The key factor in deciding between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is whether you prefer large or small phones. But there are other factors to think about besides size.
Since the Pro iPhone debuted in 2019, there hasn’t been a midpoint between the cheaper iPhone 14 and the more expensive iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Plus fills that gap. These are the two iPhones you should be comparing if you only care about the display and battery size and don’t care about additional features like new cameras or notches.
Continue reading to compare the smaller iPhone 14 and the larger iPhone 14 Plus. Check out our comparison of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro to see what a Pro badge can do for you.
Specs:
| iPhone 14 | iPhone 14 Plus | |
| Starting price | $799 | $899 |
| Screen size | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| CPU | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Cameras | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) |
| Size | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 inches |
| Weight | 6.07 ounces | 7.16 ounces |
| Colors | Purple, blue, midnight, starlight, Product RED | Purple, blue, midnight, starlight, Product RED |
Price:
The new iPhone 14 Plus costs a little more, at $899 (£949/AU$1,579), than the standard iPhone 14, which starts at $799 (£849/AU$1,399).
The iPhone 14 Plus is a threat to users of Samsung and Google at that price. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus costs about $100 more in the US than the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which is about the same price. The iPhone 14 Plus presents a compelling alternative for users who are drawn to a large iPhone but are unwilling to shell out for all of the features found in the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
However, unless you really need the biggest screen and battery possible, the iPhone 14 may be a better value because it only has a smaller display and battery than the iPhone 14 Plus.
Design and Display:
The biggest difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is size: the smaller iPhone 14 has a 6.1-inch display, while the larger iPhone 14 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. The iPhone 14, therefore, weighs slightly more than 6 ounces, while the iPhone 14 Max tips the scales at slightly more than 7 ounces.
Apart from that, however, there are few physical differences between the two phones; they both mimic the design and proportions of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max that came before them.
The iPhone models have glossy backs and aluminum frames. The iPhone 14 and 14 Max also have the Lightning port for charging, which is probably the last time it will be found on an iPhone (according to numerous iPhone 15 rumors), and are IP68 water and dust resistant, just like the previous generation of iPhones.
The notch will still be present but will be 25% smaller than the iPhone 12 in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus because they maintain the same design as the iPhone 13 series. The full notch has been eliminated from the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max in favor of a pill-shaped cutout for Face ID and the front camera.
The Pro Motion display feature, which Apple has once again reserved for the Pros, is not available on the phones. Instead, they use 60Hz, which is outdated for most phones but won’t be apparent if you’re switching from an iPhone other than a 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max.
They also closely resemble one another in our display tests. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus perform similarly in terms of color gamut, color accuracy, and average brightness, all within a few percentage points of one another. The iPhone 14 Plus is noticeably brighter during our HDR brightness tests, which was the only time there was a difference.
Color Options:
The color options on both phones are the same. Starlight, Midnight, blue, purple, and Product RED are the original options; a new yellow option debuted in the spring.
Cameras:
The cameras on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are similar. There are two 12MP cameras on the back that are used for both primary and ultrawide purposes, and a third 12MP camera is located on the front for selfie purposes. However, since the 48MP main sensor and telephoto camera are Pro-only features, they are absent.
The Photonic Engine is one new feature you won’t find on earlier iPhone models. This is the fancy name Apple has given to a new image processing pipeline that aims to produce better low-light images.
Performance:
The 2021 A15 Bionic chip was used to power the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Apple made the decision to only include the new A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus share the same chip, which results in similar power consumption, but both devices have an additional GPU core and better cooling compared to the iPhone 13, giving them a slight performance boost.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus performed very similarly in our iPhone 14 benchmarks, as you might anticipate from two phones with the same processor and RAM. However, the iPhone 14 Plus appears to have an advantage in some areas, perhaps as a result of better cooling provided by its larger body.
Apple also added the same new security features to both phones, including Crash Detection and Emergency SOS powered by satellite. Hopefully, you won’t ever need to automatically alert someone that you were involved in a car accident or got lost in the woods, but both of these phones can help you in those situations.
Storage:
What about available storage? There are capacities of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB available on both phones.
Software:
The two phones have iOS 16 pre-installed on their operating systems. Both can be updated to iOS 17 once it becomes available to the general public in the fall of 2023.
Battery:
The distinction between the two phones really stands out at this point. The iPhone 14 Plus outperforms the iPhone 14 in terms of battery life, living up to its name and surpassing it.
When we used a custom test to continuously browse the internet over 5G during our testing, the iPhone 14, the average battery life was 9 hours and 28 minutes. An excellent performance, the iPhone 14 Plus lasted for 11 hours and 57 minutes.
The difference in battery size between the two phones affects charging speed as you might anticipate. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus charged to 54% and 46%, respectively, in 30 minutes using Apple’s 20W charger.
Verdict:
Apple saved the big difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. But there’s enough to warrant giving your choice of the phone some careful thought.
In brief, the size, battery life, and cost of the two phones vary. Due to its larger screen and more affordable price than the Pro Max, the iPhone 14 Plus may be superior to the iPhone 14 overall. But given that it doesn’t offer much more than the standard iPhone 14, perhaps the less expensive model will still offer the best value.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event Confirmed to Schedule on July 26
