iPhone 12 Pro vs. 14 Pro: New Features to Expect If You've Waited to Upgrade

Given that many customers upgrade their iPhones every two to three years nowadays, there are still plenty of iPhone 12 Pro owners who might be interested in upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro later this year. While year-over-year iPhone updates are often incremental, the new features begin to stack up after two generations.

iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Feature
As a refresher, we've put together a list of new features and changes to expect if you upgrade from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 14 Pro. The list includes features that Apple added to the iPhone 13 Pro last year and features rumored for the iPhone 14 Pro, which Apple is expected to announce in September as usual.

  • A16 chip vs. A14 chip: The A15 chip in the iPhone 13 Pro is already up to 20% faster than the A14 chip in the 12 Pro, according to Geekbench 5, and performance should improve even more with the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Pro.
  • Brighter display: Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, the 14 Pro's display should have up to 200 nits higher peak brightness.
  • No more notch: Rumors suggest Apple will replace the notch with a pill-shaped cutout and a hole for the Face ID sensors and front camera on the iPhone 14 Pro.
  • ProMotion: Introduced on the iPhone 13 Pro, ProMotion allows for a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother appearing content and scrolling.
  • Always-on display: Rumors suggest the iPhone 14 Pro will feature an always-on display mode that shows the time, date, and iOS 16's new Lock screen widgets.
  • Longer battery life: Already, the iPhone 13 Pro gets 22 hours of video playback vs. 17 hours for the 12 Pro, and rumors suggest that iPhone 14 Pro models could feature even larger battery capacities.
  • Many camera improvements: iPhone 12 Pro users upgrading to the 14 Pro will get many camera upgrades, including a rumored 48-megapixel Wide lens on the rear camera with support for 8K video recording, an upgraded front camera with autofocus, increased optical zoom, sensor-shift image stabilization, Macro mode, Cinematic mode, ProRes video recording, Photographic Styles, and more.
  • Wi-Fi 6E: iPhone 14 models are rumored to support Wi-Fi 6E, allowing the device to connect to Wi-Fi networks using the 6GHz band.
  • 5G improvements: iPhone 13 Pro models feature more 5G bands than 12 Pro models for greater 5G coverage, and the iPhone 14 Pro is expected to use Qualcomm's newer Snapdragon X65 modem for improved 5G performance.
  • 1TB storage option: Unlike the iPhone 12 Pro, the 14 Pro should be available with at least a 1TB storage option.

Have an iPhone 11 Pro instead? Check out our iPhone 11 Pro vs. 14 Pro comparison.

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

ZacNicholson Avatar
32 months ago
I'll wait for USB-C next year
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
32 months ago
You left out a feature. Higher price. :p
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
compwiz1202 Avatar
32 months ago

Brighter display: Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, the 14 Pro's display should have up to 200 nits higher peak brightness.
Still won't matter because it will instantly throttle in the hot sun. That's the only time I ever need the high brightness.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jicon Avatar
32 months ago
If your apps run fine, and you can run the latest OS for some feature you want... is there any other point to spend the money other than vanity? Replace the battery if that starts to go, otherwise, why not ride it out? I'm up to three reasons to move off my iPhone 7 now, but not very compelled to do so... Digital Drivers license if/when it becomes available, maybe the pinpoint accuracy of Apple Airtags? (Which by the way, NEED a family share feature still), and not saying I'm swayed from what I see so far, iOS 16.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kirky29 Avatar
32 months ago
It almost sounds a perfect upgrade for me... Just wish the 14 would have USB C.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
32 months ago

I'll wait for USB-C next year
Same. All these features are a nice upgrade over my 12 PM, but seeing all these rumors about an USB-C iPhone 15, I definitely prefer to wait. I upgrade my iPhone each three years or so anyway
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)