iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 16e Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
Upon the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple discontinued the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Despite arriving two and a half years apart, the iPhone 16e actually borrows a large number of features from the iPhone 14. Many iPhone 14 users may now be considering an upgrade to Apple's latest iPhone, so is it worth it?
The iPhone 16e's frame is the same shape and size as that of the iPhone 14, and it also carries over its notch, display, and more. Yet there are 35 notable differences between the devices. Here's everything that's different between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 16e:
| iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus (2022) |
iPhone 16e (2025) |
| Aluminum chassis with squared-off edges |
Aluminum chassis with contoured edges |
| Glossy glass back |
Color-infused frosted glass back |
| 6.1- or 6.7-inch display |
6.1-inch display |
| Available in Yellow, Blue, Purple, (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight |
Available in White and Black |
| Ring/Silent switch |
Action button |
| 12-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture |
48-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture |
|
24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos |
| 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera |
|
| 0.5x or 1x optical zoom options |
1x or 2x optical zoom options |
| Sensor-shift optical image stabilization |
Optical image stabilization |
| Smart HDR 4 |
Smart HDR 5 |
| Macro photography |
|
| Night mode and Night mode portraits |
Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits |
| Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps) |
|
| Action mode |
|
|
Improved audio quality on phone calls |
|
Wind noise reduction |
|
Audio Mix |
| Stereo recording |
Spatial Audio and stereo recording |
| A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU |
A18 chip with 4-core GPU |
|
Apple Intelligence support |
|
Visual intelligence |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem |
Apple C1 modem |
| mmWave 5G connectivity |
|
| Thread connectivity |
|
| Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding |
|
|
Precision Finding for Find My friends |
| 20- or 26-hour battery life |
26-hour battery life |
| Lightning port |
USB-C port |
| MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher |
|
|
Setting to prevent charging above 80% |
|
Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings |
| Compatible with MagSafe cases, wallets, wireless chargers, and more |
|
| Now discontinued |
Starts at $599 |
| Released September 2022 |
Released March 2025 |
The iPhone 16e represents a good move for iPhone 14 users, with significant enhancements such as the Action button, 48-megapixel camera, A18 chip, Apple Intelligence support, Visual intelligence, and much longer battery life. However, the iPhone 14 should continue to be useable for a while longer. As a result, it may be better to wait for when the iPhone 16 drops in price upon the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup if you want a more substantial upgrade, or even a future "iPhone 17e" model.
The only substantial losses when upgrading from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 16e are the Ultra Wide camera, MagSafe connectivity, mmWave 5G connectivity, the Ultra Wideband chip, and fewer color options. If you feel these features are vital, you should consider purchasing an iPhone 16 instead of an iPhone 16e, although this will add to the price. The iPhone 15 is also a good option, since it offers all of these features that are missing on the iPhone 16e, but at the expense of features like Apple Intelligence support and prolonged battery life.
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