Tech

iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: All expected differences


Intro

The iPhone 16 Pro is expected to be one of the bigger upgrades for the Pro series, at least based on the countless leaks and rumors. Apple will unveil the iPhone 16 series next Monday, September 9th, and that’s when we will have all the final details.

But even now we know what to expect. The 16 Pro will come with a slightly larger screen, a slightly bigger battery, a faster processor that will support AI, and you might even get faster charging speeds. Apple is also revamping the ultrawide and zoom cameras with a new, 5X zoom camera. This shapes like a big year for the otherwise compact Pro model.

iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro differences:

Table of Contents:

Design and Size

Slightly bigger size and a cool new Capture Button

While the overall styling of the iPhone 16 Pro and 13 Pro are similar, with flat sides and a camera system that looks familiar, there are some important changes.

First is the slightly bigger size with the larger 6.3-inch screen (vs 6.1″ display on the 13 Pro). The borders around that screen will be slimmer on the 16 Pro for a more modern look.

Despite its slightly larger dimensions, the 16 Pro will weigh less thanks to the titanium material used for the frame instead of the heavier stainless steel on the 13 Pro.

Here are the expected sizes of the new model vs the old one:

Other compelling design upgrades are the new Action button and Capture Button. The Action button replaces the mute switch and can be programmed to pretty much every function in the phone (we already saw it on the iPhone 15 Pro series).

Brand new will be the Capture button, located just below the power button on the right side of the phone. This new key is capacitive, so it won’t trigger in your pocket accidentally. As the name suggests, it will dedicated to camera functions only, but it will not be limited just to the native camera app.

In function, it will be similar to a shutter button on a traditional camera, but with expanded functionality.

You will have a half-press functionality (to lock focus or exposure for example), while a full press will capture a photo or start recording video.

But then you will also be able to swipe on it and it will act like a mini-trackpad, zooming in and out, cycling through filters or other custom functions.

Another new feature for iPhone 13 Pro owners is a USB-C port, a welcome change from the proprietary Lightning port, as well as the Dynamic Island with Face ID instead of the notch. IP68 water and dust protection are the same on both phones.

Display Differences

Apple is moving to a larger, 6.3-inch screen on the 16 Pro, a slight yet noticeable shift from the 6.1-inch display on the 13 Pro.

This might sacrifice the compactness, but it seems like the right choice for the average user who requires a bit more screen space.

Borders around the screen have also slimmed by a half for a more modern look on the 16 Pro.

Another welcome change is a boost in brightness, going up from 1,000 nits typical brightness on the 13 Pro, to 1,200 nits on the 16 Pro.

Both phones have 120Hz ProMotion screen.

Despite the change from a notch to Dynamic Island for Face ID on the front, the face recognition has not changed in speed or functionality.

Performance and Software

Faster chip with AI skills

For years, we’ve been talking about processor speed and benchmarks, and while that is improving this year too, the big story this time is about AI.

With the anticipated new A18 Pro chip, Apple will have to show and convince the world that its chips are on par or better than the competition specifically for AI tasks.

It’s also no surprise that the 16 Pro gets 8GB of RAM on board, the minimum requirement for AI, while the 13 Pro does not support AI features with its limited 6GB of RAM.

However, don’t expect all the unveiled Apple Intelligence features to arrive at once with the iPhone 16 Pro.

Some like the Clean up feature in Photos is coming with iOS 18.1, others like the ChatGPT integration are scheduled to arrive by the end of 2024, and yet others like the fully revamped Siri might arrive next year.

Other smaller changes include a new modem, the Snapdragon X75, which promises better connection and signal reception.

The iPhone 16 Pro is also in line to get Wi-Fi 7 support vs Wi-Fi 6 on the iPhone 13 Pro. This should give you up to 2.4X faster speeds and improved latency in perfect conditions.

 

Camera

5X zoom and a brand new ultrawide camera

With three cameras on the back, the iPhone 16 Pro and 13 Pro share some similiarities, but really a lot has changed in these three years.

The main camera gets an upgrade from 12MP to 48MP that gives you far better detail and low light performance, as well as lossless 2X zoom quality with sensor crop.

The ultra-wide camera also gets a bump from 12MP to 48MP with similar benefits to detail and night time photos.

And finally, the 3X zoom camera is replaced by a 5X zoom tetraprism lens with more reach, great to film your kids at a concert or really anything far away (you do lose out on 3X portraits, though).

As for video, you get a more capable 4K Cinematic video on the 16 Pro (really, this has been available on the 14 Pro and 15 Pro as well). The brand new feature, however, is the 3K120 slow motion, a huge change from the less detailed 1080p slow motion we have now. We are stoked about this rumored change, as even some high-end professional cameras don’t support 120fps beyond 1080p. This will unlock a ton of creative opportunities.

Battery Life and Charging

Expect better battery life and faster charging

Having a slightly bigger iPhone is an opportunity for a bigger battery, and Apple seems to do just that.

The iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to have a 3,577mAh battery, nearly 16% larger than the previous model (which had a 3,095mAh battery).

Apple rates the iPhone 13 Pro for 22 hours of video playback, so we will be looking for an estimate for the 16 Pro at the event next week.

Of course, we will also be running our extensive in-house battery tests that should give you a much more detailed idea of the actual battery improvements.

Even more excitingly, we might finally get faster charging on the iPhone 16 Pro. We say “finally” because virtually all other flagship phones have made the jump to at least 45W charging speed, while Apple only supports around 25W. Well, rumors say the 16 Pro could reach 40W charging speeds via a wire.

You will also possibly have faster MagSafe, going to 20W speeds (up from 15W on the 13 Pro).

Specs Comparison

Summary

So, what do we have with the iPhone 16 Pro?

Three years surely brings a lot of change and we think this is the perfect moment for iPhone 13 Pro owners to make the switch to the 16 Pro.

Expectations are for cool new AI features, a revamped camera system, longer battery life and faster charging. These are the fundamentals that everyone cares about and everyone will appreciate.

Of course, we won’t know if all of that happens or not until the official reveal. Apple has scheduled its “Glowtime” iPhone 16 event for next Monday, September 9th, so check back here for an update with all the final details.


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