iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro Buyer's Guide

The iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro are among Apple's newest iPhone models and follow the previous year's iPhone 13 and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, but how different are the two latest 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ models, and what exactly does a "Pro" device give you?

iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro Feature
Last year, the biggest differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro were ProMotion, 2GB of memory, three hours of battery life, and rear cameras with different apertures. With ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro, both devices share new features like Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, Action mode, 6GB of memory, Photonic Engine, and an upgraded 12-megapixel TrueDepth front camera with autofocus, but Apple's "Pro" and non-Pro ‌iPhone‌ models are more different than ever.

Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two ‌iPhone‌ models is best for you, and serves as a way to clearly see what additional features and upgrades the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro brings to the table.

Key Differences

‌iPhone 14‌ ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro
Aerospace-grade aluminum design with glass back Surgical-grade stainless steel design with frosted glass back
ProMotion with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
Always-on display
800 nits max brightness (typical) 1,000 nits max brightness (typical)
1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR) 1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR) and 2,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
"Notch" TrueDepth camera array TrueDepth camera array with Dynamic Island
A15 Bionic chip A16 Bionic chip
"Advanced" dual-camera system "Pro" camera system
2x optical zoom range (2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x) 6x optical zoom range (3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 15x)
12-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture 48-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.78 aperture
12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture
12-megapixel Telephoto camera with ƒ/2.8 aperture
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization Second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization
True Tone flash Adaptive True Tone flash
LiDAR scanner
Night mode portraits
Macro photography
Apple ProRAW
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity)
Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse
146.7mm height 147.5mm height
7.80mm thickness 7.85mm thickness
Weight of 172 grams Weight of 206 grams
20-hour battery life (during video playback) 23-hour battery life (during video playback)
128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options
Available in Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, and PRODUCT(RED) Available in Deep Purple, Space Black, Silver, and Gold
Starts at $799 Starts at $999

Final Thoughts

The ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro offers a large number of upgrades over the standard ‌iPhone 14‌. With just $200 difference to obtain a brighter display with ProMotion and always-on functionality, the ‌Dynamic Island‌, the A16 Bionic chip, and a radically different rear camera set up, not to mention longer battery life and a more premium design, many customers will be able to justify getting the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro over the ‌iPhone 14‌. Due to the scale and breadth of the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro's improvements and features, customers should actively choose the high-end model in most cases.

It will only be worth getting the ‌iPhone 14‌ over the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro if you want a lighter device, do not care for the "Pro" rear camera setup or features like ProMotion and the always-on display, or cannot afford the $200 to upgrade to the high-end model. In this instance, you will still benefit from shared features like Emergency SOS via satellite. The ‌iPhone 14‌ is still a well-rounded device, especially for customers coming from a much older model.

Related Roundup: iPhone 14
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
maxresdefault

These 5 Features Will Make the iPhone 17 the Biggest Update in Years

Monday July 22, 2024 4:02 pm PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 16 models that we're expecting to see in September are going to be quite similar to the iPhone 15 models, but rumors suggest that Apple is making big changes in 2025. We've been hearing hints of an all-new device in the iPhone lineup, and it may be the most expensive iPhone Apple has offered to date. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. New 'Slim'...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 4

Tuesday July 23, 2024 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 18 today, introducing small changes to a number of features throughout the operating system. There are no big additions in this beta, but Apple is continuing to refine existing settings and design choices. Apple plans to continue updating iOS 18 over the next few months, with the update set to be released this fall. We've rounded up all of the changes...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Launch Early Next Year With OLED Display, 48MP Camera, and More

Monday July 22, 2024 7:22 am PDT by
The fourth-generation iPhone SE will offer a series of major upgrades over the current model, the leaker known as "Ice Universe" claims. The information was listed in a post on Weibo, which also detailed the specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup. As previously rumored, the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to feature Face ID and USB-C, marking a major upgrade from current and previous ...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Luna Murasaki Avatar
24 months ago

This is a reasonable, rational concern. But, to Apple's credit, they support their devices for many years. For example, iOS 16 is supported all the way back to iPhone 8, released in 2017. That's pretty darned solid.

It's likely the 14/Plus will be supported for 5+ years. That's a long time to keep a phone...
Well, we've been looking at our budget here at our household and we are trying to save money where we can. We were upgrading our phones every 4 years but want to move to a 6-year cycle instead. We can't be the only ones thinking of this. These things are expensive and if it still works well, can still get the latest iOS with the latest security patches, and can still run the latest apps, and you aren't a tech enthusiast or someone with shallow friends, it doesn't seem a huge sacrifice to keep the device longer, especially with how mature the iPhone's feature set is at this point. This also applies to people on a hand-me-down system with a relative which is part of what we are doing. So I think the concern is more relevant than it seems at first glance.

If you do the math by calculating the price of each device per year of support rather than the total price, having one less year of support for the non-Pro shrinks the already small price gap between the two phones considerably. And with how badly they differ this year in terms of specs, it's looking like the non-Pro is a rip-off to me. I agree it greatly depends on the person though, and this is of course assuming they actually WILL get 1 year less of support, which we don't and can't actually know.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
24 months ago
you should point out just the difference to be easier for understanding
Car industry is doing it like this for years and its easy to understand what the pro has additional
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Luna Murasaki Avatar
24 months ago
To me, I'm very concerned with the use of last year's chip in the non-Pro iPhone 14. That makes me think it won't be supported as long in new iOS releases, making it necessary to replace it earlier and calling into question how much money you actually save by getting it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
You're So Right Carl Avatar
24 months ago

Still on my XR and was debating getting the 14 Pro since it looks like the Apple Store near me has plenty in stock for same day delivery, but this phone still just works. So I’ll hold out for at least a USB-C iPhone.
XS user here. I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Plus, my gal still uses an 8 Max. She's winning this war of attrition!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snipr125 Avatar
24 months ago
The regular 14 is a good device in its own right, but just too expensive and not worth it IMO if one already has an iPhone with an A15 chip (13, 13 Mini and SE3). If they had at least put in a 90 hz refresh rate display, then its value proposition would be a lot higher.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
24 months ago

I'm sorry, what are the other models among which these are the latest?
The 6.7" 14 Plus and Pro Max. They are explicitly only comparing the 6.1" models here.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)