iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Apple’s iPhone 14 series has arrived, and with it comes the iPhone 14 Pro, which has a design that is similar — but not identical — to its predecessor, the iPhone 13 Pro. With its powerful Apple A16 Bionic processor, longer battery life, always-on screen, and new Deep Purple colorway, it’s easy to see why you would want to get your hands on the latest Pro model in Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup. But don’t dismiss the iPhone 13 Pro. Its slightly slimmer design, A15 processor, and 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display are housed in an aluminum body that comes in a variety of cool colors like Alpine Green and Sierra Blue.
We are here to help if you are unsure whether to upgrade to the new iPhone 14 Pro or if you are in the market for a new iPhone and wondering which device is the better choice. To help you decide, we’ve compared the Apple iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 13 Pro in six key categories. Which iPhone Pro should you buy, or should you upgrade from an older model to a newer one? Continue reading to find out.
Design
At first glance, the design of the iPhone 14 Pro appears to be unchanged. The two phones have the same aluminum body, straight metal edges, dual camera, and glass back, though the iPhone 14 Pro is slightly thicker and a few grams heavier. The notch has also been removed, and it has been replaced by a pill-shaped cutout that is part of the new Dynamic Island feature, in which the section holding the TrueDepth camera morphs to display additional information on the screen.
Both phones have the same Ceramic Shield protective glass on the front and back, as well as an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. Apple has retained its proprietary Lightning port for the iPhone 14 series, though this could be the final iPhone 14 lineup before the transition of the phone to USB-C in 2023.
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Performance
The main differences between these two phones can be found under the hood. The iPhone 14 Pro is equipped with Apple’s latest A16 Bionic processor, which is manufactured using a 4nm process. Because this is Apple’s most recent chip, expect snappy performance, powerful multitasking, and lag-free gaming even when playing the most recent titles. That’s not to say the iPhone 13 Pro is a slouch in terms of performance. With 6GB of RAM and up to 1TB of onboard storage, Apple’s A15 Bionic chip is up to almost any task you can throw at it. The most demanding games, such as Genshin Impact, run smoothly, the camera is lightning fast, and it truly can handle anything.
Display and Durability
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro share a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 460 pixels per inch (ppi) and Apple’s ProMotion technology. The iPhone 14 Pro, on the other hand, is Apple’s first iPhone with an always-on display. Both displays have a refresh rate of 120Hz and a brightness of 2,000 nits.
Both phones are available in a variety of colors. Deep Purple, gold, silver, and Space Black are the colors available for the iPhone 14 Pro. Alpine Green, Sierra Blue, silver, gold, and Graphite are the available colors for the iPhone 13 Pro.
We’re calling this round a tie because the iPhone 14 Pro hasn’t changed much. If you dislike the iPhone’s notch, want the new Deep Purple color, or want an always-on display, the iPhone 14 Pro is your best option.
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Battery life and Charging
Now for the battery life. The iPhone 13 Pro’s 3,095mAh battery easily lasts a day of heavy use, with lighter use stretching it to two days. However, switching between Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G connectivity, as well as using GPS navigation, can reduce battery life. In these situations, the battery may struggle to get you through the day without a charge.
We haven’t had enough time with the iPhone 14 Pro to evaluate its battery life — and we can’t yet confirm its capacity, though it should be slightly larger than the iPhone 13 Pro — Apple promises up to 23 hours of video playback (an hour more than the iPhone 13 Pro), so we expect similar or slightly better battery life from Apple’s latest iPhone Pro.
Both phones support 20-watt fast wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging and are MagSafe compatible. However, there is no charger included in the box.
The iPhone 14 Pro wins this round thanks to its A16 Bionic processor and an extra hour of battery life. However, we haven’t had much time with the iPhone 14 Pro yet, so this may change once we do.
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Cameras
Both phones appear to have a similar triple camera array at first glance, which is good news because the iPhone 13 Pro takes excellent photos. The iPhone 14 Pro has the same 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto, and 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera as the iPhone 13 Pro, with one notable difference: the main camera is upgraded to a 48MP offering with a 65% larger sensor than the iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple’s latest iPhone Pro also includes a Photonic Engine to improve low-light performance, as well as second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization and an improved selfie camera with autofocus. The iPhone 14 Pro is also capable of recording videos in 8K resolution.
There isn’t much of a difference between these two phones, but we’re going with the iPhone 14 Pro for its improved main camera sensor and low-light performance, because who doesn’t want to take better night shots?
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Special features
The iPhone 14 Pro is the first iPhone with an always-on display. In the United States, Apple has removed the physical SIM card tray, focusing on the phone’s eSIM. While that is an intriguing option, it may be inconvenient if you like to change your SIM card when traveling — something to keep in mind. There are also new features such as the SOS Emergency Satellite feature, which connects you to emergency services via satellite when you are outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. The iPhone 14 Pro also has the same crash-detection feature as the new Apple Watch Series 8, which uses a new gyroscope and accelerometer sensors to detect a potential car accident and automatically call 911.
With the removal of the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro, the space housing the Face ID camera and sensors, known as Apple’s Dynamic Island, expands to show you music that is currently playing, call information, contactless payment information, and more — simply tap and hold to interact with it.
Of course, both phones include standard features like MagSafe charging and accessories, wireless charging, 5G, Face ID biometrics, and more.
This round goes to the iPhone 14 Pro for the imaginatively (and oddly) titled Dynamic Island, as well as SOS Emergency Satellite and crash-detection features.
Software and updates
The iPhone 14 Pro is powered by iOS 16, which includes a redesigned lock screen as well as new intelligence, sharing, and communication features. You can personalize your iPhone’s lock screen with a new wallpaper selector and widgets, and take advantage of sharing features like SharePlay, which allows you to listen to music and watch movies while chatting and clean up your photos with Apple’s background remover. There’s also Apple’s Automatic Verification System, which eliminates captchas, and Passkey support, which was recently added.
Because the iPhone 13 Pro ships with iOS 15, you might think iOS 16 makes the iPhone 14 Pro a clear winner — but keep in mind that because iOS 16 is Apple’s most recent release, you should expect some initial bugs, which will be ironed out over time with updates.
Speaking of updates, whichever iPhone Pro you choose, you can expect to receive them for a long time, as Apple provides at least six years’ worth of updates for its phones. As a result, we’re declaring this round a definite tie.
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Price and availability
Apple is now taking pre-orders for the iPhone 14 Pro, with prices starting at $999 for the 128GB model. The phone will be available for pre-order on September 9, with general sales beginning on September 16. When the phone goes on general sale, it will also be available from third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
Amazon has the iPhone 13 Pro starting at $1,000 for the 128GB variant locked to Cricket Wireless. You can also get it from Best Buy for $1,000 for the 128GB Verizon variant.
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro
| Size | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85mm (5.81 x 2.81 x 0.31 inches) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches) |
| Weight | 206 grams (7.27 ounces) | 203 grams (7.16 ounces) |
| Screen size | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ProMotion Always-on screen | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ProMotion |
| Screen resolution | 2556 x 1179 pixels (460 pixels per inch) | 2532 x 1170 pixels (460 pixels per inch) |
| Operating system | iOS 16 | iOS 15 (upgradeable to iOS 16) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| MicroSD card slot | No | No |
| Tap-to-pay services | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Processor | Apple A16 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| Camera | 48-megapixel main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto, 12MP TrueDepth front | 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto, 12MP TrueDepth front |
| Video | 8K, 4K at up to 60 fps, 1080p at up to 60 fps | 4K at up to 60 fps, 1080p at up to 60 fps |
| Bluetooth version | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | Lightning | Lightning |
| Fingerprint sensor | No, FaceID instead | No, FaceID instead |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Battery | Battery capacity TBC Up to 23 hours video playback Fast charging (20W charger sold separately) MagSafe wireless charging (15W) Qi wireless charging (7.5W) | 3,095mAh (up to 22 hours video playback) Fast charging (20W charger sold separately) MagSafe wireless charging (15W) Qi wireless charging (7.5W) |
| App marketplace | Apple App Store | Apple App Store |
| Network support | All major carriers | All major carriers |
| Colors | Deep Purple, gold, silver, Space Black | Alpine Green, silver, gold, Graphite, Sierra Blue |
| Prices | $999+ | $999+ |
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