Apple yesterday released the new iPhone 14 Pro, and though it looks almost exactly identical to the iPhone 13 Pro (at least from the back), there are some huge upgrades all around the device. In fact, the iPhone 14 Pro might just be the most exciting iPhone in a long time. So, if you’re wondering whether the new smartphone is worth the $999 asking price, here is a detailed comparison between the iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro.
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Compared
We’ve compared the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro across a variety of categories, including the design, specs, cameras, and the user interface elements (you’ll see why). As always, you can use the table of contents below to navigate around this article.
iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: Quick Specs Comparison
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85 (mm) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 (mm) |
| Weight | 206g | 204g |
| Display | 6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR 460ppi 120Hz Always on Display 2000 nits peak outdoor brightness 1600 nits peak HDR brightness | 6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR 460ppi 120Hz 1000 nits max brightness (typ) 1200 nits peak HDR brightness |
| Processor | A16 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| Storage Options | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Ingress Protection | IP68 | IP68 |
| Rear Camera | 48MP, f/1.78 (Primary) 12MP, f/2.2 (Ultra wide) 12MP, f/2.8 (Telephoto) 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out Digital zoom up to 15x | 12MP, f/1.5 (Primary) 12MP, f/1.8 (Ultra wide) 12MP, f/2.8 (Telephoto) 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out Digital zoom up to 15x |
| Front Camera | 12MP, f/1.9 | 12MP, f/2.2 |
| Connectivity | 5G (sub-6GHz) WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.3 Dual frequency GPS Emergency SOS via Satellite | 5G (sub-6GHz) WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0 |
Design
Starting off with the design, the iPhone 14 Pro carries forward the same rear design as the iPhone 13 Pro. You get the same frosted matte finish on the rear glass, and a glossy finish around the camera module, along with the stainless steel frame that looks good, but is a fingerprint magnet.
There are three cameras on the rear on both the phones, although this year, Apple has upgraded the primary camera to a 48MP shooter. The camera bump is bigger as well.
However, the biggest design change is up front. The notch from the iPhone 13 Pro is gone, and is now replaced with a pill shaped cutout. Apple has also made the Face ID array smaller by 30% from last year, so the pill is considerably smaller than the notch. The bezels around the display are thinner in the iPhone 14 Pro as well, says Apple, but only by a tiny margin. In fact, the screen size of the iPhone 14 Pro is 15.54cm as compared to 15.40cm on the iPhone 13 Pro.
There’s still the same Lightning port at the bottom, along with the speaker and microphone grilles. Button placement remains the same, and there are no surprises with the power button, volume buttons, or the alert slider. It’s all exactly the same as the previous iPhones.
Display
The display of the iPhone 14 Pro is fairly similar to the iPhone 13 Pro as well, with only some very minor differences as far as the hardware itself goes. You get the same 6.1-inch screen on both phones (6.7-inch if you get the Pro Max models), and the pixel density remains the same at 460 ppi. Although the resolution of the two phones are different, due to the slightly larger screen on the 14 Pro.
The difference between the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro is noticeable in the brightness levels of the screen. While the iPhone 13 Pro supported a typical display brightness of 1000 nits and an HDR brightness of 1200 nits, the iPhone 14 Pro has an HDR brightness of 1600 nits. Moreover, the iPhone 14 Pro display can go up to 2000 nits in outdoor conditions for better visibility.
Both displays support the 120Hz ProMotion technology. However, the iPhone 14 Pro uses a new LTPO panel, which allows the display to run as low as 1Hz, thereby enabling the long awaited Always on Display feature as well. The new phone will dim the screen and lower the refresh rate down to 1Hz to ensure that you can see notifications and the time without waking the phone completely. Apple also says that the AOD on the iPhone 14 Pro will work with live notifications as well, so if you have a timer running or the score of a game on your lock screen, it will continue updating in real time.
Performance Differences between iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro
Though the non-pro versions of the iPhone 14 come with the same A15 Bionic as last year’s iPhone 13 series, the iPhone 14 Pro brings the new A16 Bionic processor. This new chip is built on a 4nm process, which means it’s more efficient and faster than the A15 Bionic that was built on a 5nm process.
The A16 Bionic has a 6 core CPU, with the same set up as the A15 Bionic. There are 2 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores to go with them. Alongside this is a 5 core GPU to power all the graphical needs of the iPhone 14 Pro. There’s also a 16-core Neural Engine that enables features such as the new Photonic engine for better photography, and other machine learning and AI features on the iPhone.
Apart from these (and the ISP), the A16 Bionic also has a Display Engine that enables features like the 1Hz refresh rate for the Always On Display, the higher (2000 nits) brightness, and even the anti-aliasing and other animations that run all through the system, and especially on the Dynamic Island.
Though we are yet to see the real-world performance of the new A16 Bionic, it’s a safe bet that it will be one of the fastest smartphone processors, and should be considerably better than the A15 Bionic that it replaces. That said, it must be noted that the A15 Bionic is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination, and it will be a solid smartphone chipset for a few more years to come.
iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island
We’ve been talking about it all through this article, so what is Dynamic Island after all? Well, thanks to the new pill + hole cut out in the iPhone 14 Pro’s display, Apple has come up with a whole new set of UI elements and user interactions that make the iPhone appear a lot more intuitive, user-friendly, and in my opinion, makes the pill not only acceptable, but downright desirable.
Basically, the iPhone 14 Pro (and Pro Max) use the area around the pill shaped cutout for things like displaying certain notifications, popping up information that would otherwise take an additional screen, and more. In the examples shown off by Apple, we can see AirDrop notifications coming up in the Dynamic Island, Face ID animations, now playing music, timers, and more.
What’s more, the Dynamic Island will allow users to tap and hold to access a quick widget of sorts to control the app that’s running in the island. This means you can easily control things like music, podcasts, timers, etc., without having to leave the app you’re working in. The Dynamic Island takes different shapes depending on the information being displayed in it.
It also appears to replace pop-downs such as the ones that come when you move the alert slider, connect AirPods, etc. These prompts will now show up in the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro, which should make them feel less intrusive than they are right now.
Cameras
Moving on to the cameras, the iPhone 14 Pro brings improvements on this front as well. The primary camera set up in the new iPhone features a 48MP main camera, paired with a 12MP + 12MP ultra wide and telephoto lens. This 48MP main camera does quad-pixel binning, so by default you’ll get 12MP photos, but it will capture more light. Also, the phone uses a crop of the same sensor to get a 2x zoom option as well.
On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro featured a 12MP triple rear camera set up, and no 2x zoom button (though you could digitally zoom in with the zoom dial).
On the front, the new iPhone features the same 12MP sensor, but the aperture has been increased to f/1.9 from the f/2.2 aperture in the iPhone 13 Pro. This means that selfies from the iPhone 14 Pro should come out better in low light conditions. What’s more, the new iPhone also brings autofocus to the selfie camera. So you can take group selfies with better focus and more detail.
Dual SIM and eSIM
iPhones have had dual SIM support for a while, with a nano SIM + eSIM configuration in most countries. However, with the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple is removing the SIM tray from US models of the iPhone. This means that US customers will only be able to use an eSIM in the iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 13 Pro, on the other hand, had a SIM tray which could hold a nano SIM card, and support for an additional eSIM as well.
Pricing
The iPhone 14 Pro has been launched at $999 for the base 128GB variant, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is priced at $1099 for the base 128GB variant. This is good, because Apple has kept the pricing for the new iPhones the same as last year, even though there were some rumours that the price of the new iPhone 14 Pro might go up by a slight margin.
In India, the iPhone 14 Pro is priced at Rs. 1,29,900 while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is priced at Rs. 1,39,900. The iPhone 13 Pro last year, was launched in India at Rs. 1,19,900 while the iPhone 13 Pro Max was launched at Rs. 1,29,900.
iPhone 14 Pro: Should You Upgrade?
Coming to the most important question of them all, is the iPhone 14 Pro worth your money? Well, the answer depends. For starters, if you have the iPhone 12 or later, you don’t really need to upgrade right now. For one, your phone will easily last you a couple more years, so why spend the money? However, the only reason I would recommend someone with an iPhone 12 or newer, to get the iPhone 14 Pro, is to get the new design, the Dynamic Island, and of course the new camera system.
On the other hand, if you’re using an older iPhone, like I am (iPhone XR), upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro might very well be a no brainer for you. After all, you will get a much faster processor, hugely improved cameras, a better display with higher brightness and ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate.
iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: Which One Will You Pick?
Whether you are considering upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro from iPhone 13 Pro, or simply upgrading after a couple of years from an old iPhone (like me), it’s great to know that the new iPhone 14 Pro comes with a bunch of really neat new things. You get the all new design, the dynamic island UI elements, an improved 48MP camera, and the new A16 Bionic processor. All that, with the same starting price of $999. So, what do you think about the new iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro? Let us know in the comments.
