Buying a new iPhone is never an easy decision. Apple terminals are not exactly “cheap” compared to other competing options and in the end, all we want is to find our ideal device. In this case, we will take a closer look at two phones that a priori are quite similar, the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 14 is the successor to the iPhone 13 but nevertheless, its few new features make the latter a very valid option to consider. Because of this, we’ve decided to bring both handsets head to head and put them head to head. Which is the better iPhone for you? That’s something we’ll find out below.
Main differences between iPhone 13 and iPhone 14
The truth is that the situation that occurred at Apple last year during the launch of the latest iPhones had never been experienced before in the brand. The announcement of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus was marked by an unusual fact: for the first time, they had the same processor as their predecessor, the A15 Bionic chip. However, the iPhone 14 is much more than its processor and these are some of the most important changes it brought:
- Improved battery
- New camera (main and front)
- Satellite connection
- Traffic accident detection
- Increased amount of RAM
Continuous design and appearance
When comparing the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13, the design is what is most striking, but not for the reasons you think. Its total lack of changes makes it seem that we are dealing with the same terminal: its only differences are the slight increase in thickness of the iPhone 14 (0.02 cm) and its new colors.
An (almost) professional pocket camera
The photographic section of the iPhone has always been exceptional, whether you have the standard model or the Pro. And that is something that has not changed in either the iPhone 13 or the iPhone 14. Both have a two-camera module virtually identical at first glance. However, the differences are found on the inside:
- iPhone 14: 12 Mpx dual camera system (ƒ/1.5 main and ƒ/2.4 ultra wide-angle), optical image stabilization by sensor shift, x0.5 x1 optical zoom.
- iPhone 13: 12 Mpx dual camera system (ƒ/1.4 main and ƒ/2.4 ultra wide-angle), optical image stabilization by sensor shift, x0.5 x1 optical zoom, Photonic Engine and Action mode.
To summarize, the most interesting improvements brought by the iPhone 14 compared to the 13 are its Action mode, the inclusion of the Photonic Engine and better pictures in low light conditions. On the other hand, we have Action Mode, another software feature that allows you to adjust camera shake to stabilize the video as much as possible.
Photonic Engine: what exactly is it?
The Photonic Engine is a computational technology that is responsible for improving photos via software. Thanks to this improvement, the iPhone 14 can take brighter photos than its predecessor. In addition to the larger focal aperture, you’ll see that your photos gather much more light overall.
Moreover, it is not any kind of setting that the user must activate: Photonic Engine will always act to improve each and every one of your shots. The models that have Photonic Engine are currently the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Few new features here: processor, RAM and battery
As you know, Apple repeats the A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus). The new A16 Bionic chip is reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Although we keep the same processor, the truth is that Apple has incorporated the A15 Bionic that carried the iPhone 13 Pro instead of the iPhone 13 (same clock frequency but with an extra GPU core). However, don’t be fooled: it’s still practically the same chip.
However, in the RAM section we do see changes. Now, the iPhone 14 goes from 4 GB to 6 GB. A leap more than necessary and that will help your iPhone to last over time.
On the battery side, Apple promises to have boosted the iPhone 14’s battery to give us an extra hour of video playback. In numbers, this translates from 19 hours on the iPhone 13 to 20 hours on the iPhone 14.
Traffic accident detection
This is perhaps one of the most interesting new features of the iPhone 14 by far. Apple made a lot of emphasis on this functionality during the presentation of these models and it is not for less. Thanks to accident detection (also available on the Apple Watch Series 8) your iPhone 14 can detect when you have been involved in a car accident. This is possible thanks to its improved sensors (microphones, gyroscopes, etc.) that can recognize when there has been a collision and autonomously call emergency services.
Which iPhone should you buy?
The truth is that it is difficult to justify this generational “leap” due to the few changes we see between the two terminals. Apple sells both models on its website with a difference of 100 euros in price (the iPhone 13 currently costs 909 euros and the iPhone 14, 1,009 euros). In view of this, there is no compelling reason to choose the iPhone 14 over the iPhone 13 today.
The iPhone 13 is a very valid terminal and beats the iPhone 14 by a landslide in its quality/price ratio. Whatever your final decision, you’ll be taking home two great phones.
