iPhone 14 Pro still feels current in 2025. With better durability, Pro features, and years of updates ahead, the 16 Plus isn’t worth the switch.
Another year, another smartphone upgrade cycle. The joke that smartphones have started to feel like exact copies of their previous generations is no longer funny — it’s almost true. In fact, we’re even starting to see generational downgrades. Take the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which stripped functionality from the S Pen, or the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which removed Wi-Fi 7 and downgraded the camera sensor. The crown for selling (seemingly) identical hardware year after year, though, undoubtedly goes to Apple’s iPhones. Even the most loyal Apple fanboys find upgrading more than once every couple of years to be excessive. So suppose you have the iPhone 14 Pro, and you’re considering upgrading to the iPhone 16 Plus with the assumption that the baseline models have made long strides past old Pro models. Should you?
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are good phones, make no mistake, but this was one of the most minor generational leaps we’ve ever seen. You’d be forgiven for thinking the 16 Plus model should outperform the 14 Pro; it has some advantages, like a faster chip and better thermal design, but many less-compelling aspects might make you reconsider. These are our five reasons why 14 Pro users should hold off and wait for something better instead of grabbing the 16 Plus.Apple Intelligence isn’t (yet) a reason to upgrade
Even if you don’t pay attention to the tech industry, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Apple Intelligence. It all started with a stacked 2024 WWDC keynote that unveiled Apple’s take on the AI race. The news hit like a bombshell. Apple made lofty claims of a Siri so intimate with you she could do anything with a voice command, and touted unparalleled privacy thanks to on-device processing. Even Apple’s fiercest critics took notice. Apple then sank the hooks by limiting what iPhone models can run Apple Intelligence, forcing upgrades for anyone who wanted a taste of the forbidden fruit. And then . record scratch. The huge promised Siri upgrade never materialized, and lawsuits followed for false advertising.
Credit where credit is due, there are some Apple Intelligence features you need to try, but none justify buying a phone. That super-intelligent Siri is likely on the books for 2026. Those lawsuits, by the way, were largely because people purchased an iPhone 16 series device after Apple’s marketing claimed it was designed for Apple Intelligence. In a similar vein, the 14 Pro (which doesn’t support Apple Intelligence) isn’t worth upgrading to the 16 Plus to get in on the action — because, well, there is no action.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Apple effectively tricked its customers into upgrading to the 16s for a falsely advertised software feature. If Apple Intelligence is something you really want — specifically the new Siri — then we’d advise you to wait until Apple delivers. Keep your finger off the trigger until those promised features are in the hands of reviewers. Assuming Siri 2.0 ships alongside the iPhone 18 in 2026, it’ll probably be time for an upgrade anyway.
