Apple iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Could You Save Money With Last Year's iPhone?
Apple's iPhone 15 is here, but the iPhone 14 is still a very good choice that now costs less.
iPhone 15, left, iPhone 14, right
Apple's iPhone 15 ($799, £799, AU$1,499) is quite an upgrade from last year's iPhone 14. The latest model has a 48-megapixel main camera and the Dynamic Island, which first debuted on last year's iPhone 14 Pro. But the iPhone 14 is still on sale at a permanently reduced $699 starting price, and it's still plenty powerful on its own.
Both phones have iOS 17, with new features including StandBy Mode and lots of additional customizations. They both include Emergency SOS satellite connectivity, and in the US both use an eSIM when you set them up with a wireless carrier.
The new iPhone has a number of changes that will give it more options for wired and wireless charging in the years ahead. It now includes a USB-C port, for instance, instead of Apple's proprietary Lightning port, which makes it compatible with the same cables that power most other electronics. It's worth pointing out, however, that the iPhone 15 uses the slower and older USB 2.0 standard than the iPhone 15 Pro's USB 3.0 standard. This means wired data transfers will be much faster with the 15 Pro.
The iPhone 15 is also compatible with the Qi2 wireless charging standard, which is intended to make faster wireless charging more universally available across iPhone and Android phones.
But if your main concern when buying an iPhone is to have a fast, functional phone that takes great photos, the iPhone 14 is still a tempting option. Apple's Lightning cables aren't going to magically disappear right away, and the company is known for providing several years of software updates to its devices. For instance, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X from 2017 won't be getting this year's iOS 17, but they've both still received a total of five major software updates after debuting with iOS 11.
To help you see the differences between the new iPhone 15 and last year's iPhone 14, we've laid out the specs for both in the below chart. You can decide from there if the differences are worth the higher price, or if you'd get everything you need with the cheaper phone.
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Apple iPhone 15 vs. Apple iPhone 14
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 14 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556x1,179 pixels | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.82 x 5.81 x 0.31 in | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8 mm | 147 x 72 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 171 g (6.02 oz) | 172 g (6.07 oz) |
| Mobile software | iOS 17 | iOS 16 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K at 60 fps |
| Processor | A16 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM/Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None |
| Battery/Charger | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed) | Undisclosed; Apple claims 20 hours of video playback |
| Fingerprint sensor | None (Face ID) | None (Face ID) |
| Connector | USB-C (USB 2.0) | Lightning |
| Headphone jack | None | None |
| Special features | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, MagSafe, Dynamic Island | 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM) |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB) | $699 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $999 (512GB) |
| Price (GBP) | £799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB) | £699 (128GB) |
| Price (AUD) | AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,699 (256GB), AU$2,049 (512GB) | AU$1,299 (128GB) |
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