There may be significant differences between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro.
What do we know about the comparison between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro? When customers shop for the new iPhone 14 this year, they might be in for a big surprise, we’re very sure. And I’m not referring to the cost.
First off, it’s been reported that Apple will completely drop the small model from the iPhone 14 lineup. According to rumors, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max will take the place of the 5.4-inch small. (We believe the iPhone 14 Max has the potential to significantly alter the smartphone market.) The result is that there will be two iPhone 14 versions with 6.1-inch screens and two with 6.7-inch ones.
However, based on the iPhone 14 rumors and leaks I’ve seen so far, this isn’t truly the biggest news. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to once again use 120Hz ProMotion displays, which may only be available on Pro-series devices. And the telephoto lens for a real optical zoom will probably follow the same rules.
But there are many more distinctions between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro that we’ve heard about. They might also elevate the Pro to a different level, for better or worse. Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming Apple September event, which has been projected for September 7.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: No notch for Pro
The iPhone 14 Pro is tipped to kill the notch, but don’t expect a similar look to the best Android phones. Instead, Apple will reportedly replace the notch with two cut outs towards the top of the display: a pill-shaped cut-out for Face ID and a smaller punch-hole for the front camera.
We’ve seen a number of renders and mockups that show what the iPhone 14 Pro could look like, and it’s clear that some don’t like the dual punch-hole approach. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are expected to stick with the same notch as the iPhone 13 series.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: A16 Bionic goes Pro
This is a rumor that we didn’t believe at first, but it could happen. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 Pro series could exclusively get Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip, which will reportedly use a new 4nm process.
The regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max would be powered by the current A15 Bionic chip but possibly feature more RAM, going from 4GB to 6GB. The iPhone 14 Pro would use the same amount of RAM but a more advanced LPDDR5 memory that would “be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.”
To be fair, the iPhone 13 benchmarks show that Apple already had the fastest chip in a phone and probably will for some time. But the iPhone 14 Pro series could get a serious performance boost.
We have listed the key differences to expect between the A16 Bionic vs A15 Bionic —and what it could potentially mean for the iPhone 14.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: 48MP camera
We’ve seen numerous reports that Apple could swap the 12MP main camera in the iPhone 14 Pro for a sharper 48MP shooter. The iPhone 13 Pro’s image quality is already stellar, but giving users more megapixels to play with would enable more cropping flexibility with photos, not to mention the potential benefits to low-light and HDR performance.
A leaker on Weibo has shot down the 48MP camera rumor for the iPhone 14 Pro, saying that it will used the same IMX703 sensors at the iPhone 13 Pro models. So a 12MP camera with a 1/1.67-inch sensor size and 1.9 μm pixels.
However, given that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman(opens in new tab) has put his weight behind the 48MP camera rumor for the iPhone 14 Pros, I tend to believe it.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Always-on display for Pro
Building on the ProMotion display, a number of reports point to the iPhone 14 Pro series possibly offering an always-on display. This would enable users to quickly look at the time, notifications or widgets without fully powering on the phone. This would be made possible by the iPhone 14 Pro series 1-120Hz refresh rate. So in always-on mode, the refresh rate of the panel would scale down.
We’ve also seen clues relating to the iPhone 14 Pro always-on display in iOS 16 software. So you could possibly interact with the same lock screen widgets without even having to power on the phone.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: USB-C for Pro only?
Here’s an iPhone 14 rumor that’s looking less likely as we get closer to launch. Earlier rumors suggested that the iPhone 14 Pro will offer USB-C connectivity. This would enable the iPhone 14 Pro to deliver faster transfer speeds when working with external peripherals — important for creative pros — as well as presumably enable faster charging.
Right now the iPhone 13 supports 20W charging, but Apple is reportedly working on a faster 30W Gallium Nitride charger. It’s not known whether this would be reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro if it comes out this year.
Apple has been in hot water with the European Union for a while on not adopting USB-C in its phones. However, the most recent intel is that Apple is testing USB-C connectivity for 2023 iPhones, so we’d be talking about the iPhone 15 lineup.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: All the other differences
Assuming Apple keeps the existing iPhone regular vs Pro differences intact, the iPhone 14 Pro series would continue to exclusively offer a 120Hz ProMotion display, which results in smoother scrolling and animations. And we’re also anticipating that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will feature a 3x optical zoom, while the regular iPhone 14 series would offer only digital zoom.
Last but not least, the iPhone 14 Pro series could go up to 2TB of storage, even if that might seem like overkill for a phone.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Prices
The bad news with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is that they are both tipped for a $100 price hike over the iPhone 13 Pro series. So that would mean paying $1,099 for the iPhone 14 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 14 is expected to stay at $799, while the new iPhone 14 Max is tipped to cost $899. There would be no iPhone 14 mini.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Bottom line
When you think about it, Apple really needs to convince shoppers that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be worth the premium, especially if there’s going to be a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max. I can see plenty of would-be upgraders saying “why do I need a Pro when the iPhone 14 Max is good enough?”
Well, Apple can answer with only the iPhone 14 Pros offer a new powerful processor, a full-screen design with no notch, a sharper camera and more storage. And that’s on top of the ProMotion display and telephoto zoom. In other words, the new iPhone 14 Pros could really, really feel Pro.