iPhone XS vs. iPhone 14 Pro: New Features to Expect if You've Waited to Upgrade

If you've been holding on to your iPhone XS and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro when it launches later this year, check out our list below for a recap of the many new features and changes to expect. The list includes major new features added since the iPhone 11 Pro, as well as rumored features for the iPhone 14 Pro.

Have another iPhone model? Check out our iPhone X vs. 14 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro vs. 14 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro vs. 14 Pro comparisons.

iPhone XS vs. iPhone 14 Pro:

• Much faster A16 chip: The A15 chip in the iPhone 13 Pro is already around 1.8x faster than the A12 chip in the iPhone XS, according to Geekbench 5, and performance should improve even more with the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Pro.
• Larger display: iPhone XS is equipped with a 5.8-inch display, while the 14 Pro is expected to have a 6.1-inch display.
• Much brighter display: Compared to the iPhone XS, the 14 Pro's display will have at least 375 nits higher peak brightness for standard content.
• No more notch: Rumors suggest Apple will replace the notch with a pill-shaped cutout and a hole for Face ID and the front camera on the iPhone 14 Pro.
• Heavier: iPhone XS weighs 0.39 pounds, while the iPhone 13 Pro weighs 0.45 pounds.
• 3D Touch removed: On the iPhone 11 Pro and newer, Apple removed the 3D Touch feature that allowed you to press deeply on the screen to pop open menus or other "hidden" features. 3D Touch was replaced with Haptic Touch, which is more limited and relies on a press-and-hold gesture instead of a deep press.
• Faster Face ID: Face ID is 30% faster on the iPhone 11 Pro and newer.
• ProMotion: Introduced on the iPhone 13 Pro, ProMotion allows for a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother appearing content and scrolling.
• Always-on display: Rumors suggest the iPhone 14 Pro will feature an always-on display mode that shows the time, date, and iOS 16's new Lock screen widgets.
• Ceramic Shield: Introduced on the iPhone 12 Pro, Apple said the Ceramic Shield front cover increased drop performance by 4x compared to previous models.
• Longer battery life: Already, the iPhone 13 Pro gets 22 hours of video playback vs. 14 hours for the iPhone XS, and rumors suggest that iPhone 14 Pro models could feature even larger battery capacities.
• Triple-lens rear camera system: While the iPhone XS has a dual-lens rear camera system, the iPhone 11 Pro and newer feature a triple-lens rear camera system with an added Ultra Wide lens for zoomed-out photos.
• 12-megapixel front camera: The front camera on the iPhone XS is a 7-megapixel lens, while the iPhone 11 Pro and newer have a 12-megapixel front camera.
• Night mode: Introduced on the iPhone 11 Pro, Night mode allows for greatly improved low-light photography in the Camera app.
• Increased optical zoom: On the iPhone 13 Pro, you can zoom in up to 3x on photos without any blurriness, compared to up to 2x on the iPhone XS.
• Numerous other camera improvements: iPhone XS users upgrading to the 14 Pro will get a slew of other camera upgrades, including a rumored 48-megapixel Wide lens with support for 8K video recording, an upgraded front camera with autofocus, sensor-shift image stabilization, Macro mode, Cinematic mode, ProRAW photos, ProRes videos, Photographic Styles, Night mode portraits, and more.
• Flat edges: While the iPhone XS's stainless steel frame has round edges, Apple has switched to flat edges with the 12 Pro and newer.
• 5G: While the iPhone XS is limited to Gigabit LTE, the iPhone 14 Pro will support 5G for faster cellular data speeds.
• Wi-Fi 6E: iPhone 14 models are rumored to support Wi-Fi 6E, which extends Wi-Fi into the 6 GHz band, in addition to the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
• MagSafe: iPhone 12 and newer models feature MagSafe, a system that lets you magnetically attach accessories to the back of the iPhone, such as Apple's own MagSafe Charger, MagSafe Wallet, and MagSafe Battery Pack.
• Up to 2x faster wireless charging: iPhones with MagSafe can wirelessly charge at up to 15W speeds with Apple's MagSafe Charger, while wireless charging on the iPhone XS is limited to up to 7.5W speeds.
• U1 chip: iPhone 11 Pro and newer models are equipped with Apple's U1 chip for spatial awareness functionality. For example, users can hold a U1-equipped iPhone near a HomePod mini to hand off music playback, or precisely track the location of an AirTag using the Precision Finding feature.
• Increased storage: iPhone XS started with 64GB of storage, but the 14 Pro should have at least 128GB of base storage.
• LiDAR Scanner: Introduced on the iPhone 12 Pro, the LiDAR Scanner is situated next to the rear camera and offers faster augmented reality experiences and improves autofocus by 6x in low-light photos and videos, according to Apple.
• Improved water resistance: Apple says the iPhone XS has water resistance up to a depth of two meters for up to 30 minutes, while the 12 Pro and newer have water resistance up to a depth of six meters for up to 30 minutes.