iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Buyer's Guide

The iPhone 16 Pro succeeds 2023's iPhone 15 Pro, introducing over 45 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, so this guide outlines some of the major differences you should be aware of between the two generations.

iPhone 13 Pro vs 16 Pro Feature

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 offers a noticeable upgrade, with the accumulative improvements of three generations stacking up. To get a sense of the entirety of the changes, see our other three buyer's guides that set out every difference offered when making the jump from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro to the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, and the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro to the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌:

Overall, the ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ is a significant upgrade over the ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ Pro, introducing meaningful quality-of-life features like the always-on display, Dynamic Island, USB-C port, Action button, and Camera Control that change the methods of interaction with the device. The new lightweight titanium design with contoured edges, ‌Dynamic Island‌, and larger screens with slimmer borders result in a noticeably different aesthetic and feel in the hand.

The ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro also brings advancements to photography and videography, adding support for 24-megapixel high-resolution photos, Smart HDR 5, revamped Photographic Styles, Action Mode, and next-generation portraits – practical features that most users can take advantage of. There are substantial hardware improvements to all three rear cameras with the addition of a 48-megapixel Fusion main camera, 48-megapixel ultra wide camera, and a tetraprism telephoto camera, offering up to 5x optical zoom. Even the flash is upgraded with Apple's Adaptive True Tone technology. Features like 48-megapixel HEIF capture, external and log recording, Academy Color Encoding System, and fast data transfer via USB 3 are also major upgrades for professionals.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro does not support Apple Intelligence, Apple's upcoming suite of AI tools. With the A18 Pro chip, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ has full support for ‌Apple Intelligence‌, including Apple's new Visual Lookup feature, which is exclusive to the ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup. It is also worth noting that the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ offers considerably longer battery life, a brighter display, Roadside Assistance via satellite, faster charging, new color options, Wi-Fi 7 support, the second-generation ultra wideband chip, and more.

Due to the scale and breadth of these improvements, many ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ Pro users can justify upgrading to the ‌‌iPhone 16‌‌ Pro, especially if they value the new design, USB-C port, Action button, and camera improvements. Some users may still be able to stick with their current device for one more year to hold off for an even more substantial upgrade in the future, but it is probably time to start thinking about an upgrade.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...

Top Rated Comments

now i see it Avatar
13 months ago
Looks like a used 13 Pro will be the one to get!
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
13 months ago
And compared to iPhone 4, it has 60,000,000 upgrades.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fred_garvin Avatar
13 months ago
If they release another mini anytime, then instant buy. Otherwise just a battery swap on my 13 mini will hold me for the next 5 years.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
13 months ago
by the list of these features it certainly looks that my 13PM is a keeper for at least another year ...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DownUnderDan Avatar
13 months ago
The iPhone 16 won't come in a mini, so I guess thats one feature its missing.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
13 months ago
They're keeping RAM at 8GB for the 16 Pro? Stingy as **** if true.

Now with Apple Intelligence, RAM needs to be a top priority to upgrade. 12GB RAM minimum at least.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)