Only the lucky few are able to raise their iPhones on a yearly basis . For most of us , a more realistic ambition is to buy a new handset every two or three years ; that way , aside from the more accomplishable price , you get multiple bent of upgrade at once , and the improvements are far more noticeable . So this year ’s announcement of the iPhone 15 refresh may be of more involvement to those who own aniPhone 13from 2021 than those with an iPhone 14 .
With that in mind , we ’ve put together an easy - to - understand comparison of the standard iPhone 15 with its combining weight from the 13 - series generation . We compare their tech specs and performance and try out the design change that have been lend since 2021 , to aid you make up one’s mind which is correct for you . We also propose guidance on whether now is the metre to upgrade , or whether you should wait for theiPhone 16 in 2024 .
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Tech specs
Across a two - generation disruption , you might expect some major modification in the tech spec of these two French telephone . But this is complicated by the fact that in 2022 , Apple incite a policy of aggressively pushing customers towards its Pro iPhones , which mean that the iPhone 14 got aweaker and erstwhile processorthan the 14 Pro . That insurance continued in 2023 , with the result that the iPhone 15 has a processor Saratoga chip ( the A16 Bionic ) that isonegeneration newer than the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 , not two . In other words , while the iPhone 15 is for sure faster than the iPhone 13 , do n’t have a bun in the oven earth - shatter improvements .
Battery life is likely to be around an hour longer with the 15 , you get Bluetooth 5.3 ( which is jolly more efficient ) rather of 5.0 , and the USB - hundred port means you could use the same cable system to agitate your iPhone , iPad , and Mac .
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The iPhone 13 has a comparatively obtrusive notch at the top of the screen…
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Design & build
At first glance the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 seem very like ( the dimensions are virtually monovular ) , and it ’s true that Apple has n’t made any basal design change in recent years . But there are physical differences worth knowing about .
Display
The most obvious external difference between these two devices relates to the cutout at the top of the covert . The iPhone 13 has a notch ; the iPhone 15 aim the newer Dynamic Island .
These two designing elements are there for the same reasonableness : to accommodate the front - facing camera and facial - recognition sensors . And it could be argue that they bring similar drawbacks , namely that a small but quite prominent incision of your screen door is unavailable . The Dynamic Island is a little smaller , granted , but it ’s not like the thin landing strip of screen above it is going to make all the difference when you ’re check a tv set show on your telephone set .
But there ’s more to it than that . The mountain pass is essentially idle screenland real estate : a small region that remains featureless and black no matter what ’s happening on the rest period of the exhibit . But the Dynamic Island , as the marketing speech seek to convey , candothings : it shows notifications when you connect an accouterment or battery magnate is lowly , indicates any songs or podcasts that are currently playing and can even exhibit live information related to timer , map directions , or the score of current sports game . ( Here ’s a list ofDynamic Island functionsas of the iPhone 14 ’s launch last class ; more were added with the iOS 17 software update this downfall . ) This involves a certain point of sleight of hand since the island also hold in pixel - less areas for the sensor apertures , but by making it expound and condense in neat invigoration Apple ’s software does a cunning job of use the dead outer space as valuable literal estate of the realm .
Apple
The screens are otherwise very like , with well-nigh identical sizes and resolutions . The iPhone 15 has a brighter screen , however , snuff it all the style up to 2,000 nits when in bright sun .
Colors
Here ’s a superficial but still valid point of difference : the two phone generations come in different colors .
Both are available in black and pale pink , but the 13 get dark green , gloomy blue , bright red , and bloodless . The iPhone 15 gets yellow , green , and blue , but all three are extremely pale . It come down to penchant , of form , but since most people will put it in a case anyway , the color should n’t really factor into your decision .
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Camera
The iPhone 13 has a very serviceable photographic camera apparatus , with twin 12MP Lens on the rear ( with flash bulb ) . The iPhone 15 also has a dual - camera setup , but the independent camera has been upgraded to a 48MP f/1.6 sensor . Both phones have the same and a single 12MP front tv camera .
On the open , the two phones put up many of the same features : Smart HDR ( 4 on the iPhone 13 vs 5 on the iPhone 15 ) , portrait modal value , night modality , 4 K telecasting recording , and more . In normal shot condition , neither will let you down when you need a warm shot . And with Smart HDR and dark mode , you should do mulct even when things become more difficult .
But the iPhone 15 is a bigger upgrade than its like design indicate . Aside from upgrade hardware , it also has a few camera features that the 13 does n’t . With the extra 36MP in the main lens , you ’ll take super - high resolve exposure , and Apple is also able to use the superfluous megapixels to bring 2X optical - quality zoom to the non - Pro iPhone for the first clock time . The megapixel step-up wo n’t radically alter the quality of your shots , which should be OK with the 13 , but the soar could be a gamechanger .
The iPhone 13 has a comparatively obtrusive notch at the top of the screen…
One is what Apple calls “ next - generation portraits . ” This is similar to the portrait modality on the 13 , which use two lenses to split up the discipline and ground and generate an aesthetic bokeh glaze over burden but is smart about doing so . The iPhone will automatically notice the great unwashed ( or dogs or computed tomography ) in the frame , and enamour depth information without being assure to , which imply you’re able to “ bokeh - fy ” the picture later on , including switch the focus from one person to another .
Another is called Action mode , which was actually total on the iPhone 14 but remains this year . Action mode applies heavy video stabilization in extremely unfirm situations : when you ’re running , for example , or on a boat . There ’s a special button in the Camera app ( when shooting video ) that you expend to enable it .
The iPhone 15 ’s camera system of rules looks very interchangeable to the iPhone 14 , but the primary lens now has a 48MP firmness .
…whereas the iPhone 15 has the cleverer Dynamic Island, which changes size and makes itself useful.
Jason Snell
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Emergency safety features
When the iPhone 14 was launch in 2022 , Apple announced a mint of new safety features , includingcrash detectionandEmergency SOS via satellite . ( uncalled-for to say , the iPhone 15 get these too . ) This class it added another , Roadside Assistance via artificial satellite , which was added in the iOS 17 package update and applies to the iPhone 14andiPhone 15 … but not the 13 .
These are all features that you hope you ’ll never need but couldsave the dayin an emergency . The satellite features are free for two years from the date of leverage but Apple has n’t say what they will cost after the loose period .
Find out all about the young feature of speech in the iPhone 15 serial publication in our guide : Best new iPhone 15 features .
The iPhone 13 comes in a range of bold colors…
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Price
Here are the price of the two phones at the meter of authorship . ( Needless to say , the iPhone 13 is loud now than when it plunge in 2021 . ) Right now you stand to carry through $ 200 by going for the iPhone 13 rather than the tantamount iPhone 15 model .
iPhone 15 prices
This close to set up you ’re improbable to see significant savings from Apple ’s MSRP / RRP above , but other retailers will gradually start to chip away at the pricing :
iPhone 13 prices
That ’s Apple ’s prescribed pricing , at any rate , but you should be able-bodied to find it a little cheap if you tell on around other retailers :
iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 13: Verdict
There are two freestanding enquiry here : Should a person who already possess an iPhone 13 upgrade to an iPhone 15 ? And which of these two iPhones is the wisest purchase for someone who currently owns an old phone ? We ’ll come up to them in that order .
If you ’ve got an iPhone 13 , the iPhone 15 is n’t going to shake your world all that much . Yes , you ’re getting two sets of upgrade at once , but given the cautious nature of both the 14- and 15 - series refreshes , that still does n’t add up to a great hand of excitement .
There are lots of minor and reiterative improvements , however , and you may feel that the cumulative consequence is worth the money . You get an 60 minutes more of battery life ( and probably more than that , if we take battery declension into account ) . The camera are is a mo in effect , the C.P.U. is measurably faster , the emergency safety features may offer some serenity of brain , and USB - C is a long - overdue but welcome melioration . Perhaps most of all , the Dynamic Island is a much better way of disguising the front sensors than the notch and looks a lot cool .
…while the iPhone 15 tends more towards the pale and the pastel.
Overall , however , our advice would be to entertain on to the iPhone 13 for another twelvemonth and pick up the iPhone 16 in 2024 . That in all probability wo n’t be an especially exciting update either , but three year of rising slope should bestow up to a substantial improvement in your experience with the product .
But what of the neophyte who needs a earpiece properly now , and is attempt to decide between these two options ? Again , the differences are not enormous , but neither is the difference in price . Instead of having to cough up a minimum of $ 799 to get the advantage of the 15 , you ’re looking at an extra $ 200 – and that ’s probably worth it , give that the 13 is already two years old and is probable to be five years one-time by the time you ’re search to replace it . With its Modern C.P.U. and support for USB - C , the iPhone 15 is far more future - proof , and that ’s an important retainer if you plan to keep it for several twelvemonth .
The iPhone 15’s camera system looks very similar to the iPhone 14, but the main lens now has a 48MP resolution.
