iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14: Is it worth the upgrade?

24 month iPhone 14 plans are coming to a close, which means you've got two choices - do you upgrade, or do you hold out for the iPhone 17?

Storage available
128GB / 256GB / 512GB
Camera
48MP + 12MP
Processor
A18 Bionic
Cheapest plan est.
$87.86 per month
Storage available
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Camera
12MP + 12MP
Processor
A15 Bionic
Cheapest plan (new)
$85.08 per month
Anula Wiwatowska
Sep 13, 2024
Icon Time To Read6 min read

The iPhone upgrade cycle is getting longer, but if that iPhone 14 is burning a hole in your pocket then you may be hoping for something interesting in the iPhone 16. Some things are still a mystery, but we reckon we've got enough info to help you decide if you should step up from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 16.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14 specs

The closer the phones releases are from each other, the smaller the change. When it comes to the iPhone 14 compared to the iPhone 16, you'll feel the biggest changes between the baseline models, but the Pros look to be pretty neck and neck.

Some aspects will be different across the board: all the iPhone 16 family will get access to Apple Intelligence when its ready, they all have USB-C charging and the Dynamic Island, and there are of course some camera upgrades. 

Looking at the specs side by side, the camera in the Pro models is the biggest jump. Rather than the 48MP + 12MP + 12MP set up on the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro comes with a 48MP + 48MP + 12MP setup, plus a better sensor on the primary lens. The baseline models are also getting a spec bump to a 48MP primary lens, which should show better detail than the iPhone 14.

The largest physical change is the switch to USB-C from Lightning. The whole iPhone 16 range will have the universal port which enables easier file transfer and reverse charging.

We'll also see a new chipset called the A18, which comes in two varieties. The standard A18 Bionic can be found on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are armed with the A18 Pro.

Check out the table below for a side-by-side look at the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. iPhone 16 plans are also a bit further down.

Specs
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Display size6.1-inch6.7-inch6.3-inch6.9-inch6.1-inch6.7-inch6.1-inch6.7-inch
Dynamic IslandYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYes
Always-on DisplayNoNoYesYesNoNoYesYes
ProMotion 120Hz refresh rateNoNoYesYesNoNoYesYes
Action buttonYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNo
Capture buttonYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNo
Apple IntelligenceYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNo
ProcessorA18A18A18 ProA18 ProA15 BionicA15 BionicA16 BionicA16 Bionic
ColoursWhite
Black
Blue
Green
Pink
White
Black
Blue
Green
Pink
Black
White
Silver
Bronze
"Black, White, Silver, Bronze"Midnight
Purple
Starlight
Blue
Red
Yellow
Midnight
Purple
Starlight
Blue
Red
Yellow
Space Black
Silver
Gold
Deep Purple
Space Black
Silver
Gold
Deep Purple
BuildAluminum frameAluminum frameTitanium frameTitanium frameAluminum frameAluminum frameStainless steel frameStainless steel frame
Main camera"48MP, f/1.6 26mm""48MP, f/1.6 26mm""48MP, f/1.8 24mm"" 48MP, f/1.8 24mm"12MP
f/1.5
26mm
12MP
f/1.5
26mm
48MP
f/1.8
24mm
48MP
f/1.8
24mm
Ultra-wide camera"12MP, f/2.4 13mm""12MP, f/2.4 13mm""48MP, f/2.2 ""48MP, f/2.2 "12MP
f/2.4
13mm
12MP
f/2.4
13mm
12MP
f/2.2
13mm
12MP
f/2.2
13mm
Telephoto cameraN/AN/A"12MP, f/2.8, 120mm""12MP, f/2.8, 120mm"N/AN/A12MP
f/2.8
77mm
12MP
f/2.8
77mm
Optical zoomN/AN/A5x5xN/A5x3x3x
Connectivity"WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4""WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4""WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4""WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4"WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
Battery size3561 mAh4006 mAh3355 mAh4676 mAh3279 mAh4323 mAh3200 mAh4323 mAh
Cable typeUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CLightningLightningLightningLightning
Emergency SOS via satelliteYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Water/dust resistanceIP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
IP68
Up to 6m submersion for 30 mins
Storage128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 16 plans

Over 12, 24 or 36 months

If you want to grab the iPhone 16 on a plan, your options are the big three telcos: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

All three offer the iPhone on 12-, 24-, or 36-month plans. Currently, Vodafone's $49 Small Plan is your cheapest option if you're looking to pay off your iPhone 16 over 12 or 24 months. But, Vodafone is running a promo at the moment that will knock $1,200 off the price of an iPhone 16 (yes, $1,200) if you stay connected to their $79 plan for 36 months. For context, that means the device repayments on a base model iPhone 16 would only be $100, bringing your total monthly bill to $81.78.

For comparison, here's a look at the full range of iPhone 16 plans.

iPhone 16 plans

iPhone 16 128GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 128GB plans.

iPhone 16 256GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 256GB plans.

iPhone 16 512GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 512GB plans.

iPhone 16 Plus plans

iPhone 16 Plus 128GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Plus 128GB plans.

iPhone 16 Plus 256GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Plus 256GB plans.

iPhone 16 Plus 512GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 512GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro plans

iPhone 16 Pro 128GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro 128GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro 256GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro 256GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro 512GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro 512GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro 1TB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro 1TB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro Max plans

iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB plans.

iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB plans

36 and 24-month iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB plans.

Standard models compared

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14

Winner: iPhone 16 (but only by a hair)
More megapixels and two squovals
TLDR:
  • The iPhone 16 will have more megapixel in the camera than the iPhone 14
  • The iPhone 16 has a couple of physical upgrades including the Action Button, and USB-C charging.
  • The iPhone 16 has a more powerful A18 processor

Realistically there won't be too many differences between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 16 at launch. Yes, there will be some, and the potential for more as time goes on, but you don't have to rush for an immediate upgrade.

The main difference will be some physical changes like the switch to USB-C, the Action Button, and more MP on the primary lense. These are great to have, but none are a reason to upgrade persay. On the software side you'll be looking at a faster processor, some generative AI coming later on down the track, and of course the Dynamic Island.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14: performance and camera compared

Starting off with the physical changes, the USB-C port will likely be the most life changing. Not only does this help you cut back on cables (I know you're hoarding them in a drawer somewhere), but it also enables some extras. When the iPhone 15 was released with USB-C, features like reverse charging, and better file sharing came with it. These will definitely flow over to the iPhone 16 too.

The Action Button and a new Capture Button are both coming to every iPhone 16. As seen in the iPhone 15, the Action Button replaces the mute button and can be programmed to do pretty much anything in your phone with the help of Shortcuts. The Capture Button will be like an old-school camera clicker. Retro! But also might stop you locking your phone when you go to snap a pic.

On photography, the iPhone 16 will get an upgraded 48MP primary lens across the board. If you're already rocking a 14 Pro model this won't make much of a difference, apart from the new sensor that is also allegedly going in. When Apple added the new sensor to the 15 we didn't see much of a difference apart from slightly brighter photos, so we wouldn't be surprised if that upgrade was pretty small this time around too.

Moving to the software, probably the biggest difference between the 14 and the 16 will be in the processor. The iPhone 14 has the A15 Bionic processor while the iPhone 16 has the A18. That is a pretty solid jump in performance, which the phones will likely need in order to support Apple Intelligence when it comes.

One more thing you will notice is the iPhone 14's notch will be replaced by the Dynamic Island pill on the iPhone 16. The persistent UI feature was introduced to the iPhone 14 Pro family, trickles down to the standard iPhone 15, and now will be ubiquitous across all iPhones moving forward.

Icon Tooltip  Light
What AI is coming to the new iPhone?

Apple's version of AI, will likely be spoken about at length during the keynote, but it won't be coming to the iPhone 16 any time soon. Rumours say we're looking at a 2025 launch date, and even then only iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 Pro devices will be able to use it.

From what we've heard it will share a bunch of features with its Android competitors. Some of these will be powered by Chat GPT like Writing Tools, while others will be powered by Apple Intelligence. Which is different. Or so they say.

Probably the most interesting Apple Intelligence feature is an upgraded Siri. When it rolls out Siri will be able to do things for you across apps, rather than just answer questions and set timers. So say you are looking for a picture from last weekend and you want to crop it and send it to your mum, Siri should be able to do that for you. Even if that picture was sent to you in an app and isn't connected to your camera roll. It sounds pretty neat.

Apple claims it will be able to pull your personal data from across apps without compromising privacy. This comes off the back of Apple's big privacy promises, but also concerns that have popped up around Microsoft's AI Recall function. If Apple can pull it off it will need a lot of computing and batttery power on device.

We'll have to wait and see how well any of this works when it eventually surfaces next year.

Pro models compared

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro and Max

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
A smaller margin of change
TLDR:
  • The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will likely both have 5x zoom.
  • The iPhone 16 Pro models will have slightly larger displays than previous models.
  • They will share the same other upgrades as the baseline models, including Apple Intelligence.

As tends to be the way, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will get more significant upgrades than the baseline models. We're talking about bigger displays, 5x optical zoom on both models, and another bump in camera specs for the ultra-wide lens. In addition to the upgrades to the flagship 16 that is.

iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: performance and camera compared

Apart from what we've already covered, the iPhone 16 Pro models will mostly benefit from a bit of extra screen real estate and even more megapixels. Once again, when compared to the 14, these changes aren't too significant to your day-to-day, but if you're a big photo buff you may be more enticed by these.

First up the displays will likely be a touch bigger, up from 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch to 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch, respectively. Reportedly Apple has also managed to keep the weight down by making the bezels around the screen even smaller. 

Along with the new Capture Button, the 16 Pro models will get a 48MP ultrawide lens and a bigger sensor for the primary lens. If Apple's track record is anything to go by then these upgrades should result in brighter, more detailed photos across the board. Last year the iPhone 15 Pro Max was the only device to get the 5x zoom lens, but both the 16 Pro and Pro Max will benefit from it this year.

The upgrades aren't that drastic between the 14 Pro and the 16 Pro. On paper they look like more than they actually sum up to in practice - or at least that is what we have learnt from reviewing these phones year in and year out. For now you'll likely be happier with the money in your pocket than a new iPhone 16, but if it sparks joy I'm not going to tell you not to buy yourself a treat. I would however wait a bit longer. See how Apple Intelligence pans out, and when it actually makes it to the new iPhone. Maybe it will be more of an iPhone 17 thing.

As is custom for the Pro models, these will be a step above the rest, and definitely a step above the iPhone 13. For avid photographers in particular the sensor and lens upgrades will be worth splashing a bit extra for.

iPhone 14 plans

Popular SIM Only iPhone plans

If you're buying an iPhone 16 outright, these are the most popular SIM Only plans you can buy today.

Anula Wiwatowska
Written by
Anula is the Home and Lifestyle Tech Editor within the Reviews.org extended universe. Working in the tech space since 2020, she covers phone and internet plans, gadgets, smart devices, and the intersection of technology and culture. Anula was a finalist for Best Feature Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards, and an eight time finalist across categories at the IT Journalism Awards. Her work contributed to WhistleOut's Best Consumer Coverage win in 2023.

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