iPhone 15 Professional vs. iPhone 13 Professional: Must you improve?

The iPhone 15 Professional packs vital upgrades over its rapid predecessor, like a titanium physique, a brighter show, a quicker processor and higher cameras. However are these modifications sufficient to warrant an improve out of your 2-year-old iPhone 13 Professional? Discover out on this comparability.

iPhone 15 Professional vs. iPhone 13 Professional: Improve or not?

Two years is a very long time within the smartphone world. With each new technology, corporations introduce main new options to their units to ship a greater expertise. And Apple isn’t any completely different.

Nevertheless, at first look, the iPhone 15 Professional may look much like the iPhone 13 Professional. And a few of the new additions within the iPhone 15 Professional might sound minor. However a better take a look at the specs sheet will reveal all the important thing upgrades.

Are these enhancements sufficient to ditch your iPhone 13 Professional? Under is an in depth iPhone 15 Professional versus iPhone 13 Professional comparability that will help you resolve in the event you ought to improve this yr or not.

Desk of contents: iPhone 15 Professional vs. iPhone 13 Professional

Design: Titanium vs. metal

• iPhone 15 Professional: 146.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.25mm; 187 grams; IP68, titanium edges, Ceramic Protect, Motion button
• iPhone 13 Professional: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65 mm; 204 grams; IP68, stainless-steel edges, Ceramic Protect, Mute swap

Regardless of launching in September 2021, the iPhone 13 Professional holds its personal within the design and build-quality departments. The stainless-steel chassis provides the cellphone a premium in-hand really feel. The drawback right here is the added heft that utilizing metal brings.

Apple resolved that with the iPhone 15 Professional with out compromising its premium in-hand really feel. The usage of titanium edges allowed the corporate to make the cellphone lighter by 17 grams, making the cellphone simpler to hold day by day. And whereas the show measurement stays unchanged at 6.1-inch, the slimmer bezels imply the brand new iPhone can also be barely extra compact.

One other key improve on the iPhone 15 Professional is the Motion button. It replaces the mute swap, however since it’s customizable, you possibly can use the Motion button to set off customized shortcuts and do way more.

Show: A brighter panel with Dynamic Island

• iPhone 15 Professional: 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Contact, At all times-On show, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1,000 nits typical max brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness outdoor
• iPhone 13 Professional: 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, 2,532 x 1,170 pixels decision, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Contact, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1,000 nits brightness, 1,200 nits max brightness

The iPhone 13 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional have the identical display screen measurement: a 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show. However whereas the panel’s measurement has not grown, Apple made different modifications within the two years for the reason that iPhone 13 Professional’s debut.

Firstly, the brand new iPhone’s panel can attain a considerably larger peak brightness of two,000 nits. That’s 800 nits larger than what the iPhone 13 Professional can obtain. And the twin ambient gentle sensors on the iPhone 15 Professional make sure the cellphone does a greater job of adjusting the brightness degree primarily based on the ambient gentle.

An At all times-On show and a Dynamic Island to interchange the notch

Secondly, the iPhone 15 Professional comes with At all times-On show assist. This permits the cellphone to maintain the display screen all the time on in a low energy state, exhibiting your unread notifications and time/date.

Lastly, as a substitute of the display screen cutout often known as the “notch,” the iPhone 15 Professional comes with the Dynamic Island, which debuted on the iPhone 14 Professional in 2022. Whereas the characteristic packs plenty of promise, a yr since its launch, many third-party app builders have but to take full benefit. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that the iPhone 15 Professional’s Dynamic Island is lots higher than the iPhone 13 Professional’s static notch.

Efficiency: A17 Professional vs. A15 Bionic

• iPhone 15 Professional: A17 Professional made with 3nm fab, six-core CPU with 10% quicker efficiency, six-core GPU with 20% larger peak efficiency, 2x quicker 16-core Neural Engine, devoted AV1 decoder, USB-C controller, second-gen Extremely Wideband chip
• iPhone 13 Professional: A15 Bionic made with 5nm fab, six-core CPU, five-core GPU, 16-core Neural engine, Extremely Wideband chip

The A17 Professional chip contained in the iPhone 15 Professional is the “quickest chip ever in a smartphone,” in line with Apple. However that’s a declare the corporate makes yearly with the launch of a brand new iPhone. In comparison with the A15 Bionic, the A17 Professional will ship 20% to  30% quicker CPU efficiency. The brand new six-core GPU can also be quicker and makes use of Apple-designed shaders. However extra importantly, it helps Apple’s MetalFX framework, considerably bettering graphics high quality in suitable video games.

Plus, a extra highly effective Neural Engine in iPhone 15 Professional

And the iPhone 15 Professional’s efficiency increase isn’t just in regards to the quicker CPU and GPU. The 16-core Neural Engine of the A17 Professional is greater than twice as quick because the iPhone 13 Professional’s. It incorporates a devoted AV1 decoder, making streaming content material from Netflix, YouTube, and different companies way more environment friendly. And because of a devoted USB-C controller, the iPhone 15 Professional can ship as much as 10Gbps data-transfer speeds by means of its USB-C port. This can make transferring massive recordsdata from the cellphone (or vice versa) over a wired connection a breeze.

Whereas the A17 Professional is a greater chip, it doesn’t imply the iPhone 13 Professional’s A15 Bionic is sluggish. This chip can nonetheless maintain its personal two years after its debut and ship nice efficiency with out lags or hiccups whereas operating demanding apps or video games.

The iPhone 15 Professional ships with 8GB RAM, which is 2GB greater than the iPhone 13 Professional. This could assist the previous’s multitasking efficiency, permitting it to maintain a number of apps within the background longer. There’s no distinction in storage capability, as each iPhones can be found with as much as 1TB storage.

Digicam: Large upgrades

• iPhone 15 Professional: 48MP f/1.78 major digicam, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto digicam, 3x optical zoom, OIS; 12MP f/2.2 Extremely Extensive with 1.4um pixels, Macro images; next-gen portraits, LiDAR Scanner, Sensible HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Motion mode, ProRAW assist, ProRes video recording, Log video recording, Motion mode, Macro video recording; Entrance: 12MP digicam with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
• iPhone 13 Professional: 12MP f/1.5 major digicam, sensor-shift stabilization; 12MP f/2.8 telephoto digicam, 3x optical zoom, OIS; 12MP f/1.8 Extremely Extensive, Macro images; True Tone flash, LiDAR Scanner, Sensible HDR 4, Cinematic mode (1080p@30fps), ProRAW assist, ProRes video recording; Entrance: 12MP digicam with f/2.2 aperture

An even bigger and higher-resolution major digicam. An Extremely Extensive with a quicker f/1.9 aperture to absorb extra gentle. On paper, these two are the key digicam {hardware} enhancements on the iPhone 15 Professional. However that doesn’t reveal the entire story. There are quite a few processing and imaging upgrades that play an important position right here.

By default, the iPhone 15 Professional takes photographs at 24MP — twice the decision of the iPhone 13 Professional. Because of this, the photographs it captures look lots sharper and comprise extra particulars. Apple’s new Sensible HDR 5 processing does a significantly better job of not blowing out the sky and highlights, a longstanding concern with iPhones.

Video is healthier on iPhone 15 Professional, too

Video recording high quality can also be higher because of the iPhone 15 Professional’s larger sensors, however the distinction in high quality just isn’t dramatic. You do get new options like Motion mode for super-stabilized movies, Log video recording, and ProRes video recording at as much as 4K60fps to an exterior storage disk. In case you are a real professional person who makes use of an iPhone as a part of your workflow, you’ll like these new additions.

However none of those enhancements imply the iPhone 13 Professional’s digicam is dangerous. Its 12MP major shooter can nonetheless seize nice photographs with loads of particulars. And until you’ll profit from the iPhone 15 Professional’s new digicam options, upgrading doesn’t make a lot sense from a photographic perspective.

Connectivity and sensors: USB-C and satellite tv for pc!

• iPhone 15 Professional: Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc, Roadside Help through satellite tv for pc, Thread networking, excessive dynamic vary gyro, Crash Detection, twin eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (as much as 10Gbps), quicker 5G modem
• iPhone 13 Professional: Emergency SOS, twin eSIM slot, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Lightning (up to480 Mbps)

From a connectivity perspective, you may assume that not a lot modifications between iPhones throughout generations. However that’s not the case. Within the two years for the reason that iPhone 13 Professional’s launch, Apple has made quite a few connectivity upgrades that add as much as a considerably higher expertise.

The primary change instantly noticeable on the iPhone 15 Professional is the USB-C port. If in case you have gone all in on USB-C, your iPhone 13 Professional with its Lightning port will need to have been protruding like a sore thumb. This may look like a easy port change, however its comfort is unmatched.

USB-C has change into the port throughout all Android smartphones and different client units, so iPhone 15 Professional utilizing the identical commonplace is a giant deal. Plus, it brings quicker wired data-transfer speeds.

Plus quicker 5G and Wi-Fi, and satellite tv for pc connectivity for emergencies

You additionally get quicker/higher 5G and Wi-Fi connectivity on the brand new iPhone.

One other key iPhone 15 Professional improve is satellite tv for pc connectivity for Emergency SOS and Roadside Help. This permits the cellphone to hook up with emergency companies even when it’s not related to a cellular community. Lastly, if in case you have a wise residence, the iPhone 15 Professional can act as a Thread router for suitable units, enabling them to speak with different close by units and the web.

iPhone 15 Professional models bought in america don’t include a bodily SIM slot. As a substitute, they solely assist eSIMs. So coming from an iPhone 13 Professional, you’ll must ditch your bodily SIM card.

Battery life: No modifications

• iPhone 15 Professional: As much as 23 hours of video playback, as much as 75 hours of audio playback; MagSafe and Qi2 wi-fi charging assist
• iPhone 13 Professional: As much as 22 hours of video playback, as much as 75 hours of audio playback; MagSafe and Qi wi-fi charging assist

Regardless of utilizing a quicker and extra environment friendly A17 Professional chip, the iPhone 15 Professional gives the identical battery life because the two-year-old iPhone 13 Professional. That’s probably not dangerous for the reason that iPhone 13 Professional made large enhancements to battery life. However it’s a bummer to see Apple not additional enhance on this. Nonetheless, the iPhone 15 Professional will final you thru a day of heavy use with room to spare. And that ought to be greater than adequate for almost all of customers.

Charging speeds stay unchanged and terribly sluggish. A zero-to-50% top-up will take half-hour on each iPhones, with a full cost taking round 90 minutes. Wi-fi charging additionally tops out at 15W like earlier than with MagSafe, so don’t count on any enhancements on this space both.

Must you improve to the iPhone 15 Professional?

With the iPhone 15 Professional, you get a lighter cellphone with higher construct high quality, a brighter show, higher cameras with pro-centric options, a customizable Motion button, and USB-C. All of those are compelling causes to improve, however must you? Except you may have some particular points together with your iPhone 13 Professional or are discovering its cameras insufficient, I’d advocate holding out for one more yr.

The iPhone 15 Professional would have been a worthy improve if it featured the identical 5x telephoto lens as its bigger sibling, the iPhone 15 Professional Max. Some rumors point out Apple plans on this improve for 2024 (alongside a larger show). That might make the soar from iPhone 13 Professional to iPhone 16 Professional a noticeable one — and an improve properly value your cash.

If you happen to already determined to purchase the brand new iPhone, try our iPhone 15 Professional versus iPhone 15 Professional Max comparability to resolve in the event you ought to go for the larger mannequin this time round.