iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15: Are the differences worth switching?

Do you still have an iPhone 13 and are you unsure whether you should switch to the iPhone 15? We have listed the most important differences between the phones for you!

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15

Apple released the iPhone 15 in 2023, bringing many features from the iPhone 14 Pro to the ‘normal’ iPhone. For example, the iPhone 15 received the Dynamic Island, a 48-megapixel camera and the A16 Bionic chip. The difference between the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 15 is therefore not very big, but what about the iPhone 13? These are the main differences between the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 15!

Overview

Screen

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 both have a 6.1-inch display. The resolution is slightly higher on the iPhone 15: 2556 x 1179 versus 2532 x 1170 pixels. Do you often use the phone outside? Or do you want the screen to always be easy to read? Then the iPhone 15 has a useful function, because the phone has a peak brightness of no less than 2000 nits in outdoor light. The iPhone 13 is stuck at 1200 nits. In addition, the iPhone 15 has much thinner screen edges.

An important difference can be found at the top of the iPhone 15 screen. The latest iPhone is equipped with the Dynamic Island, while the iPhone 13 still has the notch. In the Dynamic Island, functions appear that run in the background, such as Spotify or a timer. Very handy, because with one press on the Dynamic Island you open these apps. The feature changes size, in contrast to the notch on the iPhone 13.

iphones dynamic island

Housing

The design of the iPhone 13 is very similar to that of the iPhone 15. Apple has given the iPhone 15 slightly rounder corners, so that it is more comfortable to hold the device. Other than that, there are almost no differences between the phones, both iPhones have a glass back and aluminum corners. The iPhone 13 is available in blue, black, pink, red, white and green. With the iPhone 15 you can choose from black, blue, green, yellow and pink.

Processor

Apple has equipped the iPhone 15 with the A16 Bionic chip, with the iPhone 13 it is the A15 Bionic chip. Both chips are powerful enough for almost all tasks, but unfortunately do not have enough processing power for the new functions of Apple Intelligence. The A16 Bionic chip is 16 percent faster than the A15 Bionic chip when performing a single task. When performing multiple tasks, the iPhone 15 is as much as 21 percent faster than the iPhone 13.

Under the hood we see a small difference in the working memory. The iPhone 15 has 6 GB of RAM, the iPhone 13 has 4 GB. The latest iPhone has less difficulty with heavy tasks, especially thanks to the A16 Bionic chip. Want to take advantage of the latest features coming with Apple Intelligence? Then you should choose the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

a16 chip iPhone 14

Battery

Thanks to the new processor, the iPhone 15 is slightly more energy efficient than the iPhone 13. With the iPhone 15 you can play videos for up to 20 hours, with the iPhone 13 this is 19 hours. When you play audio, the battery life of the iPhone 15 is no less than 80 hours, while the iPhone 13 is stuck at 75 hours. So there are no major differences in the battery life of the devices, but the iPhone 15 lasts just a little longer.

Camera

Do you mainly use your iPhone to take photos and videos? Then the differences between the cameras of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 15 are big. The iPhone 15 has a main camera of 48 megapixels, with the iPhone 13 it is still a 12-megapixel camera. With the iPhone 15 you take much sharper photos, especially in low light. The phone has an improved night mode.

This makes it possible on the iPhone 15 to take portrait photos in night mode, a function that is missing on the iPhone 13. With the latest iPhone you can zoom in as much as twice as much, because the iPhone 13 has an optical zoom of 1x. . With the iPhone 15, this means zooming in up to 2x without loss of quality. Here are all the differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 cameras:

iPhone 13 iPhone 15
Main camera 12 MP, aperture ƒ/1.6 48 MP, aperture ƒ/1.6
Main camera sensor 1.9 μm pixel 2 μm pixel
Ultra Wide camera 12 MP, aperture ƒ/2.4 12 MP, aperture ƒ/2.4
Telephoto camera
Stabilization Optical image stabilization with sensor shift Optical image stabilization with sensor shift
Optical zoom 0.5x, 1x 0.5x, 1x, 2x
Flash True Tone Flash with Slow Sync True Tone flash
Photonic Engine
Deep Fusion
Smart HDR 4
Smart HDR5
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Portrait Lighting with Six Effects
Night mode
Night mode portraits
Photographic styles
Apple ProRAW
iPhone 15

Usb-c

Apple switched from Lightning to USB-C for iPhones in 2023. The iPhone 15 is therefore the first iPhone with a USB-C connection. You now only need one cable to charge your iPhone, iPad, Mac and AirPods. The iPhone 13 has a Lightning connection. With USB-C you can transfer data faster, but the charging speed of the phones does not differ. This is 480 Mbps on both devices.

Furthermore, we see few differences in the connectivity of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 15. The iPhone 13 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, the iPhone 15 has Bluetooth 5.3. Both phones have Wifi 6, eSIM, spatial audio and Face ID. The iPhone 15 does have the U2 chip, while the iPhone 13 still has the U1 chip. This allows you to track the location of the iPhone 15 more accurately than is the case with the iPhone 13.

iPhone 15 usb-c

More features

Apple has packed a number of advanced features into the iPhone 15 that aren’t found on the iPhone 13. Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 feature Emergency SOS, which lets you place an emergency call by holding down the side button and volume button. The iPhone 15 also adds accident detection and satellite roadside assistance.

With the former, the iPhone 15 automatically detects car accidents, so that an emergency call can be made immediately. Are you having car trouble, but you have no signal? Then you can still contact the emergency services with the iPhone 15 via satellite connection. Of course, it is to be hoped that you never have to use these features, but the iPhone 13 has to do without them.

iPhone 14 satellite

Prices

Are you still hesitating between the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 15? Then the price is an important aspect to take into account when making your choice. The recommended retail price of the iPhone 15 is 969 euros at Apple. Apple currently charges 748 euros for the iPhone 13. The prices of both phones have now dropped significantly, so you will soon pay much less for the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 15. These are the lowest prices now:

  • iPhone 13 (128 GB): € 579,-
  • iPhone 13 (256GB): €703,-
  • iPhone 13 (512GB): € 799,-
  • iPhone 15 (128GB): €793.16
  • iPhone 15 (256 GB): € 918.60
  • iPhone 15 (512GB): €1,099
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15: Conclusion

Still have an iPhone 13? Then you’re missing out on a number of important features of the iPhone 15. Apple has equipped the latest iPhone with a new 48-megapixel camera, the Dynamic Island, the A16 Bionic chip and a USB-C connection. Big changes, especially if you regularly take photos and videos with your iPhone. The iPhone 15 also has an improved night mode, allowing you to take much sharper photos in low light.

These new features make the switch to the iPhone 15 absolutely worth it if you currently have an iPhone 13 (or lower). The iPhone 15 has a more powerful chip and will last for years with the latest software updates. Are you unsure whether you want to buy the iPhone 13 or the iPhone 15? Then we recommend the iPhone 15, especially because the phones no longer differ much in price. Check out the best prices of both iPhones below!

Apple iPhone 13 deals

Compare all Apple iPhone 13 prices

Apple iPhone 15 deals

Compare all Apple iPhone 15 prices

Recent Articles

Related Stories