iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: What’s Changed? And Which One Should You Pick?

Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 15 lineup. And just like last year, we got four new models this time, too, namely iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

While the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are better suited for someone who needs the latest offerings from Apple, the non-Pro iPhone 15 model will most likely be the one that most buyers would be interested in this year. We say this because the iPhone 15 gets some significant upgrades over its predecessor, and there are very few differences between it and its Pro sibling this time around that warrant splurging extra.

That said, the iPhone 14 still costs less and can probably be bought at a discounted price during the sale season, which begs the question: Is the iPhone 15 that much better than the iPhone 14? If not, and you’re in the market for a new iPhone, should you consider the iPhone 14 over it?

Our iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 comparison should break down the differences between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 14 to give you a better idea about both devices and make it easier to decide between the two devices.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Design

Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro models, wherein Apple has used a new material (Titanium) for the chassis, no such change has come to the regular iPhone 15 model. It’s still made out of the same aerospace-grade aluminum as the iPhone 14.

What has changed, though, is the back glass panel. Unlike the iPhone 14, which gets a regular glass back, the one on the iPhone 15 has a color-infused glass back that gives a frosted-finish look as opposed to the glossy look from the iPhone 14. So when you keep the two models next to each other, you can definitely tell which one’s new.

Although marginal, the iPhone 15 is slightly taller, too, coming in at a height of 5.81 inches, over the iPhone 14, which is 5.78 inches tall. It’s also a gram lighter, at 171 grams. The rest of the specifications, like the IP68 rating, are the same across both models.

As for color options, the all-new iPhone 15 offers five finishes: Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Black. You get the same color options—in glossy finish—on the iPhone 14 as well, along with a sixth color option: Product Red.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Display

Another area where the iPhone 15 gets a noticeable upgrade when compared side-by-side with the iPhone 14 is the display. The latest model finally adopts Dynamic Island, which was limited to the Pro models, and by doing so, it strikes out a huge difference that it introduced between the non-Pro and Pro iPhone models last year.

For those unaware, Dynamic Island gives you a new way to interact with your iPhone. It’s especially useful for interacting with alerts and Live Activities. Plus, many apps utilize it to display valuable information and offer an easy way to perform certain actions, so you don’t have to jump in and out of apps to do the same.

As for the rest of the display specifications, both iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 come with a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a screen resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels. However, the iPhone 15’s display is a little brighter than the iPhone 14, promising 1000 nits of max brightness (typical), 1600 nits of peak brightness (HDR), and 2000 nits of peak brightness (outdoor), which matches that of the iPhone 15 Pro models.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Performance

Apple is sticking to the previous year’s approach for upgrading the processor. It’s offering the A16 Bionic chip on the iPhone 15 models, which is the same chip used by the iPhone 14 Pro models and is an upgrade over the A15 Bionic found on the iPhone 14.

The A16 Bionic uses the same configuration as the A15 Bionic, with two high-performance cores, four high-efficiency cores, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. However, Apple says that the CPU on the A16 Bionic draws 20% less power and is faster and better at handling intensive tasks while also being efficient with power usage than the A15 Bionic.

Related Read: 7 Best iPhone 15 Accessories

Similarly, its GPU is said to have 50% more bandwidth, which should enable smooth graphics during media consumption and gaming. When it comes to AI and ML computing, the improvements can be seen here, too. The Neural Engine on the A16 Bionic promises faster computation with speeds of nearly 17 TOPS, opening the possibilities for features like Live Voicemail transcriptions in iOS 17.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Battery

We don’t have official numbers on the capacity of the batteries used on the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15 since Apple doesn’t put them out publicly. However, the company says the A16 Bionic chip on the iPhone 15 should deliver “extraordinary battery life, though the usage quoted on its website doesn’t corroborate with the same.

We’ll know if the A16 Bionic on the iPhone 15 does bring about a better battery life once we have the device with us. But until then, we can assume it would, as the A16 did marginally improve the battery life of the iPhone 14 Pro when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Camera

Talking about the camera system, this is another area where the iPhone 15 pulls ahead of the iPhone 14 significantly.

While the latest model still comes with a dual-camera setup on the rear, it gets a higher resolution, 48MP (f/1.6) main camera over the 12MP one on the iPhone 14. This itself is a huge improvement and something to rejoice for those who want the latest iPhone but don’t want to go for the Pro models, as the Pro models also have a 48MP sensor, albeit with a different aperture size.

With the new main sensor on the iPhone 15, you can capture sharper photos and videos with more details. Additionally, the camera system also uses the new 24MP super-high-resolution default, which offers better image quality and keeps the size manageable for storing and sharing. Another noteworthy change in the iPhone 15 camera system is the introduction of a 2x optical zoom feature, which will enable you to get further up close to subjects when shooting them. Now, you can shoot in 0.5x, 1x, and 2x.

Apple is also improving other aspects of photography on the iPhone 15. It says the new iPhone can capture better portrait shots than before, with vivid colors and more details. Similarly, low-light performance is also improved, and now you can even capture portrait shots without having to switch to the Portrait mode on your iPhone. You also get the ability to adjust the focus point after a photo has been taken, something that was available on the Pro models earlier.

Similarly, Night mode is also said to be more effective on the iPhone 15. And, for times when the surroundings are bright or uneven, the new Smart HDR feature should kick in and help capture subjects and backgrounds with natural and true-to-life colors and tones.

Moving to the auxiliary camera, the iPhone 15 comes with the same 12MP (f/2.4) ultrawide camera as the iPhone 14. On the front, the iPhone 15 has the same 12MP (f/1.9) TrueDepth camera as the iPhone 14. Both the ultrawide and the front-facing camera also benefit from the changes to processing as the main camera and should capture better pictures and videos.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: What Else Is New?

We have already discussed a bunch of upgrades that the iPhone 15 comes with over the iPhone 14, but we’re not done yet; there’s one more noteworthy upgrade that this year’s iPhones get. And that is a USB-C port.

All iPhone 15 models now use a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. However, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus is based on the USB 2 standard, so you don’t get to enjoy faster data transfer speeds like the Pro models, which are based on USB 3.

Additionally, Apple doesn’t boost the charging speeds with the USB-C port either, so, technically, you don’t miss out on much, and the only advantage you get if you buy the iPhone 15 over the iPhone 14 is charging convenience. You can, however, charge your AirPods or Apple Watch using your iPhone 15 via USB-C.

Lastly, the new iPhone 15 models also feature the second-gen Ultra Wideband chip. Compared to the first-gen chip on the iPhone 14, this new chip is said to offer three times the range as before and better location tracking.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Price

Apple offers three storage options on both iPhone 14 and iPhone 14. Here’s how much you need to spend to buy them in the US and India:

iPhone 15

• 128GB: $799 / Rs. 79,9900
• 256GB: $899 / Rs. 89,9900
• 512GB: $1099 / Rs. 1,09,9900

iPhone 14

• 128GB: $699 / Rs. 69,9900
• 256GB: $799 / Rs. 79,9900
• 512GB: $999 / Rs. 99,9900

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Which Is Better Suite for You?

As you can see from the price listing above, there’s a $100 / Rs 10,000 difference between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 14 models. Now, whether it’s worth spending the extra amount depends on your needs and the price at which you could get the iPhone 14.

For $100 / Rs 10,000 more, you get a new and powerful processor, a better display (with Dynamic Island), a more capable, high-res camera (with 3x optical zoom), and USB-C for a convenient charging experience. And all of this naturally makes the iPhone 15 a better value-for-money iPhone in 2023 than the iPhone 14 (with its regular price).

However, as we mentioned at the start, with the sale season just around the corner in the US and India, the iPhone 14 can be bought for a lot less than its MRP. If you manage to score a good price—and you’re coming from an older iPhone or some other phone—the iPhone 14 can be a great option and will serve you pretty well for a good few years.

We will, of course, have a better idea about the performance delta between the two models and better assess the gains of the iPhone 15 in different areas once we get our hands on the device. Stick around for our coverage on the same.