iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: worth the switch?

You have to look hard to see the differences between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13. However, with a magnifying glass you can definitely find them. Let us help you in this iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 comparison.

Design: Like two drops of water

Starting with the design. In terms of design, the iPhone 14 hasn’t changed a bit. The device still has a 6.1-inch screen, aluminum housing and glass back. The corners of the new model are slightly rounder than those of the iPhone 13, but it is questionable whether you notice this at all. They are now as round as those of the camera island, which we think looks just a bit nicer.

Also good to know: the iPhone 14 has become slightly thicker. In principle, this increase of 0.15 millimeters is negligible, but the case of your iPhone 13 may not fit as well, or not at all.

The biggest difference in size, however, is in the fact that there is no iPhone 14 mini. The ‘successor’ to the iPhone 13 mini is the iPhone 14 Plus, which with a screen size of 6.7 inches is the same size as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the best (and largest) Apple phone of this year.

Little difference in camera

The iPhone 13 made a statement at the time by placing the double camera diagonally on the back. This is still the case with the iPhone 14. The iPhone cameras also barely differ in terms of specifications.

Both have a main camera, ultra-wide angle camera and selfie camera (all 12 megapixels). However, the wide-angle lens of the new model is slightly better, thanks to the larger aperture. This allows the lens to let in more light so that you can also take snapshots under poorer lighting conditions (and the night mode does not have to be activated as quickly).

Furthermore, the front camera of the new model has a better autofocus, so that photos are less blurred. New on the iPhone 14 is the so-called Photonic Engine. This brand new photo technique ensures better exposed photos, even in harsh lighting conditions.

Colors

The iPhone 14 is less colorful than the iPhone 13, although it’s not much different. The latest iPhone is available in five variants: midnight (black), starlight (white), blue, purple and red. It is to be expected that a new color will be added at a later date: this also happened with previous models.

With the iPhone 13 you can choose from six colors: purple, blue, midnight, starlight, green and red.

Hardware

It was a long-standing tradition for years: new iPhone, new chip. 2022 is therefore the exception to the rule, because the iPhone 14 has the same chip as the previous model. Both phones are powered by the A15 Bionic chip. Only the iPhone 14 Pro (Max) has the latest chip, the A16 Bionic.

Are the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 just as powerful as a result? No, not quite. The iPhone 14 has an improved version of the A15 Bionic. The chip has five cores and is therefore more powerful than the processor of the iPhone 13, which has four cores. In fact, it is the same chip that is also in the iPhone 13 Pro. It is therefore highly questionable whether you notice this difference in practice, because we did not notice any difference between the 13 and 13 Pro a year ago.

What you will notice is the difference in working memory. The iPhone 14 comes with 6GB of RAM, while the iPhone 13 has 4GB on board. This makes the latest model just a bit smoother when switching between apps.

(Hopefully) redundant features

Do you ever come to the United States or Canada? Then it is good to know that the iPhone 14 has a satellite connection. You hope you never have to use this function, but in the event of a crisis you can send an SOS emergency message anytime and anywhere. It is not yet known whether this feature will ever come to Europe.

Another iPhone 14 feature you’d rather never use: Crash Detection. As the name suggests, this help turns on if you (possibly) have had a major car accident. Crash detection can call 112 and also notify emergency contacts.

Slightly better battery

What good is an excellent phone that has to be plugged in every once in a while? Correct: little. Apple itself is never generous with sharing specifications, but does report that the iPhone 14 has a better battery life than the previous model.

The latest Apple phone could play up to 20 hours of continuous video, while the iPhone 13 has 1 hour less.

Much higher price

Finally, we (unfortunately) come to the biggest difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14. The new models have been significantly increased in price.

The iPhone 14 starts at 1019 euros. You then get the entry-level model with 128GB storage. You will of course pay a surcharge for more capacity. The iPhone 13 had a suggested retail price of 909 euros at the time.

Buy iPhone 14 or iPhone 13

Do you want to buy the iPhone 14? A separate iPhone 14 therefore starts at 1019 euros. If you take an iPhone 14 with a subscription, you will pay this amount back in monthly instalments.

The official suggested retail price for a separate iPhone 13 is therefore 909 euros, but you can now find it for tens of euros less. A year after its release, the iPhone 13 with subscription has also become a lot cheaper.