The iPhone 14 is a very good phone with improved cameras and superior performance, and at $799, it’s one of the best values in Apple’s lineup. The iPhone 14 also offers only modest improvements over the iPhone 13 – which isn’t really a leap forward from the iPhone 12 while we’re at it. The two previous statements can be true at the same time.
This has me wondering what iPhone to get if I’m in the market for a new one and want one of the best iPhones I can afford. This mental exercise excludes the $999 iPhone 14 Pro and the $1,099 iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which offer great upgrades and are easy to recommend in purchases if you can change hands for that kind of money.
As solid as the iPhone 14 is, by contrast, it’s not quite as nimble as Apple’s two Pro models. (Check out our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro comparison for more details on why.)
Complicating the iPhone 14 upgrade question is that Apple has kept three cheaper models in its lineup — the iPhone 13, which now costs $699, and the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 12, both priced at $599.
Yes, these phones are older — the iPhone 13 models came out last year, while the iPhone 12 blew out the candles to celebrate its second birthday next month. But as I said at the beginning, the iPhone 14 isn’t a huge leap forward from either model to disqualify its lowered predecessors.
In fact, you can even prove that buying an iPhone 13 from Apple is a smarter play than an iPhone 14. And while it’s hard to justify buying an iPhone 12 instead of an iPhone 14, there is an argument in favor of that older one. the form as well. This is what we mean.
Performance is not that great
Apple’s decision to limit the new A16 Bionic chipset to iPhone 14 Pro models sets these devices apart from the rest of the iPhone lineup. But it also means that the difference between the performance of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 is not as big as you usually see between generations of phones.
phone | Healer | Geekbench, single core | Geekbench, multi-core |
iPhone 14 | A15 Bionic | 1727 | 4553 |
iPhone 13 | A15 Bionic | 1684 | 4192 |
iPhone 12 | A14 Bionic | 1593 | 3859 |
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 both use the A15 Bionic chip, although the version on the iPhone 14 includes an additional GPU core. This means some performance gains for the iPhone 14, particularly in the graphics area as the iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 benchmarks prove. But the improvement isn’t so overwhelming that iPhone 13 users will feel left in the dust.
In the Geekbench 5 test that measures overall performance, the iPhone 14 posted single and multi-core scores that were 2% and 8% improvements over the iPhone 13’s numbers, respectively. This is not something the end user will notice. The graphics test tipped slightly more in favor of the iPhone 14, with the new phone’s 69 fps score on 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited test better than the iPhone 13’s 60 fps score.
phone | Healer | Adobe Premiere Rush code conversion time (minutes:seconds) |
iPhone 14 | A15 Bionic | 0:28 |
iPhone 13 | A15 Bionic | 0:26 |
iPhone 12 | A14 Bionic | 0:26 |
I think our real-world test is real. We use Adobe Premiere Rush to transcode a video and time the results. The iPhone 14 finishes the job in 28 seconds, but that is indistinguishable from the time of the iPhone 13. (In fact, the iPhone 13 is actually a bit fasterin 26 seconds.) Even the iPhone 12 completes the job in that time, so unless you’re running a lot of graphics-intensive apps, your experience on the iPhone 14 compared to one of the two older models Apple sells is going to be similar enough.
Better battery life on older iPhones
This claim really only applies to the iPhone 13, since the iPhone 12 was a bit disappointing when it came to battery life. That might explain why Apple boosted battery sizes across its iPhone 13 lineup, but whatever the reason, it definitely paid off. The iPhone 13 lasted just over 10.5 hours on our battery test, as we have phones browsing the web over a cellular network until they run out of power.
The iPhone 14 took a step back, at least in terms of the battery test result. The phone averaged just under 9.5 hours in our testing, which is just below the 9 hours and 50 minutes average we see for most smartphones. In daily use, the iPhone 14 performs better, which makes it last all day on a single charge, but it is very clear that the iPhone 13 lasts longer.
Apple software support is very generous
Although it is a year old, the iPhone 13 is not in danger of losing the latest iOS software updates anytime soon. The phone can run iOS 16, the same software that shipped on the iPhone 14, and we expect another four years of software support updates from Apple before the iPhone 13 can no longer run an updated version of iOS.
The same is true with the iPhone 12, although it will likely only receive software updates until 2025. But for now iOS 16 is working perfectly on my iPhone 12, and I haven’t had the battery drain issue that other iPhone users have complained about.
A lot of attractive things about the iPhone come through its software. Currently, iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 users can customize their lock screens, lift things from photos to copy to other documents, and capture and translate texts in videos just as easily as iPhone 14 users. The experience is the same whether you pay $599 or $799 for your new phone.
What to give up with an old iPhone
Even if you’re convinced that better battery life, extended software support, and similar chips make buying an iPhone 13 at a discount better than an iPhone 14, there are a few things you should give up by turning down Apple’s newer phone. The biggest one has to do with image quality.
The cameras on the iPhone 14 have undergone some changes that help it produce clearer photos than those obtained from previous models. Specifically, the iPhone 14’s main camera has a larger sensor than the iPhone 13’s. The aperture is also faster, so the iPhone 14 is equipped to capture better action shots as well as sharper low-light photos.
In addition, the iPhone 14’s ultra-wide lens captures a scene four times larger, while the front camera features a wider aperture and autofocus. A new feature called Photonic Engine improves texture and other details in an image, especially in low-light settings.
If getting the best photos is important to you, you’ll want to get the iPhone 14 even if you find the phone’s other features frustrating. There is a reason to put this new Apple phone on our list of the best camera phones.
Outlook: iPhone 13 Status
It’s always tempting to look for the latest and greatest hardware, and you can’t go wrong with an iPhone 14 if you pick up the new Apple phone. But if you’re watching how much you spend on everything, especially tech purchases—and who isn’t these days—the iPhone 13 lets you enjoy many of the same features as the iPhone 14 for $100 less. You can save even more with iPhone 12 if you’re not concerned with battery life.