Compared: iPhone 14 Pro models vs. iPhone 13 Pro models

Apple’s brand-new iPhone lineup for 2022 certainly makes last year’s iPhone lineup look less enticing, but if you’re wondering what the core differences are between the flagship iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max and last year’s iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max, then you’ve come to the right place.

iDB has gone ahead and put together a comparison of the most vital information you’ll need when deciding whether to get the newer handset or to keep what you might already have from last year.

iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro

Colors

The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max are being offered in fewer colors than their predecessors. While the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max were offered in Alpine Green, Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Sierra Blue, the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max are only being offered in Silver, Gold, Space Black, and a new Deep Purple color that the show-offs are probably going to want just to differentiate themselves.

Processing power

Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max sport a new chip called the A16 Bionic, which provides two high performance cores and four high efficiency cores. It also bundles a powerful five-core GPU and 16-core neural engine. The latest chip is faster, more power-efficient, and drives the latest technology you’ll find on Apple’s ‘pro’ devices in 2022.

Display technology

 

The display is another component of the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max that’s going to stand out from the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max users out there. That’s because Apple is finally giving us something we’ve wanted for a long time: an Always-On Display. The Always-On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max utilizes the same tech that comes in the Apple Watch, allowing Apple to slow the refresh rate down to just 1 hert for power savings. New technology in the A16 Bionic chip allows even a dimmed Always-On Display to show beautiful color that plays nicely with the redesigned Lock Screen aesthetics in iOS 16.

If that wasn’t enough, Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max are completely ditching the notch for a pill-shaped hole-punch that Apple calls the Dynamic Island. This feature utilizes the space of the TrueDepth camera system and pairs it with the true black colors of the OLED display to provide a dynamic space for apps to display information. It shrinks and grows depending on the usage, and Apple provides an API for third-party app developers to take advantage of this feature.

While the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max sport the same 1,000 nits typical brightness and 1,600 nits HDR brightness as their predecessors do, they also have the ability to boost brightness to 2,000 nits when outdoors and in direct sunlight, making it easier to view information on a sunny day where you’d ordinarily have to squint to see what your iPhone is trying to tell you.

The size of the screens are still the same when comparing the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max respectively, but it seems that the newer handsets are picking up slightly more display pixels at 2556-by-1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi compared to 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi for the smaller models, and 2796-by-1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi compared to 2778-by-1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi for the larger models.

Photography & video recording

| Image: Apple

Apple didn’t skimp on the camera upgrades this year… not by a long shot. The iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max are picking up an upgraded camera system comprised of a 48-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and 12-megapixel telephoto camera. This compares to the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max’s 12-megapixel camera system across the board and adds a new zoom mode. Other specs of these cameras can be found below:

iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max:

  • Main: ƒ/1.78 aperture
  • Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.2 aperture
  • Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture

iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max:

  • Main: ƒ/1.5 aperture
  • Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture
  • Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture

In addition to the boost in megapixels, Apple is enhancing the camera’s low-light performance in the iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max models when compared with the 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max models. This includes a dynamic True Tone flash system along with the new Photonic Engine, which provides truer colors and detail in low light than an ordinary camera ever could.

Even the front-facing camera on the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max is picking up better low-light support with a larger ƒ/1.9 aperture compared to the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max’s ƒ/2.2 aperture. The front-facing camera on the 2022 pro handsets will also be getting auto-focus support for the first time, in addition to support the Photonic Engine, which means your low-light selfies will be of better quality.

Camera enhancements can also be attributed to video recording, which picks up a new feature Apple calls Action Mode. This is a new advanced image stabilization unique to the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max that provides close to the same amount of smoothness as a three-axis gimbal, only it’s built right inside of your iPhone.

Battery life

Even with the Always-On Display, powerful new camera technology, and other under-the-hood enhancements, Apple managed to increase the battery life on the iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max handsets by up to an hour when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max handsets. Granted, Apple only advertises this battery life increase while watching video, it’s likely you will see small gains elsewhere as you use your device as well.

Other miscellaneous differences

  • iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max ditch the SIM card tray to become an eSIM-only smartphone, while the iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max support physical SIM cards
  • iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max get a new High-g accelerometer that assists in the detection of car crash incidents
  • iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max get support for precision dual-frequency GPS
  • iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max get support for Emergency SOS satellite communication with authorities
  • iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max get support for the Bluetooth 5.3 standard

Conclusion

Whether upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max is worth it from your existing iPhone 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max will be worth it depends heavily on what you use your iPhone for. If the sleek new Always-On Display sounds like a fun upgrade, as well as the enhanced photography capabilities, then this could be worth the leap, especially with Apple’s convenient trade-in program in play.

Of course, we also understand that the economy isn’t in the best of shape right now, so some prospective buyers may be willing to wait another year to see what Apple brings by way of upgrades in 2023… and we totally understand that perspective too.

Also read: iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max tech specs

Do you plan to upgrade this year? Let us know in the comments section down below.