We had a very good feeling that the iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro comparison would present the biggest differences in years, and our testing now supports that.
As you’ll see in our iPhone 14 review as well as our iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max reviews, these are all very good phones — and they all earn a spot on our best phones list.
But that doesn’t mean the regular iPhone 14 is right for you. In fact, if I was spending my own money, I would definitely save for the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max. Here’s why.
Where iPhone 14 Pro beats iPhone 14
always on screen
The iPhone 14 Pro Series ProMotion display can fully scale up to 1Hz to deliver an always-on screen experience. So you can see the time, battery status, notifications and iOS 16 lock screen widgets in low power state.
I didn’t think I’d like this feature as much as I do now. Even just getting in the morning to be able to peek at the time without having to turn the phone on is very convenient. Unfortunately, the regular iPhone 14 does not have this feature, possibly because it lacks the dynamically refreshed screens found on the iPhone 14 Pro models. iPhone 14, like its predecessor, is locked at 60 Hz.
The dynamic island is great (and it will get better)
Apple’s replacement of the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro is called Dynamic Island, which is an apt name given all that this part of the screen can do. This pill-shaped area changes as it displays everything from your music playing status and timers to your next direction in Apple Maps. You can also view the so-called live activities simultaneously.
But Dynamic Island will get better once developers can take advantage of this new feature. For example, you’ll be able to check your favorite team’s score in a jiffy or see the status of your Lyft ride – without having to dive into the app itself. This could potentially be a real time saver.
48 MP camera with optical zoom
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max both have a new 48MP camera that combines images into quad pixels for better results in all kinds of lighting conditions. Or you can shoot in 48MP ProRAW mode for the highest resolution possible, although you have to enable this feature in the settings.
The iPhone 14 Pro series also adds a 2x zoom option on top of the 3x optical zoom, with a maximum digital zoom of 15x. iPhone 14 is still stuck at 5x digital zoom without a telephoto zoom lens. This is a bit nuts when you can get a Galaxy S22 with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom for the same price as the new regular iPhone.
Reasons to get iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 certainly has a few things going for it, and these are the main benefits.
low price
The iPhone 14 starts at $799 while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max start at $999 and $1,099, respectively. So there is at least $200 between prices. If you prefer more storage, you can get the iPhone 14 with 256GB for $899, still $100 less than the iPhone 14 Pro with 128GB.
No matter which model you ultimately choose, there are plenty of good iPhone 14 deals to be had for all models.
iPhone 14 cameras are still good (including Motion Mode)
While the iPhone 14 doesn’t get a 48MP resolution, the telephoto sensors and the 12MP TrueDepth are all solid enough to put this phone on our list of best camera phones.
Just check out this comparison with the Galaxy S22. Dubladnia blossoms are most visible through the iPhone, complete with water drops on the petals.
Which iPhone should you buy?
I’m telling you, the iPhone 14 is fine. But I’m also telling you to skip it and get an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max this year if you can afford these models. The ProMotion 120Hz display and 3x zoom were really good reasons to go for the Pro last year, and new pros are taking Apple’s premium flagship to the next level.
Between the Always On Display, Dynamic Island, and a better camera system, I think you’ll find the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max much more future-proof than the iPhone 14.
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