iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: 60+ Upgrades to Expect

[yustas]

They are holding everything for 17.

I have this feeling, too, but not sure what they're holding. Any ideas?

 

[Marty80]

The only thing Apple is marketing the iPhone 16 pro for is Apple Intelligence. I am stilll using a 12 pro max and continue to do so.

It’s time for a design overhaul the iPhone is aging badly, and getting more boring year by year.

How about that under screen Face ID sensor, it’s long overdue.

 

[BigDO]

My 13 Pro is two years old, on 88% BH and not showing any signs of slowing down or lacking performance for anything I use it for. I am itching to upgrade, but I don’t see any improvement which would make me pull the trigger. We‘ll see once the 16 Pro is actually out.

 

[MichaelAdam]

It’s tempting but I shall wait for the 17 that is suppose to be with a slim design … as for the lack of Apple Intelligence, I am happy to use it on my iPad Pro and MBP but can pass for one more year on the iPhone, I think …

 

[HJM.NL]

Other than 48MP Ultrawide camera and capture button + minimal size difference (which could be a pro or con depending on the person) there is really nothing new in 16, not even more RAM or bigger main sensor for 16 Pro.
They are holding everything for 17.

Other than 48MP Ultrawide camera and capture button + minimal size difference (which could be a pro or con depending on the person) there is really nothing new in 16, not even more RAM or bigger main sensor for 16 Pro.
They are holding everything for 17.

I hear this every year. When the 14 would come out, they were holding back for the 15. Now the 16 is around the corner they’re holding back for the 17. I feel like a donkey walking behind a carrot Timmy is holding 🤪

 

[HJM.NL]

My 13 Pro is two years old, on 88% BH and not showing any signs of slowing down or lacking performance for anything I use it for. I am itching to upgrade, but I don’t see any improvement which would make me pull the trigger. We‘ll see once the 16 Pro is actually out.

I think many of us aren’t thinking about upgrading. There isn’t a very compelling reason to do so. The argument that phones are reaching their peak in possibilities is a lame excuse because Apple can do so much more to make it really a high end phone. You just have to look at what the Chinese brands are doing. Maybe Apple can borrow some of their ideas.

 

[ab2c4]

I have this feeling, too, but not sure what they're holding. Any ideas?

12gb of RAM is the only thing I can think of.

 

[Works4Me]

What is the point of this comparison? I swear this website gets more pointless DAILY.

For those of you with new phones, yes it is kind of pointless. But for some of us who are still using a 13 Pro, it’s actually kind of helpful… YMMV of course.

 

[spcopsmac21]

The iPhone 16 Pro is set to succeed 2023's iPhone 15 Pro, introducing over 25 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones. With many users adopting three-year upgrade cycles, plenty of iPhone 13 Pro owners will be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro later this year, so this guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations based on rumors.

The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and up to five hours of additional battery life. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to offer over 60 upgrades. All of the changes the iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature compared to their 2021 predecessors are listed below, using information from reliable sources that we have previously covered. We will update this article as more rumors emerge in the coming months.

Design

The design of the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to be a relatively significant evolution over the iPhone 13 Pro, iterating on the titanium frame and slightly rounded edges introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro models last year.

iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro
Surgical-grade stainless steel chassis with squared-off edges	Aerospace-grade titanium chassis with contoured edges
Ring/Silent switch	Action button
Thermal design with copper heatsink and black foil battery casing	New thermal design with graphene heatsink and metal battery casing
	More repairable design
Lightning port	USB-C port
Alpine Green, Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Sierra Blue color options	Black Titanium, White Titanium, Desert Titanium, and Titanium Gray color options

Dimensions

To accommodate larger displays, both iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to grow in height and width. In addition to last year's increase in depth, the devices are due to be considerably larger, but with a notable reduction in weight thanks to the adoption of a titanium frame.

iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro
7.85mm depth	8.25mm depth (0.4mm thicker)
iPhone 13 Pro: 146.7mm height iPhone 13 Pro Max: 160.8mm height	iPhone 16 Pro: 149.6mm height iPhone 16 Pro Max: 163.0mm height
iPhone 13 Pro: 71.5mm width iPhone 13 Pro Max: 78.1mm width	iPhone 16 Pro: 71.45mm width iPhone 16 Pro Max: 77.58mm width
iPhone 13 Pro: 204g weight iPhone 13 Pro Max: 238g weight	iPhone 16 Pro: 194g weight iPhone 16 Pro Max: 225g weight

Displays

Both iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature larger displays than their predecessors, pushing the iPhone 16 Pro Max to be the biggest iPhone ever offered. There are also reportedly improvements to the underlying OLED technology in store, in addition to last year's slimmer bezels, making for a noticeable overall display upgrade.

iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro
6.1- or 6.7-inch display	6.3- or 6.9-inch display
"Notch" TrueDepth camera array	Dynamic Island
	Always-On Display
	Slimmer borders around the display
Up to 1,000 nits typical max brightness Up to 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness	Up to 1,200 nits typical SDR brightness Up to 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness
	More efficient OLED display with brighter micro-lens technology

Performance

The iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to bring notable improvements in processing power, including a 3nm Apple silicon chip and 33% more memory.

iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro
A15 Bionic chip (TSMC's "N5P" 5nm process)	A18 Pro chip (TSMC's "N3E" enhanced 3nm process)
16-core Neural Engine	Enhanced neural Engine with "significantly" more cores to support Apple Intelligence
	Dedicated AV1 decoder
6GB memory	8GB memory

Connectivity

Connectivity is also due to get a significant upgrade on the iPhone 16 Pro, bolstering the device's 5G, Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ultra Wideband specifications.

iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro
Snapdragon X60 5G modem	Snapdragon X75 5G modem
Wi‑Fi 6 connectivity	Wi‑Fi 7 connectivity
	Thread networking technology
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (connects from 3x further away)
	Precision Finding for Find My friends

Cameras

The iPhone 16 Pro models are slated to receive a range of substantial camera enhancements, such as a larger main camera sensor, a 48-megapixel sensor on the ultra wide camera, and a dedicated hardware button for photography and videography on the side of the device... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: 60+ Upgrades to Expect

If it still has a Dynamic Island it’s a no buy for me instantly. But if you or anyone else doesn’t mind it then I hope they enjoy their upgrade.

 

[huntyc]

will this finally be the phone that actually has much better battery life than the 13 pro in practice… I am skeptical

 

[SFjohn]

I have the 13 Pro Max and it’s a great iPhone. I wasn’t planning on upgrading until the 17 Pro Max was out. However with Apple Intelligence in the mix, I will likely go for the 16 Pro Max to get used to that as it adds new features. I like the idea of my smart phone getting smarter. (I know many people these days are being drawn to dumb phones, but not me) 😉

 

[yustas]

The argument that phones are reaching their peak in possibilities is a lame excuse because Apple can do so much more to make it really a high end phone. You just have to look at what the Chinese brands are doing. Maybe Apple can borrow some of their ideas.

Please elaborate.

 

[joloriquelme]

Looks like a very substantial upgrade from my 13 Pro Max. Even Wi-Fi 7 would be there.

But... Apple Intelligence will NOT be available in my Spanish language (assume yet). And I would miss the all-three 48 MP camera, and the much-smaller island.

So, I will wait for the 2025 iPhone 17 Ultra.

 

[j_in_tx]

The only reason to upgrade I thought was that their contract is up, and time to avail of the next best deal. However, deals are no longer to be had. If T-mobile won't subsidize a new phone, then as long as your current phone works, there will be no reason to upgrade. And no, moving from Magenta to GoNext is not a deal.

 

[dogolaca]

The one upgrade I am looking for is Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast. I *think* that chips with Bluetooth 5.2 or newer will support it, so it is *probably* a software upgrade. But it seems to be a little too early for that, maybe iOS 19. So should I upgrade my 13 Pro to the 16 Pro to get the Apple Intelligence or should I wait a year?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Other than 48MP Ultrawide camera and capture button + minimal size difference (which could be a pro or con depending on the person) there is really nothing new in 16, not even more RAM or bigger main sensor for 16 Pro.
They are holding everything for 17.

it's honestly pissing me off , the way they hold things is so stingy and disgusting. racking 16 hundred+ in a phone that you already know to be limited (i mean 8gb for local LLM....erf, c'mon ) ... it's hard to save for the 16 pro, knowing the 17 will be not only a big, but an important nay necessary upgrade. it just sucks

 

[macdaddy43]

I gotta be honest. I am still very happy with the performance of my iPhone 12 Pro. I haven’t once thought that my phone was slow and it does everything I need it to do. I have absolutely no interest in upgrading at this point. If anything I’m looking forward to a battery replacement, I think I could easily get another 2 years out of it without even thinking about it.

 

[bradman83]

What are “surgical-grade” and “aerospace-grade”? Did any independent 3rd party verify the claim?

You can stab someone with a 13 Pro, whereas the 16 Pro you can effortlessly throw at someone.

 

[spcopsmac21]

That's because phones have completely matured the same as desktop computers. All that's left is upgrades to the software. I don't see anything amazing that Samsung is doing either. That is probably the reason apple is going all in on VR. The day they are able to make VR small enough to the point they look like cool sunglasses or just regular glasses is the day everyone is going to want one.

If phones have matured then why are top of the line android phones still managing to wow consumers. Still managing to innovate and Apple is over here making the same thing for years.
Ohhhhh now titanium….
Ohhhh now it’s in PINK.
Ohhhhhh no we have an extra camera
Ohhhhh look guys,WIDGETS. Have you ever heard of widgets, you’re gonna love it.…

Ohhhhhh we STOLE realestate from you phone. And you’re gonna love it.

Phones have not “ matured” Apple has gotten lazy.
That’s it.
The iOS ecosystem is robust. But that’s really the only thing keeping people in apples garden. They can’t find a way to live outside that garden.

 

[Alexndar]

Just made me realise that in our lifetime from 16 let’s say to 80 at a 3 year upgrade cycle that’s 20 iPhones which potentially 20k spent on phones! Madness

In my experience, most people upgrade less and less as they get older. Aside from the oddball late 20s people I know who upgrade only when software support stops every 6 or 7 years.

 

[Smittywerben]

I hear this every year. When the 14 would come out, they were holding back for the 15. Now the 16 is around the corner they’re holding back for the 17. I feel like a donkey walking behind a carrot Timmy is holding 🤪

Well 14 Pro Max does not support AI due to low RAM, no 24MP default pictures, no USB-C, unfortunately Tim Cook could not afford more than 6GB of RAM on a $1200 phone in 2023, where competition has reached 24GB already.

I have this feeling, too, but not sure what they're holding. Any ideas?

Most likely more RAM, 48MP telephoto 24MP selfie so an actual camera upgrade unlike the near useless upgrade to Ultrawide with 16 pro's. anti-reflective display, 120hz for base model. smaller notch. 2nm A19 pro? I bet that bigger main camera sensor in 16PM will come to smaller 17 Pro as well.
that anti-reflective display alone looks more interesting than whole 16's rumors, where their biggest upgrade is capture button, another action button variant that people will forget in less than a month .

it's honestly pissing me off , the way they hold things is so stingy and disgusting. racking 16 hundred+ in a phone that you already know to be limited (i mean 8gb for local LLM....erf, c'mon ) ... it's hard to save for the 16 pro, knowing the 17 will be not only a big, but an important nay necessary upgrade. it just sucks

I was interested in 16 Pro until I found out that they butchered their last year flagship due to low RAM, knowing that 16 Pro will have 8GB as well, it's not hard to imagine that it will miss some important AI features two years after it's release for the same reason.

 

[andywaynebrooks]

I will take a thinner lighter phone over increased battery life any day. I hate think clunky phones.

 

[Mr Fusion]

My 13 Pro Max is still like new and I just replaced the battery. Plan on keeping it another 3 years.

I only tend to upgrade when there’s a compelling reason. My history of phone-buying:
- iPhone 3G
- iPhone 4 (for retina display)
- iPhone 5S (for TouchID)
- iPhone X (for OLED & FaceID)
- iPhone 13 PM (for significantly better battery life)

Until there’s another major leap, I plan on buying a gen or two older moving forward in order to save on costs. I can’t justify their new prices anymore.

 

[Tagbert]

I understand that I can't use the 13 Pro chassis for aerospace applications, but can I still use the 16 Pro chassis to perform surgery?

That will be the “one more thing” announcement at this year’s iPhone event. You heard it here first!

 

[Tagbert]

What is the point of this comparison? I swear this website gets more pointless DAILY.

The iPhone 13 will be 3 years old this fall. This is about the time when a large number of iPhone users are likely to be considering an upgrade. It’s a pretty basic article but, if it helps some people make a decision, what’s the problem with that?