Latest Apple flagship
The iPhone 15 has brought with it a whole host of different updates, with a new processor, Dynamic Island, and some impressive new camera specs. Interestingly, it’s got the same launch price as the iPhone 14, so you’re getting a far more impressive iPhone for your money this time around.
For
- A16 Bionic chip
- Dynamic Island
- 48MP camera
- USB-C
Against
- More expensive
- Not compatible with Lightning accessories
Outgoing Apple flagship
iPhone 14 may be a year old, but it’s still a great phone that’s powerful, has a solid camera, and looks great. It’s now been thoroughly trounced by the iPhone 15, but if it goes down in price then it’s still a solid option for a new iPhone. Just don’t expect next-gen performance and you’ll be grand.
For
- Will become more affordable
- Still a powerful device
- Great battery life
Against
- Won’t be as powerful as the iPhone 15
- No USB-C
Apple’s iPhone 15 is here, and it boasts a huge array of new features to tempt users of the iPhone 14 to upgrade. But what’s the difference? And just how much better is the iPhone 15 compared to its predecessor? Whether you’re thinking about upgrading your iPhone 14, or you’re looking to grab an older model and choosing between the two, we have everything you need to know about the differences (and similarities) of each.
Apple’s iPhone 14 is a capable handset and will be much cheaper now the iPhone 15 is here, but a new 48MP camera, USB-C, and Dynamic Island mean it might actually be better making the leap to the newer model.
Looking to pick a winner? Here’s our iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 rundown.
After getting his first iMac in 2009, Lloyd fell in love with macOS and started steadily moving toward Apple tech, writing about apps and games in his spare time at some of tech’s biggest sites, including TechRadar, Macworld, and, of course, iMore. With an ear to the ground on all things iPhone 15 related, here are his thoughts on how the iPhone 15 stacks up against the iPhone 14.
iPhone 14 vs 15: Features and specs
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If you’re already looking at your annual upgrade, then you’ve likely already made your mind up regarding which iPhone you want. However, if you’re looking to see whether it’s worth buying the iPhone 14 or the 15 now, it’s going to be helpful to take a look at the specs and how they compare to each other. And now that we don’t have to rely on rumors, we can give you a full picture of what the two phones look like side by side.
| Specs | iPhone 14 | iPhone 15 |
| Display size | 14: 6.1 inches | 14 Plus: 6.7 inches | 15: 6.1 inches | 15 Plus: 6.7 inches |
| Display type | OLED | OLED |
| Capacity | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Splash, water, dust resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Chip | A15 bionic chip, 6 core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core neural engine | A16 bionic chip, 6 core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core neural engine |
| Camera | 12MP dual-camera system + TrueDepth front camera with autofocus, ƒ/1.5 aperture | 48MP dual-camera system + TrueDepth front camera with autofocus, ƒ/1.5 aperture |
| Video | 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, Action Mode | 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, Action Mode |
| Face ID | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Pay | Yes | Yes |
| Safety | Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection | Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection |
| Location | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, Digital compass, WiFi, Cellular, iBeacon microlocation | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, Digital compass, WiFi, Cellular, iBeacon microlocation |
| Video calling | Yes | Yes |
| Audio calling | Yes | Yes |
| Siri | Yes | Yes |
| Power and battery | Video playback: up to 20 hours, audio playback: up to 80 hours | Video playback: up to 20 hours, audio playback: up to 80 hours |
| MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Sensors | Face ID, Barometer, High dynamic range gyro, High-G accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Dual ambient light sensors | Face ID, Barometer, Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor |
| Operating system | iOS 16 | iOS 17 |
| SIM | eSIM | eSIM |
The iPhone 15’s upgrades have completely outclassed the iPhone 14, with some incredible new features.
Between the Dynamic Island, a better camera setup, a faster chip, and even the new USB-C charging port for iPhone 15, it’s almost a full overhaul, and we’d pick the iPhone 15 for future-proofing, too.
iPhone 15 vs 14: What’s new?
There are loads of new things on the iPhone 15, and all of them stand to make the iPhone 15 a better buy than the outgoing iPhone 14. It’s almost like an iPhone 14 Pro in a new T-shirt — but don’t let Apple hear you say that, or Tim will make a sad face.
Dynamic Island
Coming from the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max from last year, the Dynamic Island replaces the notch at the top of the iPhone with a kind of interactive pill — and now it’s coming to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. That means you’ll be able to track more stuff with your iPhone while doing something else, like tracking a pizza delivery while you play a heated game of Doodle Jump.
Alas, some display features from the Pro line remain exclusive to the iPhone Pro models. The wicked heights and speeds of the ProMotion Pro displays aren’t here, and neither is the Always on display that the Pro models get. You do get a bright screen though, with a peak 2000 nits brightness for those ultra sunny days, and 1600 nits peak HDR brightness for some incredible media consumption.
Camera
The camera has had a massive boost up to 48MP, with some wicked new tech that will make contrast and depth better across the board. There’s a refreshed portrait mode as well, featuring brighter colors and more detail.
It will also autodetect people and even dogs and cats so that you can take portrait mode pictures with more ease than before — and thanks to machine learning, you can even make a non-portrait mode picture a portrait mode picture after it’s already been taken, wich is pretty cool too.
USB-C
Finally, after years of the Lightning connector, Apple is going to use the USB-C in the iPhone 15. That means you can use the same charger you use for your iPad, MacBook, Nintendo Switch, and anything else with that reversible input.
The Lightning connector is also slower for data transfer than USB-C Thunderbolt alternatives — and while not quite the blistering USB 3 speed that the iPhone 15 Pro has received, it’s still a boost from the lightning standard.
iPhone 15 vs 14: Processor and RAM
The iPhone 15 this year does not have a new chip, but one we’ve seen before — although this is a darn sight better than the one we got in the iPhone 14 that came last year. Where that phone got the same chip as the iPhone 13, we’ve got the chip from the iPhone 14 Pro this time around, with all the power benefits that come with it. That means a beefier GPU, more memory bandwidth, and greater efficiency for better battery life.
iPhone 15 vs 14: Color choice
There are some different colors this time round: Instead of the Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Purple, and (PRODUCT)Red that the iPhone 14 came in, we’ve got some slightly different options.
There’s a black, a white, a green, a yellow, and a pink color option. They’re all pastel versions of the color, with a stunning new frosted glass back, and slimmer outer edges on the back. Where the iPhone 14 was an angular affair, this new iPhone 15 is a different-looking beast with a slightly different chassis to go with its new colors.
Personally, we prefer the color options on the new iPhone — although we will miss the (PRODUCT)RED.
iPhone 15 vs 14: Battery life
There wasn’t much fanfare about battery life during the event, all truth be told! It did, however, come to light that the new phone would be getting ‘all-day battery life’, which considering the number of new features is impressive, especially when you take the iPhone 14’s similarly named ‘all-day battery life’. We now know the iPhone 15’s battery is slightly larger than the 14, too.
iPhone 15 vs 14: Which should you buy?
Now that we’ve seen the iPhone 15 in the Apple event, we can finally make a full judgement on the iPhone 15 vs the iPhone 14. Let’s face it; this update has been an impressive one, and one that will make it hard to justify any kind of saving that the iPhone 14 might provide you with.
The iPhone 15 has improved on nearly every aspect of the iPhone 14, from that incredible new design, Dynamic Island, and the inclusion of the new chip. This is the iPhone that we wanted last year, instead of just a reheated iPhone 13, and now that it’s here, you’d expect it to cost way more than it might have done before.
But it doesn’t — the iPhone 15 costs $799, the same price as the iPhone 14 cost last year at launch. combine that with the fact that with trade-in you might get the iPhone for free, it’s a no-brainer as to which one you should go for — unless you hate Dynamic Island.
For future-proofing purposes, always go for the latest iPhone you can, barring any major faults with the device — you’ll likely get longer software support from a brand-new phone, for starters. A year-old phone is still going to work plenty well, but in this case, unless it goes down to half price, the extra features are well worth the financial outlay.
The iPhone 15 is available to preorder now, and it will be shipped out on September 22.