If you own an iPhone 13, should you upgrade to the iPhone 16 for its faster performance, better cameras and Apple Intelligence support? Or should you wait another year?

Three years is a long time in the tech world. The iPhone 13 launched in 2021 with cutting-edge specs. But in 2024, it is showing its age, especially when compared to the iPhone 16. Find out if this is the year to upgrade in our in-depth buying guide, which pits iPhone 16 versus iPhone 13.

iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13 comparison

Apple just gave its non-Pro iPhone lineup the biggest upgrade in the last few years. As highlighted in our iPhone 16 review, buying the non-Pro iPhone makes more sense this year than usual. While Apple’s newest iPhone packs some compelling upgrades, it does not make your old iPhone 13 any worse. The 3-year-old phone misses out on Apple Intelligence but supports all other major iOS 18 features. Plus, performance is almost never a problem with older iPhones, thanks to Apple’s optimizations.

Given everything, should you upgrade to the iPhone 16 from your iPhone 13? Or should you stick to your old iPhone for another year? Find out in this comparison.

Table of contents: iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13 comparison

Design: Same look but iPhone 16 gets 2 new buttons
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in five colors, including the vibrant ultramarine.Photo: Apple

iPhone 16: 147.6mm x 71.6mm x 7.80mm; 171 grams; IP68, aerospace-grade aluminum with color-infused glass back, second-gen Ceramic Shield (front), Action button, Camera Control
iPhone 13: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm, 173 grams, IP68, aluminum with glass back, Ceramic Shield (front), ring/silent switch

Despite launching three years later, the iPhone 16 retains almost the same dimensions as the iPhone 13. There are minor differences, like the iPhone 16 being 2 grams lighter and 0.15mm thicker. But these changes are too small to be easily noticeable.

The most significant change on the front is the iPhone 16’s Dynamic Island, the interactive oval interface that replaces the notch at the top of the screen. At the rear, the iPhone 16’s vertical camera layout is similar to that of the iPhone X, differing from the iPhone 13.

Both phones are made from aluminum, but the new iPhone uses a more durable front glass. It also trades in the ring/mute switch in favor of the more customizable Action button. Plus, there’s the new Camera Control, which provides you with quick access to the Camera app and its key controls.

Lastly, like the iPhone 13, the iPhone 16 comes in several colors. However, the latter uses snazzier hues that stand out over its predecessor.

Display: Brighter and more efficient
The iPhone 13’s front houses a big notch.Photo: Apple

iPhone 16: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate, Haptic Touch, True Tone, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness
iPhone 13: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,532 x 1,170 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate, Haptic Touch, True Tone, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits typical brightness, 1,200 nits peak brightness

The iPhone 16 sports the same size display as the iPhone 13. And while its resolution is almost the same, it is a significantly brighter panel. Apple says peak brightness hits 2,000 nits, 800 nits higher than the iPhone 13. This should provide a better viewing experience in almost all scenarios, including direct sunlight. Since the OLED screen is more efficient, iPhone 16 won’t throttle the brightness under direct sunlight as quickly as iPhone 13.

Processor and storage: iPhone 16 is more than 50% faster than iPhone 13
iPhone 16’s A18 CPU is 50% faster than A15 Bionic.Photo: Apple

iPhone 16: A18, 3nm fab, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, new 16-core Neural Engine, up to 512GB storage
iPhone 13: A15 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, up to 512GB storage

Don’t let the iPhone 16’s A18 chip, which packs the same number of CPU cores as the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic, fool you. Apple says its newest A-series SoC delivers a 50% boost in CPU and GPU performance each. And despite this, it is more power efficient, consuming less battery to finish the same tasks more quickly.

The Neural Engine is also more than twice as fast, allowing for speedier machine learning and AI processing. More importantly, the iPhone 16 ships with 8GB of RAM, twice as much as the iPhone 13. This will help the new phone deliver better multitasking performance while keeping more apps in memory for longer.

Another underrated change on the iPhone 16 is the updated internal layout. This allows for better heat dissipation, enabling the phone to provide better sustained performance.

The faster A-series SoC, Neural Engine and additional RAM are also the reasons why the iPhone 16 supports Apple Intelligence, the suite of AI-powered features that will begin rolling out soon. The iPhone 13 does not support Apple Intelligence.

Camera: Higher resolution on iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13
iPhone 16 cameras pack some notable upgrades.Photo: Apple

iPhone 16: 48MP f/1.6 Fusion camera, sensor-shift stabilization; 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide; macro photography, Smart HDR 5, True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR), Action mode, spatial video recording, wind noise reduction, customizable Photographic Styles, Audio Mix; Front: 12MP camera with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
iPhone 13: 12MP f/1.6 primary camera, sensor-shift stabilization; 12MP f/2.4 Ultra Wide, Smart HDR 4, True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (1080p), Photographic Styles; Front: 12MP camera with f/2.2 aperture

On paper, it might seem like the only difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 16 is the latter’s 48MP primary camera. But that’s not true. The iPhone 16 uses a bigger primary camera, allowing more light intake. With Smart HDR 5 and other processing improvements, it takes notably better pictures than the iPhone 13.

The same is true for the Ultra Wide sensor as well.  The iPhone 16’s sensor features a wider aperture for more light intake. Plus, macro support lets you take pictures with a new perspective by getting close to the subject.

Other improvements include support for spatial video recording, Action mode for stabilizing video, and the ability to record 4K Cinematic videos. Apple’s newest iPhone also ships with customizable Photographic Styles, so you can tweak the image processing to achieve your desired look.

Connectivity: iPhone 16 is better than iPhone 13 in almost every way

iPhone 16: Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, high dynamic range gyro, Crash Detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, USB-C (USB 2 at 480Mbps), second-gen Ultra Wideband chip
iPhone 13: Emergency SOS, Dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Lightning connector (USB 2 at 480Mbps), Ultra Wideband chip

The iPhone 16 brings notable connectivity upgrades over the iPhone 13. With satellite connectivity, you can use the iPhone 16 to contact emergency services when out of network coverage. Other safety features include a high dynamic range gyroscope for car crash detection.

That’s not it, though. The iPhone 16 supports faster Wi-Fi 7 and a newer Bluetooth standard. It also ditches the Lightning port for USB-C, which has become the de facto port for all consumer electronics. So, you can use the same cable to charge your iPhone, iPad, MacBook and other devices.

Finally, the iPhone 16 uses a newer Qualcomm modem, which enables faster 5G speeds and better connectivity in areas with spotty network coverage.

Battery life: Longer lasting in iPhone 16
The iPhone 16 can charge faster over MagSafe.Photo: Apple

iPhone 16: Up to 22 hours of video playback, up to 80 hours of audio playback; 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
iPhone 13: Up to 19 hours of video playback, up to 75 hours of audio playback; 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support

Despite similar dimensions and more powerful internals, Apple says iPhone 16 lasts longer than iPhone 13. This is likely due to a more efficient display, modem and processor, which consume less power while delivering better performance.

Besides the longer battery life, the iPhone 16 supports 25W MagSafe wireless charging using Apple’s new MagSafe wireless charger. This means you can top up its battery quickly when charging wirelessly.

Price: The same
iPhone 16 carries the same starting price as the iPhone 13.Image: Apple

iPhone 16: Starts at $799 for 128GB storage
iPhone 13: Starts at $799 for 128GB storage

Apple released the iPhone 16 three years after the iPhone 13. It packs improvements in all the key areas, including the camera, design, connectivity and battery life. Yet, it costs the same as its predecessor, with a starting price tag of $799.

You can upgrade to the 256GB variant, which you should ideally do, by paying an additional $100. There’s also a 512GB variant ($1,099) if you want even more storage.

iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13 conclusion: Upgrade is nice but not necessary

The iPhone 16’s numerous improvements make it an all-around upgrade from iPhone 13. Even if you don’t care about performance or better cameras, Apple Intelligence is a tempting upgrade factor. Plus, the longer battery life is always welcome. But should you upgrade from the iPhone 13 to iPhone 16? If your old iPhone is showing its age and you are unhappy with its camera or battery life, the upgrade is definitely worth it.

However, if your usage is basic and you can’t think of any problems with your iPhone 13, stick to it for another year. If battery life is the only sore point, get it replaced. That’s a cheaper and much better solution than buying a new iPhone altogether. More importantly, Apple is planning some big changes for the iPhone 17 lineup in 2025. This includes launching a new slimmer “iPhone Air” or “iPhone Slim” model and making a 120Hz ProMotion display standard across all iPhones.

If you have made up your mind about buying the iPhone 16 but are wondering if you should opt for the Pro model, check out our iPhone 16 Pro versus iPhone 16 comparison to decide.

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iPhone 16: Apple