With the iPhone 14, Apple split the chipsets between the Pro and non-Pro models. The latter uses last year’s A15 Bionic, while the phone manufacturer’s new flagships use the latest A16 Bionic. Granted, the iPhone 14 has the more expensive A15 found in the iPhone 13 Pro, but it’s still an older chip.
But I was wondering, given what I know about the capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro, is the A16 Bionic worth the upgrade if you’re really into gaming? The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max topped our list of the best gaming phones because of the strong A15 Bionic and its 5-core GPU. And since the iPhone 14 uses that chip, is it good enough as a gaming phone?
Based on our test data, the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 14 Pro is definitely more powerful in our gaming benchmarks, as you’d expect. But the iPhone 14 easily keeps up and still outperforms the best Android phones. However, there is more to choosing a gaming phone than just its sheer power. There’s a pretty wide gap between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro, so let’s get into it.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Benchmarks
To test gaming, let’s run a phone through 3DMark’s Wild Life test. We record the average frames per second (FPS). Below I noted the Unlimited, Extreme and Extreme Unlimited results.
This is how the A16 Bionic stacks up against the A15 Bionic.
| iPhone 14 | iPhone 14 Pro | |
| Unlimited Wildlife (FPS) | 69 | 74 |
| Wild Life Extreme (FPS) | 18 | 20 |
| Wild Life Extremely Unlimited (FPS) | 15 | 19 |
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro Gaming: Analysis
The Wild Life Unlimited benchmark is a more typical gaming setting (both phones get the most out of the regular Wild Life test), while the Extreme variants are not indicative of modern mobile gaming and instead serve to illustrate what the A phone’s GPU is capable. I’ve included them here so you can see just how powerful both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are.
However, I would like to draw attention to the first result. The iPhone 14 surpasses what many consider the gold standard for gaming framerates: 60 fps. With a speed of 69 fps, the iPhone 14 proves itself as a capable gaming phone. Of course, with the 60Hz screen you can see up to 60fps, although the phone is capable of more. Another reason why it’s a shame that Apple didn’t choose a refresh rate of at least 90 Hz for the iPhone 14. But I digress.
Since you have the newer of the two chipsets, you should expect the iPhone 14 Pro to deliver a much better result in Wild Life Unlimited. While 74 fps is very, very impressive — and something you’d actually see with the 120Hz ProMotion display — it’s only 5 fps higher than the iPhone 14.
Now benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, but without an iPhone 14 in hand to collect my own experience data, all I have to do is move on. From a purely GPU standpoint, I’m making the argument that the A16 Bionic isn’t worth the $200 upgrade to jump from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 14 Pro.
However, there’s more to the iPhone 14 Pro to consider than just its GPU horsepower. First, there is the display. Not only is it brighter – 1,354 nits HDR/993 nits SDR on the Pro vs 756 nits HDR/757 nits SDR on the iPhone 14 – but it has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes a noticeable difference in games that support it.
Second, the iPhone 14 Pro has the superior battery life in our tests. In our lab, the iPhone 14 delivered a result of 9 hours and 28 minutes. The iPhone 14 Pro managed 10 hours and 13 minutes. So while not vastly better (unlike last year), the Pro still manages to last longer, meaning longer gaming sessions. If only the phone didn’t get so hot.
But there’s one more thing to think about: the iPhone 13 Pro.
What about the iPhone 13 Pro?
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 Pro share the same CPU, the A15 Bionic with the 5-core GPU. (The iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic had a quad-core GPU.) Still, the latter offers many of the same Pro features you’ll get this year, most notably the ProMotion display. It also has better battery life than both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, clocking in at 12 hours and 18 minutes in our test.
The screen is also quite bright at 1,024 nits. Overall, it’s better than the iPhone 14 in every way, except that it’s a year older — and Apple isn’t selling it anymore. However, if you want the better game value, the iPhone 13 Pro is the better buy, assuming you can find a good deal, new or used.
iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro Gaming Outlook
Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are excellent gaming phones, surpassing the best Android has to offer in raw performance. In reality, however, most people may find the differences difficult to distinguish – performance addicts may recognize some of them. But on paper, is the 14 Pro that much better than its non-Pro brother?
Just looking at the raw data, not really. But nothing exists in a vacuum, and the iPhone 14 Pro has some clear advantages beyond its marginal GPU superiority. That 120Hz screen makes a big difference in games that support it, giving you smoother gameplay at over 60fps. The battery life is also slightly better and the brighter screen makes it easier to play outdoors.
Of course, we shouldn’t dismiss the iPhone 13 Pro as a gaming device, especially when compared to the iPhone 14. But that only matters if you already own an iPhone 13 Pro or find one to buy.
I’m hoping to get my hands on an iPhone 14 (or an iPhone 14 Plus when it comes out) to draw my own real conclusions, but for now I think it’s safe to assume the A16 Bionic isn’t worth the Pro upgrade alone based on game performance. Instead, you should consider the other features of the iPhone 14 Pro to help you with your purchase decision.
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