inches 6.1 inches 5.4 inches Display resolution Super Retina XDR OLED (2532x1170) Super Retina XDR OLED (2778x1284) Super Retina XDR OLED (2532x1170) Super Retina XDR OLED (2340x1080) Max display brightness 1200 nits (HDR) 1200 nits (HDR) 1200 nits (HDR) 1200 nits (HDR) Processor A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU A15 Bionic chip with 4-core GPU A15 Bionic chip with 4-core GPU Rear cameras 12MP main (f/1.5); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.4) 12MP main (f/1.5); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.4) 12MP main (f/1.6); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.4) 12MP main (f/1.6); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.4) Front camera 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) with Autofocus 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) with Autofocus 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/2.2) 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/2.2) Battery life Up to 20 hours video playback Up to 26 hours video playback Up to 19 hours of video playback Up to 17 hours of video playback Colors Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and (Product) Red Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and (Product) Red Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Green and (Product) Red Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Green and (Product) Red Size 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches Weight 6.07 ounces 7.16 ounces 6.14 ounces 4.97 ounces
iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13: Price and availability
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Apple has given its iPhone lineup a huge shakeup this year by killing the iPhone Mini. Instead, there's a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus. The Plus is very similar to the iPhone 14 and the only notable differences are the screen size and battery.
All that remains of the iPhone 13 lineup on Apple's store is the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini. With Apple also dropping the iPhone 12 mini from its ranks, the iPhone 13 mini joins the iPhone SE 2022 as the last remaining compact phone in Apple's lineup.
The standard iPhone 14 costs $799. While the iPhone 13 launched at $799, it has now been discounted to $699 with the arrival of the iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 13 and Apple iPhone 13 Mini: Price Comparison (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $729.99 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $829 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $999.99 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) Show More Deals
The iPhone 14 Plus comes in at $100 more than the iPhone 14, with a $899 price tag. The iPhone 13 mini now costs $599.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models started shipping on September 16, while the iPhone 14 Plus was delayed until October 7.
iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13: Design and display
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The iPhone 14 looks very similar to the iPhone 13. Both are made of glass and aluminum with glossy backs. The iPhone 14 has a Ceramic Shield on the front glass for added durability, just like the previous model.
iPhone 13 changed its camera module layout from vertically stacked lenses to diagonally arranged ones on the back. iPhone 14 sticks with that approach. Up front, it uses the slightly smaller notch that was seen on iPhone 13 instead of the Dynamic Island cutout that the iPhone 14 Pro models now utilize.
The iPhone 14 comes in five colors: Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and (Product) Red. The iPhone 13 colors include Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Green and Red.
Under the hood, Apple has brought some significant changes to the iPhone 14. This includes improving the phone's thermal performance and a new Emergency SOS satellite feature that will let you get help even when there is no cellular connection.
Apple has also done away with the physical SIM tray on US iPhone 14 models, which means that the iPhone 14 is an eSIM-only phone. So if you want a SIM card tray, the iPhone 13 might be a better choice for you.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 have identical 6.1-inch OLED displays, featuring HDR support, 800 nits of brightness and 1,2000 nits of peak brightness with HDR content. The only difference of note is that you can go bigger if you want with the iPhone 14 Plus, which gives you more real estate with 6.7 inches. This panel fits more content on screen at once and is more immersive for watching videos.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Cameras
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Some of the biggest upgrades included with the iPhone 14 involve its cameras. Like its predecessor, the new iPhone 14 models feature a pair of rear 12MP cameras — one a main camera, the other an ultrawide shooter. But this time, the iPhone 14's main sensor is much larger with bigger pixels (1.9 microns), and with a faster f/1.5 aperture and sensor-shift image stabilization).
All of this should add up to better photos and video, delivering better detail and less noise. Night mode should also be improved with the exposure now twice as fast. A Photonic Engine feature helps improve low-light performance across all of the cameras.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The front camera on the iPhone 14 has also changed. This new TrueDepth camera has an ƒ/1.9 aperture that is supposed to help in low light. In contrast, the iPhone 13 makes do with an f/2.2 aperture. And you get autofocus for the first time on a front iPhone camera with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
In terms of video, Apple has introduced a new Action mode that is designed to add better stabilization to videos taken on the go on the iPhone 14. We've now seen the first-real world Action mode video, and it looks pretty impressive.
We will have to see if the iPhone 14 makes it to our best camera phones list, but the early camera specs are promising.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Performance and battery life
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
A new iPhone normally means new chipsets, but for the first time in the iPhone's history, this is not the case for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Apple has stuck with the high-end A15 bionic that powered last year's iPhone lineup, though it's not the exact same silicone that the iPhone 13 used. Instead, this is the same chip found in the iPhone 13 Pro, so Apple is promising an 18% improvement for any iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13 comparisons. iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 benchmarks are here and they reveal a much faster iPhone 14.
Looking for new Apple silicon? Try the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which both feature the 4-nanometer A16 Bionic.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
As for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the A15 remains a pretty powerful chip that brings the same 6-core CPU 16-core Neural Engine, but the iPhone 14 now enjoys a 5-core GPU for boosted gaming performance. The A15 Bionic also enables computational photography features like Photonic Engine for better low-light performance.
The iPhone 14 is rated for up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours of streamed video and 80 hours of audio. The iPhone 13 is rated for 19 hours, 15 hours and 75 hours, so you should see a boost with the iPhone 14. That's great news since the iPhone 13 lasted nearly 10.5 hours on our battery test, which beats the average smartphone.
The iPhone 14 Plus packs a bigger battery and ups those numbers to 26, 20 and 100 hours. That could place the iPhone 14 Plus on our best phone battery life list, though we've have to put the new handset through our battery test to confirm.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Outlook
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The iPhone 14 brings some upgrades like SOS Emergency satellite connectivity, Crash Detection and improvements in low light photography. Even with those improvements, you'll still find many similarities to the iPhone 13.
This includes the A15 Bionic chip, the display (with the exception of the larger iPhone 14 Plus model) and the overall design. With iOS 16, the iPhone 13 will also get all of Apple's latest software features, including the customizable lockscreen display.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Overall, the iPhone 14 doesn't seem like a big leap over the iPhone 13. But if you own an iPhone 12 or older handset — or if you want to splurge for the new bigger Plus model — the new phones could be of interest. We'll update this iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13 face-off with our test results once we get our hands on the new phones.
Next: Our News Editor thinks the iPhone 14 upgrades are so minimal — you should just get the discounted iPhone 13. If you have just bought an iPhone 14, you can check out our guide to the best iPhone 14 cases. You can also check out our Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 14 preview to see which flagship phone could come out on top.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14: Which should you buy?
The iPhone 14 is the most affordable of Apple’s latest iPhone generation. However, the company continues to sell last year’s iPhone 13. Whether you’re considering an upgrade or looking to buy a new iPhone for the first time in several years, here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14: Display
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 feature 6.1-inch displays that Apple brands as Super Retina XDR screens. The specs for each of the devices are identical, including the same brightness, resolution, and colors:
Super Retina XDR display
6.1-inch (diagonal) OLED display
HDR display
2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
True Tone display
Wide color display (P3)
Haptic Touch
800 nits max brightness (typical)
1200 nits peak brightness (HDR)
Note that unlike the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, neither the iPhone 13 nor the iPhone 14 feature a ProMotion display with up to 120Hz refresh rates. Instead, you’ll get a 60Hz refresh rate.
Design
iPhone 13
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 feature the same design we first saw with the iPhone 12 in 2020. This includes flat edges made out of aluminum, an edge-to-edge display on the front with Face ID, and a glossy finish on the back in the color of your choosing.
While the iPhone 14 Pro features a new Dynamic Island design to house the Face ID and front-facing camera components, the iPhone 14 uses the same notch design as the iPhone 13. The overall dimensions of the iPhone 14 are pretty much identical to the iPhone 13 as well. The only differences are the iPhone 14 is slightly thicker and slightly lighter.
iPhone 14 cases:
Best iPhone 13 cases:
iPhone 13 dimensions:
Height: 5.78 inches (146.7 mm)
Width: 2.82 inches (71.5 mm)
Depth: 0.30 inch (7.65 mm)
Weight: 6.14 ounces (174 grams)
iPhone 14 dimensions:
Height: 5.78 inches (146.7 mm)
Width: 2.82 inches (71.5 mm)
Depth: 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)
Weight: 6.07 ounces (172 grams)
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 are water, dust, and splash resistant with an IP68 rating for a maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes. The durability of the devices is also the same, with both featuring a Ceramic Shield front and aerospace-grade aluminum.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14: Performance
The performance of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 is close to identical, but there are a couple of ways the iPhone 14 has the upper hand. Both are powered by the A15 Bionic chip on the inside, but the version of the chip inside the iPhone 14 has an extra GPU core.
iPhone 13 chip:
A15 Bionic chip
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
4-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
iPhone 14 chip:
A15 Bionic chip
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
5-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
This difference is unlikely to affect day-to-day performance in the real world significantly. Perhaps more notable is that the iPhone 14 has 6GB of RAM, compared to the iPhone 13’s 4GB of RAM. This could help with longevity when it comes to new features being added to future versions of iOS.
Connectivity
If you want 5G connectivity, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 both have you covered. Apple says this makes for “superfast downloads and high-quality streaming.” This includes support for mmWave 5G connectivity in the United States, as well as sub-6GHz 5G in the United States and other countries.
One notable change, however, is that the iPhone 14 being sold in the United States does not offer a physical SIM card slot. Instead, it relies purely on eSIM technology. You can learn more about this in our full guide right here.
Crash Detection and Emergency SOS
Apple continues to expand upon its collection of features designed to help you in emergencies. These are features you hope you never have to use but are nice to have just in case. Exclusive to the iPhone 14 are the following two features:
Crash detection that can recognize when you’re in a car accident and call emergency services
Satellite connectivity for reaching emergency services when you aren’t connected to a cellular or WiFi network
Rear cameras
The iPhone 14 offers a few improvements over the iPhone 13 in terms of rear-camera technology. There are still two lenses, the Main camera and the Ultra Wide camera. One change is the addition of what Apple calls the “Photonic Engine.”
Apple describes this as a new computational photography feature that offers a “giant leap for mid- to low-light performance in photos across all cameras through a deep integration of hardware and software.” On the iPhone 14, Apple says you can expect improved mid- to low-light performance of up to 2x on the Ultra Wide camera, 2x on the TrueDepth camera, and 2.5x on the Main camera in comparison to the iPhone 13.
iPhone 14 iPhone 13 Main camera 12MP, ƒ/1.5 aperture 12MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture Sensor-shift optical
image stabilization ✅ ✅ Ultra Wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture Telephoto lens ❌ ❌ Zoom 2x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom 2x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom Apple ProRAW ❌ ❌ Smart HDR 4 ✅ ✅ Photonic Engine ✅ ❌ Photographic Styles ✅ ✅ Panoramas ✅, 63MP ✅, 63MP Portrait mode ✅ ✅
Selfie camera
The iPhone 14 offers a notable jump in front camera performance. The front-facing selfie camera on the iPhone 14 has an ƒ/1.9 aperture that enables better low-light performance for photos and video. It also offers auto-focus for the first time, so it can focus in low light and capture group selfies from farther away.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 offers a 12MP front camera without autofocus and with an ƒ/2.2 aperture. This means that the iPhone 14 should signficantly out-perform the iPhone 13 in terms of front-facing camera performance.
Video recording
iPhone 14 camera tech for video:
4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
720p HD video recording at 30 fps
Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps
HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
Time‑lapse video with stabilization
Night-mode time-lapse
QuickTake video
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Main)
2x optical zoom out
Digital zoom up to 3x
Audio zoom
True Tone flash
Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
Continuous autofocus video
Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
Playback zoom
Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
Stereo recording
iPhone 13 camera tech for video:
HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
720p HD video recording at 30 fps
Cinematic mode (1080p at 30 fps)
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Main)
2x optical zoom out
Digital zoom up to 3x
Audio zoom
True Tone flash
QuickTake video
Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
Time‑lapse video with stabilization
Night mode time-lapse
Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
Continuous autofocus video
Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
Playback zoom
Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
Stereo recording
Battery life
iPhone 13 battery estimates:
Audio playback: 75 hours
Video playback (streamed): Up to 15 hours
Video playback: Up to 19 hours
iPhone 14 battery estimates:
Audio playback: 80 hours
Video playback (streamed): Up to 16 hours
Video playback: 20 hours
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 both include a Lightning connector on the bottom and support for MagSafe connectivity on the back. There’s also support for 7.5W Qi wireless charging and 15W wireless charging when using a MagSafe wireless charger. Both devices support fast charging for getting up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W power adapter.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14: Pricing and storage
iPhone 13:
$699 – 128GB
$799 – 256GB
$999 – 512GB
iPhone 14:
$799 – 128GB
$899 – 256GB
$1099 – 512GB
Colors
iPhone 13 colors:
Midnight
Starlight
Blue
(Product)RED
Pink
Green
iPhone 14 colors:
Midnight
Purple
Starlight
(Product)RED
Blue
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14: Feature comparison chart
iPhone 14 iPhone 13 Display 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ProMotion Display ❌ ❌ Finish Aluminum Aluminum Processor A15 Bionic A15 Bionic RAM 6GB 4GB CPU cores 6 cores 6 cores GPU cores 5 core 5 core Durability IP68 IP68 Battery life Up to 20 hours video Up to 19 hours video Camera Dual-lens 12MP Dual-lens 12MP Optical zoom range 2x 2x Video Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K at 60 fps Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K at 60 fps Optical Image Stabilization ✅ ✅ Photographic Styles ✅ ✅ Photonic Engine ✅ ❌ Cinematic mode ✅ ✅ Dual eSIM support ✅ ✅ Physical SIM card slot ❌ (Still offered outside US) ✅ 5G ✅ ✅ Weight 6.07 ounces (172 grams) 6.14 ounces (174 grams) Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB Pricing From $799 From $699
What’s included in the box
Citing environmental concerns, Apple does not include headphones or a charging brick in the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14 boxes. Here are some accessories you might consider picking up to help fill that gap and complement your new iPhone.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14
The differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 are minor. In fact, this might be one of the smallest year-over-year iPhone upgrades in recent memory. There are some improvements to the camera along with the addition of features like Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via Satellite.
Because of the minor changes, however, it’s hard to reccomend anyone who currently has an iPhone 13 to upgrade to the iPhone 14. In day-to-day use, many of the changes won’t be noticeable. The design is the same, the performance is nearly identical, and battery life is about the same. In fact, it’s also hard to reccomend upgrading from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 14.
If you’re using something like an iPhone 11 or older, you’ll notice some bigger changes when you jump all the way to the iPhone 14. The cameras will be noticeably better, there’s a nice boost in performance, and you should benefit from some improvements to battery life.
If you’re shopping for a new iPhone, this is a tricky decision to make. For many people, the iPhone 13 is more than enough. You still get excellent performance, a great camera, and a modern design for $100 less than the iPhone 14. If you have the money to spend, however, you should consider going for the iPhone 14 because of those camera upgrades.
What do you think of the iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 14 debate? Are you planning to buy a new iPhone this year? Let us know down in the comments!
Wondering about the iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro? Check out our full comparison for more.
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iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Is the newest iPhone worth an extra $100?
At a time when people are trying to avoiding spending more than they need, there’s an interesting dilemma for those thinking about upgrading an old iPhone. Instead of buying the iPhone 14 you can save $100/£100 and buy an iPhone that, while a year old, shares the same look, a very similar processor, and many of the features of the newer handset. But there are still meaningful differences that justify the difference in price. We’ll help you decide which one to buy.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Cameras
We don’t usually jump straight to the cameras in these comparisons, but that’s by far the biggest difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 has two cameras on the back, just like the iPhone 13, but the newer model includes a faster aperture (ƒ/1.5 rather than ƒ/1.6) and a larger sensor on the main camera to bring better overall performance and improvements in low-light shooting.
The iPhone 14 also benefits from a new Photonic Engine computational system that helps capture more detail in challenging light and aids features such as the new Foreground Blur in Portrait Mode. The improvements in low light photography don’t just mean that the resulting photos are better, it means that when you are taking a photo in low light you don’t have to hold the iPhone steady for as long.
Low-light shots taken with the iPhone 14 capture more detail and preserve shadows better than the iPhone 13. Foundry
There’s also an Action Mode for video shooting that is designed to improve stabilization when you are recording video while moving. This works really well and is a feature that will make a difference to almost anyone, where past video features, such as the Cinematic Mode that arrived with the iPhone 13, have rather fallen flat (we’ve never quite worked out where we would benefit from Cinematic Mode).
It’s not just the cameras on the back of the iPhone 14 that are better than the those on the iPhone 13. The selfie camera—aka the TrueDepth camera used for FaceTime and Face ID—has also been upgraded on the front of the iPhone 14. This camera gains autofocus and a wider aperture, which will lead to improved low-light performance.
If you primarily use your iPhone for photography these are all excellent reasons to choose the iPhone 14 over the 13.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Design
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 have very similar designs, with a few exceptions. Thanks to the changes to the rear cameras, the cameras protrude slightly further on the back of the iPhone 14, which means that if you lay the iPhones on the table the iPhone 14 will be slightly less flat than the iPhone 13. Also the buttons have been shifted slightly, so a case for an iPhone 13 will probably not be suitable for an iPhone 14.
iPhone 14: 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm) x 6.07 ounces (172 grams)
iPhone 13: 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.30 inch (7.65 mm) x 6.10 ounces (173 grams)
Another difference between the two phones is the color finishes you can choose from. The iPhone 13 colors tend to be darker than those of the iPhone 13. For example the iPhone 14 has a pale blue option compared to the deep blue of the iPhone 13, and even the Product Red finish for 2022 looks brighter than usual. Plus pink has been switched for purple.
The iPhone 14 (left) offers blue (pale), purple, Midnight, Starlight and a red (bright). The iPhone 13 (right) comes in green, pink, blue (dark), Midnight, Starlight and red (dark). Apple
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Safety features
There are two other things that the iPhone 14 offers that the iPhone 13 doesn’t, although one of them will only make a difference to you if you are based in the U.S. or Canada, and the other will only matter if you are in a car crash. The first is the a new ability to make an emergency call via satellite – so if you are in trouble and don’t have cellular coverage you will still be able to call the emergency services as long as you have good enough visibility of the sky. It’s something you probably won’t need to use, but could make a big difference if you were own such a situation.
Similarly the Crash Detection feature (which is also available on all of the 2022 Apple Watches) is something you will hopefully never need to benefit from, but it could have the potential to save your life. The iPhone 14 can actually detect if you are in a car accident and will contact the emergency services on your behalf.
It’s a tricky one this. On the one hand we have an iPhone that could save you $100/£100, on the other we have an iPhone that could save your life. We think most people will conclude that they’ll probably be ok.
Retailer Price $799.99 View Deal
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: A15 processor
We began this article by noting that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 share the same A15 chip. However, it’s not exactly the same chip. The A15 in the iPhone 14 is more like the A15 from the iPhone 13 Pro thanks to its extra GPU core. But in fact, as per our benchmarks, the A15 in the iPhone 14 can actually beat the A15 in the iPhone 13 Pro in some tests. It seems likely that the iPhone 14’s A15 chip benefits from internal changes Apple claims to have made to the phone that aid heat dispersion. Even if the iPhone 14 was identical to the iPhone 13 those internal changes could still have resulted in better benchmarks.
These benchmarks demonstrate that the iPhone 14 delivers decent speed boosts compared to the iPhone 13.
If you play games or use other graphics intensive apps the extra GPU core might matter to you, but for typical users it may not make any difference at all.
There’s one other benchmark that the iPhone 14 beats the iPhone 13 in: battery life. Apple claims that the iPhone 14 can provide up to 20 hours video playback, compared to 19 hours for the iPhone 13. We ran the somewhat more demanding Geekbench 4 battery tests and found a similar story. Here we got 8:57 hours for the iPhone 14 compared to 8:11 for the iPhone 13.
One extra hour of battery life doesn’t sound all that exciting, although if your journey home from work is an hour then it may well be the difference between your iPhone running out of battery and it hanging on until you get home. Not that 20 hours is a realistic guide to battery length – that all depends on what you are using your iPhone for. The most important thing is probably how long you will need to plug your iPhone in for to get enough power to last a day at work – and that’s the same for both iPhones: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Storage
There’s one other comparison between the two iPhones that might not be immediately obvious, but should certainly be considered. While both phones start at 128GB for storage, price is still an issue. On one side, we have the iPhone 14 for $799/£849 with 128GB storage, on the other we could consider an iPhone 13 with 256GB storage, for $799/£859. There are many for whom extra storage will trump the additional features offered by the iPhone 14.
Just how much storage do you really need though? As we discuss in a separate article, you may not need as much storage as you think you do thanks to services such as iCloud and Apple Music. However, in our experience, if the storage on your new iPhone is smaller than that of your old iPhone there are challenges to be faced when transferring the data between the iPhones.
If you are happy to sacrifice storage for the the features of the iPhone 14 read our story on how to free up space on an iPhone for tips to reduce the amount of space you are using before you make the move.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: What’s the same
While that’s a fair amount of difference between the two iPhones, there is much more that’s the same. In fact these two iPhones are so similar that it is a bit of a challenge to tell them apart.
Both iPhones have a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical), 800 nits max brightness (typical), and 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR). The iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 also have an identical notch. This is a smaller notch than that of the iPhone 12, but it’s still a notch. If you want less notch you need to look to the iPhone 14 Pro with it’s new Dynamic Island area.
As we’ve already explained, there are new camera features on the iPhone 14, but there are also a lot of camera features that both iPhones share, so choosing the iPhone 13 won’t mean sacrificing photography features such as the Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting effects, Photographic Styles, Cinematic Mode, and HDR video recording with Dolby Vision in 4K at 60 fps.
If you are clumsy neither of these phones are more durable than the other. Both have water resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes. They both feature a Ceramic Shield front, which should mean that the glass on the front is less likely to smash if you drop it. However, both feature a glass back (which is necessary for MagSafe charging) and if you drop your iPhone with no case on then you are pretty much guaranteed to break the glass on the back. So our recommendation is that you pop your new iPhone in a case (see: Best iPhone cases).
It’s very hard to tell the iPhone 13 and 14 apart from the front. Foundry
iPhone 14 or iPhone 13: Which phone is the better buy?
Never before have two generations of iPhone been quite so similar. Even when Apple would introduce a S version of the iPhone every other year, there was a difference in processor, but the iPhone 14 Apple has widened the gap between the iPhone Pro and the standard iPhone. Come next year we could again see a generational leap in processor between the iPhone 14 and its successor, which will surely get the A16.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a processor bump for the new phone, as you can see from the benchmarks this chip means the iPhone 14 is more like the iPhone 13 Pro, so it is better than the iPhone 13. It’s just not a whole generation better.
But should the focus be on the processor? When considering a new iPhone the capabilities of the processor could be seen as less important than how long Apple will support that processor for. We can assume that the iPhone 13 and 14 will both lose iOS compatibility at the same time, but this won’t be a concern for many years.
The big difference between the two iPhones is the improved camera capabilities in the iPhone 14, which include better (faster) low light photography and the Action Mode. The Action Mode is definitely the marquee feature and one many people are likely to use, unlike the Cinematic Mode that arrived with the iPhone 13. For our money, Active Mode is the only reason to upgrade to the iPhone 14, but it’s a good one. If you don’t take many videos or care about Action Mode, you can safely stick with the iPhone 13 and save a few bucks.
For more help deciding on the best iPhone for you, read our complete guide to all the iPhones Apple sells. We also have the following reviews:
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