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.
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:
- iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro Buyer's Guide
- iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 40 Upgrades Compared
- iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Buyer's Guide: 45+ Upgrades Compared
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.