Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max earlier this month, arriving four years after the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Four generations of changes make for a substantial upgrade, bringing larger displays, an all-new design, improvements to every camera, significantly longer battery life, faster charging, USB-C connectivity, and support for Apple Intelligence.The iPhone 15 Pro replaced the stainless steel frame with titanium, introduced the Action button and USB-C port, and added the A17 Pro chip. The iPhone 16 Pro introduced larger displays with thinner borders, the Camera Control, a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and improved video and audio recording. The iPhone 17 Pro replaced the titanium frame and glass back with an aluminum unibody, added vapor chamber cooling and Ceramic Shield 2, and upgraded both the telephoto and front-facing cameras. This year's refresh centers on the A20 Pro chip, a variable-aperture Main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a further increase in battery capacity. For iPhone 14 Pro owners, all four sets of changes accumulate.The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ starts at $1,199 for 256GB, $200 more than the iPhone 14 Pro's $999 launch price, although the entry storage tier has doubled from 128GB. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max starts at $1,299, also $200 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max's $1,099 launch price, with the same increase in base storage. Here are the key differences between the iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌:Design and DisplayiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)Stainless steel frame with squared-off edges and full glass backAluminum unibody with partial Ceramic Shield back, improving heat dissipationGlass rounded square camera bumpFull-width rounded rectangle aluminum camera plateauiPhone 14 Pro: 6.1-inch displayiPhone 14 Pro Max: 6.7-inch displayiPhone 18 Pro: 6.3-inch displayiPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayiPhone 14 Pro: 2,556-by-1,179-pixel resolutioniPhone 14 Pro Max: 2,796-by-1,290-pixel resolutioniPhone 18 Pro: 2,622-by-1,206-pixel resolutioniPhone 18 Pro Max: 2,868-by-1,320-pixel resolutionWider borders around the displayThinner borders, with the initial reduction of 30% introduced on the ‌iPhone 16‌ ProApproximately 2-4 nits minimum display brightness1 nit minimum display brightnessMore power-efficient displayCeramic Shield frontCeramic Shield 2 front, with 3x better scratch resistance than the ‌iPhone 16‌ ProFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating onlyFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and Apple-designed anti-reflective coating to reduce glare2,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor)3,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor)‌Dynamic Island‌ supports up to two simultaneous Live ActivitiesSmaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, supports up to three simultaneous Live ActivitiesRing/Silent switchAction buttonCamera Control capacitive button with sapphire crystal coverAvailable in Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space BlackAvailable in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy95% fiber-based packaging100% fiber-based packaging, suitable for recyclingDimensions and WeightiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)HeightiPhone 14 Pro: 147.5mm (5.81 inches)iPhone 14 Pro Max: 160.7mm (6.33 inches)iPhone 18 Pro: 150.0mm (5.91 inches)iPhone 18 Pro Max: 163.4mm (6.43 inches)WidthiPhone 14 Pro: 71.5mm (2.81 inches)iPhone 14 Pro Max: 77.6mm (3.06 inches)iPhone 18 Pro: 71.9mm (2.83 inches)iPhone 18 Pro Max: 78.0mm (3.07 inches)Thickness7.85mm (0.31 inches)8.75mm (0.34 inches)WeightiPhone 14 Pro: 206 grams (7.27 ounces)iPhone 14 Pro Max: 240 grams (8.47 ounces)iPhone 18 Pro: 211 grams (7.44 ounces)iPhone 18 Pro Max: 249 grams (8.78 ounces)Chip, Performance, and ConnectivityiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)A16 Bionic chipA20 Pro chipBuilt with TSMC's N4P process (4nm)Built with TSMC's N2 process (2nm)6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores6GB LPDDR5 RAM12GB LPDDR5X RAM51.2GB/s memory bandwidth115GB/s memory bandwidth5-core GPU7-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsHardware-accelerated ray tracing16-core Neural EngineDual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores)Passive coolingVapor chamber cooling with 3x more surface area than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌New chip packaging that places silicon die beside memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamberEarlier video encoding hardwareEnhanced video encoding hardware supporting higher-frame-rate recording and additional professional formatsHEVC, H.264, and ProRes video playbackHEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes video playbackSupports iOS 27, but not ‌Apple Intelligence‌ or Siri AISupports ‌iOS 27‌, ‌Apple Intelligence‌, ‌Siri‌ AI, and Visual IntelligenceQualcomm Snapdragon X65 modemiPhone 18 Pro: Apple C2 modem in all countriesiPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple C2 modem in all countries except the U.S., where it uses a Qualcomm modemBroadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chipApple N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ThreadWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)Bluetooth 5.3 connectivityBluetooth 6 connectivityFirst-generation Ultra Wideband chipSecond-generation Ultra Wideband chip with Precision Finding for peopleLightning port with USB 2 transfer speeds up to 480Mb/sUSB-C port with USB 3 transfer speeds up to 10Gb/sUp to 1080p video output using a Lightning adapterDisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video outputRear CameraiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)First-generation quad-pixel sensorNewer sensor and computational imaging pipeline, building on the faster readout speeds and zero shutter lag introduced with the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro12-megapixel HEIF and JPEG photos, or up to 48-megapixel ProRAW photos from the Main camera24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos from the Main, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto camerasFixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on the Main cameraVariable aperture with four stops: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0, using six laser-cut bladesAPI available for developers to control the aperture range within their own appsNight modeFaster Night mode, tied to the new variable-aperture lensAround 50% better Main camera low-light performance than the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro, with more detail in the back of group photosPro controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide camera12-megapixel Telephoto camera48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto camera3x Telephoto camera, with 77mm focal length4x Telephoto camera, with 100mm focal length, also enabling 12-megapixel optical-quality 8x shots at 200mm0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x zoom options, with optical-quality 2x derived from the Main camera0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x zoom options, with optical-quality 2x and 8x derived from the Main and Telephoto camerasDigital zoom up to 15xDigital zoom up to 40x24mm default Main camera lensCustomizable default lens for the Fusion Main cameraMacro photography48-megapixel macro photographyJPEG-XL compression for ProRAW photosSmart HDR 4Smart HDR 5Portrait mode with Depth ControlNext-generation portraits with Focus and Depth ControlFirst-generation Photographic StylesPhotographic Styles 3, with tone, color, texture, and grain controlsDepth mapping for AR and portrait photographyEnhanced depth mapping for AR and portrait photography, with more accurate background and subject separation and more realistic bokehSmart focus trackingSpatial photo captureApple Reference Image (Main camera only)Camera ControlThe iPhone 14 Pro has a traditional Ring/Silent switch and lacks both of the dedicated controls Apple added to later generations. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ includes an Action button that can launch the camera or ‌Visual Intelligence‌, as well as a Camera Control with the following additional functions:Press Camera Control to launch the Camera appPress to capture a photo or press and hold to record videoLight press to lock focus and exposure before reframingSlide across the capacitive surface to adjust settings such as zoom, exposure, styles, and toneLight-press controls overlay for quick access to camera settingsIntegration with supported third-party camera appsPress and hold to activate ‌Visual Intelligence‌Video RecordingiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, with Dolby Vision HDR up to 60 fps4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, 100 fps (Fusion Main), or 120 fps (Fusion Main)1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, or 120 fps (Fusion Main)ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps, or 1080p at 30 fps on the 128GB modelProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recordingRecords video to internal storageCan record video directly to external storage over USB-CSlo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fpsSlo-mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion Main)Cinematic mode recording up to 4K HDR at 30 fpsCinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fpsCinematic mode effects can be applied after capture to Fusion Main video shot at up to 60 fpsPro controls for lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogramSmart focus trackingImproved low-light video at 1080pAction mode up to 2.8K at 60 fpsAction mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fpsSpatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fpsTime-lapse video recording with stabilizationTime-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby VisionQuickTake videoQuickTake video up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fpsApple Log 2Academy Color Encoding System supportProRes RAW capture supportGenlock supportDual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fpsFront CameraiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)12-megapixel TrueDepth camera with conventional rectangular sensor18-megapixel Center Stage camera with square sensor and TrueDepth technologyTap to zoom and rotate, allowing portrait and landscape framing without rotating the iPhoneCenter Stage for photos and video callsUltra-stabilized videoDual Capture, recording the front and rear cameras simultaneously at up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fpsSmart HDR 4Smart HDR 5Portrait mode with Depth ControlNext-generation portraits with Focus and Depth ControlFirst-generation Photographic StylesPhotographic Styles 3, with tone, color, texture, and grain controlsSmart focus trackingPro controls for shutter speed, white balance, and histogram4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, with Dolby Vision HDR up to 60 fps4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fpsProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps, or 1080p at 30 fps on the 128GB modelProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recordingCinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fpsCinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fpsCinematic mode effects can be applied after captureImproved low-light video at 1080pTime-lapse video recording with stabilizationTime-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby VisionQuickTake videoQuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby VisionApple Log 2Academy Color Encoding System supportProRes RAW capture supportAudio RecordingiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)Stereo recordingSpatial Audio and stereo recordingStudio-quality four-mic arrayWind noise reductionAudio Mix with algorithms for higher-quality voices and the ability to isolate musicBattery and ChargingiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)iPhone 14 Pro: 3,200 mAh batteryiPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323 mAh batteryiPhone 18 Pro: 4,056 mAh battery (SIM-tray models); 4,288 mAh battery (eSIM-only models)iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5,391 mAh battery (SIM-tray models); 5,567 mAh battery (eSIM-only models)iPhone 14 Pro: Up to 23 hours of video playbackiPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to 29 hours of video playbackiPhone 18 Pro: Up to 36 hours of video playbackiPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 45 hours of video playbackiPhone 14 Pro: Up to 20 hours of streamed video playbackiPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to 25 hours of streamed video playbackiPhone 18 Pro: Up to 33 hours of streamed video playbackiPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 40 hours of streamed video playbackUp to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higherUp to 50% charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter or higherMagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with a 20W adapter or higher‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W, reaching 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higherQi wireless charging up to 7.5WQi2 wireless charging up to 25WOptimized Battery ChargingCharge Limit from 80% to 100% in 5% increments, plus Optimized Battery ChargingBattery Health shows maximum capacity, peak performance capability, and whether service is recommendedBattery Health also shows cycle count, manufacture date, and date of first useBattery designed to retain 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cyclesBattery designed to retain 80% of its original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cyclesStorage and PricingiPhone 14 Pro (2022)‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storageAvailable with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storageiPhone 14 Pro: Launched at $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB)iPhone 14 Pro Max: Launched at $1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB)iPhone 18 Pro: $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,799 (1TB), $2,399 (2TB)iPhone 18 Pro Max: $1,299 (256GB), $1,499 (512GB), $1,899 (1TB), $2,499 (2TB)Now discontinuedSold directly by AppleCurrent purchase prices depend on third-party stock, condition, and warrantyiPhone 18 Pro: From $49.95 a month for 24 months via Apple UpgradeiPhone 18 Pro Max: From $54.12 a month for 24 months via Apple UpgradeFor iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max owners considering a new device, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is a worthwhile upgrade. Four generations of changes bring improvements to the display, every camera on the device, battery life, charging, sustained performance, and connectivity. Battery life is likely to be the strongest improvement for most users, particularly if their current device no longer comfortably lasts through the day, while faster wired charging makes brief charging stops more useful. The newer battery is also designed to retain 80% of its original capacity for twice as many complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, and Charge Limit offers more control over long-term battery wear.USB-C is another significant quality-of-life improvement for iPhone 14 Pro owners. It allows the iPhone to share cables with recent Macs, iPads, and accessories, while the jump from USB 2 to USB 3 speeds makes large wired photo and video transfers far quicker. The Action button and Camera Control also provide two new physical controls that the iPhone 14 Pro lacks.The camera upgrade is especially compelling for anyone who regularly takes photos or records video. Higher-resolution Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras expand the options beyond the Main camera, while the variable aperture and Pro controls provide additional creative flexibility. Both iPhone 14 Pro sizes move from a 3x Telephoto camera to 4x, alongside an optical-quality 8x option that substantially extends their usable reach.For video creators, the accumulated changes are more consequential still. Higher-frame-rate 4K recording, external recording over USB-C, ProRes RAW, Genlock, Apple Log 2, Dual Capture, and improved audio tools expand the range of work that can be completed on the device. Spatial photo and video capture is also useful for Apple Vision Pro owners. The square front-camera sensor makes landscape framing easier without rotating the phone, while Center Stage improves flexibility for group photos and video calls.The A20 Pro and vapor chamber cooling make the strongest performance case for users who play demanding games, record long video clips, or regularly push their device through sustained workloads. The increase from 6GB to 12GB of RAM and the additional AI processing hardware also enable ‌Apple Intelligence‌, ‌Siri‌ AI, and ‌Visual Intelligence‌, none of which are available on the iPhone 14 Pro. The older model still supports ‌iOS 27‌ and remains capable for messaging, browsing, photography, and other everyday activities, so the latest software update does not make it obsolete.There are physical trade-offs to consider. Both newer models are taller and thicker, although the move from stainless steel to aluminum means the weight increases by only 5 grams on the Pro and 9 grams on the Pro Max despite the larger displays and batteries. The aluminum enclosure improves thermal management, but it is less premium-looking, and it may show dents and scratches more readily than the iPhone 14 Pro's stainless steel frame.If your iPhone 14 Pro still meets your needs and comfortably lasts through the day, upgrading is not urgent, but you may want to think about getting a new device soon. A battery replacement may be worth considering if reduced health is your main complaint and you would otherwise be happy to keep your device. The upgrade becomes much easier to recommend when battery limitations coincide with a desire for ‌Apple Intelligence‌, USB-C, the newer cameras, and a larger display.A discounted ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ is another option if your priorities are the aluminum design, higher-resolution telephoto camera, square front-camera sensor, ‌Apple Intelligence‌, USB-C, and vapor chamber cooling. Those upgrades arrived before this year's model. Paying more for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ makes the clearest sense when you also want the variable aperture, Pro controls, A20 Pro, smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, and further improvements to battery life and charging, but coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ will still feel like a significant upgrade.Related Roundup: iPhone 18 ProBuyer's Guide: iPhone 18 Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: iPhoneThis article, "iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums