PhoneLifespan

iPhone 14 Plus vs Phone (3a)

vs

Winner

Nothing Phone (3a)

The Phone (3a) wins this one, taking display and camera decisively. Against the iPhone 14 Plus it's also the sounder buy at $6.16 per month of safe use.

Value Score: iPhone 14 Plus 67 · Phone (3a) 75 — methodology

The lifespan decider

When specs are close, support length decides it — this is what each phone costs per month of safe use.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus $301
Safe to buy$7.56/mo
2022◆ Buy-by Oct 20272029
Nothing Phone (3a) $349
Safe to buy$6.16/mo
2025◆ Buy-by Mar 20292031

Category by category

Display
iPhone 14 Plus 50Phone (3a) 80

The Phone (3a)'s screen is the better one — 6.77-inch amoled, 1080×2392 (fhd+), up to 120hz, 3000 nits peak.

Performance
iPhone 14 Plus 74Phone (3a) 64

The iPhone 14 Plus's Apple A15 Bionic (5-core GPU) is simply the faster chip.

Camera
iPhone 14 Plus 52Phone (3a) 79

The Phone (3a) has the stronger camera system (3 real rear lenses vs 2).

Battery
iPhone 14 Plus 67Phone (3a) 80

5,000mAh vs 4,325mAh — the Phone (3a) lasts longer between charges.

Software longevity
iPhone 14 Plus 47Phone (3a) 67

The Phone (3a) is supported until Mar 2031 — 17 months longer than the iPhone 14 Plus.

Value
iPhone 14 Plus 67Phone (3a) 75

Overall value goes to the Phone (3a) at $6.16 per month of safe use.

Full spec table
SpeciPhone 14 PlusPhone (3a)
Price (street)$301$349
Display6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 60Hz, 1200 nits HDR peak6.77-inch AMOLED, 1080×2392 (FHD+), up to 120Hz, 3000 nits peak
ChipsetApple A15 Bionic (5-core GPU)Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM6GB8GB/12GB
Storage128GB/256GB/512GB128GB/256GB
Battery4,325 mAh5,000 mAh
Charging20W wired (50% in ~30 min), MagSafe 15W wireless50W wired, no wireless
Rear cameras12MP main, 12MP ultra-wide50MP main, 50MP telephoto 2x, 8MP ultra-wide
Dimensions160.8 × 78.1 × 7.8 mm163.52 × 77.50 × 8.35 mm
Weight203 g201 g
Water resistanceIP68IP64
Supported untilOct 2029Mar 2031
iPhone 14 Plus full verdict →Phone (3a) full verdict →Longevity master board →

Scores and verdicts are computed from our verified database — see exactly how. Specs from manufacturer documentation; prices reflect major US retailers.