Should You Upgrade? The New iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13 Comparison

(XDA) Apple’s new iPhone 14 series is now official and we got as many as four new models this year. But as we highlighted the difference between each iPhone in our iPhone 14 series explainer, the regular iPhone 14 doesn’t bring a lot to the table compared to last year’s regular iPhone 13. Is the new model actually any better than last year’s iPhone? Let’s find out in this iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 comparison.

Apple iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Specifications

Here’s a quick look at the specifications of each phone to find out what they bring to the table:

Specification	iPhone 14	iPhone 13
Build	Ceramic shield front Glass back Aluminum mid-frame IP68 dust and water resistance	Ceramic shield front Glass back Aluminum mid-frame IP68 dust and water resistance
Dimensions & Weight	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm 172g	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.6mm 174g
Display	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED Display 2532 x 1170p resolution, 460PPI HDR True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 800nits max brightness, 1200nits peak brightness Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED Display 2532 x 1170p resolution, 460PPI HDR True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 800nits max brightness, 1200nits peak brightness Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
SoC	Apple A15 Bionic 6-core CPU 2 performance cores 4 efficiency cores 5-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine	Apple A15 Bionic 6-core CPU 2 performance cores 4 efficiency cores 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine
Storage	128GB 256GB 512GB	128GB 256GB 512GB
Battery & Charging	Battery rated for up to 20 hours of video playback up to 16 hours of video streaming Up to 80 hours of audio playback Fast-charge capable Up to 50% charge in about 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe and Qi wireless charging	Battery rated for up to 19 hours of video playback up to 15 hours of video streaming up to 75 hours of audio playback Fast-charge capable Up to 50% charge in about 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe and Qi wireless charging
Security	Face ID	Face ID
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 12MP f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.4, 120-degree FoV Sapphire crystal lens cover True Tone flash	Primary: 12MP f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.4, 120-degree FoV Sapphire crystal lens cover True Tone flash
Front Camera(s)	12MP f/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels	12MP f/2.2, autofocus with Focus Pixels
Port(s)	Lightning connector	Lightning connector
Audio	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G (sub-6GHz, mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO 4G LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.3 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Dual eSIM support (U.S. models are not compatible with physical SIM cards)	5G (sub-6GHz, mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO 4G LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.3 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Dual SIM support
Software	iOS 16	iOS 16
Other Features	Barometer High dynamic range gyro High-g accelerometer Proximity sensor Dual ambient light sensor	Barometer High dynamic range gyro High-g accelerometer Proximity sensor Dual ambient light sensor

Design and display

The iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 have a lot in common and it all starts with the design. They both look the same, with the same flat aluminum rails and roughly the same dimensions. The new iPhone is a hair thicker and heavier than the last year’s model, but you won’t immediately notice it even while holding both phones side-by-side. They both are so identical that you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two if it wasn’t for three new colors. The iPhone 14 comes in a new Blue, Purple, and a slightly lighter shade of Product Red. We reviewed both phones in Starlight color and they look exactly the same as you can tell by looking at the images.

 

While the iPhone 14 looks identical to the iPhone 13 from the outside, there’s one fundamental design difference between the two. As revealed by iFixit’s teardown, Apple has entirely redesigned the internal architecture of the iPhone 14, making it easier to remove the back glass back for repairs. This makes the iPhone 14 the most repairable iPhone to date. This isn’t going to change the way you use the phone on a day-to-day basis, but it makes the new iPhone that much easier to hold on to for a long time. The internal design differences don’t affect the durability, so they both use the same materials and carry the same IP68 rating.

 

The design is not the only thing that’s similar in this comparison because the iPhone 14’s screen — for all intents and purposes — is identical to iPhone 13’s display. This means it’s still a 6.1-inch OLED panel with a 2532 x 1170p resolution and a standard 60Hz refresh rate. The 60Hz refresh rate isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, especially if you’re coming from an older iPhone, but it’s definitely an area in which the iPhone is overdue for an update. So if you were expecting to get a higher refresh rate display with the new iPhone 14 model, then that’s sadly not a part of the specs sheet. You’ll still have to pony up for the iPhone 14 Pro models.

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