Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro gets everything right. From the luxurious and durable finish, to cameras and display, it was - up until the iPhone 15 Pro - Apple’s best phone to date.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro is no longer the latest iPhone, but it’s a great option if you can find it at a good price. It’s just not the easiest to find.
Apple announced the iPhone 14 Pro andiPhone 14 Pro Maxduring an event in September 2022, offering several enhancements on their predecessors, the iPhone 13 Pro andiPhone 13 Pro Max.
If you’ve got the 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max and you’re wondering whether you should upgrade, or if you’re in the market for an iPhone and the decision is between the iPhone 13 Pro models and the iPhone 14 Pro models, we’ve got you covered. Here are the differences between the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro and what extra features you get opting for the latest models. We’ve also mentioned the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max in this piece, in case you’re looking at the larger models.
Price, availability and specs
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999 in the US and£1099 in the UK, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1099 in the US and£1199 in the UK. They are both available in the same colour options, which comprise Deep Purple, Gold, Silver and Space Black. The Deep Purple is stunning in the flesh and the Space Black is also fabulous.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are no longer available through Apple directly, though you might find them at other retailers. They do appear to be quite rare now though and if you do manage to find them, you need to make sure are quite a bit cheaper than their launch prices, which were $999 in the US and £949 in the UK for the standard model and $1099 in the US and £1049 in the UK for the Max model. If you don’t find them significantly cheaper then we would recommend the iPhone 14 Pro models.
to see a quick glance of how these models differ, we’ve popped a spec table below for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro. The Max equivalents have pretty much exactly the same specs, though they offer a larger and heavier build, larger display and larger battery.
First things first,the iPhone 14 Proand iPhone 14 Pro Max are identical in design, the Max is just bigger in terms of footprint (160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85mm, 240g) and the same applies to theiPhone 13 Proand iPhone 13 Pro Max (160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm, 240g). The four devices are also virtually identical on the rear too. They all offer a prominent triple rear camera in the top left corner within a glossy surround, while the rest of the rear is matte with a frosted glass finish. All four also have flat edges and surgical-grade stainless steel frames with a polished finish, and all four devices have anIP68 water and dust resistance, as well asMagSafe.
Aside from the colour differences, the main surface variations can be found on the front of the devices. The iPhone 13 Pro models have a notch at the top of their displays, while the iPhone 14 Pro models have a wide pill-shaped cut out that houses theFace ID sensorand front camera. It’sDynamic Islandand it’s a great blend of hardware and software, making an otherwise redundant space, useful and functional. In use, it is excellent and it has become more useful in the months since the devices initially launched.
Apps and alerts appear in the Dynamic Island, like music or a timer for example, as well as AirPods connecting or a phone call and you can tap and hold on it to see more information and get more control. We’ve got a separate feature diving into more detail, but it’s great for multitasking, making it very quick to switch between apps.
Along with the Dynamic Island, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro models also have an Always-On Display. This means they always display something on the screen in a dimmed format (if you have it turned on), like the time, calender alerts or your Activity Rings, if you have anApple Watchfor example. The Always-On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro models is a replica of the Lock Screen you have set iniOS 16and it makes for a great experience. It doesn’t really affect battery life in our experience either.
The iPhone 13 Pro models meanwhile, have a black screen when off so you have to tap the power button to see notifications on your screen, while the iPhone 14 Pro models show them at the bottom of the Always-On Display without you having to power on the screen.
Elsewhere, the iPhone 14 Pro models have a peak brightness of 2000nits compared to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 1200nits and this is very noticeable when outdoors. All four models have Super Retina XDR displays and they all have ProMotion on board forrefresh rates up to 120Hz, though the iPhone 14 Pro models drop down to 1Hz, allowing for the Always-On Display, while the iPhone 13 Pro models drop down to 10Hz.
Resolution is around the same, with all models offering a pixel density of 460ppi, but the iPhone 14 Pro models have slightly slimmer bezels around the display. They all come withTrue Tonethough, as well as HDR support andHaptic Touch. They are also the same size, with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro both 6.1-inches and the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max both 6.7-inches.
Hardware and specs
Internally, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro models run on the A16 Bionic chipset with 16-core Neural Engine, while the iPhone 13 Pro models run on the A15 Bionic chipset with 16-core Neural Engine. All are speedy in their performance and all cope well with multi-tasking. All four models are also5G compatible, though the iPhone 14 Pro models offerEmergency SOS via satelliteif you are in a compatible country and happen to have no signal. The iPhone 14 Pro models also have a feature called Car Crash Detection, which you’re able to read about inour separate feature, though you’d hope you would never need it.
Storage options are the same across all four models, with 128GB up to 1TB offered. All are eSIM compatible too, though it is worth mentioning that those in the US only have the option ofeSIMwith the iPhone 14 Pro models as there is no physical SIM tray on board the new models.
In terms of battery, the iPhone 14 Pro promises up to 23 hours video playback compared to the iPhone 13 Pro’s up to 22 hours. The iPhone 14 Pro Max meanwhile, offers up to 29 hours, compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max 28 hours. The Max models are considerably better performers in our experience, though with that battery increase comes a bigger and heavier device. All four models have fast charging capabilities with up to 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes using a 20W adapter or higher.
They all also run on iOS 16, meaning you get the same overall experience. There are a few extra features on the iPhone 14 Pro models though, like Dyanmic Island and the Always On Display, as well as the Car Crash Detection and Action Mode in the camera. The Dynamic Island and Always-On Display features are the most noticeable, while the others are more nice-to-have.
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro models both feature a 48-megapixel main camera sensor with f/1.78 aperture, a 12-megapixel ultra wide angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor with f/2.8 aperture. There’s also aPhotonic Engineon board and second-generation sensor-shift stabilisation.
The iPhone 13 Pro models meanwhile, offer a 12-megapixel main sensor with f/1.5 aperture, 12-megapixel ultra wide sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor with f/2.4 aperture. There’s sensor-shift stabilisation on board but no Photonic Engine.
Low light results are better on the iPhone 14 Pro models, and faster to process than the iPhone 13 Pro models, and there’s more detail too. The iPhone 13 Pro models still deliver excellent results though, so while you will make some gains with the iPhone 14 Pro models, including the ability to shoot in 48-megapixel ProRAW, you might find the 13 Pro models are more than enough for what you want.
All four devices offerDeep Fusion, Macro photography, Night Mode and Portrait Mode. There is a new Action Mode for video on the iPhone 14 Pro models, which offers more stabilisation when shooting video when you’re also moving, andCinematic Modehas up to 4K HDR in up to 30fps, while the iPhone 13 Pro models offer up to 1080p.
The front camera has been improved for the iPhone 14 Pro models too, with a 12-megapixel sensor that offers a f/1.9 aperture and autofocus. The iPhone 13 Pro models have a 12-megapixel sensor too, but with a narrower f/2.2 aperture and no autofocus. The result is better selfies on the iPhone 14 Pro models, especially in low light, but again, the iPhone 13 Pro models are still great performers on the whole.
Conclusion
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro models offer some great upgrades over their predecessors, making the case for upgrading much higher than it’s been in the past. You not only get the design and display improvements, with Dynamic Island and the Always-On Display, but you get a processor boost and camera enhancements too, both in terms of hardware and software.
The iPhone 13 Pro models are excellent and you may find them for a good price now that the iPhone 14 Pro models are out, meaning they could be the perfect option for some, depending on the features you want.
If you’re considering upgrading, we’d say the iPhone 14 Pro models offer enough differences to make the upgrade feel worthwhile this time around though and if you’re choosing between the iPhone 13 Pro models and the iPhone 14 Pro models, if your budget allows,the iPhone 14 Pro models are the ones you want.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has the same hardware and design as the iPhone 14 Pro, but in a larger package with a 6.7-inch OLED display, which again has Always-On technology and Dynamic Island, and there’s a bigger battery.
