iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 14: is bigger better?

Apple iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 mobiles in two hands side-by-side

(Image credit: Apple)

published 8 September 2022

As we expected, the iPhone 14 was joined by a new model: the iPhone 14 Plus. It sits between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro, more expensive than the former but cheaper than the latter. But is there more to it than a bigger screen? Here's what you need to know.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 14: price and release date

The new iPhone 14 is $799 in the US but there's a price hike in the UK, where it's gone up to £849 for the entry level 128GB model. There are also 256GB and 512GB models, with the latter coming in at $1,099 / £1,179. If you want the same specification with a bigger screen, the iPhone 14 Plus is $100/£100 more expensive.

Both iPhones can be pre-ordered from 9 September. The iPhone 14 will be widely available from 16 September and the iPhone 14 Plus will be available from 7 October.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: display

The key difference – in fact, the only difference – between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus is the display. In the iPhone 14 it's a 6.1-inch OLED delivering 2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi; in the Plus it's 6.7 inches delivering 2778‑by‑1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi. Both displays are otherwise identical with True Tone, Wide Colour (P3), HDR, up to 800 nits typical peak brightness and 1200 nits in HDR and a 2 million to one contrast ratio.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 14: other specifications

The Plus's larger screen means it's bigger and heavier than its sibling, coming in at 7.16oz (203g) compared to 6.07 (172g) for the standard iPhone 14. It's 6.33 inches tall to the iPhone 14's 5.78 and 3.07 inches wide to the iPhone 14's 2.82.

The two phones are otherwise identical in every respect: the same A15 Bionic chip, the same 12MP dual-camera system, the same 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera, Face ID, the new emergency satellite contacts (in the US) and crash detection and the same battery life. They even come in the same colours: midnight, purple, starlight, blue and (PRODUCT)RED. Storage capacities are identical too: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.

iPhone 14 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: early verdict

It's all about that screen. If you think having a 6.7-inch display is worth $100/£100 more than a 6.1-inch one, the iPhone 14 Plus is the latest iPhone for you. And if you don't, it isn't. It's a shame that that extra size didn't mean a bigger battery, because that's one improvement we're always hoping for: while the iPhone battery life is better than it used to be, it's still pretty disappointing if you're a frequent user.

The only other difference is how much of a hurry you're in. If you want the standard iPhone 14, you can pre-order for delivery this month. But if you want the Plus, you'll need to wait a few more weeks for early October delivery.

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).