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

Supercyborgninja said:
So mad there still isn't a Astrophotography mode. :(
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Astrophotography is a scam and you still didn’t realize it even after it was debunked many times. No phone can take a photo of the moon or anything else in the space since the optics in phones is too weak for that. This is why asian phone manufacturers replace a real photo by a photo of a good quality from the internet 😳
 
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obesechess said:
My 12PM is at like 63% battery health and I've started taking a lot more photos and videos since I bought it, so both the better camera and the action button appeal to me. My 12PM is also my last lightning device, everything else I own is USB-C at this point. I also like the increased form factor as I have cartoonishly long thumbs.

So, I think I'll probably end up grabbing the 16PM, unless "Apple Intelligence" is wildly intrusive as I am a dyed-in-the-wool AI hater, in which case I'll just get a 15PM.
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You'll enjoy the upgrade. Especially if you like making photos and videos.

I had an iPhone 12. Its main flaw, from a photography perspective, was the lens flare it caused due to a silvered ring around the exterior lens housing. So many of my photos were ruined due to that.

Moving to a 14PM solved the problem. Looking forward to owning a 16PM.
 
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kamyk35 said:
I'm not surprised u prefer the 13 Pro (great phone) over the 14 Pro/Max, it was a compromised upgrade and not very good at all, however the 15 Pro is a big upgrade over the 13 Pro, (which I had for 2 years and liked it) it's just better in every aspect, the 16's may be a small improvement on the 15 Pro, however no where near enough for me to consider upgrading!
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iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max is just a minor update to iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max but is nowhere a big upgrade to iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max...

Dynamic Island - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
48MP main camera - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
2x zoom [optical quality] - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
2nd generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
Photonic Engine - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
Action mode - iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
LOG video recording - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
24MP image capture - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
USB Type C 3.0 - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
Smart HDR 5 - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
5x zoom - iPhone 15 Pro Max
 
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serzhs1 said:
Astrophotography is a scam and you still didn’t realize it even after it was debunked many times. No phone can take a photo of the moon or anything else in the space since the optics in phones is too weak for that. This is why asian phone manufacturers replace a real photo by a photo of a good quality from the internet 😳
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This thread would show otherwise.

Astrophotography encompasses a lot more than just taking close ups of planets and DSOs.
 
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serzhs1 said:
Astrophotography is a scam and you still didn’t realize it even after it was debunked many times. No phone can take a photo of the moon or anything else in the space since the optics in phones is too weak for that. This is why asian phone manufacturers replace a real photo by a photo of a good quality from the internet 😳
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True when it comes to moon.
Not true when it comes to Milkyway shots.
 
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I will stick with my iPhone 13 Pro Max for another year at least. I changed the battery recently and it performs really well.

Also, what the hell with focal lengths?
13, 24, 28, 35 and then 120. How to shoot portraits without 50-85? Why does it have so many ultra wides?
 
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Longest I went between upgrading was 8+ —> 12PM

8 was a great phone.

Now I’m on a 13PM and will be holding onto for another year for sure….I’ll wave to the 16’s as I roll pass them on the *no upgrade turnpike* 😆
 
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I really don't see a compelling reason to upgrade. The 13 Pro line was the last major upgrade from Apple, and while the 16 does offer plenty of upgrades, it's not quite enough to jump up. I may trade in my wife's iPhone 12PM and hand her the 13 PM instead.
 
Always-On Display
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Any details on this? My Google Pixel 4A and 6 have a thing where the time and date are always shown. Is that it?

If so, that is a neat feature that I never had nor thought I'd want, but turned out to be nice. Even high end Android phones got criticized for not having this!


DownUnderDan said:
The iPhone 16 won't come in a mini, so I guess thats one feature its missing.
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Or, they just call the iPhone 16 "mini size". :oops:
 
I currently have 13 Pro. If it wasn't for the fact that I am receiving a phone allowance/reimbursement, I would for sure not bother. But now that my 13 Pro is paid for, there is not a single downside to get 16 Pro since work will cover the cost. Because of this update, my older daughter will benefit as well, as she will get a free upgrade from 12 Pro to 13 Pro. I know upgrade from 12 Pro to 13 Pro is very minor, but still. My 13 Pro is 256GB while her 12 Pro is 128 GB so she will benefit in that regard the most. I am also planning to have Apple to replace the battery before handing her out the phone, so between new battery and higher storage capacity, that should be huge upgrade for her. We will most likely keep her 12 Pro as a spare phone since we dont have a single spare phone.
 
lewchenko said:
An article for me! Thank you. But it hasn’t convinced me that my 13 Pro is ready to be given up.
Not for the costs involved. Phone plus apple care,case,screen protector etc less trade in value still means a lot of cash to part with.

Im more impressed with the spec sheet of a pixel 9 Pro at this point but hesitate at the switch.

Low light camera improvements is probably the best improvement I can see on that list that the 16 Pro could give me which isn’t saying much really.

Some things are downgrades.
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Kind of diffrent question i think switching to a android as a daily driver is like turning the table upside down.
and its software is a bit wonky if you belive the reviews on it.

I would go samsung s25 ultra in that case that drops in january or so

Anyway for me living in eu, i have to decide on a iphone 16 based on the things you get hardware and software wise.
and i think its close, sure we all know you can push a iphone for more than 5years i mean i used a iphone 6 base model from 2015 to 2022 and worked fine until it didnt :)
 
Heat_Fan89 said:
iPhone 13P = eSIM and SIM tray

iPhone 16P = eSIM only
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...AND as small as this might be, the eSim silliness is still holding me back. Love this 13 Pro Max...battery is still acceptable and I honestly hate to give it up. Plus I have an ancient pretty sluggish Note 9 - a free hand me down from my brother years ago, and I will swap sim cards with this at times. I'm not an Android guy by any means and don't think I'll ever switch, but I still kinda like some of the pro camera / video modes in 4K. Even the brief 960fps EXTREME slo mo clips I can grab with this old 6+ year old phone.
 
PhillyGuy72 said:
...AND as small as this might be, the eSim silliness is still holding me back. Love this 13 Pro Max...battery is still acceptable and I honestly hate to give it up. Plus I have an ancient pretty sluggish Note 9 - a free hand me down from my brother years ago, and I will swap sim cards with this at times. I'm not an Android guy by any means and don't think I'll ever switch, but I still kinda like some of the pro camera / video modes in 4K. Even the brief 960fps EXTREME slo mo clips I can grab with this old 6+ year old phone.
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Yeah I know what you mean and it's the reason my first iPhone was the iPhone 13 because it was the last to include a SIM tray. I'm not an eSIM hater, from from it because I actually like the idea and prefer eSIM over physical SIM. My problem is that my MVNO (Mint Mobile) only allows two free SIM swaps per 12 months. After that they charge for each additional swap. I have not found a better phone plan for $15 per month than what Mint offers. I've been with them going on 5 years.
 
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