iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro comparison: Time to upgrade?

Three years after its launch, the iPhone 13 Pro can still hold its own in 2024 with a great display, excellent cameras, and decent battery life. However, the iPhone 16 Pro packs some compelling new features that make it worth upgrading from your old iPhone.

What are these improvements? When comes to iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro, is the upgrade worth it? Check out our detailed specs comparison to find out.

iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: Time to upgrade?

When it launched in 2021, the iPhone 13 Pro introduced some notable upgrades. This included a 120Hz ProMotion display, longer battery life, and a better primary camera. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Pro packs similar improvements: a bigger display, longer battery life, and better cameras. More importantly, the iPhone 16 can run Apple Intelligence, giving you access to several AI-powered features.

So, are these improvements enough to upgrade from the iPhone 13 Pro to iPhone 16 Pro? Or should you stick with your trusty old iPhone for another year? Find out in this comparison.

Table of contents: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro comparison

Design: Durable and titanium-y

• iPhone 16 Pro: 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 8.25mm; 199 grams; IP68, aerospace-grade titanium with matte glass back, 2nd-gen Ceramic Shield (front), Action button, Camera Control
• iPhone 13 Pro: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65 mm; 204 grams; IP68, Stainless steel chassis with textured matte glass back, Ceramic Shield (front)

The iPhone 13 Pro is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 16 Pro. But that’s about it. The latter trumps its predecessor in all other areas, with a more premium and durable design. The iPhone 16 Pro is larger and almost as heavy as the iPhone 13 Pro. Even though it has a lighter titanium body, it sports a bigger display and a bigger battery.

While the iPhone 13 Pro features a polished stainless steel chassis, the iPhone 16 Pro sports more durable and premium titanium body. Another notable design change on the new iPhone is the customizable Action button instead of the Ring/Silent switch. There is also Camera Control, which opens the camera app and acts as a shutter button.

The iPhone 16 uses a more durable front cover glass as well, so it should better resist scratches in daily use.

Display: Bigger and brighter

• iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch, Super Retina XDR display, 2,622 x 1,206 pixels resolution, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Touch, True Tone, Always-On display, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness
• iPhone 13 Pro: 6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR display, 2532 x 1170 pixels, 1,000 nits brightness, 1,200 nits max brightness, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 120Hz ProMotion

The iPhone 16 Pro not only packs a 0.2-inch bigger 120Hz OLED display, but it can hit a substantially higher peak brightness of 2,000 nits when outdoors as well. The iPhone 13 Pro tends to clamp down the display brightness after a few minutes of outdoor use to prevent overheating. This is not an issue on Apple’s 2024 flagship iPhone.

Further, Apple claims a minimum brightness of 1 nit for the iPhone 16 Pro’s display, ensuring the always-on display won’t unnecessarily drain the battery.

While the iPhone 13 Pro’s display has a notch, the new iPhone has the popular Dynamic Island. Lastly, the latter supports Always-On Display, so you can keep the screen in a low-power always-on state displaying the time and date.

Performance: Faster and more efficient

• iPhone 16 Pro: A18 Pro, 3nm (2nd-gen) fab, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, upgraded 16-core Neural Engine, dedicated AV1 decoder, USB-C controller, second-gen Ultra Wideband chip, up to 1TB storage
• iPhone 13 Pro: A15 Bionic, 5nm fab, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine, Ultra Wideband chip

Three years is a lifetime in the tech world, and it shows. The iPhone 13 Pro’s A15 Bionic chip was cutting edge for its time, but that’s not the case now. The iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro CPU is 50% faster than the A15 Bionic, while the GPU is 70% faster. And yet it’s more power efficient, consuming less juice under load. The GPU supports hardware ray tracing for higher graphics quality.

That’s not it, though. The A18 Pro packs a notably faster 16-core Neural engine for quickly processing AI and machine learning tasks. This is crucial for running Apple Intelligence. A dedicated AV1 encoder and USB-C controller help speed video encoding/decoding and provide up to 10Gbps file transfer speeds.

The iPhone 13 Pro might not feel slow even after three years. However, it lacks Apple Intelligence, so you cannot enjoy Apple’s suite of AI features on the phone.

Lastly, while the iPhone 13 Pro ships with 6GB RAM, the iPhone 16 Pro has 8GB RAM for smoother multitasking.

Camera: Improved

• iPhone 16 Pro: 48MP f/1.78 Fusion camera with a larger sensor, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, 5x optical zoom; 48MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide, Macro photography; LiDAR Scanner, Smart HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Action mode, ProRAW and ProRes support, Log video recording, Spatial video recording, Wind noise reduction, Audio Mix; Front: 12MP camera with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
• iPhone 13 Pro: 12MP f/1.5 primary camera, Sensor-shift stabilization; 12MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, 3x optical zoom, OIS; 12MP f/1.8 Ultra Wide, Macro photography; True Tone flash, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR4, Cinematic mode (1080p@30fps); Front: 12MP camera with f/2.2 aperture

The iPhone 16 Pro packs some big upgrades in the camera department over the iPhone 13 Pro. It sports a bigger primary camera sensor with a higher 48MP resolution (vs. 12MP on the 13). The Ultra Wide camera also gets an upgraded 48MP sensor (again, just 12MP on the 13). The telephoto shooter on both phones features a 12MP resolution, but the newer iPhone supports 5x optical zoom vs. the iPhone 13 Pro’s 3x zoom.

Besides the hardware upgrades, the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip allows for better image processing. It supports Apple’s Photonic engine and Smart HDR 5 to capture more details and provide a higher dynamic range. Other improvements include Action mode, LOG video recording, Spatial photos and video, and Audio Mix.

The iPhone 16 Pro’s front camera is also better, with a faster aperture and autofocus support. This means sharper and more detailed selfies, especially in low light.

Connectivity: Better in every way

• iPhone 16 Pro: Emergency SOS with satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, High dynamic range gyro, Car crash detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (up to 10Gbps)
• iPhone 13 Pro: Emergency SOS, Three-axis gyro, physical nanoSIM slot, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Lightning

There’s more to a phone than just texting and calling. Thanks to Emergency SOS via satellite, the iPhone 16 Pro can communicate with satellites to contact emergency services. Similarly, it can automatically detect a car crash and contact emergency services.

Other improvements on the new iPhone include faster Wi-Fi, newer Bluetooth standard, dual-frequency GPS for higher accuracy, and a USB-C port. If you have a smart home setup, the iPhone 16 Pro can act as a Thread router for smart home devices and allow them to communicate with each other.

The biggest upgrade is to the modem, with the iPhone 16 Pro featuring Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X75 modem. It should deliver noticeably faster 5G speeds and better connectivity than the iPhone 13 Pro.

Individually, these connectivity upgrades might not seem like a big deal. But they will all add up to deliver a more reliable experience on the new iPhone.

Do note that the iPhone 16 Pro lacks a nanoSIM card slot and only supports eSIM. So, if you upgrade from the iPhone 13 Pro, you will have to switch to an eSIM (which is straightforward; the hardware’s built-in).

Battery life: Longer

• iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27 hours of video playback, up to 85 hours of audio playback; 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
• iPhone 13 Pro: Up to 22 hours of video playback, up to 75 hours of audio playback; 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support

Thanks to its slightly bigger dimensions, the iPhone 16 Pro packs a larger battery than the iPhone 13 Pro. It houses more efficient components as well. These improvements combined ensure the new iPhone provides significantly longer battery life.

Even better, the iPhone 16 Pro supports up to 45W wired and 25W MagSafe wireless charging. So, topping up a dead battery takes considerably less time than its 2021 predecessor.

Price: Still the same

• iPhone 16 Pro: Starts from $999 for 128GB storage
• iPhone 13 Pro: Starts from $999 for 128GB storage

The iPhone 13 Pro launched in 2021 with a starting price tag of $999 before taxes. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Pro carries the same starting price despite packing several improvements, including a bigger display. So, while the phone is expensive, it’s commendable to see Apple sticking to the same $999 price point despite inflationary pressures.

iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: Conclusion

If you got the iPhone 13 Pro on launch day back in 2021, it’s probably time for an upgrade. While the iPhone 13 still runs smoothly, it misses out on Apple Intelligence. Plus, the display and cameras are showing their age. If you have the money and think Apple Intelligence will boost your workflow, the iPhone 16 Pro is worth upgrading to.

In case you are on a tight budget, consider buying the iPhone 16 over the iPhone 16 Pro.

However, if you use your old iPhone 13 Pro for basic tasks and are happy with its performance and battery life, stick to it for another year. Maybe get its battery replaced instead to breathe new life into it.

Buy now

iPhone 16 Pro: Apple