iPhone 13 Pro Max Anyone still using a 13 Pro/Pro Max?

[Anthony T]

I recently went from a 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro. I missed the larger display and battery life, so switched to a 16 Pro Max.

However, I can’t help but feel like all iPhone models (particularly the Pro models, as I’ve never went with the “regular” ones) have been the same since the iPhone 12 Pro through now.

I’m wondering if this 16 Pro Max is worth $50 a month for the next 24 months. I’m thinking of going back to an older iPhone model that I can buy cash and just waiting to see if the 17 Pro/Air is worth the upgrade.

I’m thinking of getting a 13 Pro or Pro Max, mainly because I like the Alpine Green color. Is anyone using either of these and if so, how is it holding up in 2024?

The Pacific Blue is probably my favorite color iPhone ever, but 12 Pro/Pro Max might be a little too old.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I'm still using a 12 Pro. it works... fine. Suits my purposes. It has AppleCare+ so there's no need to replace it.

That said, I'm not sure I'd be willing to BUY one now. Too much can go wrong on older phones, and you can't add AppleCare+ if you don't buy it new.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

+1 iP13pro. My upgrade cycle is when Apple stops providing OS updates. Lowers my annual average cost of ownership.

 

[azhava]

I had a 13 Pro - until I upgraded to the 16 Pro last month. Battery health was at 79%, but it still got me through a full day and was otherwise like new. I could have replaced the battery and gone another 3 years with it, but the 16 Pro had a few features that made the upgrade worthwhile to me.

 

[valinda]

I’m using a 13 pro. Works very well , no problems. 87% battery. Bought it used.

 

[Reverend Benny]

Have a bunch of iPhones but the 13 pro is my daily driver and have had it for almost 3 years now. Was thinking about upgrading this year but since the last few updates (iOS 17) has given it a boost in battery time I might stick with it for another year. Well see how it handles iOS 18.

 

[DevinNj]

I’ve had my 12 Pro Max just shy of four years now. No issues at all with it. Battery health is at 82%, gets me through the day if it’s a light use day with usually 20% left. It’s a great phone. I’m only upgrading this year because I want the extra Zoom that the telephone lens offers. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be keeping it till next year.
I understand you’re looking to pick up an older model, but no issues at all with the 12 series at this point in time.

 

[saudor]

However, I can’t help but feel like all iPhone models (particularly the Pro models, as I’ve never went with the “regular” ones) have been the same since the iPhone 12 Pro through now.

phones have hit a plateau so you’re not going to see much going from 15 to 16 or even 17. why not just go back to your 15?

i’m using an 8+ and im still struggling to find benefits lol. RCS is the only ”interesting” feature for me. gone are the 4s/5 days where even a single generation brought 700% increase in graphics, double the CPU power, and a ton of new features.

 

[brgjoe]

I still use my 13PM that I got on launch month. Still does everything I need it to. Has 84% capacity still left -- easily could go another year without upgrading that.

I just don't see a need to upgrade. USB-C would be nice, sure. But I always charge either via Magsafe or the Samsung charging puck that I have used for years now. Still like my mute switch and the fact I have an actual physical SIM that I can put into any phone that accepts them -- Apple or Android. I like being able to do that in matter of seconds without having to do anything with QR Codes or calling my carrier.

Maybe next year will give me a more compelling argument for upgrading. But for right now, I'm good with the 13PM.

 

[3Rock]

Kept iPhone 12 Pro with 87% battery health. I to see no need to have the 16 pro at this time. Waiting for 17 pro next year. By that time AI would be more matured and quite possibly the touch issue will be resolved. My understanding that the 17 pro will have 12 MB of memory instead of 8. Unknown if this is true. If it is, why didn’t Apple give the 16 pro 12 MB of memory? What will 12 MB over 8 MB give us using AI.?

 

[decafjava]

I've mentioned this many times, but my 13 PM worked very well and if it hadn't been stolen in January I would have kept it and replaced the battery when needed. Don't get me wrong, I am quite happy with my 15 PM and it had some nice features with the upgrade, I just have moved away from frequent (annual or bi-annual) upgrades as the differences are not as great, and the expense and the ecological cost are too much.

 

[Guacamole]

I'm keeping my 13pro for another year, I've just changed the case and screen protector to last another year and hopefully I'll get the 17. I was looking at the 16pro mainly because I'd like a 5x zoom but so many people are having issues with the phone and that put me off. Plus I don't have all that money to burn for something I don't really need right now

 

[espreso]

I use an iPhone 13 mini
I bought it new this year and it works great with 100% battery
I just hate carrying a tablet with me all day
I like a compact 5.4 inch phone that fits in my hand and pocket easily and you can control anywhere on the screen with one hand
It lasts me two days on a charge, but I only use the phone for Spotify and WhatsApp

 

[Splitrail]

My 13 Pro is my first "smart phone", I've had it for three years.
I'm still enamored with it, use it a lot, take care of it, and it's in "mint" condition.
Battery health is at 89%.
The only real drawback I have with it is the lack of any way to bypass the proprietary "photo enhancements" of the camera system. As much as I love this phone, I would replace it, when it becomes time, with a phone with a camera system that allows for this.

 

[webkit]

That said, I'm not sure I'd be willing to BUY one now. Too much can go wrong on older phones, and you can't add AppleCare+ if you don't buy it new.

You don't have to buy new. AppleCare+ can be added to Apple Certified Refurbished devices too. Apple sells 13 Pro iPhones starting at $589 and 13 Pro Max iPhones starting at $679, although availability can vary day to day.

 

[bondr006]

I currently have the iPhone 13PM in Alpine Green. It's my favorite iPhone so far and still has several years of updates left. I kept my 8 Plus (my previous favorite) for 5 years before I traded up to the 13PM and still got $140.00 towards my 13PM at the Apple store. Not much in the 16PM over the 13PM that is tempting me to upgrade. At this point the 13PM still has 88% battery life, so I'll probably just replace the battery sometime next year or so, put on a new case and screen protector, give it a new wallpaper, do a full reset, and keep it for a few more years.

In the mean time the 13PM takes great pictures and videos, plays any music I want to hear, lets me watch tv shows and movies, makes and takes phone calls, surfs the web, gets and sends messages and emails, and importantly still gives me all day+ battery life.😉

 

[cateye]

I’m wondering if this 16 Pro Max is worth $50 a month for the next 24 months. I’m thinking of going back to an older iPhone model that I can buy cash and just waiting to see if the 17 Pro/Air is worth the upgrade.

Only you can judge whether something is worth it. Worth it how? For features? To replace something that is broken or sub-optimal? Because you want something new? Sometimes it's worth putting pencil to paper and writing out pros/cons to a something like this. What do you actually get with a 16 that is interesting or useful to you, independent of Apple's marketing? It may be a smaller (or larger!) list than you realize.

More practically, I would never finance a smartphone, but that reflects my opinions about money and credit which may not reflect anyone else's, nor am I here to lecture anyone about installment payments for consumer goods. Speaking only for myself: Regardless of whether something is worth it to me or not, if I can't pay for the whole thing, at once, without affecting others needs or budgets, then I don't get it until I can, period. FOMO shouldn't be a thing for an adult (again, IMO. Everyone needs to be at peace with their own baselines here.)

I’m thinking of getting a 13 Pro or Pro Max, mainly because I like the Alpine Green color. Is anyone using either of these and if so, how is it holding up in 2024?

13 Pro user here. It's still a great phone. Performant, functional, and fully supported (Apple Intelligence parlor tricks notwithstanding, but there are ways to integrate CoPilot or the OpenAI client if you really need equivalents to some of the promised A.I. features). I don't see any problem with getting a 13 Pro or Pro Max if you can get it for a good price and it fulfills your needs.

 

[bondr006]

I recently went from a 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro. I missed the larger display and battery life, so switched to a 16 Pro Max.

However, I can’t help but feel like all iPhone models (particularly the Pro models, as I’ve never went with the “regular” ones) have been the same since the iPhone 12 Pro through now.

I’m wondering if this 16 Pro Max is worth $50 a month for the next 24 months. I’m thinking of going back to an older iPhone model that I can buy cash and just waiting to see if the 17 Pro/Air is worth the upgrade.

I’m thinking of getting a 13 Pro or Pro Max, mainly because I like the Alpine Green color. Is anyone using either of these and if so, how is it holding up in 2024?

The Pacific Blue is probably my favorite color iPhone ever, but 12 Pro/Pro Max might be a little too old.

I love my 13PM Alpine Green. It's not going anywhere for 2 to 3 more years. I keep it in a case and screen protector, so it looks brand new. It is on 18.0.1, has great battery life and performance. Can't see or justify upgrading at this point.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/anyone-still-using-a-13-pro-pro-max.2439362/post-33470720

 

[winxmac]

April 15 2023 to June 15 2024 - iPhone 14 Pro Max [first owner/brand new]
June 15 2024 to present - iPhone 13 Pro [pre-owned but have scratches around the Lightning port]

Although I'm thinking of going back to iPhone 11 Pro Max in exchange for some cash... But then, I will lose Dolby Vision HDR video and ProRAW in exchange for longer battery life...

I really wanted the Alpine Green but only Sierra Blue was available in 512GB, which I should have asked for 1TB model instead...

I've had the iPhone 13 Pro for almost 4 months but is still 100% battery health [it was 100% when I first got it] even though I have used it for hours long video recording and I discharge it completely then charge it to 100% almost every day... Battery health counter-checked in Coconut Battery and it is still 100%

I downgraded from iOS 18.0 to iOS 17.7 while it is still allowed... I miss the classic widgets and the better Photos app... I'll miss the dark mode icons but I don't like the iOS 18.x Control Center although having a software power button is nice...

I do hope that in the future we are allowed to shoot RAW [not ProRAW] without needing to use third party software... To me, the iPhone is the best smartphone for shooting video, but adding Dolby Vision HDR [since iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max] makes it even better than ever...

 

[klasma]

I’m wondering if this 16 Pro Max is worth $50 a month for the next 24 months. I’m thinking of going back to an older iPhone model that I can buy cash and just waiting to see if the 17 Pro/Air is worth the upgrade.

Whatever the model, always buy cash, that’s the cheapest. And only upgrade when you have a specific need, not because of “it’s probably better somehow”.

 

[thosmatthews]

Happy with my 13 Pro. Nothing as of yet has swayed me to a new one. A new mini or ‘iPhone air’ might turn my head though.

 

[Fred Zed]

Sorry and don’t mean to be disrespectful to those that have the 12PM but in my use case I found the 13PM far more superior in both display and battery usage. Two of the main things that I utilized on a daily basis.

 

[winxmac]

Sorry and don’t mean to be disrespectful to those that have the 12PM but in my use case I found the 13PM far more superior in both display and battery usage. Two of the main things that I utilized on a daily basis.

12 series introduced 5G but decreased battery capacity compared to 11 series

13 series still has 5G but increased battery capacity compared to 12 series

 

[ProbablyDylan]

My mom is still using my old 13PM. No major issues, aside from now being unable to borrow my chargers.

 

[Fred Zed]

12 series introduced 5G but decreased battery capacity compared to 11 series

13 series still has 5G but increased battery capacity compared to 12 series

Yep. The 13PM was a battery legend. Damn it “ 5 more hours “ he said. 😂