iPhone 16 vs 14: One, two, or skip a few?

iPhone 16 is Apple’s newest and most capable non-pro smartphone. Yet the device has gained pro features this year, separating itself from its predecessors more than usual. Read on for a detailed look at iPhone 16 vs 14 for everything new and advice on whether it’s worth upgrading.

For other detailed comparisons of the standard vs pro models and more, check out these guides, otherwise read on below.

• iPhone 16 Pro vs 14 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro
• iPhone 16 vs 15
• iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro

iPhone 16 vs 14

Screens

While the iPhone 16 Pro models feature larger 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens, just like the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.

Resolution, PPI, and other display features remain nearly identical between iPhone 16/Plus and iPhone 14/Plus.

But you do get brighter screens, the Dynamic Island, and a slight increase in pixels with the latest iPhones.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
Size	6.1-inches	6.1-inches	6.7-inches	6.7-inches
Resolution	2556 x 1179 pixels	2532 x 1170 pixels	2796 x 1290 pixels	2778 x 1284 pixels
PPI	460 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi	458 ppi
Super Retina XDR OLED display	✅	✅	✅	✅
Dynamic Island	✅	❌	✅	❌
ProMotion – adaptive refresh up to 120Hz	❌	❌	❌	❌
Always-On display	❌	❌	❌	❌
Typical max brightness	1000 nits max	800 nits max	1000 nits max	800 nits max
HDR max brightness	1600 nits max	1200 nits max	1600 nits max	1200 nits max
Outdoor max brightness	2000 nits max	–	2000 nits max	–
True Tone	✅	✅	✅	✅
Haptic Touch	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wide color (P3)	✅	✅	✅	✅

Size, weight, design

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus design remains almost identical to its predecessor(s), but Apple has included the new physical Camera Control button/sensor.

iPhone 16 also gets the physical Action button which was originally launched on iPhone 15 Pro. And the rear camera layout has been updated with the 16 and 16 Plus.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are a touch lighter in weight compared to their predecessors with roughly the same footprints.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
Height	5.81-inches (147.6 mm)	5.78-inches (146.7 mm)	6.33-inches (160.9 mm)	6.33-inches (160.8 mm)
Width	2.82-inches (71.6 mm)	2.82-inches (71.5 mm)	3.06-inches (77.8 mm)	3.07-inches (78.1 mm)
Thickness	0.31-inches (7.80 mm)	0.31-inches (7.80 mm)	0.31-inches (7.80 mm)	0.31-inches (7.80 mm)
Weight	6.00-ounces  (170 grams)	6.07-ounces (172 grams)	7.03-ounces (199 grams)	7.16-ounces (203 grams)
Durability	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes
Ceramic Shield front	✅	✅	✅	✅
Back material	Color-infused glass	Colored glass	Color-infused glass	Colored glass
Frame/edges	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum

Naturally, the new iPhones also come in new colors, we’ll cover that below.

Performance – A18 vs A15

With iPhone 14 and 15, Apple used the latest A-series chip in the Pro models and the previous year’s chip in the standard models.

That changes this year with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus getting the new A18 chip – a 3-gen jump from the A15 Bionic in iPhone 14/Plus.

With the only previous iPhones to support Apple Intelligence being the 15 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 16 and 16 Plus get Apple Intelligence while the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus do not.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
SoC	A18	A15 Bionic	A18	A15 Bionic
CPU	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency
GPU	5-core	5-core	5-core	5-core
Neural Engine	16-core	16-core	16-core	16-core
RAM	8GB	6GB	8GB	6GB
Apple Intelligence support	✅	❌	✅	❌

Both the A18 and A15 are plenty powerful enough for almost everyone. But Apple highlights that the A18 CPU is up to 50% faster than A15 Bionic.

Also, A18 is the first chip in a non-pro iPhone to offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing. That will deliver improved gaming on iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.

Battery life

For battery life, the iPhone 16 has received a very slight improvement over the iPhone 14 devices for video playback:

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
Video playback	22 hours	20 hours	27 hours	26 hours
Audio playback	80 hours	80 hours	100 hours	100 hours

For how that compares to iPhone 15, 14, and 13, check out our full post on iPhone 16 battery life:

• iPhone 16 battery life: How much better is it?

iPhone 16 vs 14 cameras

Rear cameras

iPhone 16/Plus come with a 48MP main rear camera like iPhone 15/Plus. That’s a notable upgrade over the iPhone 14 with a 12MP main lens.

More new additions include the all-new Camera Control button/sensor, latest-gen Photographic Styles, and the ability to capture spatial photos and video.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
Camera Control	✅	❌	✅	❌
Main lens	48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.5 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.5 aperture
Main lens sensor	2 µm quad pixel	1.9 µm quad pixel	2 µm quad pixel	1.9 µm quad pixel
Main lens focal length	26 mm	26 mm	26 mm	26 mm
Ultra Wide lens	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture
Telephoto lens	❌ (but main lens can do 2x zoom)	❌	❌ (but main lens can do 2x zoom)	❌
Stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Optical zoom	0.5x, 1x, and 2x	0.5x and 1x	0.5x, 1x, and 2x	0.5x and 1x
Digital zoom	Up to 10x	Up to 5x	Up to 10x	Up to 5x
Flash	True Tone flash	True Tone flash	True Tone flash	True Tone flash
Photonic Engine	✅	✅	✅	✅
Deep Fusion	✅	✅	✅	✅
Smart HDR 5	✅	❌	✅	❌
Smart HDR 4	–	✅	–	✅
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control	✅	❌	✅	❌
Portrait Lighting with six effects	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode portraits	❌	❌	❌	❌
Latest-gen Photographic Styles	✅	❌	✅	❌
Spatial photos	✅	❌	✅	❌
Macro photography	✅	❌	✅	❌
Apple ProRAW	❌	❌	❌	❌

Video recording

iPhone 16 gets a number of upgrades for shooting video. Those include macro video recording, spatial video recording, wind noise reduction, and audio zoom. Here’s the full rundown:

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p recording	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Action mode	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps
ProRes recording	❌	❌	❌	❌
Log video recording	❌	❌	❌	❌
Macro video recording	✅	❌	✅	❌
Spatial video recording	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps	❌	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps	❌
Slo-mo recording	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
Time-lapse with stabilization	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode Time-lapse	✅	✅	✅	✅
QuickTake video	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
Stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video
Cinematic video stabilization	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p
Audio zoom	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stereo recording	✅	✅	✅	✅
True tone flash	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wind noise reduction	✅	❌	✅	❌
Audio Mix	✅	❌	✅	❌
Continuous autofocus video	✅	✅	✅	✅
Playback zoom	✅	✅	✅	✅

Selfie camera

Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus gets the latest gen Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 5 for photos, and support to record spatial audio.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
TrueDepth front camera	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture
Autofocus with Focus Pixels	✅	✅	✅	✅
Retina Flash	✅	✅	✅	✅
Photonic Engine	✅	✅	✅	✅
Deep Fusion	✅	✅	✅	✅
Smart HDR 5 for photos	✅	❌	✅	❌
Smart HDR 4 for photos	–	✅	–	✅
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control	✅	❌	✅	❌
Portrait Lighting with six effects	✅	✅	✅	✅
Animoji and Memoji	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode time-lapse	✅	✅	✅	✅
Latest-gen Photographic Styles	✅	❌	✅	❌
Lens correction	✅	✅	✅	✅
Auto image stabilization	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos	✅	✅	✅	✅
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p recording	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K Dolby Vision HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K Dolby Vision HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Apple ProRAW	❌	❌	❌	❌
ProRes recording	❌	❌	❌	❌
Log video recording	❌	❌	❌	❌
Slo-mo recording	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps
QuickTake video	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅
Cinematic video stabilization	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p
Spatial Audio and stereo recording	✅	❌	✅	❌

iPhone 16 vs 14 I/O

iPhone 16 devices use USB-C (USB 2) for the port while iPhone 14 uses Lightning. While they support the same top data transfer speed of 480Mbps, USB-C is more flexible and universal.

Other I/O updates are the new Camera Control button/sensor, WiFi 7, MagSafe supporting up to 25W or wireless power, Thread, and more.

	iPhone 16	iPhone 14	iPhone 16 Plus	iPhone 14 Plus
USB-C	✅ – USB 2 up to 480Mbps	❌	✅ – USB 2 up to 480Mbps	❌
Lightning	–	✅ – up to 480Mbps	–	✅ – up to 480Mbps
WiFi	7	6	7	6
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3
UWB	✅ – Gen 2	✅ – Gen 1	✅ – Gen 2	✅ – Gen 1
NFC with reader mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Thread	✅	❌	✅	❌
Cellular	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA
5G	Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA
4G	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
Audio playback	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos
Video playback	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
SIM	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US
MagSafe	✅ with 25W charging	✅ with 15W charging	✅ with 25W charging	✅ with 15W charging
Qi and Qi2	✅	✅	✅	✅

iPhone 16 colors

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in these five colors:

• Black
• White
• Pink
• Teal
• Ultramarine

Storage and pricing

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in these storage options:

• 128GB – $799 / $899
• 256GB – $899 / $999
• 512GB – $1,099 / $1,199

What’s in the box?

All of the iPhone 16 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box.

If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:

• Anker 20W Nano Pro (super compact)
• Nomad 20W power adapter (black finish and compact)
• Apple’s official 20W adapter

iPhone 16 vs 14: Should you upgrade?

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are powerful and capable devices, but which one is best for you or whether it’s time to upgrade will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you value.

Reasons to buy iPhone 16 or 16 Plus

• Improved camera for photos and video
• Camera Control button/sensor + Action button
• Apple Intelligence support
• Faster A18 chip
• Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
• USB-C, WiFi 7, and 25W MagSafe charging, and Thread

Reasons to keep iPhone 14 or buy iPhone 15/Pro

• If the 6 features above aren’t a big deal, save your money and grab the iPhone 15 which includes most of the other features or keep your older iPhone 14 😁
• You could also consider grabbing an iPhone 15 Pro if you’d like Apple Intelligence support but don’t want/need the latest 16/16 Pro features

You can get iPhone 16 and 16 Plus from Apple, your carrier, and more.

What are you planning to do? Upgrade? Keep your current iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 16 vs 14!