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iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s latest high-end smartphones that come with a range of new capabilities. But are they worth the upgrade if you already have an iPhone 13 Pro? Read along for an in-depth look at the iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro for everything new and different.

We’ll focus solely on iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro below. But for a look at how the 13 compares to the 15, and 15 vs 15 Pro, check out our dedicated guides:

The screen sizes between the 13 Pro and 15 Pro remain the same with 6.1-inches for the Pro and 6.7-inches for the Pro Max.But differentiators for the 15 Pro/Max displays include Always-On, 120Hz ProMotion, the Dynamic Island, and an outdoor brightness up to 2000 nits. Here’s the full look at the display specs for iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro:iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxSize6.1-inches6.1-inches6.7-inches6.7-inchesResolution2532 x 1170 pixels2556 x 1179 pixels2778 x 1284 pixels2796 x 1290 pixelsPPI460 ppi460 ppi460 ppi460 ppiSuper Retina XDR OLED✅✅✅✅Dynamic Island❌✅❌✅ProMotion – adaptive refresh up to 120Hz✅✅✅✅Always-On display❌✅❌✅Typical brightness1000 nits max1000 nits max1000 nits max1000 nits maxHDR brightness1200 nits max1600 nits max1200 nits max1600 nits maxOutdoor brightness–2000 nits max–2000 nits maxTrue Tone✅✅✅✅Haptic Touch✅✅✅✅Wide color (P3)✅✅✅✅The bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro are also slimmer than the 13 Pro, which is what allows the very slight increase in pixels.Overall, the physical design of iPhone 15 Pro remains very similar to the 13 Pro, but Apple has given the 15 Pro more rounded edges for a more comfortable feel.And for the first time, Apple has used titanium for iPhone with the 15 Pro and Pro Max. That means new brushed finishes, high strength and durability, and lighter devices too.

The other major update for the 15 Pro and Pro Max is the change of the side switch to the new Action Button that offers customization.

For size, weight, and materials, here’s iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro:iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxHeight5.78 inches (146.7 mm)5.77 inches (146.6 mm)6.33-inches (160.8 mm)6.29 inches (159.9 mm)Width2.82 inches (71.5 mm)2.78 inches (70.6 mm)3.07 inches (78.1 mm)3.02 inches (76.7 mm)Thickness0.30 inches (7.65 mm)0.32 inches(8.25 mm)0.30 inches (7.65 mm)0.32 inches(8.25 mm)Weight7.19 ounces (204 grams)6.60 ounces(187 grams)8.46 ounces (240 grams)7.81 ounces(221 grams)DurabilityIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesCeramic Shield front✅✅✅✅Back materialTextured matte glassTextured matte glassTextured matte glassTextured matte glassEdgesSurgical-grade stainless steelAerospace-grade TitaniumSurgical-grade stainless steelAerospace-grade TitaniumBecause the 15 Pro and Pro Max have slimmer bezels than the 14 Pro and Pro Max, the new phones are ever-so-slightly more compact – except for thickness.Of course, the new iPhones also come in new colors, we’ll get into that in detail below. Here are some great options to protect the iPhone 15 Pro:Nomad leather and sport cases
Mujjo leather cases
Speck clear and hardshell cases
ZAGG clear and hardshell cases
OtterBox clear and hardshell cases

When unveiling the A17 Pro, Apple focused its comparisons against the A16 Bionic. Year-over-year performance improvements are becoming more minor but Apple says the A17 Pro is the “fastest mobile CPU.”

Here’s a breakdown of the iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro chip specs: iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxSoCA15 BionicA17 ProA15 BionicA17 ProCPU6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiencyGPU5-core6-core5-core6-coreNeural Engine16-core16-core16-core16-coreRAM6GB8GB6GB8GBIn real-world use, the A15 or A16 Bionic and A17 Pro are more than powerful enough for almost everyone. But here are a few A17 Pro stats vs the A16 Bionic:Up to 20% faster GPU than A16 Bionic (with AV1 decoding, Pro Display engine, ProRes codec, hardware-accelerated ray tracing)
Up to 10% faster high-performance CPU cores than A16 Bionic
Up to 2x faster neural engine, up to 35 trillion operations per second
And game developers like CAPCOM say the new A17 Pro GPU has allowed console-exclusive games like Resident Evil 4 to come to iPhone.GeekBench scores:GeekBench offers a good look at how the performance has improved between the A15 Bionic and A17 Pro.27% faster single-core score
31% faster multi-core score
37% faster GPU
iPhone 13 Pro/MaxiPhone 15 Pro/MaxSingle-core score22742894Multi-core score54837190Metal (GPU) score1979827109

When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 15 Pro has a one hour longer battery for video playback than the 13 Pro and the same rating for audio playback:

iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxVideo playback22 hours23 hours28 hours29 hoursAudio playback75 hours75 hours95 hours95 hoursFor how that compares to iPhone 14 and more, check out our full post on iPhone 15 battery life:iPhone 15 Pro comes with a 48MP main rear camera, next-gen portrait with Focus and Depth Control, Smart HDR 5, and more.A change this year is the 15 Pro Max gets the most capable camera with the telephoto lens having a 5x optical zoom (3x for 15 Pro like the 13/14 Pro).The 15 Pro and Pro Max main cameras also have more powerful sensors and support shooting 24 and 48MP “super-high-resolution photos.”iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxMain lens12MP, ƒ/1.5 aperture48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.5 aperture48MP, ƒ/1.78 apertureMain lens sensor1.9 µm pixel2.44 µm pixel1.9 µm pixel2.44 µm pixelMain lens quick access focal lengths–24, 28, 35 mm–24, 28, 35 mmUltra Wide lens12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.2 apertureTelephoto lens12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.8 apertureStabilizationSensor-shift optical image stabilization2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilizationSensor-shift optical image stabilization2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilizationOptical zoom0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3×0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3×0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3×0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5xDigital zoomUp to 15xUp to 15xUp to 15xUp to 25xFlashTrue Tone flash with Slow SyncAdaptive True Tone FlashTrue Tone Flash with Slow SyncAdaptive True Tone FlashPhotonic Engine❌✅❌✅Deep Fusion✅✅✅✅Smart HDR 4✅–✅–Smart HDR 5❌✅❌✅Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control❌✅❌✅Portrait Lighting with six effects✅✅✅✅Night mode✅✅✅✅Night mode portraits✅✅✅✅Photographic Styles✅✅✅✅Macro photography✅✅✅✅Apple ProRAW✅✅✅✅More new features for the 15 Pro models include the option to quickly change (and set a default) for different focal lengths for the main camera – 24, 28, and 35 mm.There are a number of improvements for video recording between the 15 Pro and 13 Pro.USB-C 3 support on the 15 Pro models means the ability to shoot ProRes directly to external drives – now at 4K60. There’s also support for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) plus the ability to capture Spatial video that can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro.Two more differences are Action mode and log recordings.iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro Max4K recording✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps1080p recording✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fpsCinematic mode✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fpsAction mode❌✅❌✅HDR/Dolby Vision recording✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fpsProRes recording✅ – up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity)✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording✅ – up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity)✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recordingLog video recording❌✅❌✅Academy Color Encoding System❌✅❌✅Macro video recording✅✅✅✅Spatial video recording❌✅❌✅Slo-mo recording✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fpsTime-lapse with stabilization✅✅✅✅Night mode Time-lapse✅✅✅✅QuickTake video✅✅✅✅StabilizationSensor-shift optical image stabilization for video2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for videoSensor-shift optical image stabilization for video2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for videoAudio zoom✅✅✅✅Stereo recording✅✅✅✅Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 15 Pro gets a range of upgrades found on the main rear camera.iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxTrueDepth front camera12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.9 apertureRetina Flash✅✅✅✅Photonic Engine❌✅❌✅Deep Fusion✅✅✅✅Smart HDR 4 for photos✅–✅–Smart HDR 5 for photos❌✅❌✅Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control❌✅❌✅Portrait Lighting with six effects✅✅✅✅Animoji and Memoji✅✅✅✅Night mode✅✅✅✅Photographic Styles✅✅✅✅4K recording✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fpsCinematic mode✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fpsHDR/Dolby Vision recording✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fpsProRes recording✅ – up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity)✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording✅ – up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity)✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recordingSlo-mo recording✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fpsQuickTake video✅✅✅✅Cinematic video stabilization✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720pThe major change for iPhone 15 Pro I/O is the switch from Lightning to USB-C. And the 15 Pro and Pro Max offer much faster transfer speeds with USB 3 support at up to 10Gbps.USB 3 on the 15 Pro enables some neat new capabilities like shooting video straight to an external SSD and more.More differences with the iPhone 15 Pro vs 13 Pro include WiFi, Bluetooth, and UWB upgrades, plus Thread support.iPhone 13 ProiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone 15 Pro MaxLightning✅ – with speeds up to 480Mbps❌✅ – with speeds up to 480Mbps❌USB-C❌✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps (20x faster than Lightning)❌✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps (20x faster than Lightning)Face ID✅✅✅✅WiFi66E66EBluetooth5.05.35.05.3Ultra wideband✅ – gen 1✅ – gen 2✅ – gen 1✅ – gen 2NFC with reader mode✅✅✅✅Thread❌✅❌✅CellularGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA5GSub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOGPSGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDouPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDouPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)Audio playbackSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosVideo playbackHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGSIMTwo active eSIMs or nano-SIM and eSIMDual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countriesTwo active eSIMs or nano-SIM and eSIMDual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countriesMagSafe✅✅✅✅Qi and Qi2Yes and uncertainYes and yes?Yes and uncertainYes and yes?

On the question of whether the new iPhone 15 Pro devices will support Qi2, Apple is saying yes but it’s a bit confusing:

So it’s also unclear if iPhone 13 Pro will support Qi2.iPhone 15 Pro has three more advanced safety features than iPhone 13 Pro:iPhone 13 Pro/MaxiPhone 15 Pro/MaxEmergency SOS✅✅Emergency SOS via satellite❌✅Crash Detection❌✅Roadside Assistance via satellite❌✅iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are available in:Natural titanium
Blue titanium
White titanium
Black titanium
iPhone 15 Pro/Max comes in at:128GB – $999 (only 15 Pro available in 128GB)
256GB – $1,099 / $1,199
512GB – $1,299 / $1,399
1TB – $1,499 / $1,599
iPhone 15 Pro/Max just comes with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box. If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:Anker 20W Nano Pro (super compact)
Nomad 20W power adapter (black finish and compact)
Apple’s official 20W adapter

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are powerful and capable devices, but whether upgrading from the 13 Pro is worth it will depend on how you want to use your iPhone and what features you find valuable.

Reasons to consider upgrading to iPhone 15 Pro or Pro MaxMost powerful and capable cameras for photos and video
Titanium build with slim bezels
USB-C with 10Gbps speeds, WiFi 6E support
Fastest chip, most powerful GPU for mobile gaming
Always-On display, ProMotion refresh rates up to 120Hz, and Dynamic Island
What do you think? Are the upgrades enough to switch to iPhone 15 Pro? Share your thoughts in the comments!Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro!More 9to5Mac tutorials:FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.