iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 14: A comparison of all the enhancements

What differences exist between the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 14, which were released two years apart? And do those who hold iPhone 14s think that the additional features warrant an upgrade?

The Action button and the Camera Control are two new physical buttons that are added to the iPhone 16, which retains the iPhone 14's overall design and 6.1-inch size. It also has a 48MP primary camera with more quality and a quicker A18 processor, which powers all of Apple Intelligence's magic.

The most sought-after feature, a 120Hz ProMotion display, is still reserved for the more costly Pro versions and is not available on the iPhone 16.

Below, we'll examine each of the modifications in more detail.

Differences between the iPhone 16 and 14:

Contents Table:

Create and Present
Both Software and Performance
Snapshot
Rechargeable batteries
Specifications
Is it time to upgrade?

Quality of Design and Display

The camera's appearance has changed, and its size has remained the same.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 14 share a lot of similarities in terms of size and shape. These are both 6.1-inch phones with glass on the front and back, metal frames, and flat edges.

Although the twin camera system on the rear is still there, it is vertical rather than diagonal. Additionally, the 16 model has a more durable Ceramic Shield on the front.

However, there are a few more significant adjustments. The iPhone 16 comes with two new physical buttons. The iPhone 14's customizable Action button takes the role of the Mute switch. Both buttons are situated on the upper left corner, above the volume keys.

A new camera control is also included; it's located on the right, beneath the power key. Only third-party and Apple native camera apps are compatible with this button. This key functions in two ways: a light push locks focus, and a full press takes a picture or records a video. This resembles a standard camera shutter button in many aspects.

Nevertheless, since it's an Apple product, it's somewhat unique in that you can also swipe to zoom in or out and handle a variety of other features. Nice!

Not to be overlooked is the iPhone 16's USB-C port, which is a welcome upgrade from the iPhone 14's Lightning port.

Additionally, both models feature IP68 dust and water protection.

Both Software and Performance

New chip, new iPhone

Naturally, the iPhone 16 has a quicker and newer processor because it was released two years after the iPhone 14.

The iPhone 16 is the first vanilla iPhone to use a 3nm chipset, the Apple A18, while the iPhone 14 is powered by the A15 Bionic chip, which was created using 5nm technology. That innovative manufacturing technology isn't even used by leading Android phones currently, so the new iPhone will undoubtedly benefit from it.

Observe that the Apple A18 Pro chip, which powers the iPhone 16 Pro versions, is marginally faster.

More significantly, compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 16 has 8GB of RAM instead of just 6GB. As a result, the iPhone 14 will not support artificial intelligence (AI), while the iPhone 16 will be able to utilize all of the new AI features.

The iPhone 16 retains its storage options, allowing users to select from 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB capacities.

Additionally, the iPhone 16 is probably using the more recent modem (Snapdragon X70) as opposed to the iPhone 14 (Snapdragon X65), which might result in slightly better reception in some trouble spots.

Snapshot

Baby, spatial videos and photos

Although the iPhone 16's camera has a new vertical design, it still has two lenses: a primary and an ultrawide.

Because the iPhone 16's 48MP primary sensor is more capable than the iPhone 14's 12MP one, it will have a significantly better camera than the latter.

More detail and improved low light performance are offered by the new 48MP camera, which also eliminates many of the overprocessing problems with the iPhone 14. Additionally, you get a 2X lossless zoom with sensor crop, which is an upgrade from the iPhone 14's digital zoom.

Since both phones have a 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 13mm field of vision, the adjustments to the ultra-wide camera are more minor.

The new physical Camera Control, which is located beneath the power key, has already been discussed. This is a really great idea that will probably make using the iPhone 16 to capture those memorable moments easier.

Of course, the iPhone 16 also comes with a ton of AI editing features, such the "Clean Up" tool in Photos that is compatible with iOS 18.1.

We also adore the iPhone 16's new, far more potent Photographic Styles. Additionally, since you may now alter the photographic style after the shot, there are a lot more options for photo editing than there were in the past.

Regarding video, don't expect significant changes—4K60 is still the highest quality that can be achieved.

the iPhone oriented vertically. On the other hand, 16 cameras allow for the creation of Spatial Photos and Videos, which can subsequently be seen on the Apple Vision Pro. Although not many people own the headset yet, this seems like something that will happen in the far future, but having the ability to record 3D videos is a fantastic feature.

The iPhone 16 offers a new Audio Mix option for editing videos that makes it easier to isolate voices and remove background noise.

Haptics and Audio Quality

Every year, Apple makes adjustments and enhancements to the iPhones' audio quality; nonetheless, the iPhone 16 does not have any revolutionary new audio features.

And ever since the iPhone 6s' Taptic Engine, haptics have been excellent! Not much has changed in this area either, to reiterate.

Life of Batteries and Charging

Extended battery life and faster MagSafe

The iPhone 16 battery size is still unknown, but we do know some other figures.

Apple claims that the iPhone 14 can play video for 20 hours and audio for 80 hours, while the iPhone 16 can play video for 22 hours and audio for 80 hours.

Stated otherwise, there will be a minor improvement in battery life.

We will have to confirm this with our own internal battery tests, so check back in a few weeks for those findings.

Regarding the battery, rumours claim that the iPhone 16 has a 3,561mAh capacity, which is 9% more than the 3,279mAh capacity of the iPhone 14. However, we would like to wait for the first teardowns to occur before verifying that figure.

It's interesting to note that the charging speed has also changed.

However, cable charging is still somewhat slow, with 20W rates.

However, MagSafe wireless charging now has a maximum output of 25W, up from 15W previously. Be aware that in order to benefit from this, you'll need a new MagSafe charger and a power brick with a minimum output of 30W.

If you have this arrangement, you may anticipate a 50% top-up with MagSafe in 30 minutes, which is an improvement over the 35% charge you received with the previous 15W speeds.

Comparison of Specifications

Here is a summary of the specifications for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 14:

Is it time to upgrade?

iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 14: A comparison of all the enhancements

So, is the iPhone 16 a significant improvement?

We argue that owners of iPhone 14s who aren't in a rush to upgrade can hold off for another year.

ProMotion, the expensive feature, is still absent from the iPhone 16 and may make an appearance in the iPhone 17 in the upcoming year.

The main incentive to upgrade is undoubtedly the AI improvements, although many of those features—like the new Siri—will only be available on the updated iPhone 16 next year. We believe it will take Apple at least a year to catch up to Google in the AI space.

Even if our power life has been slightly extended and the camera has been improved, it still doesn't seem like enough. The USB-C port and the new buttons are also available to you. Once more, these conveniences are wonderful to have but don't really justify an upgrading.