iPhone 14 vs iPhone 15: which refurbished model should you choose?

The iPhone 15 is the model where the standard iPhone caught up with the previous year's Pro: the 14 Pro's chip, its 48 MP camera and its Dynamic Island all arrived on the base 15, along with USB-C. That makes the 14 versus 15 decision a real one rather than a small step, and on the refurbished market the two sit close enough that the choice is worth thinking through.

Side by side

USB-C: the everyday difference

The iPhone 15 charges and transfers data over USB-C, the same connector as iPads, Macs, most laptops and most Android phones. One cable in the bag instead of two is the kind of small thing you notice daily. The iPhone 14 uses Lightning, which is still everywhere and will be for years, but is the older standard. If you already own a lot of Lightning accessories, that counts for the 14; if you are starting fresh, USB-C counts for the 15.

Camera: 48 MP against 12 MP

The iPhone 15's 48 MP sensor produces 24 MP photos by default with visibly more detail than the 14's 12 MP, and its 2x mode crops the sensor to give a portrait-length view without a telephoto lens. Low-light photos are also cleaner. The 14 remains a very good camera and in casual use the gap is smaller than the numbers suggest, but if you print, crop or zoom, the 15 is the better camera by a clear margin. Neither has a true telephoto lens; for that see the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 14 Pro.

Screen and Dynamic Island

Both screens are 6.1-inch OLED panels at 60 Hz. The 15 is much brighter outdoors, which makes a difference on a sunny day, and it replaces the notch with the Dynamic Island, the interactive cut-out that shows timers, music and calls. It is a nicer screen; it is not a different class of screen.

Battery

Day-to-day battery life is similar. The important difference for a refurbished buyer is design life: the iPhone 15 battery is rated to hold 80% of its capacity after 1,000 charge cycles, twice the 500 of the iPhone 14. For a phone you intend to keep for years, that means a slower decline in the battery health figure.

Speed and update life

The A16 chip in the 15 is faster than the 14's A15, though both run current apps without hesitation. The 15 launched a year later and will receive major iOS updates for roughly a year longer; see how long an iPhone gets updates.

Choose the iPhone 14 if...

• You have Lightning accessories you want to keep using.
• You take everyday photos and rarely crop or zoom.
• You want the same design and screen size at a lower point in the range, or the 14 Plus for its big battery.

Choose the iPhone 15 if...

• You want USB-C and one cable for everything.
• Photo detail and low-light performance matter to you.
• You will keep the phone for several years and want the longer battery design life and update runway.

Both models are in stock as network-unlocked refurbished phones with a 30-day return window and a 12-month warranty: see the iPhone 14 collection and the iPhone 15 collection, or the full iPhone 14 guide and iPhone 15 guide. If you are also weighing the generation before, read iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14.

Common questions

Is the iPhone 15 a big upgrade over the iPhone 14?

Bigger than the 13-to-14 step. USB-C, the 48 MP camera, the Dynamic Island, a brighter screen, the A16 chip and a battery rated for twice the charge cycles. Screen size and weight are otherwise almost identical.

Do iPhone 14 cases fit the iPhone 15?

No. The 15 has a slightly different shape with contoured edges and a different camera bump, so cases are not interchangeable.

Does the iPhone 14 still charge with Lightning?

Yes. The iPhone 14 uses Lightning; the 15 is the first standard iPhone with USB-C.

Which should I buy if I keep phones for a long time?

The iPhone 15, for the extra year of updates, USB-C and the longer battery design life.