The iPhone 16 arrives three years after the iPhone 13, and it brings us into the era of Apple Intelligence, but it is also just faster and has a more capable camera. Does all of this justify an upgrade?.
Intro
What are the new features in the iPhone 16 compared to the iPhone 13, released three years prior? And is it finally time for iPhone 13 owners to make the switch?
Apple will officially unveil the iPhone 16 series on Monday, September 9th, but even now we already know most new features from various leaks and rumors.
Despite the three year difference, the iPhone 16 will look very similar to the iPhone 13, as both have a 6.1-inch size and similar design. The iPhone 16 will add two new physical buttons, the Action button and the Capture button, and it alsom comes with a higher resolution 48MP main camera.
Of course, it also has a new and faster processor, and it will support Apple Intelligence, which is not coming to the iPhone 13.
Unfortunately, the 120Hz ProMotion display feature is not coming to the iPhone 16 and will remain exclusive to the Pro models for at least one more year.
Read more: iPhone 16: what pre-order deals to anticipate
Let’s explore all of the changes in more detail below.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 expected differences:
iPhone 16iPhone 13
Same 6.1-inch form factor 6.1-inch size
New Action Button in place of Mute Switch
New Capture Button for camera Older Mute Switch only
Newer and faster chipset, either Apple A18 or A18 Pro Apple A15 Bionic chipset
More memory, 8GB RAM 4GB RAM
Support for AI Does not support AI
Same storage options 128 / 256 / 512GB storage models
New vertical camera with support for Spatial Video Diagonal camera layout
Same-ish 48MP main camera 12MP main camera
12MP ultra-wide camera with macro support 12MP ultra-wide camera
Rumored 10% battery size increase 3,240 mAh battery
USB-C port Lightning port
20W charging, or faster (uncertain) 20W wired charging speed
15W MagSafe, or faster (uncertain) 15W MagSafe wireless charge
Table of Contents:
Design and Display
Performance and Software
Camera
Battery and Charging
Specs
Should you upgrade?
Also read:Design and Display QualitySlightly refined design and new buttons
From afar, the iPhone 16 looks very similar to the iPhone 13. After all, both phones have roughly the same 6.1-inch size with flat sides.
But once you take a closer look, you can spot the differences. First, the iPhone 16 gets two new physical keys. The Mute switch from the iPhone 13 is replaced by a new programmable Action button.
There is also a new Capture button on the right side, below the power key, which works in many ways like the shutter button on a real camera. It’s a two-way key, so you can half-press it to lock focus, while a full press captures a photo or records a video. It is a capacitive button, so it won’t trigger when you have the phone in your pocket, and its surface can also act as a trackpad of sorts, so you can swipe to zoom in or adjust the background blur strength when shooting portraits, for example.
There are other, smaller changes to the style. The dual camera on the back is now a vertical one, instead of diagonal.
The back itself is expected to be frosted, and not glossy as on the iPhone 13.
