iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 16e Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?

Upon the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple discontinued the iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus. Despite arriving two and a half years apart, the ‌iPhone 16e‌ actually borrows a large number of features from the ‌iPhone‌ 14. Many ‌iPhone‌ 14 users may now be considering an upgrade to Apple's latest ‌iPhone‌, so is it worth it? The ‌iPhone 16e‌'s frame is the same shape and size as that of the ‌iPhone‌ 14, and it also carries over its notch, display, and more. Yet there are 35 notable differences between the devices. Here's everything that's different between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 16e‌: ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus (2022) ‌iPhone 16e‌ (2025) Aluminum chassis with squared-off edges Aluminum chassis with contoured edges Glossy glass back Color-infused frosted glass back 6.1- or 6.7-inch display 6.1-inch display Available in Yellow, Blue, Purple, (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight Available in White and Black Ring/Silent switch Action button 12-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture 48-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture 24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera 0.5x or 1x optical zoom options 1x or 2x optical zoom options Sensor-shift optical image stabilization Optical image stabilization Smart HDR 4 Smart HDR 5 Macro photography Night mode and Night mode portraits Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps) Action mode Improved audio quality on phone calls Wind noise reduction Audio Mix Stereo recording Spatial Audio and stereo recording A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU A18 chip with 4-core GPU Apple Intelligence support Visual intelligence Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem Apple C1 modem mmWave 5G connectivity Thread connectivity Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding Precision Finding for Find My friends 20- or 26-hour battery life 26-hour battery life Lightning port USB-C port MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher Setting to prevent charging above 80% Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings Compatible with ‌MagSafe‌ cases, wallets, wireless chargers, and more Now discontinued Starts at $599 Released September 2022 Released March 2025 The ‌iPhone 16e‌ represents a good move for ‌iPhone‌ 14 users, with significant enhancements such as the Action button, 48-megapixel camera, A18 chip, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support, Visual intelligence, and much longer battery life. However, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 should continue to be useable for a while longer. As a result, it may be better to wait for when the iPhone 16 drops in price upon the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup if you want a more substantial upgrade, or even a future "‌iPhone‌ 17e" model. The only substantial losses when upgrading from the ‌iPhone‌ 14 to the ‌iPhone 16e‌ are the Ultra Wide camera, ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, mmWave 5G connectivity, the Ultra Wideband chip, and fewer color options. If you feel these features are vital, you should consider purchasing an ‌iPhone 16‌ instead of an ‌iPhone 16e‌, although this will add to the price. The iPhone 15 is also a good option, since it offers all of these features that are missing on the ‌iPhone 16e‌, but at the expense of features like ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support and prolonged battery life.Related Roundup: iPhone 16eBuyer's Guide: iPhone 16e (Buy Now)Related Forum: iPhoneThis article, "iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 16e Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apr 22, 2025 - 17:32
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iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 16e Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
Upon the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple discontinued the iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus. Despite arriving two and a half years apart, the ‌iPhone 16e‌ actually borrows a large number of features from the ‌iPhone‌ 14. Many ‌iPhone‌ 14 users may now be considering an upgrade to Apple's latest ‌iPhone‌, so is it worth it?


The ‌iPhone 16e‌'s frame is the same shape and size as that of the ‌iPhone‌ 14, and it also carries over its notch, display, and more. Yet there are 35 notable differences between the devices. Here's everything that's different between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 16e‌:


















































































































































‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus (2022) ‌iPhone 16e‌ (2025)
Aluminum chassis with squared-off edges Aluminum chassis with contoured edges
Glossy glass back Color-infused frosted glass back
6.1- or 6.7-inch display 6.1-inch display
Available in Yellow, Blue, Purple, (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight Available in White and Black
Ring/Silent switch Action button
12-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture 48-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture
24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera
0.5x or 1x optical zoom options 1x or 2x optical zoom options
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization Optical image stabilization
Smart HDR 4 Smart HDR 5
Macro photography
Night mode and Night mode portraits Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits
Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)
Action mode
Improved audio quality on phone calls
Wind noise reduction
Audio Mix
Stereo recording Spatial Audio and stereo recording
A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU A18 chip with 4-core GPU
Apple Intelligence support
Visual intelligence
Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem Apple C1 modem
mmWave 5G connectivity
Thread connectivity
Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding
Precision Finding for Find My friends
20- or 26-hour battery life 26-hour battery life
Lightning port USB-C port
MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher
Setting to prevent charging above 80%
Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings
Compatible with ‌MagSafe‌ cases, wallets, wireless chargers, and more
Now discontinued Starts at $599
Released September 2022 Released March 2025



The ‌iPhone 16e‌ represents a good move for ‌iPhone‌ 14 users, with significant enhancements such as the Action button, 48-megapixel camera, A18 chip, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support, Visual intelligence, and much longer battery life. However, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 should continue to be useable for a while longer. As a result, it may be better to wait for when the iPhone 16 drops in price upon the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup if you want a more substantial upgrade, or even a future "‌iPhone‌ 17e" model.

The only substantial losses when upgrading from the ‌iPhone‌ 14 to the ‌iPhone 16e‌ are the Ultra Wide camera, ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, mmWave 5G connectivity, the Ultra Wideband chip, and fewer color options. If you feel these features are vital, you should consider purchasing an ‌iPhone 16‌ instead of an ‌iPhone 16e‌, although this will add to the price. The iPhone 15 is also a good option, since it offers all of these features that are missing on the ‌iPhone 16e‌, but at the expense of features like ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support and prolonged battery life.
Related Roundup: iPhone 16e
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 16e (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

This article, "iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 16e Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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