iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Plus is put simply a choice between a basic new iPhone or a large basic iPhone. But it’s one we’re glad we’re able to make.
Although the iPhone 14 Plus isn’t quite out yet (not until October 7), it offers a mid-point between the standard iPhone 14 and the more expensive iPhone 14 Pro that hasn’t been available since the Pro iPhone arrived in 2019. If you’re only interested in display and battery size, and not things like new cameras and notches, these are the two iPhones you want to be looking at.
We’re looking forward to how the iPhone 14 Plus may open up a new rich niche of potential buyers, although early pre-order numbers are a tad soft. But for now, we can see how the regular iPhone 14 and the larger iPhone 14 Plus compare.
If you want to know what difference a Pro badge makes, take a look at our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro face-off too.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Plus: 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 |
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Price
The standard iPhone 14 starts at $799 (AU$1,399) and the new iPhone 14 Plus costs a little more at $899 (AU$1,579).
At that price, the iPhone 14 Plus could really blow Samsung and Google away. The Google Pixel 6 Pro is priced roughly the same and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus comes in for around $100 more in the US.
The iPhone 14 Plus could offer stiff competition to these flagship phones, although it might have a slight disadvantage with its camera and display.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Design and display
Size is the biggest iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Plus difference: the iPhone 14 will have a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 14 Plus gets a larger 6.7-inch display. Accordingly, the iPhone 14 weighs just over 6 ounces, while the iPhone 14 Max tips the scales at a little over 7 ounces.
But that aside, the phones don’t differ much physically, and both mirror the shape and proportions of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max that came before.
The iPhone models get aluminum frames with glossy backs. And like with the previous gen iPhones, the iPhone 14 and 14 Max are IP68 water and dust resistant and have the Lightning port for charging (probably for the last time on iPhones).
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus stick with the same notch as the iPhone 13 series, which means it will very much be there but 25% smaller than the iPhone 12. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have gotten rid of the full notch and have a pill-shaped cut-out for Face ID and the front camera instead.
In terms of display, the phones have skipped Pro Motion, which Apple has again reserved for the Pros. They instead have 60Hz, which is behind the times for most phones but won’t be noticeable if you’re coming from any iPhone other than a 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max.
Both phones offer the same set of colors to pick from. Those are starlight, midnight, blue, purple and Product RED.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Cameras
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus share camera hardware. That includes two 12MP cameras on the back, serving main and ultrawide purposes, and another 12MP camera on the front for your selfie-taking needs.
One new feature that you won’t find on previous iPhones is the Photonic Engine. This is Apple’s fancy name for a new image processing pipeline that focuses on getting better low-light shots.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Performance
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus gave stuck with the 2021 A15 Bionic chip to power them. Apple decided to give only the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max the new A16 Bionic chip.
The same chip does mean similar power for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, although both have an extra GPU core and improved cooling compared to the iPhone 13, meaning a slight performance bump even with the same silicon.
Apple also gave both phones the same new safety features – Crash Detection and satellite-powered Emergency SOS. Hopefully you’ll never need to automatically notify someone you’ve been in a vehicle collision or have gotten lost somewhere in the wilderness, but either of these phones will help you with that.
And what about storage space? Both phones offer the same there too, with capacities of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Battery
This is where the difference between the two phones gets interesting. The iPhone 14 Plus lives up to its name and max out on the battery front, getting ahead of the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max did really well with its large battery and chassis. Going by that, we are hoping that the large iPhone 14 Plus will also do very well on our custom battery test and end up on our best phone battery life list
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Max: Bottom line
Apple may be some of its best features for the iPhone 14 Pros like a 48MP camera, Pro Motion display and always-on display. But with the $100 price hike, a lot of shoppers could turn to the regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
While the iPhone 14 and 14 Max are very similar, they differ in size, battery capacity and price. The iPhone 14 Plus might just outshine the iPhone 14 by offering a big-screen iPhone experience for a more affordable price than the Pro Max, but if it’s not that much better than the regular iPhone 14, maybe the smaller handset will still offer the best bang for your buck.