Three years after its launch, the iPhone 13 Professional can nonetheless maintain its personal in 2024 with an incredible show, glorious cameras, and first rate battery life. Nevertheless, the iPhone 16 Professional packs some compelling new options that make it value upgrading out of your outdated iPhone.
What are these enhancements? When involves iPhone 13 Professional vs. iPhone 16 Professional, is the improve value it? Take a look at our detailed specs comparability to search out out.
iPhone 13 Professional vs. iPhone 16 Professional: Time to improve?
When it launched in 2021, the iPhone 13 Professional launched some notable upgrades. This included a 120Hz ProMotion show, longer battery life, and a greater main digicam. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Professional packs comparable enhancements: a much bigger show, longer battery life, and higher cameras. Extra importantly, the iPhone 16 can run Apple Intelligence, supplying you with entry to a number of AI-powered options.
So, are these enhancements sufficient to improve from the iPhone 13 Professional to iPhone 16 Professional? Or must you stick along with your trusty outdated iPhone for one more yr? Discover out on this comparability.
Desk of contents: iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 13 Professional comparability
Design: Sturdy and titanium-y
Photograph: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
- iPhone 16 Professional: 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 8.25mm; 199 grams; IP68, aerospace-grade titanium with matte glass again, 2nd-gen Ceramic Defend (entrance), Motion button, Digital camera Management
- iPhone 13 Professional: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65 mm; 204 grams; IP68, Chrome steel chassis with textured matte glass again, Ceramic Defend (entrance)
The iPhone 13 Professional is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 16 Professional. However that’s about it. The latter trumps its predecessor in all different areas, with a extra premium and sturdy design. The iPhone 16 Professional is bigger and nearly as heavy because the iPhone 13 Professional. Although it has a lighter titanium physique, it sports activities a much bigger show and a much bigger battery.
Whereas the iPhone 13 Professional encompasses a polished stainless-steel chassis, the iPhone 16 Professional sports activities extra sturdy and premium titanium physique. One other notable design change on the brand new iPhone is the customizable Motion button as a substitute of the Ring/Silent change. There’s additionally Digital camera Management, which opens the digicam app and acts as a shutter button.
The iPhone 16 makes use of a extra sturdy entrance cowl glass as nicely, so it ought to higher resist scratches in each day use.
Show: Greater and brighter
Photograph: Apple
- iPhone 16 Professional: 6.3-inch, Tremendous Retina XDR show, 2,622 x 1,206 pixels decision, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Contact, True Tone, All the time-On show, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimal brightness
- iPhone 13 Professional: 6.1-inch, Tremendous Retina XDR show, 2532 x 1170 pixels, 1,000 nits brightness, 1,200 nits max brightness, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 120Hz ProMotion
The iPhone 16 Professional not solely packs a 0.2-inch larger 120Hz OLED show, however it may well hit a considerably larger peak brightness of two,000 nits when open air as nicely. The iPhone 13 Professional tends to clamp down the show brightness after a couple of minutes of out of doors use to stop overheating. This isn’t a problem on Apple’s 2024 flagship iPhone.
Additional, Apple claims a minimal brightness of 1 nit for the iPhone 16 Professional’s show, guaranteeing the always-on show received’t unnecessarily drain the battery.
Whereas the iPhone 13 Professional’s show has a notch, the brand new iPhone has the favored Dynamic Island. Lastly, the latter helps All the time-On Show, so you possibly can preserve the display in a low-power always-on state displaying the time and date.
Efficiency: Sooner and extra environment friendly
Photograph: Apple
- iPhone 16 Professional: A18 Professional, 3nm (2nd-gen) fab, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, upgraded 16-core Neural Engine, devoted AV1 decoder, USB-C controller, second-gen Extremely Wideband chip, as much as 1TB storage
- iPhone 13 Professional: A15 Bionic, 5nm fab, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine, Extremely Wideband chip
Three years is a lifetime within the tech world, and it exhibits. The iPhone 13 Professional’s A15 Bionic chip was leading edge for its time, however that’s not the case now. The iPhone 16 Professional’s A18 Professional CPU is 50% sooner than the A15 Bionic, whereas the GPU is 70% sooner. And but it’s extra energy environment friendly, consuming much less juice below load. The GPU helps {hardware} ray tracing for larger graphics high quality.
That’s not it, although. The A18 Professional packs a notably sooner 16-core Neural engine for shortly processing AI and machine studying duties. That is essential for working Apple Intelligence. A devoted AV1 encoder and USB-C controller assist velocity video encoding/decoding and supply as much as 10Gbps file switch speeds.
The iPhone 13 Professional won’t really feel gradual even after three years. Nevertheless, it lacks Apple Intelligence, so you can not take pleasure in Apple’s suite of AI options on the telephone.
Lastly, whereas the iPhone 13 Professional ships with 6GB RAM, the iPhone 16 Professional has 8GB RAM for smoother multitasking.
Digital camera: Improved
Photograph: Apple
- iPhone 16 Professional: 48MP f/1.78 Fusion digicam with a bigger sensor, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto digicam, 5x optical zoom; 48MP f/2.2 Extremely Large, Macro pictures; LiDAR Scanner, Sensible HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Motion mode, ProRAW and ProRes help, Log video recording, Spatial video recording, Wind noise discount, Audio Combine; Entrance: 12MP digicam with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
- iPhone 13 Professional: 12MP f/1.5 main digicam, Sensor-shift stabilization; 12MP f/2.8 telephoto digicam, 3x optical zoom, OIS; 12MP f/1.8 Extremely Large, Macro pictures; True Tone flash, Deep Fusion, Sensible HDR4, Cinematic mode (1080p@30fps); Entrance: 12MP digicam with f/2.2 aperture
The iPhone 16 Professional packs some massive upgrades within the digicam division over the iPhone 13 Professional. It sports activities a much bigger main digicam sensor with the next 48MP decision (vs. 12MP on the 13). The Extremely Large digicam additionally will get an upgraded 48MP sensor (once more, simply 12MP on the 13). The telephoto shooter on each telephones encompasses a 12MP decision, however the newer iPhone helps 5x optical zoom vs. the iPhone 13 Professional’s 3x zoom.
In addition to the {hardware} upgrades, the iPhone 16 Professional’s A18 Professional chip permits for higher picture processing. It helps Apple’s Photonic engine and Sensible HDR 5 to seize extra particulars and supply the next dynamic vary. Different enhancements embody Motion mode, LOG video recording, Spatial images and video, and Audio Combine.
The iPhone 16 Professional’s entrance digicam can also be higher, with a sooner aperture and autofocus help. This implies sharper and extra detailed selfies, particularly in low gentle.
Connectivity: Higher in each means
- iPhone 16 Professional: Emergency SOS with satellite tv for pc, Roadside Help by way of satellite tv for pc, Thread networking, Excessive dynamic vary gyro, Automotive crash detection, twin eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (as much as 10Gbps)
- iPhone 13 Professional: Emergency SOS, Three-axis gyro, bodily nanoSIM slot, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Lightning
There’s extra to a telephone than simply texting and calling. Because of Emergency SOS by way of satellite tv for pc, the iPhone 16 Professional can talk with satellites to contact emergency companies. Equally, it may well routinely detect a automobile crash and get in touch with emergency companies.
Different enhancements on the brand new iPhone embody sooner Wi-Fi, newer Bluetooth normal, dual-frequency GPS for larger accuracy, and a USB-C port. When you’ve got a sensible house setup, the iPhone 16 Professional can act as a Thread router for good house units and permit them to speak with one another.
The largest improve is to the modem, with the iPhone 16 Professional that includes Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon X75 modem. It ought to ship noticeably sooner 5G speeds and higher connectivity than the iPhone 13 Professional.
Individually, these connectivity upgrades won’t look like an enormous deal. However they’ll all add as much as ship a extra dependable expertise on the brand new iPhone.
Do notice that the iPhone 16 Professional lacks a nanoSIM card slot and solely helps eSIM. So, for those who improve from the iPhone 13 Professional, you’ll have to change to an eSIM (which is easy; the {hardware}’s built-in).
Battery life: Longer
Photograph: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
- iPhone 16 Professional: As much as 27 hours of video playback, as much as 85 hours of audio playback; 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wi-fi charging help
- iPhone 13 Professional: As much as 22 hours of video playback, as much as 75 hours of audio playback; 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wi-fi charging help
Because of its barely larger dimensions, the iPhone 16 Professional packs a bigger battery than the iPhone 13 Professional. It homes extra environment friendly elements as nicely. These enhancements mixed guarantee the brand new iPhone gives considerably longer battery life.
Even higher, the iPhone 16 Professional helps as much as 45W wired and 25W MagSafe wi-fi charging. So, topping up a useless battery takes significantly much less time than its 2021 predecessor.
Worth: Nonetheless the identical
- iPhone 16 Professional: Begins from $999 for 128GB storage
- iPhone 13 Professional: Begins from $999 for 128GB storage
The iPhone 13 Professional launched in 2021 with a beginning price ticket of $999 earlier than taxes. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Professional carries the identical beginning worth regardless of packing a number of enhancements, together with a much bigger show. So, whereas the telephone is dear, it’s commendable to see Apple sticking to the identical $999 worth level regardless of inflationary pressures.
iPhone 13 Professional vs iPhone 16 Professional: Conclusion
In case you obtained the iPhone 13 Professional on launch day again in 2021, it’s in all probability time for an improve. Whereas the iPhone 13 nonetheless runs easily, it misses out on Apple Intelligence. Plus, the show and cameras are exhibiting their age. When you’ve got the cash and assume Apple Intelligence will increase your workflow, the iPhone 16 Professional is value upgrading to.
In case you’re on a decent funds, contemplate shopping for the iPhone 16 over the iPhone 16 Professional.
Nevertheless, for those who use your outdated iPhone 13 Professional for fundamental duties and are proud of its efficiency and battery life, follow it for one more yr. Perhaps get its battery changed as a substitute to breathe new life into it.
Purchase now
iPhone 16 Professional: Apple