5 reasons I’m still sticking with the iPhone 14 Pro in 2025

DGIX

May 17, 2025

Summary

I almost bought an iPhone 16 Pro, but then I realized my iPhone 14 Pro still more than meets the mark.
Its battery life is good still, and the 6.1-inch OLED display with ProMotion is still stunning even after two years of use.
The A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro is still snappy. Its also lacks Apple Intelligence support, which can be seen as a benefit.

A few of my friends recently upgraded to the

iPhone 16 Pro
, and it got me thinking about picking one up, too. I had the iPhone 16 Pro sitting in my cart on Apple’s website and was very close to checking out until I stopped myself. Why? I still have an

iPhone 14 Pro
that looks great and runs like a charm. I was silly even to consider the iPhone 16 Pro in the first place.

Sure, the iPhone 16 Pro has an

Action Button
,

Camera Control button
, and

USB-C
, all of which the iPhone 14 Pro doesn’t feature. But is all that really worth $1,000 for a new phone? Upon reflection, no, not really at all. I’ve been using my iPhone 14 Pro since it launched in 2022, and it’s undoubtedly the best phone I’ve ever had, and one I’m not ready to let go of. Here are five reasons the iPhone 14 Pro still holds up well in 2025, and why upgrading isn’t necessary.

iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro came out in 2022, but it still holds up well in 2025.

Brand: Apple
SoC: A16 Bionic
Display: 6.1-inch OLED 2556 x 1179 pixel resolution, HDR, 2000nits, 120Hz
Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Operating System: iOS
Camera (Rear, Front): f/1.78 48-megapixel main, f/2.2 12-megapixel ultra-wide, f/2.4 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto
Dimensions: 5.81 x 2.81 x 0.31-inches (147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85mm)
Colors: Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
IP Rating: IP68

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5

Battery life isn’t an issue

I can easily get through a day

I assess smartphone batteries using a straightforward test. If I can wake up at 7am, use my phone intermittently throughout the day, and still have battery life left at 10pm, then I’m a happy camper. My iPhone 14 Pro is nearly two years old and easily passes this test with flying colors. I would be annoyed if the battery couldn’t last all day, but that has never happened with my iPhone 14 Pro.

When I check my battery health, it shows that my iPhone 14 Pro has a maximum battery capacity of 87 percent, indicating that it has declined by 13 percent since I purchased it. While it’s disappointing to see it decrease that much, I’m honestly still impressed by how well it performs despite that. For reference, the iPhone 14 Pro features a 3,200mAh battery, which is smaller than the iPhone 16 Pro’s reported 3,582mAh battery. A failing battery is one of the top reasons I see people upgrade their phones, but luckily, that isn’t the case with my iPhone 14 Pro.

Additionally, unlike past iPhones I’ve owned, I have never encountered any issues with the Lightning port on this phone. With my iPhone 12 Pro, I needed to upgrade it mainly because the charging port was no longer connecting to cables properly, even after extensively cleaning it. My iPhone 14 Pro’s Lightning port still works perfectly, which has been a relief.

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4

The display looks great

It has a stunning 6.1-inch OLED screen, with ProMotion support

Even after using the iPhone 14 Pro daily for two years, I’m consistently impressed by its display. I have the regular iPhone 14 Pro, not the Pro Max, so it features a 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels. For watching YouTube videos, movies, or TV shows, this display continues to impress, and the HDR looks stunning.

In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly larger 6.3-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with a 2662 x 1206 pixel resolution. Even though it’s the latest iPhone, not much has changed display-wise, other than the increased size. I prefer smaller handsets, so the iPhone 14 Pro’s display wins over the 16 Pro in my books.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that the iPhone 14 Pro features ProMotion support, which provides a buttery smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The 16 Pro has the same refresh rate, so there are no gains to be made there either. Also, the iPhone 14 Pro has Dynamic Island, not a notch, so appearance-wise, there is hardly any difference from the latest iPhones.

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3

Performance hits the mark

The A16 Bionic chip is still snappy

My iPhone 14 Pro has never stuttered or lagged during use, which is a testament to Apple’s remarkable software with iOS 18 (and previous versions) and its custom-built silicon. The iPhone 14 Pro features an A16 Bionic chipset. While it isn’t as powerful as the A17 Pro chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro or the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro, it handles basic tasks like browsing the web, checking my email, and doomscrolling social media with ease and still feels extremely snappy.

I’m not much of a mobile gamer, so I can’t really comment on the A16 Bionic’s gaming performance. If I played more mobile games, I might be tempted to upgrade solely for the faster chipset, but since I don’t, it’s not something I’ve ever considered. As a testament to the A16 Bionic chip’s power, Apple even incorporated it into the latest entry-level

11th-generation iPad
, so it remains in use to this day.

For reference, my iPhone 14 Pro scored a 2,674 single-core score and 6,828 multi-core score on Geekbench 6’s CPU Benchmark.

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2

A camera that still impresses

Photos look sharp and detailed

The camera is one of the most talked-about features of any iPhone. In 2025, the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera continues to be an impressive contender. Throughout my extensive travels with this phone over the last two years, I remain continually impressed by the fantastic photos it has captured during my adventures. The iPhone 14 Pro boasts a f/1.8 48-megapixel main camera, a f/2.2 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a f/2.8 12-megapixel telephoto lens offering 3x optical zoom, all of which still hold up excellently.

Whether I’m engaged in macrophotography, taking portraits, capturing stunning landscapes while on vacation, or photographing technology, the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera consistently exceeds my expectations. While the iPhone 16 Pro has appealing improvements, such as a new f/2.2 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera that captures more detail than the 14 Pro’s 12-megapixel ultra-wide, it’s not enough to convince me to switch over. However, the iPhone 17 Pro’s rumored

8K video capabilities
might change my mind.

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1

No Apple Intelligence

Not missing out on much

One of the major selling points that Apple highlights for the iPhone 16 series is Apple Intelligence, its array of AI features. The iPhone 14 Pro does not support Apple Intelligence, but honestly, in 2025, this is not a significant concern.

Currently, Apple Intelligence is underwhelming and lacks many of the features that Apple showcased at WWDC 2024, such as on-screen awareness and Siri’s cross-app functionality. Apple itself has acknowledged that it requires additional time to refine these features,

postponing their release
to “the coming year.” At this point, Apple Intelligence is not a substantial selling feature for the iPhone unless you’re particularly interested in AI writing tools, and even Apple has scaled back its marketing efforts due to these delays.

If, like me, you’re not invested in AI, the absence of Apple Intelligence in the iPhone 14 Pro can actually be seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. In a year or two, as Apple Intelligence evolves into a more practical tool, it might persuade individuals like me, who still use older iPhones, to upgrade. However, that time hasn’t arrived yet. I’ve never found myself thinking, “I wish I had Apple Intelligence right now.” Even if I owned an iPhone 16 Pro today, I would disable Apple Intelligence.