iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s newest, top-tier smartphones. But how much have they improved since 2021? Here’s an in-depth look at iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro for everything new and a buyer’s guide.

For various other iPhone face-offs check out these guides, otherwise, read on:

• iPhone 16 Pro vs 14 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro
• iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro
• iPhone 16 vs 14

iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro

Screens

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays compared to the 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens on the 13 Pro and Pro Max.

Screen brightness is higher for HDR content and outdoor use with the 16 Pro/Max and you also get the Dynamic Island and always-on display.

For those counting pixels, you get 199,692 more with the 16 Pro over the 13 Pro and 218,808 more pixels with the 16 Pro Max compared to the 13 Pro Max.

Size, weight, design

The design of the iPhone 16 Pro remains almost the same as its predecessors (outside of size), but Apple has included a new physical Camera Control button/sensor.

Apple is using titanium for the 16 Pro and Pro Max like the 15 Pro and Pro Max.

For those coming from a 13 Pro – titanium will be an upgrade (lighter and stronger than steel).

To fit the larger displays, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are slightly larger than iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max but they are lighter with the titanium builds.

Performance – A18 Pro vs A15 Bionic

A18 Pro is the next-generation chip for Apple’s high-end smartphones. They are more powerful and capable, but whether that’s important for you will depend on what you’re doing with your phone.

iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max don’t get Apple Intelligence support with the older A15 chip. And iPhone 16 Pro/Max also has 2GB more RAM than 13 Pro/Max.

The A18 Pro and A15 Bionic are probably powerful enough for almost anyone. But here are some stats from Apple:

• A18 Pro CPU is up to 15% faster than A17 Pro
• A18 Pro GPU is up to 20% faster than A17 Pro
• A18 Pro CPU uses up to 20% less power than A17 Pro
• 2x faster ray tracing than A17 Pro

And the A18 Pro CPU is around 45% faster than A15 Bionic in Geekbench scores for single-core performance and about 40% faster for multi-core performance.

There’s also a more powerful GPU with the A18 Pro chip and features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing for better gaming performance.

iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro battery life

For battery life, the iPhone 16 Pro has received a solid improvement over the iPhone 13 Pro.

Cameras

Rear cameras

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max devices have new 48MP main rear cameras. And there’s a new 48MP ultra wide lens, 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, the all-new Camera Control button/sensor, and the latest-gen Photographic Styles.

That’s a notable jump up from the 12MP main lens and the rest of the 13 Pro/Max camera system.

Video recording

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max step up video recording with 4K Dolby Vision/HDR video recording at up to 120 fps.

You can also record at up to 120 fps for 1080p and ProRes recordings with 16 Pro/Max. Other new features are wind noise reduction and Audio Mix.

And compared to 13 Pro/Max, the 16 Pro/Max deliver spatial video recording and log recording.

Selfie camera

Apple’s TrueDepth front camera is upgraded on iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max with the latest-gen Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 5 for photos, log video recording, and more.

iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro I/O

Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro/Max, 16 Pro/Max have a USB-C port instead of Lightning with up to 10 Gbps transfer speeds and new capabilities like shooting video and photos directly to external storage.

The other big I/O update is the new Camera Control, but there are some other upgrades like WiFi 7 support, MagSafe supporting up to 25W or wireless power, and more.

iPhone 16 Pro colors

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are available in:

• Black titanium
• White titanium
• Natural titanium
• Desert titanium

Storage and pricing

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come in:

• 128GB – $999 (only 16 Pro available in 128GB)
• 256GB – $1,099 / $1,199
• 512GB – $1,299 / $1,399
• 1TB – $1,499 / $1,599

What’s in the box?

All of the iPhone 16 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box.

If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:

• Anker 20W Nano Pro (super compact)
• Nomad 20W power adapter (black finish and compact)
• Apple’s official 20W adapter

iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro: Buyer’s guide

All of the recent iPhones are very powerful and capable devices, but which is best for you (or whether it’s time to upgrade) will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you value most.

Keep in mind both iPhone 16 and 16 Pro feature Apple Intelligence support and have the new Camera Control button/sensor.

Reasons to buy iPhone 16 Pro/Max

• Larger, higher-res display with ProMotion and Dynamic Island
• Most powerful and capable cameras for both photos and video
• Titanium build with very slim bezels
• USB-C with 10Gbps speeds, WiFi 7 support
• Fastest and most powerful chip

Reasons to buy iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or keep what you have

• If the features above aren’t a big deal for you, save your money and grab the iPhone 16 which includes most of the other new features this year or keep your older iPhone
• You could also consider grabbing or keeping an iPhone 15 Pro if you’d like Apple Intelligence support but don’t want/need the latest 16/16 Pro features

You can buy iPhone 16 and 16 Pro from Apple, your carrier, and more.

What are you thinking? Upgrade? Keep your current iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 16 Pro vs 13 Pro!

Source - 9to5Mac