iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro: buy now or wait?

In summer 2022, many people are asking the question: buy an iPhone 13 Pro now, or wait for the iPhone 14 Pro? In about a month, Apple wants to bring the 14 series to market. I have tested the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro since they launched, and right now the iPhone 13 Pro Max is my daily driver. This assessment applies to the situation before launch, and the information on the iPhone 14 is rumors.

The iPhone 13 Pro: still a flagship ten months after launch

The devices simply work reliably, no ifs or buts.

• Battery: On the 13 Pro Max it easily gets me through a day and a half without making me nervous.
• Display: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with 120 Hz, a dream. Only the display of the Galaxy S22 Ultra beats it in sharpness.
• Performance: The A15 Bionic delivers strong performance. I cannot remember ever having stutters or freezes.
• Camera: The 12-megapixel main camera delivers sharp, high-contrast pictures. In my opinion, the 4K videos are the best you can record with a smartphone.
• Speakers: The stereo speakers are among the best on the market, clear and rich even at high volume.
• Design: Angular with a flat display, which I like a lot. The weight comes from the matte glass back and the stainless steel frame: 238 g on the 13 Pro Max, 203 g on the 13 Pro. You need to know that. It feels like a training smartphone.

Because the glass back and stainless steel frame scratch easily, I always use a case.

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What the iPhone 14 Pro is supposed to bring

According to current rumors:

• The main camera goes from 12 to 48 megapixels, a significant jump. Optical zoom is not supposed to change much.
• The display of the Pro models is supposed to get a new cutout. There are even rumors that the front camera with Face ID technology will move completely under the display.
• The regular iPhone 14 models will probably keep the large notch.
• All 14 models come with iOS 16, which is supposed to be available for older models soon too.
• An always-on display is planned for the Pro models. Many Android smartphones have had it for years, and Apple will probably do it a bit better.
• The regular models get the A15 Bionic, and the Pro models the A16, which probably brings even better performance and battery life. Since the performance of the 13 Pro series is already outstanding, it is questionable whether the average user will notice it at all.

Prices

The iPhone 13 Pro costs €1,149 in the base version and the 13 Pro Max €1,249. Because of global inflation, an average increase of around €100 is expected for the 14 Pro models.

Verdict and buying advice

The difference will be noticeable mainly in the camera. That will please everyone who makes professional videos and photos for Instagram and the like with their iPhone. Vacation photographers are already perfectly fine with the camera of the iPhone 13 Pro. The look becomes a bit more modern thanks to the new cutout or a display with no cutout at all. Otherwise, I believe there are no further noticeable changes for the average user.

If you wait, you pay around €100 more for a better camera and a more modern look. That is why I would lean toward buying the iPhone 13 Pro, or waiting for the iPhone 14 Pro. Anyone who absolutely wants the latest model with the latest technology cannot be stopped anyway. Everyone else still does nothing wrong with the iPhone 13 Pro and gets a high-quality flagship. If you can wait until the 14 Pro launches, you can also look forward to a lower price for the 13 Pro.