What’s the newest iPhone? In 2023, it was the impressive iPhone 15, along with iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While all of these models have been significantly upgraded from last year’s iPhone 14 lineup, how important are the upgrades, and should you splurge on one of the newest iPhones?
Let’s take a look at iPhone 14 vs 15, with a critical eye toward the camera capabilities so that you can decide which model is right for you. For this review, we will be looking at the base models iPhone 14 vs 15, and while the Pro and Pro Max versions are more expensive and have better features, they will not be covered here.
Every fall, Apple releases a new iPhone model. Some years, the differences are minimal, and other years introduce huge changes to iPhone lineup. So, what is the latest iPhone? In 2022, iPhone 14 debuted, along with iPhone 14 Plus, Pro, and Pro Max. The new iPhone in 2023 was iPhone 15, 15 Plus, Pro, and Pro Max.
If you’ve been considering an upgrade, you likely are thinking about both 14 and 15 models, but is the new iPhone 15 worth the price, or should you go with the cheaper but still impressive iPhone 14?
The decision comes down to personal preference and affordability — older models are always more affordable, but are you making significant sacrifices to save a few hundred bucks?
My iPhone philosophy has always been to upgrade every three years unless there’s been a camera upgrade so significant that I can’t resist it. This is definitely the case with iPhone 15, which features a new 48-megapixel camera, putting it on par with iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Here are a few things to consider before choosing your next iPhone.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 both feature the same screen size and battery life, but iPhone 15 models have switched to the USB-C port, and the base model of iPhone 15 now features a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera.
Another notable upgrade to iPhone 15 is the new Dynamic Island, a secondary display that highlights background apps with useful information that you might need without having to switch back and forth between different apps.
There are a few additional design elements that make iPhone 15 very appealing, including the vibrant color with contoured edges and frosted back glass, plus a brighter display and the faster A16 Bionic processor.
No matter which iPhone you choose, you will need to buy enough storage capacity to handle all those photos and videos. You can make things easier by cleaning up your photo library regularly. CleanMy®Phone makes it super easy because it sorts your photos by duplicates, blurry images, and similar photos so that you can quickly get rid of the pics that you don’t need. You may even be able to purchase less storage with your new iPhone, which will save you money in the long run.
If you’re anything like me, the camera is the most important feature of your iPhone. So what’s new with iPhone 15 camera, and is it worth getting just for the new camera features? iPhone 15 camera sensor has been increased to 48 megapixels, which allows for some fun new features, including a powerful 2X zoom that doesn’t compress. This makes for incredibly sharp photos using telephoto capabilities without sacrificing the quality of your images.
The bigger sensor also allows for much better low-light photos than iPhone 14 can manage. iPhone 14 still uses 12 megapixels for both the main camera and the ultrawide. If you are doing a straight upgrade and not considering the Pro or Pro Max versions of either phone, then the 48 megapixels alone are worth choosing iPhone 15 over iPhone 14.
Another new feature for iPhone 15 is Next-Generation Portraits, which uses AI to capture depth information when a subject is detected so that you can transform it into a portrait while editing your photo later on.
If you already own iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, then the decision becomes harder, as these models both have fantastic cameras already, and it probably wouldn’t be worth upgrading for a few more years.
If you are considering either an iPhone 14 or iPhone 15, my recommendation is to choose iPhone 15, which features a better camera sensor and a sleeker design, as well as makes the switch to a USB-C port, which is more universal.
However, if photography is one of your passions, and taking high-resolution photos is important to you, my top choice would be iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is only slightly more expensive than iPhone 15. Apple provide support for its products for many years, so going with an older model in this case makes sense.
While iPhone 14 Pro Max is a year older than iPhone 15, the screen is bigger, and the battery life is better. And it also comes with an extra camera for getting all those different angles and perspectives.
Future models will likely switch over to USB-C, but if you’ve already invested in Lightning, then there’s no hurry to make the switch if that’s the only reason for an upgrade. iPhone models continue to improve with each release, so it’s really just a matter of affordability, status quo, and creating an iPhone upgrade calendar that works best for you.