What's new on the iPhone 14 camera? Is it worth it to upgrade?

iPhone 14 Camera Specs

iPhone 14 is finally out, and the iPhone is definitely not for you if you plan to take low-quality pictures or videos. The 2022 Apple Keynote special event, nicknamed "Far Out," revealed that the iPhone 14 has unique new upgrades to improve the user experience. The camera is obviously the first feature you want to know about, right? Well, get ready for an intergalactic trip because here is a closer look at the iPhone 14 camera.

If you’re already an iPhone user, you know that iPhone cameras capture high quality pictures and videos. According to Apple, an astounding 3 trillion photographs were taken using iPhone mobile devices in just the last year. 

So, how many cameras does the iPhone 14 have? In the iPhone 14 launch event, Apple unveiled that the new mobile models will have a similar camera design to the iPhone 13: two cameras for the iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Plus (main wide-angle and ultra-wide angle) and three cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro & iPhone 14 Pro Max (additional 3x telephoto camera). Although the design has remained basically the same, there are a few new features that stand out.

iPhone 14's Unique Front-facing Camera

Bigger is always better, but not in this case. For the iPhone 14, the front-facing camera sits on a smaller space, making room for a new feature called the dynamic island on the Pro models. This feature displays system notifications and any additional personalised information you choose.

The iPhone 14 front-facing camera has the following features:

• All iPhone 14 cameras now have improved low-light photography

• The dynamic island replaces the traditional front notch for more personalized display notifications

• TrueDepth camera with autofocus and improved low-light performance

• Increased pixels (1.9-micron pixels)

• Larger sensors and the option for autofocus

• Sapphire crystal lens

• Auto HDR 4

• Full Fusion

• False-color flash

• Enhanced depth in portrait mode

• Six effects for portrait lighting: Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage

• Mono and Night mode

• Modern red-eye reduction

• Panorama (up to 63MP)

• Ultra wide lens adjustment

• High-Key Mono in Burst Mode

• Photonic Motor

iPhone 14 Rear Camera Improvements

How many megapixels does the iPhone 14 camera have? The standard iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have a dual 12MP camera system, which is the same as the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12. 

However, iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max now boast a 48MP main camera, and:

• 2× low light improvement on ultra-wide lenses

• 2.5× low light improvement on the main wide camera

• Better image and video stabilization using Action Mode

• 2× night-mode exposure

Video Recording Specs

The most notable change for video on the iPhone 14 is the addition of Action Mode, which allows for greater stability while filming in… well, action. This might actually be more useful for most people than the Cinematic Mode, especially for capturing content for YouTube or TikTok. 

Here's a video that shows how footage looks with the new Action Mode vs without it:

Here’s the full list of video specs for iPhone 14: 

• 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 4K video recording

• 1080p HD recording at up to 30 or 60 frames per second

• 30 frames per second filming in 720p HD

• Up to 4K HDR at 30 fps in cinematic mode

• Up to 2.8K at 60 fps in action mode

• Up to 4K at 60 fps HDR video recording with Dolby Vision

• Support for 1080p slo-mo video at 120 or 240 frames per second

• Time-lapse footage that has been stabilized

• Evening mode time-lapse

• Optical image stabilization for video with sensor-shift (Main)

• Two-fold optical zoom out

• Up to 3x digital and audio zoom

• False-color flash

• Stabilization for motion pictures (4K, 1080p, and 720p)

• Video with constant autofocus

• 8MP still shots and 4K video recording

• Video playback zoom

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max Unique Camera Specs

The iPhone 14 Pro has a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts an impressive screen size of 6.7 inches.

Here are the camera specs for these models:

• 48 MP quad pixel main camera, 1x: 24 mm, 2x: 48 mm

• Telephoto camera: 12MP, 3x: 77 mm

• New ultra-wide camera: 12MP, 0.5x: 13 mm, macro photography, 6-element lens, and 100% focus pixels. This camera allows you to capture landscapes without using the panorama mode.

• 4 Pro lenses. As seen above, the newest iPhone provides its users with four powerful lenses: two on the main camera, one on the telephoto camera, and another on the ultra-wide camera.

• 2x low-light improvement compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. The camera allows for high-quality photos under any lighting conditions. Ultimately, of course, photographs taken in full daylight are more precise.

• The main camera has a 7-element lens, 100% focus pixels, and a 24mm focal length.

• The image size remains the same as the practical 12MP camera.

The iPhone 14 has the largest iPhone sensor, the quad-pixel sensor (65% larger than iPhone 13's). The quad-pixel sensor groups four pixels into a singular, large quad-pixel providing more light capture to pictures while quadrupling the effectiveness of every other pixel-related feature.

New Camera Features

While the new iPhone 14 offers some slight improvements in the camera specs, there are a few other new features and upgrades worth noting. First, the iPhone 14's new quad-pixel sensor enables the ProRaw feature. It gives photographers more control over brightness, saturation, and white balance. On the 14 Pro models, you can shoot with ProRaw at a 48MP resolution and zoom without losing quality.

Apple also introduced the new Action Mode mentioned above for videos, which reduces sporadic movement and allows you to take smoother action videos with impressive stability. Cinematic Mode is also carried over to the iPhone 14 from earlier releases to take your videography skills to a new level. iPhone 14 Pro models use 4K resolution for videos at 30 fps and 24 fps.

How does the iPhone 14 camera stack up to the iPhone 13 camera?

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 have seen significant camera improvements in their hardware and software. A fundamental similarity between the cameras is that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have the same pro camera system as their immediate predecessor, the iPhone 13 Pro, and Pro Max. This year, the iPhone mini was scrapped and replaced with the iPhone plus model.

As we have outlined above, the main changes to the latest iPhone's camera are more noticeable in the iPhone 14 Pro models. The main camera now uses a 48MP resolution, greatly improving from iPhone 13's 12MP main camera.

But we all know by now that you cannot and should not measure an iPhone's camera capabilities using the megapixels alone. iPhone 13 still has one of the top cameras on the smartphone market and we don’t see any major upgrades to the iPhone 14 camera that will make a difference to the average user.

iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13 Camera Specs:

Is the new iPhone 14 camera worth upgrading?

So, is it really worth it to purchase the new iPhone 14 just because of its camera? Although the iPhone 14 comes with some fun new features like Action Mode, most of the camera specs have remained the same from the iPhone 13 models. 

Most users probably won’t experience any significant changes in how they use their camera on a daily basis between the iPhone 14 and older models. Upgrading for the camera alone is really only worth it if you’re super serious about photography or want to use your iPhone for content creation. 

When it’s time to upgrade your phone, consider shopping for a used and refurbished phone. You’ll save a ton of money compared to buying new and help cut down on the growing e-waste problem our planet is facing. A win-win, if you ask us ;) 

At Back Market, refurbished iPhones (and all of our other devices for that matter) have been renewed to an unmatched high standard of quality. We proudly back every purchase with a 12-month warranty and 30 days to change your mind and get your money back if you aren’t happy with your device. So what are you waiting for? Buy a second hand iPhone at the fraction of the price of new, and get a device that looks and works no different to a brand new iPhone in store!