iPhone 15 vs iPhone 14 Plus: Should you upgrade? | Tom’s Guide

The iPhone 15 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive iPhone releases for a while. But if you’re one of those people that picked up an iPhone 14 Plus last year, you may be wondering whether it’ll be worth upgrading to a newer model.  

Upgrading your phone after a year can be an expensive endeavour, but it’s fair to say the iPhone 14 was rather disappointing — and the iPhone 14 Plus only really improved on the standard model by offering a larger screen and slightly better battery. Naturally the phone sold pretty poorly, and we wouldn’t blame those of you that actually bought one to consider upgrading so quickly. 

But will an upgrade actually be worth it? Here’s everything you need to know about an iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15 comparison — and what sort of upgrades you can expect later this year. 

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Specs

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iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Prices and availability

The iPhone 14 Plus went on sale on October 13 2022, a few weeks after the rest of the iPhone 14 range. Prices start at $899 / £949 / AU$1,579 for a 128GB model, which rises to $999 / £1,059 / AU$1,749 for 256GB and $1,199 / £1,279 / AU$2,099 for a 512GB storage option. Six different colors are available, including Blue, Purple, Yellow, Midnight (black), Starlight (cream) and Product Red.

That iPhone 14 Plus price may go down once the iPhone 15 is released, while Apple and other retailers attempt to clear stock of the least popular iPhone 14 model. Which could make the 14 Plus a lot more enticing.

The iPhone 15 is currently rumored to be unveiled on September 12. If Apple sticks to its usual release pattern, that would mean pre-orders are likely to open on September 15 ahead of a full release on September 22.

We haven’t heard anything about price increase for the standard iPhone 15, and we sincerely hope Apple sticks to the same $799 / £849 / AU$1,399 starting price as the iPhone 15. Last year that got you a 128GB model, with $899 / £959 / AU$1,579 buying 256GB of storage and $1,099 / £1,179 / AU$1,899 getting you 512GB. We’re not expecting a change in the base storage this year, so fingers crossed all those prices remain static.

iPhone 15 colors haven’t been confirmed yet, but we’ve heard rumors Apple could launch in sky blue, bubblegum pink and either mint green or cyan hues. We also expect Midnight, Starlight and Product Red to make a comeback

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Design and display

The main selling point of the iPhone 14 Plus is its large 6.7-inch display, which is significantly bigger than the 6.1-inch display of the iPhone 14 — the same one rumored to be included with the iPhone 15. 

That screen has the same display notch as the iPhone 13 series, and runs at a 60Hz refresh rate. Rumor is that the iPhone 15 will keep the latter, to our great disappointment. We dream of the day when the base model iPhone gets an LTPO adaptive 120Hz display. Heck we’d even settle for 90Hz if it got us away from 60Hz any sooner.

However the iPhone 15 is rumored to be ditching the notch at long last. Instead we’re supposedly getting the same Dynamic Island that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — complete with the pair of camera cutouts.

Unfortunately most of the big upgrades seem to be reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro series. Which means the iPhone 15’s only real change is the Dynamic Island. How that compares to a notched 6.7-inch display is up to you to decide.

It’s also speculated the iPhone 15’s body could get more of a curved design, which we haven’t seen since the iPhone 11. Not only could this make the phone more aesthetically appealing, it may well be more comfortable to hold than the iPhone 14 Plus’s straight-edged design.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Cameras

The iPhone 14 Plus came with dual 12MP cameras on the back — with both wide and ultrawide angle lenses. That’s the same setup the iPhone 13 used, but despite the lack of change, iPhone 14 Plus-shot photos were rather impressive — aided by a larger sensor and faster aperture. This was particularly helpful in low light.

The iPhone 15 is rumoured to be getting a major upgrade in the camera department, thanks to the inclusion of a “state of the art” Sony sensor that offers 48MP resolution. We’re not likely to see a third camera lens this year, and resolution isn’t everything, but this sensor will presumably give the iPhone 15 a massive boost in the camera department.

In fact leakers claim that this is a “Pro-like” camera, which has us rather excited. While rumors claim that the 1/1.5 inch sensor will be slightly smaller than the iPhone 14 Pro’s, it is still slightly bigger than the 14 Plus’s 1/1.9 inch. Combined with the higher resolution and whatever software improvements Apple adds, we could see a major improvement in iPhone 15 photos — especially in low-light.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Performance

One of the most disappointing things about the iPhone 14 Plus is the fact it runs on the A15 Bionic, which debuted on the iPhone 13 series in 2021. So while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max got all the performance benefits of the A16 Bionic, the base models were left running on a year-old chipset (albeit one with an additional graphics core).

The iPhone 15 is in a similar situation, but at least in this instance it’s rumored to be getting the A16 Bionic. It may not be the 3nm A17 Bionic that’s been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro, but it should at least offer a significant boost in performance compared to last year’s models.

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Because we’ve already had the iPhone 14 Pro series for almost a year, we know what sport of performance difference to expect. Geekbench 5 benchmarking tests gave the A16-powered iPhone 14 Pro a score of 1,891 on the single-core test and 5,469 on the multi-core test. Meanwhile the iPhone 14 Plus averaged 1,735 on single-core testing and 4,473 on multi-core tests.

The iPhone 14 Pro is now the iPhone 15, but we don’t expect there to be any kind of drop in those figures. So the considerable leap between last year’s iPhones should continue where the iPhone 15 is concerned.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Battery 

One of the main benefits of the iPhone 14 Plus was that it had a rather excellent battery life — aided by its 4,323 mAh battery pack. Not quite as much as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but the 11 hour 57 minute lifespan was enough to earn it a place on our best phone battery life list.

How that will compare to the iPhone 15 is a complete unknown at this point. Rumor has it that the phone will have a 3,877 mAh battery, which is considerably smaller than the iPhone 14 Plus. Then agan, the iPhone 15 likely has the added benefit of more efficient hardware, primarily in the form of the A16 Bionic. But will that be enough?

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has the same 4,323 mAh battery as the iPhone 14 Plus, but managed to last longer on our test — 1 hour  and 42 minutes longer to be precise, with a final battery life of 13 hours and 39 minutes. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a big enough difference that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 10 places higher on our list of the best phone battery life — and fourth overall.

The A16 Bionic and whatever other efficiencies Apple can add to the iPhone 15 will help its battery life close in on the iPhone 14 Plus. Whether that translates to lasting longer on a charge isn’t a question we can answer right now.

iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 15: Outlook

The question of whether the iPhone 15 is better than the iPhone 14 Plus all depends on what you’re expecting from your phone. If you value a larger screen, or want the best possible battery, then the Plus likely has the edge. Of course if you want better photos and performance, the iPhone 15 is looking like it’ll be right up your street. 

If you already have an iPhone 14 Plus, then the question isn’t whether or not the iPhone 15 is a better phone. It’s whether you’re willing to potentially pay up $799 for whatever upgrades it has. The better camera and performance, not to mention USB-C and the Dynamic Island, might make that worthwhile — especially if you get a good trade-in deal. Then again we’ve been hearing a bunch of exciting rumors about the iPhone 16. So it might be worth saving your cash and upgrading next year instead. 

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