iPhone 13, iPhone 14: update on the changes between the two generations of Apple smartphones

Apple’s presentation of its new iPhone series, including a new 14 Plus model, but also 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max versions, brought to light an iPhone 14 that looks identical to its predecessor, the iPhone 13, which you can find the test above. While waiting for our technical tests, let’s take stock of the elements that distinguish, or not, the two terminals. Specify that, de factothe iPhone 14 gains a year of software support, releasing in iOS 16 when its predecessor debuted in iOS 15. On average, Apple rolls out five OS upgrades to its devices.

Broadly, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 are strictly similar. Both sport a 6.1-inch OLED screen displaying 1170 x 2532 pixels and revealing a large notch. In terms of format, however, there are slight differences. While the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 both measure 146.7 x 71.5mm, the latter is slightly thicker: 7.8mm versus 7.65mm for its predecessor. He also loses a gram in the process, weighing 172 grams.

The devil is here decidedly in the details. And if we take into account the differences between the two devices, they mainly concern the photo component. We note all the same that new gyroscope and accelerometer are included in the iPhone 14, to ensure the detection of accidents announced by Apple. Equipped with the Apple A15 Bionic chip formalized last year, the iPhone 14 has a version still with 6 CPU cores, a 16-core Neural Engine, but gains a GPU core (5 instead of 4). So it should provide slightly better graphics performance.

If Apple does not specify the capacity of the battery that animates its device, the estimates also rely on a 3279 mAh battery instead of 3240 mAh, which explains the announcement of an increased autonomy of one hour (20 hours of video playback for the iPhone 14 instead of 19 for the iPhone 13). There is support for Bluetooth 5.3 on the iPhone 14, replacing Bluetooth 5.0 on the iPhone 13, and that of satellite communications – currently reserved for North America.

Differences essentially reserved for shooting

In the field of the photo, we do not observe at first glance any difference between the two devices. On paper, both are equipped with two 12-megapixel sensors each, one associated with wide-angle optics and the other with ultra-wide-angle. However, a few minor changes are to be credited to the iPhone 14.

Apple indicates that it has included in its iPhone 14 a main photo sensor larger than that of the iPhone 13. It thus measures 1/1.7 “against 1/1.9”, and the manufacturer announces a size of photosites increased from 1.7 µm to 1.9 µm. Larger, they are therefore supposed to capture more light, and therefore be able to restore more information. Added to this is a larger optical aperture, the wide-angle lens of the iPhone 14 opening at f / 1.5 instead of f / 1.6 for the iPhone 13.

Apple also announces an improvement in low-light shots both at wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle. Its Photonic Engine, inaugurated on the 14 series and actually representing its new image processing algorithms, promises to improve the details of poorly exposed shots. This is what we will verify during our laboratory test.

The last points of improvement of the rear photo block of the iPhone 14 relate to the video. Apple indeed inaugurates the Action mode, which promises the use of the entire photo sensor to compensate for movements during recording, and offer more advanced stabilization than that of the iPhone 13. Unless surprised, the smartphone of 2021 will not benefit from this option. The iPhone 14 also gains a Cinematic mode operating up to 4K HDR at 30 fps, against 1080p at 30 fps for the iPhone 13.

Finally, let’s finish with the TrueDepth front camera of the iPhone 14. It benefits from the same type of improvements as the smartphone’s back photo block. Its sensor retains its definition of 12 Mpx, but its optics now opens at f / 1.9 instead of f / 2.2. The Cinematic mode now works up to 4K HDR and the Photonic Engine is in the game.

In summary

As you can see, expect very slight improvements in image capture between generations 13 and 14 of the iPhone; however, we will have to check during our laboratory test whether the theory announced by Apple translates into an observable gain in practice. Still, these tenuous additions result in a rising price: count 1019 € for the iPhone 14, when its elder displays, even today and with equal storage, a starting price of 909 €.