Other iP 13 Pro (Max) owners, when will you upgrade?

[BigDO]

Let's assume you are buying outright and not using a subsidized (Apple or carrier) finance instrument. What will trigger you to upgrade from the 13 Pro (Max)?

14 Pro didn't ever raise an eyebrow. USB C vs Lightning makes zero difference to me. Similarly with camera improvements (periscope lenses etc).

Is there anything in the pipeline this year, or the next, that would be equivalent to, say, 120Hz refresh and true all day battery life (which were game changers to me on the 13 Pro)?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I really need dual SIM for my job so until they release a US version I’ll be holding on/buying refurbs OR I don’t have that job anymore.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I am still using the iphone 11 pro max, but will finally upgrade when the 15 pro max(ultra?) comes out later this year. I tend to keep my mobile Apple products for awhile. I am also still using a 2018 11” iPad Pro for all my creative work. Won’t update it until the OLED iPad Pros come out.

 

[Adelphos33]

For me it is a little different - I want a lighter and smaller phone, especially since I need to carry two phones (I also now carry a work iPhone 13). So I am debating iPhone 14 Pro or waiting for iPhone 15/Pro.

 

[bondr006]

I keep my phones longer to truly get the value outta the expensive buggers. I went from 8 Plus to 13PM, so my next upgrade will be the top end 17PM/Ultra.

 

[Tsepz]

I’m waiting to see what the 15 Pro Max/Ultra brings, what will make me get a new iPhone is if I see significant improvement from 13 Pro Max in:
- Battery life
- Camera quality + Periscope, I’d love to see a 10x optical zoom periscope in an iPhone, I often keep my Huawei Mate 40 Pro in my other pocket due to its excellent 5x optical zoom periscope.
- USB-C or full wireless being brought in
- reduction in the Dynamic Island (it seems to protrude in wide videos, something that wasn’t an issue on notched iPhones as the videos black border would be right at the border of the notch) - hopefully Apple sort this out in the next iPhone.

The 13 Pro Max is such a well rounded device, I sure hope it’s performance stays as good as it is for a few more years because it’s becoming tougher and tougher to justify an upgrade these days, TBH, ideally I’d like to keep using my 13 PM until late 2025, but if Apple bring something really good and worthwhile before then I may jump on it.

 

[sam_dean]

I upgrade every 2 years to enjoy 3nm... 2 years later again 2nm.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I may upgrade in 2024 or 2025 and probably to a non Pro iPhone or Android device. The 13 Pro Max I have now is solid and I see no need to think about upgrading for quite a while.

 

[Hal~9000]

Let's assume you are buying outright and not using a subsidized (Apple or carrier) finance instrument. What will trigger you to upgrade from the 13 Pro (Max)?

14 Pro didn't ever raise an eyebrow. USB C vs Lightning makes zero difference to me. Similarly with camera improvements (periscope lenses etc).

Is there anything in the pipeline this year, or the next, that would be equivalent to, say, 120Hz refresh and true all day battery life (which were game changers to me on the 13 Pro)?

Main improvements that I look for are the following (in order of importance to me):

1. Screen brightness / improved thermals

The 13 Pro Max increased the typical max brightness to 1000 nits (over the previous 12 Pro series cap of 800 nits).

The 14 Pro series can potentially go all the way up to 2000 nits, but only for a few minutes before the insides get too hot and the phone has to crank things back down.

What I’m really looking for is the next bump up in typical (sustained) brightness up to 1200 or more, whether that be through new screen technology or improved thermals. The 14 Pro Max has a metal plate on the logic boards and graphite pads to run a couple of degrees cooler, but it’s not enough improvement to run the typical max brightness any higher than the 13 Pro Max.

2. Improved battery life

The 13 Pro Max is already great for battery life. Apple advertises it as having 25 hours of streaming video playback (which is the exact same as the 14 Pro Max).

Over the years if they increase this category to 30 hours that would be a nice temptation. The increased battery life would mean I could own the device longer without the battery life being affected by future iOS updates or having to replace the battery, and being able to crank up the brightness to the max as long as I want without issue.

3. Improved camera

The 14 Pro Max being able to shoot in pro mode at 48mp is nice, but since I’m not a photographer it’s not an earth shattering improvement compared to the camera quality of the 13 Pro Max. I’m sure that over time the newest iPhones camera will continue get better and better so that by the time I’m ready to finally upgrade it will be a noticeable difference.

4. Improved weight / frame material

I’m not a fan at all of the stainless steel frame of the 13 Pro Max. Not only does the super shiny frame start to look gross after a few minutes of use due to picking up a massive amount of fingerprints, it also adds to the weight of a phone that’s over 1/2 a pound! I’d like Apple to get rid of the shiny material (it only looks good in keynote presentation videos) and go with a lighter material with a matte finish.

5. USB-C

Not a huge deal since I’ve already got both lightning cables and USB-C cables, but it will be nice to finally be able to cut down the cable clutter by 1/2. Not to mention that you might finally be able to transfer large files off/on your iPhone at a much improved rate.



While the 15 Pro Max might be a nice phone, based on the rumored upgrades I don’t see myself being that tempted enough to upgrade. I’d like to keep my 13 Pro Max another 3-4 years and simply get a battery replacement along the way. Maybe I’ll finally upgrade when they have an under the display FaceID system? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[BigDO]

Main improvements that I look for are the following (in order of importance to me):

1. Screen brightness / improved thermals

The 13 Pro Max increased the typical max brightness to 1000 nits (over the previous 12 Pro series cap of 800 nits).

The 14 Pro series can potentially go all the way up to 2000 nits, but only for a few minutes before the insides get too hot and the phone has to crank things back down.

What I’m really looking for is the next bump up in typical (sustained) brightness up to 1200 or more, whether that be through new screen technology or improved thermals. The 14 Pro Max has a metal plate on the logic boards and graphite pads to run a couple of degrees cooler, but it’s not enough improvement to run the typical max brightness any higher than the 13 Pro Max.

2. Improved battery life

The 13 Pro Max is already great for battery life. Apple advertises it as having 25 hours of streaming video playback (which is the exact same as the 14 Pro Max).

Over the years if they increase this category to 30 hours that would be a nice temptation. The increased battery life would mean I could own the device longer without the battery life being affected by future iOS updates or having to replace the battery, and being able to crank up the brightness to the max as long as I want without issue.

3. Improved camera

The 14 Pro Max being able to shoot in pro mode at 48mp is nice, but since I’m not a photographer it’s not an earth shattering improvement compared to the camera quality of the 13 Pro Max. I’m sure that over time the newest iPhones camera will continue get better and better so that by the time I’m ready to finally upgrade it will be a noticeable difference.

4. Improved weight / frame material

I’m not a fan at all of the stainless steel frame of the 13 Pro Max. Not only does the super shiny frame start to look gross after a few minutes of use due to picking up a massive amount of fingerprints, it also adds to the weight of a phone that’s over 1/2 a pound! I’d like Apple to get rid of the shiny material (it only looks good in keynote presentation videos) and go with a lighter material with a matte finish.

5. USB-C

Not a huge deal since I’ve already got both lightning cables and USB-C cables, but it will be nice to finally be able to cut down the cable clutter by 1/2. Not to mention that you might finally be able to transfer large files off/on your iPhone at a much improved rate.



While the 15 Pro Max might be a nice phone, based on the rumored upgrades I don’t see myself being that tempted enough to upgrade. I’d like to keep my 13 Pro Max another 3-4 years and simply get a battery replacement along the way. Maybe I’ll finally upgrade when they have an under the display FaceID system? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Veru good points. In particular, screen brightness, further improvement in battery life, and weight reduction would be big upgrade drivers for me.

 

[mlody]

I have 13 Pro and not planning to upgrade for another year. I will most likely upgrade to iPhone 16 Pro. My wife is on 12 Pro and she will most likely upgrade to 15 Pro by the end of this year.

 

[Fried_Gold]

I don’t have a Pro Max but I do plan on holding off upgrading my 13 until next year. Will probably go for the Pro Max/Ultra whatever it’s called though.

 

[Al Rukh]

I have a 13PM and in my opinion it was peak iPhone. Why? Because I never felt I needed the 14PM. I’ve always gotten the new iPhones each year so if the upgrades matter to me, I’ll get the new iPhone.

Features that are important to me: stellar battery life, ProMotion display, OLED screen and a capable camera system. All of which the iPhone 13PM has.

My only gripe is the glossy stainless steel chassis, and if the 15PM transitioned to a matte finish, I’ll get it. But that depends also because overall I’m very happy with my 13PM. My only concern at the moment is how will iOS 17 affect the battery life of 13PMs. It is widely understood that each new iterations of iOS affects the battery performance of older generations of iPhones.

 

[ctjack]

I have a 13PM and in my opinion it was peak iPhone. Why? Because I never felt I needed the 14PM. I’ve always gotten the new iPhones each year so if the upgrades matter to me, I’ll get the new iPhone.

It never felt as needed for us too but we upgraded. The worst thing is that promotion was better working on 13PM and 13PM never lagged while 14PM shows consistent freezes here and there.
Most of all, I did everything possible, but my wife gets 9-9.5 hr SOT on 14 PM while on 13PM she consistently got 10-13H, 10h being sort of heavy workload. Nothing changed in our behaviors.
13PM easily sounds like a 2-3 year keeper - there is no better holding phone out there.

 

[MacLappy]

The previous iPhone I had, was the iPhone 12.

It was a dud, plagued with poor battery life and connection issues. The smaller battery and first-generation 5G chip were probably the main culprits.

While I could live with these minor inconveniences, ageing left me wanting a bigger screen.

In October 2021, I upgraded to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. To me, it is Peak iPhone.

After many months, using the 13 Pro Max still fills me with joy.

I am still amazed at the battery life, stability, and performance(Still on iOS 15.7.1). Photos and videos are so good, I no longer carry dedicated devices for them. Everything is buttery smooth, from work apps to game apps.

I am genuinely happy with my 13 Pro Max.

It feels like a culmination of past iPhones pulled together for one final masterpiece. The crème de la crème of functionality. Building on essentials, on what works, rather than unnecessary novelty.

Obviously, at some point, I am going to upgrade. Hopefully, it is because of genuine need rather than buying into Apple’s latest hype.

After all, like many who frequent this forum, I am a sufferer of upgraditis.

 

[Al Rukh]

It never felt as needed for us too but we upgraded. The worst thing is that promotion was better working on 13PM and 13PM never lagged while 14PM shows consistent freezes here and there.
Most of all, I did everything possible, but my wife gets 9-9.5 hr SOT on 14 PM while on 13PM she consistently got 10-13H, 10h being sort of heavy workload. Nothing changed in our behaviors.
13PM easily sounds like a 2-3 year keeper - there is no better holding phone out there.

That’s a shame that the 14PM failed to follow up with its predecessor in terms of user experience. I feel attached to my 13PM. It’s been very reliable and it never let me down so far. The closest I’ve felt like this before was when I had the 11PM.

 

[nerdgenius]

Probably no time soon. The phone is handling all tasks very well and I still have the ability to swap a sim physically which is a huge plus. I plan to maintain it for at least 4 years.

 

[DanielG97]

I’ll see what the 15 PM/Ultra brings. Otherwise, the 13 Pro Max is a nigh perfect phone for me, and one of the overall best iPhones that I feel Apple has produced. It’s such a well rounded device in every aspect, that even considering upgrading to a brand new phone makes me ask, “why?”, to myself lol.

 

[Devyn89]

At this point I plan to keep my 13 Pro until they get Face ID under the display completely or they stop supporting it software wise. Whichever is first. That’s the last upgrade I want really.

 

[Bobdigi76]

I’m pretty simple. Better screen/smaller bezels, new form factor & colors I like and better battery. Camera upgrades are pretty low on my list of concerns

 

[JonMPLS]

I am on a two-year trend, so thinking the 15. Especially if they go with titanium and make it a little lighter--might make me go back to the Max size again. USB C is also a plus to me.

 

[Kottu]

Found a used 13PM in mint condition. I wonder if it’s worth buying and give my 12PM to sone. Those who have used both 13PM and 14PM, do the picture quality differs a lot? I see a lot of threads about problems around 14 series

 

[ctjack]

Found a used 13PM in mint condition. I wonder if it’s worth buying and give my 12PM to sone. Those who have used both 13PM and 14PM, do the picture quality differs a lot? I see a lot of threads about problems around 14 series

Not quite exciting examples below, on top of that I don't know how to extract crop photos so just took a screenshot with Mac from Lightroom.
Left - 14 PM 48 MP RAW. Right - 14 PM 12MP standard Heic photo.
In real life, your 13 PM standard photos will look like right hand side of this photo - standard pictures of 13 PM are very similar to 14 PM.

 

[gimmmick]

Honesty, until the phone breaks or gets lost. I forgot my iPhone 13 pro max at home when I was traveling to Colombia back in Jan. I used my wife's back up 8 plus (brings an extra spare just in case moments). Long story short, the iPhone 8 Plus even with it's aging hardware still performed remarkably well. Only downfall was the battery desperately needed to be changed out because it was going on 5+ years of ownership (purchased at launch).

I fully expect to get updates from apple (seeing as how it has the same chipset as the regular 14) and for it to still be a capable phone for every day usage. I'm also reaching 40 so learning to use new hardware isn't exactly screaming out for excitement lol.

 

[compwiz1202]

1. Screen brightness / improved thermals

The biggest one for me. What's point of 1T nits even if it throttles in the sun within 15s??