Apple announced the new version of the iPhone, the iPhone 14 family of mobile phones, at its Sept. 7, 2022, keynote. Each model of iPhone 14 contains a few different specs, pricing and features. In this article, we’ll break down the difference between the models to help you decide which to choose.

The iPhone 14 family of devices includes changes primarily focused on the screen, performance and safety features for its users. Let’s walk through the iPhone 14 and what it means for users and compare the various models, their specs and prices.

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What are the key features of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro?

Screen

A display that's up to 2x brighter in the sun. Brilliant. Golden glare on iPhone screen
Image: Apple. iPhone 14 Pro showing new screen.

The iPhone 14 features either a 6.1″ screen or 6.7″ screen on the Plus model. Both devices come with a new OLED XDR screen that supports Dolby Vision and have a Ceramic Shield glass that protects the device against scratches and drops.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature screens that are 6.1″ and 6.7″ respectively that are brighter than their predecessors with up to 1,600 nits (same as the Pro Display XDR) of brightness and 2,000 nits of peak brightness—the brightest screen ever shipped in a smart phone, according to Apple.

The iPhone 14 Pro models also feature an always-on display that can dim the display and refresh at a low of 1Hz. The screen also features an astounding 460 ppi (pixels per inch) for crispness.

Design

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus size comparison
Image: Apple. iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus features five all-new colors: Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Product (RED). The external design remains largely the same, but Apple notes that there is a new internal design that increases thermal performance, so the iPhone 14 can remain cool and eek out more performance while staying cooler.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max feature an all-new external design around the notch area dubbed the “Dynamic Island.” This pill-shaped area around the camera is where the proximity sensor, FaceID sensor, camera and more is housed, but it now also features a screen area that can adapt to hide the sensors and display notifications, alerts and more in the area.

Apple’s own apps will support this feature with iOS 16, but developers will also be able to build experiences for the Dynamic Island into third-party apps later this year.

Performance

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature an A15 Bionic chip comprising of a 5-core CPU that’s 18% faster for gaming performance than the iPhone 13; a 6-core CPU with 2 high-performance cores and 4 high efficiency cores that produce more performance and increase battery life; and a new image signal processor that works with the new camera system to produce a better image handling pipeline.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature the all-new A16 Bionic chip that works to bring better power efficiency with a new 4 nanometer technology that’s first of its kind in a mobile phone. This is the world’s fastest chip ever put into a smart phone, according to Apple.

The new chip is comprised of a 6-core CPU that’s 40% faster than the iPhone’s competition and capable of 17 trillion operations per second; a 5-core CPU that has 50% more memory bandwidth for graphics-intensive tasks and games; and a new Display Engine that controls the display for the Dynamic Island, always-on display and more.

Battery life

All of the iPhone 14 models feature “all day battery life” according to Apple, but what does this mean in terms of numbers? The iPhone 14 can eek out 20 hours of video playback or 80 hours of audio playback, while the iPhone 14 Plus can get 26 hours of video playback or 100 hours of audio playback.

On the iPhone 14 Pro side, users can expect around 23 hours of video playback or 75 hours of audio playback, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max getting the best battery performance of 29 hours of video playback and 95 hours of audio playback.

Apple does not provide watt-hour numbers for their batteries, only these real-world use statistics. All of the iPhone 14 lineup is capable of charging up to 15W via MagSafe and 7.5W with Qi chargers, and they are fast-charging capable with 50% charge in around 30 minutes with a 20W or higher charger via a cable.

Camera

The iPhone 14 models across the board received their expected camera updates, with the iPhone 14 Pro models getting the most generous updates.

The iPhone 14 camera system now features a 12 megapixel (mp) main camera with a larger sensor and larger pixels, faster 1.5 aperture, and sensor shift optical image stabilization. The faster aperture on these models allow for quicker motion freezing. Apple also improved the lowlight performance on the iPhone 14 over the predecessor with a 49% improvement for low-light capture in challenging lighting environments.

The iPhone 14 Pro now features an astounding 48mp camera with a quad-pixel sensor that’s 65% larger than the iPhone 13 Pro, with 100% Focus Pixels . A new 24mm focal length has been added that can be used to shoot landscapes, and the sensor can adapt to the type of photo that you’re shooting.

Low-light performance has been improved by 100% on all cameras, including front camera, compared to iPhone 13 Pro. Apple ProRAW has been updated, allowing users to shoot ProRAW at 48mp resolution.

On all models, the front camera now features a 12mp TrueDepth camera with 38% low-light capture improvement and autofocus for the first time on the front camera. Deep Fusion, Apple’s machine learning photo pipeline, is now applied further up in the photo pipeline, which allows for better low-light performance and sharper images.

There’s also a new Photonic Engine that is applied during the photo capture pipeline that allows for 2.5x low-light improvement and better color correction. There’s also a brighter TrueTone flash on all models.

Connectivity

All of the iPhone 14 lineup continues to improve connectivity by pushing 5G on all models, which is being rolled out by more than 200 carriers worldwide. In addition, all of the iPhone 14 models will also be dropping the SIM tray in all U.S.-based models in favor of eSIM.

eSIM allows for carriers like AT&T, T-mobile and Verizon to automatically transfer or add new plans to phones without the need for a physical SIM card. It also allows for the iPhone 14 to store multiple eSIMs in a single phone for easily swapping between plans or having multiple numbers.

Safety

Emergency SOS via Satelite on iPhone 14
Image: Apple. Emergency SOS via Satelite.

Apple is using the iPhone 14 lineup to make a big push into improving safety on iPhone. Each new iPhone 14 model comes with built-in car crash detection and a new feature called Emergency SOS via Satellite.

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Car Crash Detection is automatically activated when your iPhone is in driving mode and the sensors onboard detect that you’ve been in a severe car accident, including rear impact, front impact, side impact and rollover scenarios.

When your iPhone 14 detects this has happened, it will prompt you on the screen to answer if you’re okay or not; if you don’t answer in a given time period, the iPhone will automatically contact emergency services on your behalf.

Emergency SOS via Satellite is a new service that Apple is bundling for free for two years with each new iPhone 14 purchase. This service allows users to contact emergency services or send text messages via satellite when there is no connectivity otherwise available through cellular or Wi-Fi.

Apple has accomplished this by allowing the iPhone 14 antennas to connect to GPS communication satellites through a new guided app that trains you where to point your iPhone in the sky for reception, all without requiring a bulky GPS antenna.

You can also use this to share location in the Find My app via Satellite in non-emergency scenarios. This service will be free for two years with every iPhone 14 and launches in November for the U.S. and Canada.

More features of the iPhone 14

  • The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro is rated IP68 water resistant, with a maximum depth of six meters for up to 30 minutes, under IEC standard 60529.
  • iPhone 14 features 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 3x on the camera system.
  • iPhone 14 Pro features 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 6x optical zoom range and digital zoom up to 15x on the camera system.
  • iPhone 14 Pro features Cinematic mode recording in resolutions up to 4K HDR at 30 fps (frames per second).
  • New Action Mode allows for 2.8K resolution at 60 fps with super smooth motion stabilization.
  • iPhone 14 comes in Midnight, Purple, Starlight, (PRODUCT)RED and Blue colors with Ceramic Shield front and glass back and aluminum design.
  • iPhone 14 Pro comes in Space Black, Silver, Gold and Deep Purple with Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back and stainless steel design

What’s the difference between the iPhone 14 models?

iPhone 14iPhone 14 PlusiPhone 14 ProiPhone 14 Pro Max
Capacity128GB
256GB
512GB		128GB
256GB
512GB		128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB		128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
SizeHeight:
5.78 inches
Width:
2.82 inches
Depth:
0.31 inches		Height:
6.33 inches
Width:
3.07 inches
Depth:
0.31 inches		Height:
5.81 inches
Width:
2.81 inches
Depth:
0.31 inches		Height:
6.33 inches
Width:
3.05 inches
Depth:
0.31 inches
WeightWeight: 6.07 ouncesWeight: 7.16 ouncesWeight: 7.27 ouncesWeight: 8.47 ounces
DisplaySuper Retina XDR display
6.1‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi		Super Retina XDR display
6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
2778‑by‑1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi		Super Retina XDR display
6.1‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
2556‑by‑1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi		Super Retina XDR display
6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
2796‑by‑1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
ChipA15 Bionic chip
6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
5‑core GPU
16‑core Neural Engine		A15 Bionic chip
6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
5‑core GPU
16‑core Neural Engine		A16 Bionic chip
6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
5‑core GPU
16‑core Neural Engine		A16 Bionic chip
6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
5‑core GPU
16‑core Neural Engine
Camera12MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.5 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view, five‑element lens
2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x		12MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.5 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view, five‑element lens
2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x		48MP Main: 24 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, six‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad-pixel sensor): 48 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 3x Telephoto: 77 mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, six-element lens
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range; digital zoom up to 15x		48MP Main: 24 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, six‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad-pixel sensor): 48 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, seven‑element lens, 100% Focus Pixels
12MP 3x Telephoto: 77 mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, six-element lens
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range; digital zoom up to 15x
BatteryVideo playback:
Up to 20 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 16 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 80 hours		Video playback:
Up to 26 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 20 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 100 hours		Video playback:
Up to 23 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 20 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 75 hours		Video playback:
Up to 29 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 25 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 95 hours

What’s the target market of the iPhone 14?

Apple is targeting the iPhone 14 toward the general set of users who are looking for a general smart phone that is good at all-around tasks. These are users who are looking to get their very first iPhone or are looking to upgrade from previous iPhone models like the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13.

The iPhone 14 Pro is aimed at users who require a more professional set of features or are in the “prosumer” market where they would like to have better features available, such as a better camera, battery life or performance gains over the iPhone 14 models. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is mainly aimed at the user that wants the top-of-line everything available from Apple in the largest screen size possible.

How much does the iPhone 14 cost, and when will these smartphones be released?

Pricing for the iPhone 14 starts at $799, and the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899. iPhone 14 will be available for pre-order on Sept. 9, 2022. iPhone 14 will be available to purchase in retail stores starting on Sept. 16, 2022, and iPhone 14 Plus will be shipping and available to purchase in retail stores beginning Oct. 7, 2022. iPhone 14 is available in storage options up to 512GB.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max begins at $999 and $1,099 respectively with storage options available up to 1TB configurations. These devices will be available for pre-order starting on Sept. 9, 2022, with delivery and availability in stores beginning on Sept. 16, 2022.