Apple’s Pro iPhone from 2022 has well and truly been replaced.
With the release of the iPhone 15 Pro, are the new features enough to make the upgrade worth it? Now that we’ve had a chance to test and compare both phones, we can give you a full run-down of what makes the iPhone 14 Pro Max (and the smaller iPhone 14 Pro) close to perfect, but not close enough.
Pros ✅
Affordable compared to the 15 Pro
Due to recieve iOS updates until 2028
All-day adaptive battery
Cons
Average Camera (12 MP, no optical zoom)
More advanced phones are available
Large carbon footprint (unless bought refurbished)
Unique features
The iPhone 14 Pro was the first iPhone to feature the dynamic island and quad-pixel camera sensors that are now standard on the iPhone 15
This Pro iPhone also comes with the crash detection and satellite SOS features that were launched with the iPhone 14.
Design and Build
We all know that iPhones aren’t just popular because of how they work – they’re there to look great, too. The iPhone 14 Pro looks very similar to the phones that come before and after it, still opting for the muted, metallic colours that set the Pro iPhones apart. It stands out from the 13 Pro thanks to the dynamic island at the top of the display, and is lacking the signature titanium build of the iPhone 15 Pro.
The phone is water and dust-proof (with the same IP68 rating as every other modern iPhone), and wins even more durability points thanks to its aluminium casing.
Price (vs. Storage Size)
In a rare turn of events for Apple, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max were actually more expensive at launch than the current iPhone 15 Pro models.
However, you should always consider how much prices will have changed since the original launch. Even though Apple themselves will never sell discounted iPhones through the Apple store, you can find huge discounts online. If you’re open to a refurbished device, you can even find discounts that are approaching half price!
Here are the prices, next to storage size information:
| Model | Price (Brand New) | Price (Refurb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 14 Pro | £1099 (128GB) -> £1649 (1TB) | from £599* (good condition) | |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | £1199 (128GB) -> £1749 (1TB) | from £709* (good condition) | |
| *prices available only while refurbished stock lasts | |||
Is 128GB enough?
For most users, we think yes.
Once you take away the storage space you need to cover the bare minimum functions, you’re left with a comfortable 100GB. That’s enough for up to 30 hours of Full HD video, up to 22,000 photos, or 5 huge mobile games (we’re looking at you, Genshin Impact).
If you have a love for taking 4K videos with your iPhone, then you’ll only squeeze a few hours of footage onto your phone before needing to delete something, but serious camera lovers should consider a higher-spec iPhone anyway. Also, Apple offers affordable cloud storage options with iCloud+!
Did you know? Unlike many Android phones, iPhones don’t come with expandable storage – which means there is no option to add storage with a microSD card.
Processing Power: A15 Bionic
3.46 GHz
+
6GB RAM
Ben
Tech Expert
Attention Gamers!
For keen mobile gamers, or power users like me, we recommend the iPhone 15 Pro (or Pro Max). The A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro even supports ray-traced graphics, and can play recent triple-A games!
All-Day Battery
The iPhone 14 Pro’s battery, when brand-spanking new out of the box, is advertised to last through up to 20 hours of constant YouTube videos.
To an Android user like me, these impressive battery life times feel like some kind of magic trick. The iPhone 14 has a smaller battery capacity than its main competitors, but still manages to outlast them in testing. Here’s how the iPhone 14 Pro’s battery stacks up against Apple’s other phones:
Fast Charging
The iPhone 14 Pro supports Apple’s 20W Fast-charging standard.
Wireless Charging
The iPhone 14 Pro is compatible with all Qi-certified wireless chargers (that’s all modern wireless phone chargers).
Smart Battery Optimizations
Thanks to Apple’s closed ecosystem, iPhones are typically able to get more battery life out of a smaller sized battery.
Battery health
When you’re buying a refurbished phone, battery life can vary depending on the grade of the phone. At The Big Phone Store, our phones have a MINIMUM of 80% battery health* – enough for up to 12 hours of streaming video.
Lydia
Consumer Expert
Don’t get caught out! Apple will give you a ‘battery health warning’ as soon as your iPhone’s battery health reaches 80%, but you don’t need to rush to replace your battery straight away. Just so long as you have enough charge to last you through the day, that’s what’s really important.
Camera
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max introduced Apple’s Photonic Engine – an A.I. image processing system that boosts all of your photos.
It also is the first iPhone to introduce the amazing 48MP pixel-binning sensor, which can take pictures with an incredibly high clarity – which means better low-light performance and much less blur!
The 14 Pro and Pro Max also boast a Telephoto lens, which is perfect for outdoor photography.
While the 14 Pro camera is certainly a massive improvement from previous iPhones, it does have some weird quirks. The AI processing can touch up faces a little strangely sometimes, which is an issue that Apple seem to have improved with the iPhone 15.
iPhone 14 Camera Specs
Powered by: Photonic Engine (AI)
Main Lens (OIS, AF):
48MP, 26mm, ƒ/1.5
Wide Lens (120° FOV):
12MP, 13mm, ƒ/2.4
Selfie (TrueDepth):
12MP, ƒ/1.9
Display: Super Retina XDR
The iPhone 14 Pro uses the same Super Retina XDR display as the iPhone 14, and in fact every other iPhone since the 11 Pro.
Super Retina XDR displays like the one on the iPhone 14 Pro have a pixel density of about 460ppi (pixels per inch) – which for a phone held at a normal distance from your face, is a higher resolution than the human eye.
Here’s how far you need to zoom in before you can see the individual pixels on the screen:
Unlike the iPhone 11’s Liquid Retina screen, Super Retina is an LED display. LED displays (which include OLED and AMOLED) allow more contrast and brightness compared to LCD displays. Most flagship phones today use LED.
The screen refresh rate is 120hz, which is fast enough to be right at the limit of what humans can percieve. In other words, a faster display wouldn’t make any noticable improvement for most people.
Sustainability
Apple uses carbon offsetting to make their own operations 100% carbon-neutral, and have the ambitious goal of offsetting the total carbon footprint of all of their products by 2030.
With every new iPhone, Apple has increased the amount of recycled materials used in production and packaging. Some plastic is still used in the iPhone 14’s packaging.
A new iPhone 14 Pro Max has an estimated carbon footprint between 70-125kg CO2e, which is the highest of any iPhone since the iPhone 11. If sustainability is your most important feature, you’re best off with the more recent, cleaner, iPhone 15 (or better still, you can cut your carbon footprint down much, much more simply by switching to refurbished phones!)
As for day-to-day energy use, iPhones are still better than flagship Androids by having custom energy efficiency optimizations. That also means that the iPhone 14 Pro manages to last for longer on a single charge than similar Android phones that use a larger battery.
Steven
Sustainability Expert
“Apple’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030 looks achievable, but it doesn’t change the fact that buying a new phone always creates unnecessary emissions. The best way to avoid a large carbon footprint is always to buy a refurbished phone.”
How does the iPhone 14 compare to Android?
Let’s compare the high-end models of 2022.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max made huge advances with its cameras over the 13 Pro, but Samsung’s camera improvements look like they’ve left Apple in the dust when it comes to resolution – on both the rear-facing and selfie cameras.
However, what the iPhone lacks in resolution it makes up in image processing, making these three phone’s cameras all valid options for the amateur photographer in you.
Ultimately this will be a close call for anybody, and if you’re already a lover of Samsung, Apple, or Google, you’re not likely to make the switch based on the small differences between these phones.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Pros: 108MP primary camera, 8K video, 3x zoom lens, 40MP selfie camera, lighter, larger display
Cons: only 10MP selfie camera, more expensive
iPhone 14 Pro Max
48MP main camera, 12MP selfie camera, Best battery life
Works well with Apple ecosystem (AirDrop, AirTag, Apple Watch, FaceTime, App Store)
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Pros: 50MP primary camera, £200 cheaper, 48MP 5x Zoom camera
Cons: only 10.8MP selfie camera
The Boring Bits
Here’s a detailed specification of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus:
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Released | September 2022 | |
| Connections | ||
| 5G |  | |
| 5Ghz Wi-Fi | | |
| Bluetooth 5.3 | | |
| Battery | ||
| Battery Capacity | 3200mAh | 4323mAh |
| 20W Fast Charging | | |
| Wireless Charging | | |
| Security | ||
| FaceID | | |
| TouchID | | |
| Secure Enclave | | |
| Camera | ||
| Photonic Engine | | |
| Rear Lenses | 3 | |
| Wide Lens | | |
| Ultrawide lens | | |
| Telephoto Lens | | |
| Optical Zoom | 3x | |
| Camera resolution | 48 MP (Quad-Pixel-Binning) | |
| Display | ||
| Size (Diagonal) | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 2556×1179 | 2796×1284 |
| Pixels per inch | 460 | 458 |
| Display Type | Super Retina XDR | |
| Display Shape | Dynamic Island | |
| Peak brightness (nits) | 2000 | |
| Processor | ||
| Chip | A16 Bionic | |
| CPU Cores | 6 | |
| Speed | 3.46GHz | |
| GPU Cores | 5 | |
| Ray Tracing | | |
| Neural Cores (AI) | 16 | |
| RAM | 6 GB | |
| Max Storage | 1TB | |
| Design | ||
| Connector | Lightning | |
| USB Speed | USB-2.0 | |
| IP68? | | |
| 3.5mm jack | | |
*Excluding Fair phones
