Should you buy an iPhone 13 instead of the iPhone 14?

The iPhone 14 Pro is pretty cool.

It features an always-on display, emergency SOS via satellite, the A16 chip and the fancy ‘Dynamic Island.’ Heck, that 48-megapixel camera is great too (if you shoot in RAW). But you know what’s also great? The iPhone 13 Pro from last year and even the iPhone 12 Pro from the previous year.

Of course, those are Apple’s Pro iPhones. What about their non-pro models? Well, there hasn’t been much going on there for the last few years. At least with Apple’s Pro iPhones, there are some compelling features to consider if they could be impactful to your life. However, with the non-Pro line-up, what are you buying between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13? Or even the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12?

I’m a self-proclaimed Apple fan who loves trying out the latest technology. But that’s me. When it comes to other people, there’s nothing I enjoy more than helping people find the right device for them. Our brains are wired to think we need to have the latest and greatest, but it might actually be worth considering a previous model over the iPhone 14 or 14 Pro.

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14

With Apple’s non-Pro line-up of phones, the differences are pretty simple. There really aren’t any — at least nothing major. Of course, Apple doesn’t literally package the same phone and resell it, but they come pretty close. Each generation has seen battery improvements, processor speed bumps, and maybe a few minor camera tweaks, but there’s nothing earth-shatteringly different between these three models.

The iPhone 14 is especially interesting because while it brings emergency SOS via satellite to the iPhone for the first time, processor-wise, it’s the same as the iPhone 13 but with one extra GPU core. Having a faster phone is always nice, but every phone is already plenty quick. Otherwise, water resistance, fast charging and physical size are the same across the board. But hey, there are always new colours.

Suppose you’re curious about seeing the differences yourself. While your average tech reviewer may be bummed out by the lack of differences, it means potential cost savings for iPhone buyers.

iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro

Apple’s Pro line-up of iPhones has a little more to consider than their non-Pro counterparts but not by much. Across the board, all three (including their Max versions) feature the same storage tiers (minus the 12 Pro, which didn’t have a 1TB option), 6GB of RAM, physical size, water resistance rating, and fast charging.

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro are relatively similar. As always, Apple introduced a new chip giving the iPhone 13 slightly better performance with an A15 Bionic over the iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic processor.

The iPhone 13 Pro also introduced ProMotion to the iPhone for the first time. Offering a 120Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 13 Pros displays over the 60Hz of the iPhone 12 Pros display. Many really like the smoother animations, while others may find it makes them motion sick.

Finally, the iPhone 13 Pro replaced the 2x optical lens zoom with a 3x optical lens. This change was mostly met with disappointment as many found it to be too much zoom where the 2x felt just right.

The iPhone 14 Pro brings emergency SOS via satellite which may be an exciting feature for those in extreme situations after it launches in November. Of course, that feature is highly unique and likely not needed by everyone.

The iPhone 14 Pro also brought the Dynamic Island and always-on displays to the iPhone for the first time. Both features have been met with mixed reviews, to say the least. “The notch” was coined when the iPhone X was released in 2017. Apple never wanted to acknowledge its existence and instead did whatever it could to make it blend into iOS.

Meanwhile, the Dynamic Island takes the complete opposite approach — it wants to be noticed and transforms based on tasks running in the background, such as an active timer or a podcast playing. The Dynamic Island looks the worst when launching an app with a white-only background. This causes the Dynamic Island to be a very noticeable black pill where the notch would have felt more passive.

Then we have the always-on display. Every iPhone user has their brain wired to know that when their display brightens up, they have a notification. The always-on display requires us to rewire our brains into what it means when we see our iPhone’s display light up. Additionally, we’ve seen reports of improved battery life with the always-on display turned off.

Finally, there’s the 48-megapixel wide-angle camera addition to the iPhone 14 Pro. This is a fantastic camera improvement when you’re the iPhonographer that will take advantage of the extra sensor data. Otherwise, it’s a reasonably mute feature minus the return of the beloved 2x zoom.

Pricing and availability

Apple discontinued the iPhone 13 Pro with the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro was discontinued when the iPhone 13 Pro was released. However, you can sometimes still get great deals with mobile carriers on iPhone 13 Pro (and maybe iPhone 12 Pro). At the time of writing, some mobile carriers have discounted refurbished units.

If you’re interested in non-Pro models, Apple still sells the iPhone 12 starting at $849 for a 64GB model or $919 for a 128GB model. Meanwhile, Apple also has the iPhone 13 starting at $999 for 128GB.
With the iPhone 14, Apple opted to not make an iPhone 14 mini and instead went with the iPhone 14 Plus that will ship in October. However, if you want a smaller phone, Apple still sells the iPhone 13 mini at $849 for 128GB. Again, you may be able to find deals on all of these devices with a mobile carrier, especially as we approach the holidays. With the iPhone 12, 13, and 14 being so similar, you can safely buy any model (regular, mini, or Plus) and get a great phone without regrets.

A friendly reminder

The differences between the iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, and 14 Pro are broken out here along with their non-Pro counterparts to allow you to make an informed decision on what iPhone is best for you or the person you’re shopping for. Perhaps a non-Pro iPhone is best for your particular use case, or the features on this year’s Pro iPhone don’t sound compelling to you.

Remember, it isn’t all about getting the “latest and greatest.” Keep your eyes out for deals, and don’t spend your hard-earned money on features you may never use. Instead, get a device that you can afford, will enjoy, and can keep for a long time.