The iPhone 14 is the last mainstream iPhone with a Lightning port and a notch, and while it will run iOS 27 on September 14, it gets none of Apple Intelligence. Against the iPhone 18 Pro every line of the spec sheet changes: chip, display, all three cameras, battery, charging, port and price, which is why this is the largest single jump a current iPhone owner can make in 2026.
Apple’s press release put the iPhone 14 on sale on September 16, 2022 at $799. Apple no longer sells it, and its Store page lists a trade-in estimate of up to $195. The 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, with pre-orders on September 12 and availability on September 18.
Key facts
| Spec | iPhone 14 | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A15 Bionic, 5-core GPU | A20 Pro (2nm), 7-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine |
| Apple Intelligence | No | Yes, including Siri AI beta |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED, 2532 x 1170, 460 ppi, notch, no ProMotion | 6.3-inch OLED, 2622 x 1206, 460 ppi, Dynamic Island, ProMotion 120Hz |
| Rear cameras | 12MP main, 12MP Ultra Wide | 48MP main, 48MP Ultra Wide, 48MP 4x telephoto |
| Video playback | Up to 20 hours | Up to 36 hours |
| Port | Lightning, USB 2 | USB-C, USB 3 up to 10 Gb/s |
| Weight | 172 g | 211 g |
| Launch price | $799 (128GB) | $1,199 (256GB) |
Everything the iPhone 14 does not have
Apple’s tech specs for the 14 and the 18 Pro line up a long list of absences on the older phone. Each item below is on the 18 Pro sheet and missing from the 14’s:
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- USB-C: the 14 uses Lightning at USB 2 speed; the 18 Pro has USB-C with USB 3 at up to 10 Gb/s.
- Dynamic Island: the 14 has a notch; the 18 Pro’s smaller island shows up to three Live Activities.
- ProMotion and Always-On: Apple’s sheet lists neither for the 14.
- Apple Intelligence and Siri AI: Apple’s iOS 27 page limits them to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 or later.
- A 48MP sensor: all three of the 18 Pro’s rear cameras are 48MP; the 14’s two are 12MP.
- A telephoto lens: the 14 has 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom to 5x; the 18 Pro reaches 8x optical-quality.
- MagSafe at 25W and Qi2: the 14 is rated for 15W MagSafe and 7.5W Qi.
- Storage above 512GB: the 18 Pro goes to 2TB.
Cameras: two 12MP lenses against three 48MP ones
| Camera | iPhone 14 | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main | 12MP, 26 mm, f/1.5, sensor-shift OIS | 48MP Fusion, 24 mm, variable f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0 |
| Ultra Wide | 12MP, 13 mm, f/2.4, 120-degree | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2, 120-degree |
| Telephoto | None; digital zoom up to 5x | 48MP 4x, 100 mm, f/2.8, plus 12MP 8x crop at 200 mm |
| Front | 12MP, f/1.9 | 18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 |
The 14’s f/1.5 main lens is actually brighter on paper than the 18 Pro’s widest f/1.48 by a rounding error, but it is a 12MP sensor with no crop-zoom headroom, and there is no telephoto at all. The 18 Pro’s 4x lens at 100 mm and 8x crop at 200 mm give it a 16x range against the 14’s 2x optical range. Our variable aperture explainer covers how the four aperture stops change portraits and landscapes.
Battery, charging and chip
Apple rates the 14 at up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours streamed and 80 hours of audio, and it reaches 50 percent in about 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter. The 18 Pro is rated at 36 hours of video, 33 hours streamed and 24 hours of typical use, and it reaches 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter. The 18 Pro battery guide explains the 35W MagSafe claim and the five-minute top-up.
The 14 runs the A15 Bionic, a 2021 chip in its 5-core GPU form. The A20 Pro is Apple’s first 2nm chip with a 7-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine; Apple states its gains against the A19 Pro, not the A15, so there is no Apple figure for the five-generation gap. The A20 Pro explainer has what Apple did publish. The Pro also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, the C2 modem and dual eSIM that stores eight or more profiles.
Build and price
The 14 is 172 g at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.80 mm, with an aluminum frame, Ceramic Shield front and glass back. The 18 Pro is 211 g at 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm, with an aluminum unibody, Ceramic Shield 2 front and Ceramic Shield back, and an IP68 rating to 6 meters for 30 minutes. It is 39 g heavier and a little taller for the extra 0.2 inches of screen.
On Apple’s US Store page the 18 Pro is $1,199, $1,399, $1,799 and $2,399 for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, or $49.95 a month for 24 months. Apple’s trade-in estimate for the 14 is up to $195, which brings the base 18 Pro to $1,004 at best. If that is too far a stretch, the iPhone 16 and 17 that Apple still sells also qualify for Apple Intelligence and USB-C.
What Apple has not said
- Apple has not published a performance comparison between the A20 Pro and the A15 Bionic.
- Apple’s iPhone 14 spec sheet does not state a refresh rate; it lists no ProMotion.
- Apple has not published a typical-use battery rating for the iPhone 14.
- The $195 trade-in estimate is an upper bound; Apple has not published values by condition.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, and the phone ships Friday, September 18 from $1,199. The iPhone 14 receives iOS 27 on Monday, September 14, without Apple Intelligence.
