iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 50+ Differences Compared

[imola.zhp]

Yup, passing up on the 15 after saying for months that I can't wait to upgrade (from 13 Pro).

Also passing up on an Ultra 2 since my Series 7 is just one chip generation older than the Ultra 2/Series 9.

I've upgraded every two years almost like clock work since the first iPhone. Switching to 3-year interval at least for now. Both devices are still working fine, watch seems to be using less battery on Watch OS10 but it could be antidotal.

 

[rajador]

Switched from iphone 12 to iphone 15 Pro, and I am a little bit disappointed:
Pros: 120hz/ great pictures / brightness / Raw pics
Cons: not a pro Battery / phone is heavy af / chunky lenses are the first thing to touch everything / titanium looks dirty on sides
Overall is a good change, but miss the thinness of a well designed phone like the 12

 

[MatrimCauthon]

So, battery life...the 15 pro we just got seemed to drain quickly the first day used. Kind of troubling. The Always On feature was being used. My wife turned that off. I didn't hear any complaints the next day.

That's what I didn't like about the Samsungs. My Note 10+ would drain overnight without being used. Moving to a 13PM, I'd wake up with the phone at almost the same battery level as it had before I went to sleep.

 

[CIA]

Unless the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro is a major improvement (doubtful) I might instead just pay to get a new battery installed in my 13 Pro and use it until it's no longer supported.

 

[zapmymac]

I own a 13 Pro Max, no intention of upgrading. Photos are great, battery life is great, and I just completed a 24 month payment plan so this phone is now “free” aside from monthly carrier fees. Why bother upgrading now? I’ve been on a 3 yr upgrade cycle for some time, for the average person, we’ve reached “good enough” iphone.

Exactly…
Same here, now own my iPhone 13 Pro Max. Will happily wait at least one more cycle/year before upgrading. G/f has the 14 Pro, I haven’t been super impressed with it.

As long as Apple doesn’t artificially gimp iOS, I’m happy with the older phone.

 

[shoehorn42]

People are in doubt for upgrading from 13 Pro Max, I'm in doubt for upgrading from 11 Pro Max lol. Optical zoom would be a huge reason for upgrading, life changing like upgrading from i7 to M1 Max. It feels like all those differences are just on paper.

 

[Rookwood]

Nice to know I'm not the only one who still had an X 'in the family' until recently.

My son, who has a hand-me-down X, is afraid he'll some day need to move on! There is a hand-me-down 11 Pro waiting for him, if he wants, but he really doesn't like the protruding camera bumps. I even agreed to get a battery replacement for him a few months ago. The one failing we now have is the springs in the lightning port are failing so the connector is unreliable (and Apple Store said unfixable) (this shouldn't happen in USB-C since the springs are on the cord-side, not device-side of the connection, so that'll be good). So, he's using wireless most of the time, but that doesn't work well in his hands on long trips. Long story short, he'll tell you, "Long live the X!"

 

[3224932]

Ah, but the glass on the back of my 13 Pro Max is in mint condition

 

[subjonas]

Why aren't I able to dock my iPhone for a monitor, mouse and keyboard experience yet? It's certainly fast enough. That's a significant upgrade.

I believe you can already use Bluetooth mouse and keyboard with iPhone. You can also mirror to a TV or Mac via Airplay, but not sure what the lag situation is—and either way first I think what you want is software optimized for a bigger screen, but that’s a software thing.

 

[svish]

Will be a good upgrade from 13 Pro with addition of dynamic island, better cameras, more RAM and always on display.

 

[Tsepz]

The 13 Pro Max was waaaayyy too good lol.
The A15 Bionic efficiency + large battery + 120Hz screen, have made this device pretty hard to leave.

I am still on the fence about getting the 15 Pro Max, as my 13 Pro Max is on 95% battery health and still giving me amazing battery life, still very fast and smooth.

What does tempt me on 15 Pro Max is:

1. Lighter weight - it will be a welcome thing, I do A LOT of social media work, especially when our company does events so there are times where I am holding my 13 Pro Max for long periods as I am shooting and posting content.
2. USB-C - will be great to charge my iPad Pro and iPhone with the same cable once again.
3. 5x optical zoom - I have this on my spare Android device and it would be welcome on my phone.

With that being said none of these things are a must but a “nice to have”.

I am also waiting to see more battery comparisons between 13 PM and 15 PM, so far it seems the 3nm chip and larger battery in 15 PM are not equating to anything much over 13 PM, I am also worried about the overheating issues.

Let’s see what the likes of GSMArena say. I am very much on the fence, if I get the 15 PM I will need to skip the 16 PM.

 

[DaveXX]

What does tempt me on 15 Pro Max is:

1. Lighter weight - it will be a welcome thing, I do A LOT of social media work, especially when our company does events so there are times where I am holding my 13 Pro Max for long periods as I am shooting and posting content.
2. USB-C - will be great to charge my iPad Pro and iPhone with the same cable once again.
3. 5x optical zoom - I have this on my spare Android device and it would be welcome on my phone.

After switching from 13PM to 15PM i can tell you one thing.

1) In the beginning the 15PM felt much lighter. In the second i put a case on it, there was 0 difference anymore. On the 13PM i had a Pitaka Fiber case and now a Torras Ostand case... So the tiny difference on the cases already took that advantage.
2) USB-C was for me the main reason. So i don't regret the switch.
3) The 5 optical zoom is a disantvantage and advantage at the same time. If you need 3x you get a much worse result. If you get to close (below 1.35 meter) to the subject it will take the 1x zoom and the result is horrible. If you need 5x or more its ofc an advantage.

 

[Tsepz]

After switching from 13PM to 15PM i can tell you one thing.

1) In the beginning the 15PM felt much lighter. In the second i put a case on it, there was 0 difference anymore. On the 13PM i had a Pitaka Fiber case and now a Torras Ostand case... So the tiny difference on the cases already took that advantage.
2) USB-C was for me the main reason. So i don't regret the switch.
3) The 5 optical zoom is a disantvantage and advantage at the same time. If you need 3x you get a much worse result. If you get to close (below 1.35 meter) to the subject it will take the 1x zoom and the result is horrible. If you need 5x or more its ofc an advantage.

Thanks a lot for this!

Funny you mentioned about putting it in the case because my first move if I were to get a 15 PM is to order that DBrand Ghost case which I think would add more weight 😅

Regarding the zoom, that is a real shame and that is exactly an issue I have had on the Android to, it is incredibly difficult it seems to get this right for many manufacturers, I guess this is why Samsung use both a telephoto for 3x optical and then a periscope for 10x optical zoom on the S23 Ultra, but then the in-between stuff is still a bit iffy.

To be honest, for me the perfect zoom setup was on my 11 Pro Max, the 2x optical was perfect for most things, sometimes the 3x optical on my 13 Pro Max can be a little too zoomed in.

Will give it a good think, maybe I just need to throw a new case on my 13 PM for that “new feel”.

 

[xaanaax]

Is no one actually going to mention the camera downgrade?

13 was the last iPhone with 12MP which was amazing for average to low light photography.
14 and 15 having 48MP sensor means it needs more light (or longer exposure) to take the same quality sharp, not blurred picture.

I'm coming from 11 Pro and I just can't take a clear picture anymore indoors with natural light conditions (when it's not sunny outside) of my kids... 8 of out 10 pictures are now blurry or not as sharp as they used to be.

The camera is great for outside usage and it produces slightly warmer colors but it's much worse with low light.

I'm not going to send the 15 Pro Max back (although I should like I've done with 12 and yellow screen) but it's just disappointing and frustrating that the best iPhone ever made performs worse than it's four year old predecessor.

 

[1278701]

Is no one actually going to mention the camera downgrade?

13 was the last iPhone with 12MP which was amazing for average to low light photography.
14 and 15 having 48MP sensor means it needs more light (or longer exposure) to take the same quality sharp, not blurred picture.

It always easier to sell to, and create hype with phone user audiences with bigger numbers. Remember when Samsung were marketing the 100x zoom 🤣

 

[Tovenaar]

.

 

[MrMojo1]

Sticking with the 13 Pro/Max, as battery life and performance are still very good in both and are still very good iPhones as they meet my current needs.
Not an avid photographer/videographer and don't do gaming so no need for the upgrades.
Will buy a new battery when the battery life gets <80% but there's no need to upgrade to any of the IP 15 models, maybe the 16/17 models in the near future, but that's to be determined when the time comes.

 

[Nish1021]

My purchase cycle was every 2yrs… now it’ll be 3yrs. Innovation has slowed down u;ril AI integration fully brings things to new possibilities in smartphones. And it’s still so new that it’ll take another 2yrs for AI to fully mature being integrated in hardware… but oh the fun we will have.

 

[The Oak]

I ultimately sprung for an i15 Pro (from a 13 Pro). For me, the X70 modem: Improved speeds and improved signal lock at edges. I go frequently enough where cell coverage can get spotty. Having improved "coverage" is ultimately what sold me.

Really nice to have: Brighter screen for my older eyes, UCB-C, improved GPS is really nice.

Nice to Have: 3nm, 6E (I have quite a few 6E devices now, might be time to router shop), the lighter weight is noticeable.