If your iPhone 11 is looking a bit dated, you might be thinking about switching to the iPhone 14 when it arrives this fall. Three years between phones is a long time. So what do we expect from the new iPhone 14 and how does that compare to the iPhone 11?
The iPhone 11 series was itself a big step forward, taking us to pro iPhones with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max and improvements like night mode photography and the Apple U1 ultra-wideband chip. But the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are expected to use a newer thin design, updated cameras, more powerful 5G-enabled chips, bigger batteries and better displays. All of these changes together could make the iPhone 11 series look pretty dated.
So if you’re thinking about upgrading your phone this fall, take a look at our comparison below. If you need a new iPhone now, check out our iPhone 13 vs iPhone 11 comparison to see what the differences are between these models.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: price
If we look at the iPhone 13 models currently for sale, the iPhone 14 should cost around $799 / £779, while the iPhone 14 Pro would sell for $999 / £949. That would bring the iPhone 14 Pro Max to $1,099/£1,049.
The new iPhone 14 Max model we’re apparently getting should be somewhere in the middle, maybe around the $899/£879 mark. However, rumors of a price increase mean these numbers could be higher, especially for the iPhone 14 Pro models, which could see a $100 increase.
Currently, you can still pick up Apple’s iPhone 11 for a budget-friendly $499/£489, while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max aren’t part of Apple’s lineup. When the iPhone 14 series goes on sale, the iPhone 11 will likely be dropped as well.
While you’ll likely still find some iPhone 11 models, including the two Pro versions, hanging around in stores for less than the iPhone 14 range, they’re likely to be in short supply. You can always use the iPhone 11s refurbished market with restored cases and new batteries if you wish.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Design
The iPhone 11 series was the last of the Face ID curved-side iPhones, while the iPhone 14 is expected to continue the flat design of the iPhone 13 family. So while the iPhone 11 and iPhone 14 may look similar from the front, they feel very different when you hold them in your hand
On the rear, the dual or triple camera block will differ only slightly. The iPhone 14 and 14 Max will both likely get two diagonal cameras, giving them a different look than the vertically stacked sensors on the iPhone 11. The triangular pattern of the cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max should be the same as the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, but there will likely be a big difference in size given how large the lenses are on the iPhone 13 Pro models.
The base iPhone 14 is said to be the same size as the standard iPhone 11 at 6.1 inches. However, the iPhone 14 Pro models are believed to be slightly larger than the iPhone 11 Pro counterparts, measuring 6.1 inches for the Pro and 6.7 inches for the Pro Max, as opposed to 5.8 inches and 6 .5 inch.
There’s no direct comparison for the rumored iPhone 14 Max model, but at 6.7 inches, it also feels larger than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Although the iPhone 11 featured tempered glass on the front and back, it lacked the Ceramic Shield glass that Apple introduced on the iPhone 12 and continued to use with the iPhone 13. This likely means the iPhone 14 will also have Ceramic Shield glass, making it significantly tougher than the iPhone 11.
We’re not sure what colors the iPhone 14 will have just yet, but there will likely be basic black, white, and Product Red options for the base models, and silver, graphite gray, and gold for the Pro models, like there are for the iPhone 14 Case was 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The iPhone 11 also offers yellow, purple, and green colors, while the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max had a darker matte green option.
The only rumored new color for the iPhone 14 is purple, with two different versions for Pro and non-Pro. There may also be a new sky blue option for the regular iPhone models, replacing the darker blue currently offered on the iPhone 13.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Display
While the iPhone 11’s display should be the same size as the iPhone 14’s, the underlying technology will most likely be different. All iPhone 13 models use OLED panels instead of the iPhone 11’s LCD, resulting in better colors and greater power efficiency. We would expect the iPhone 14 series to use OLED as well.
Size differences aside, the biggest upgrade between the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro is the new rumored notch design. Instead of the rounded rectangle, the iPhone 14 Pro models could resort to a combination of punched and pill-shaped cutouts to give back more of the display.
There’s also ProMotion, which debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro and seems like a given for the iPhone 14 Pro as well. This allows the display to increase its refresh rate up to 120Hz, making swiping across the iPhone’s surface much smoother. Building on the current version, ProMotion of the iPhone 14 Pro could also enable an always-on display for convenient at-a-glance information, according to some sources.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Cameras
Starting with the base models, on the back of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max we should see two 12-megapixel cameras that play main and ultrawide roles, like the iPhone 11, only with updated sensors and optics. Apple replaced the 7-megapixel camera on the front of the iPhone 11 with a 12-megapixel version for the iPhone 12, and that should carry over to the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max had three 12-megapixel cameras on the back combined with main, ultrawide, and 2x telephoto lenses. The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max should differ in two main ways. First, the main camera is said to be upgraded to a higher-resolution 48-megapixel sensor that will allow for extra detail and light in photos. Second, we’d expect the iPhone 14 Pro to retain the 3x telephoto camera of the iPhone 13 Pro and surpass the iPhone 11’s maximum optical magnification by 50%.
Since the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro use LiDAR scanners, we’ll likely see them on the iPhone 14 Pro as well. These help with AR apps, 3D scanning, and photo effects, and are completely absent from the iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple has also introduced many improvements to the camera app software since the launch of the iPhone 11. That means we should see things like portraits in night mode, Video in cinema mode on all iPhone 14 models and Macro mode and ProRAW/ProRES on the iPhone 14 Pro models that the iPhone 11 can’t match, plus all the new photo/video features Apple is introducing this year.
We shouldn’t see any changes to the front cameras. Both iPhone 11 Pro models had 12-megapixel sensors, and that hasn’t changed with the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13. With no rumors saying otherwise, we’re expecting the same for the iPhone 14 Pro.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Performance and 5G
As powerful as the A13 chip in the iPhone 11 series was in its time, Apple’s A15 chips used in the iPhone 13 are already way ahead in terms of performance. That’s good since the base iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max could also use these chips instead of getting upgraded silicon, according to some sources.
However, the iPhone 14 Pro models will reportedly turn to a new Apple A16 processor that will likely widen the performance gap even further. Add to that the increased RAM for all iPhone 14 models (8GB), which should allow for much smoother multitasking than the 4GB in the iPhone 11.
The standard storage for all iPhone 11 models was a meager 64GB. More recently, Apple has been selling 128GB iPhones as standard, with the option to increase storage up to 1TB on the Pro models. We should see this again with the iPhone 14 series, which is good news if you’re running out of photo space.
Apple didn’t introduce 5G to its phones until the iPhone 12, meaning all three iPhone 11s are stuck with only 4G compatibility. While not a dealbreaker right now, as coverage increases you’ll notice a lack of download/upload speeds on cellular networks compared to other phones.
The iPhone 14 range will certainly be 5G capable. Unfortunately, they’re rumored to be missing out on both the new Qualcomm 5G modem and Apple’s rumored first 5G modem, but they’ll likely still work just fine with the latest networking standard.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Battery and Charging
Apple has significantly increased the battery size of all iPhone 13 models compared to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11, and the rumors suggest that these capacities will not change significantly for the iPhone 14 range. That means they’ll likely still be slightly larger than the iPhone 11’s batteries and therefore last longer on a single charge.
We haven’t heard anything about new charging standards for the iPhone 14, so we should see 20W wired charging and 15W MagSafe wireless charging on all models. The iPhone 11 series can charge up to 18W wired and up to 7.5W wireless without supporting Apple’s magnetic charging pucks. This makes the iPhone 14 faster and easier to turn on when needed.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Software
The iPhone 11 series ships with iOS 13 but can be upgraded all the way to iOS 16 when that software arrives in the fall. iOS 16 will be the default software on the iPhone 14 when those devices start shipping.
However, as a newer phone, the iPhone 14 will continue to receive operating system updates if Apple decides to end support for the iPhone 11. That will probably take a few more years, but it may influence your purchasing decision.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 11: Outlook
Unsurprisingly, the three-year gap between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 14 means that overall, the iPhone 14 will be a worthwhile upgrade if you’re looking for the best in overall performance, photography, battery life, and display.
However, the new iPhones will be more expensive and larger than the equivalent iPhone 11. Also, their 5G-enabled chips may not yet be a major selling point for users living far outside of current coverage areas.
With big promises for the iPhone 15 of 2023, like a periscope telephoto lens for even better zoom performance, it might be worth holding out another year so you can catch the next big iPhone update. However, if you’re looking to upgrade sooner, there seems little stopping you from switching from an iPhone 11 to an iPhone 14 once the new phones arrive.