iPhone 13 Pro user tries out the new iPhone 15 Pro: The changes are subtle
It’s been two years since the iPhone 13 Pro launched. How does its specs stack up against that of the iPhone 15 Pro? Is it time for an upgrade? Here’s what I thought after using the iPhone 15 Pro at an Apple Store.
So, recently I had the good fortune of visiting my local Apple Store and trying out the new iPhones. As an iPhone 13 Pro user, I was curious to find out if there are really any major changes two years down the iPhone generation. Objectively speaking, tech journalists have written articles pointing out 50+ changes between these two generations of iPhones. But these are objective. There are some changes you might not notice at all if you don’t have a keen eye for these specs.
This is why I thought, I should be writing this story to point out some notable changes I saw between these two generations and how much significance they hold for someone who is thinking about the upgrade. For any smartphone, the three major things to look out for are: Battery, Display, and the Camera. I have tried my best to cover Display and Camera, however, I won’t be able to give a subjective take on battery. Instead, I will talk about Build Quality. The three topics we shall cover in this comparison article include:
- Build Quality
- Display
- Camera
And maybe end the article with other notable features and a cool subjective takeaway I had as an iPhone 13 Pro user.
1. Build Quality
This year’s iPhone 15 Pro (& Pro Max) lineup comes with a new titanium finish compared to the stainless steel finish on the iPhone 13 Pro. To compare the two finishes, I pulled the silicon case off my 13 Pro and put my iPhone beside the iPhone 15 Pro. I was instantly amazed by how many fingerprints and smudges my iPhone’s side frame caught in just 10–15 seconds since I pulled it off its case. Comparatively, I saw absolutely no smudges or fingerprints on the 15 Pro’s titanium side frame.
I was trying out the natural titanium iPhone 15 Pro which is why I might have seen 0 smudges. The other (colored) titanium did see a few smudges under different light angles but these were still very few compared to the stainless steel frame of my iPhone 13 Pro.
Talking about weight: the Titanium body does make the iPhone Pro’s this year much lighter. As someone who got used to carrying around a 204g iPhone 13 Pro and a silicon case (which adds an extra 80g, so maybe 284g), I was surprised at how light the iPhone 15 Pro felt. I did take off my 13 Pro’s silicon case so I could feel the phone’s raw weight and the body of my 13 Pro was much heavier than I thought.
I am not sure if it was the reflectiveness of the stainless steel of my 13 Pro but I felt my iPhone was thicker than the 15 Pro. When I googled the specs, I realized the 15 Pro has more depth than the 13 Pro. So once again, I believe, the titanium finish’s unreflective opaque coating made it seem a bit thinner to my eye.
Talking about changes in the build, the 15 Pro lineup also bids farewell to the mute switch and says hello to the Action Button. The new Action Button seemed smaller to me however it is more tactile. It’s easier to reach on the 15 Pro compared to the 15 Pro Max (small hands, beware).
Source: Author | iPhone 15 Pro’s new Action Button2. Display
The first thing you are going to notice when comparing these two generations of iPhones is the Dynamic Island on the top of the 15 Pro compared to the notch on the 13 Pro. Unless you have a black wallpaper, it will be quite imminent and all the iOS gimmicks related to the Dynamic Island like live activities of different apps become more apparent as you use the iPhone.
Apart from that, one difference you might notice is the slightly higher brightness. It's 400 nits brighter indoors and about 800 nits brighter on the 15 Pro. I could compare the two iPhones indoors so I could only notice 1200 nits vs 1600 nits difference.
The 15 Pro also drops down all the way to 1 nit when Always-On mode is turned on. This feature is exclusive to the 15 Pro lineup and has no equivalent on the 13 Pro, whose refresh rate is between 60Hz & 120Hz. It’s not something you will miss unless you use it, just like using ProMotion (120Hz) for the first time.
3. Camera
The camera is where you might notice the most difference between the two iPhones, even at first glance. Almost every aspect of the camera has improved in the last two years and the difference is notable.
On the front-facing camera, the slightly bigger aperture (f/1.9 vs f/2.2 on 13 Pro) allows for more light to enter, making your photos appear brighter and sharper even in low light.
The main camera also has three different focal length picker options — 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm. These can be toggled directly while shooting using the main camera by tapping the 1x zoom option.
PS: 13mm and 77mm are also possible for ultrawide and telephoto lenses (respectively) on the iPhone 15 Pro. On the 15 Pro Max, you have 120mm instead of 77mm.
This year’s Pro models also add a 2x optical zoom capability to the 15 Pro and a 5x capability to the Pro Max model. On 13 Pro, only 3x zoom capability exists and the details of those corresponding lenses (3x on both generations) make 15 Pro the clear winner. This win could be attributed to the 48MP main camera compared to the 12MP main camera on the 13 Pro.
PS: A viewfinder window appears on the 15 Pro models when you have zoomed too far to show you where your lens is pointing towards. This could be great when you are shooting the sky.
I was more curious to find out how the new ProRes video formats work. The new Log video is a great win for the 15 Pro models. Without an external SSD, you can shoot ProRes Log video only in HD with 30fps. For higher quality and framerate, you will have to connect the iPhone to an external SSD. On my 13 Pro, ProRes video is only available in HDR format and is capped at 1080p. If you do think about shooting videos professionally or even watching your iPhone-recorded video on a bigger screen like a Desktop or TV, 1080p is going to disappoint you if you shoot ProRes or a Cinematic video on the 13 Pro.
Software aside, this year the iPhone 15 Pro models have an anti-reflective coating on their lenses and are very much visible when you keep the 13 Pro beside it. Once again, I cannot believe the smudges my 13 Pro has gathered around the lenses. You will find less dust and smudges on the 15 Pro with its new anti-reflective coating.
Other Notable features
You will notice some other subjective changes between these two generations of iPhones at first glance. The first one would be the USB-C port on 15 Pro. Even functionally, the USB-C on 15 Pro makes it 20x faster than the 13 Pro with 10Gbps transfer speed. This also allows for Display Support so you could connect the iPhone 15 Pro to an external monitor and output 4K HDR.
Better WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity is something you will notice when you start using the iPhone 15 Pro. WiFi 6E requires a WiFi 6E router which is quite expensive compared to WiFi 6 routers. On the other hand, Bluetooth v5.3’s better connectivity and range is something you will notice with your new Bluetooth accessories like AirPods.
Conclusion
The iPhone 15 Pro has a lot of subtle changes compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. It has changed across all the important design and functional factors. For someone looking at these changes and feeling like their 13 Pro has been left behind in the dust, the 15 Pro is a great choice. However, to some, these changes might not seem as big as what some Tech reviewers make it sound so always decide for yourself when you are looking to upgrade your tech.
If you are into professional photography or filming and need the power of the iPhone 15 Pro (or Pro Max) camera coupled with the faster transfer speed of USB-C, the upgrade would be worth it from an iPhone 13 Pro. For any other reason, I don’t see the upgrade making much sense unless you have some cash to burn for a smartphone upgrade.
That being said, I would love to know your opinions on the new iPhone 15 lineup and if you are thinking of upgrading (or switching from Android) what phone you are currently using. See you in the comments!
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