iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are Apple’s latest non-pro smartphones that come with a number of new features. But are they worth the upgrade if you have an iPhone 13? Follow along for an in-depth look at the iPhone 13 vs 15 for everything that’s changed plus a buyer’s guide.
Table of contents
- iPhone 13 vs 15
- Screen sizes and design
- Performance – A16 vs A15 Bionic
- Battery life
- iPhone 13 vs 15 cameras
- iPhone 13 vs 15 I/O
- Safety
- iPhone 15 colors
- Storage and pricing
- What’s in the box?
- iPhone 13 vs 15: Buyer’s guide
We’ll focus solely on iPhone 13 vs 15/Plus below, for a look at how the 13 Pro compares to the 15 Pro, and 15 vs 15 Pro, check out our dedicated guides:
- iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro: Enough changes to upgrade?
- iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro: Here’s everything that’s different
iPhone 13 vs 15
Screen sizes and design
The screen sizes between the iPhone 13 and 15 remain the same at 6.1 inches. However, the 15 Plus offers a 6.7-inch option that wasn’t available with the iPhone 13 lineup without stepping up to the 13 Pro Max.
New with the iPhone 15 displays is the Dynamic Island and an outdoor brightness of up to 2000 nits.
Here’s the full look at the display specs for iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15:
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Size | 6.1-inches | 6.1-inches | 6.7-inches |
| Resolution | 2532 x 1170 pixels | 2556 x 1179 pixels | 2796 x 1290 pixels |
| PPI | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Super Retina XDR OLED | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic Island | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ProMotion – adaptive refresh up to 120Hz | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Always-On display | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Typical brightness | 800 nits max | 1000 nits max | 1000 nits max |
| HDR brightness | 1200 nits max | 1600 nits max | 1600 nits max |
| Outdoor brightness | – | 2000 nits max | 2000 nits max |
| True Tone | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Haptic Touch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wide color (P3) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
The bezels on the iPhone 15 are also slimmer than the 13, which is what allows the very slight increase in pixels.
Size, weight, design
Overall, the physical design of the iPhone 15 remains very similar to the 13, but Apple has given the 15 more rounded edges for a more comfortable feel.
And as mentioned above, you’ve now got the larger iPhone 15 Plus option.
For size, weight, and materials, here’s iPhone 13 vs 15:
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Height | 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) | 5.81 inches (147.6 mm) | 6.33-inches (160.9 mm) |
| Width | 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) | 2.82 inches (71.6 mm) | 3.06 inches (77.8 mm) |
| Thickness | 0.30 inches (7.65 mm) | 0.31 inches (7.80 mm) | 0.31 inches (7.80 mm) |
| Weight | 6.14 ounces (174 grams) | 6.02 ounces (171 grams) | 7.09 ounces (201 grams) |
| Durability | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes |
| Ceramic Shield front | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Back material | Glass | Glass | Glass |
| Edges | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Of course, the new iPhones also come in new colors, we’ll get into that in detail below. Here are some options to protect the iPhone 15:
- Nomad leather and sport cases
- Mujjo leather cases
- Speck clear and hardshell cases
- ZAGG clear and hardshell cases
- OtterBox clear and hardshell cases
Performance – A16 vs A15 Bionic
Here’s a breakdown of the iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15 chip specs:
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| SoC | A15 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A16 Bionic |
| CPU | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency |
| GPU | 4-core | 5-core | 5-core |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB | 6GB |
Both the A15 and A16 Bionic are powerful enough for almost everyone. But GeekBench offers a look at the performance difference between the A15 and A16 Bionic.
- 16% faster single-core score
- 21% faster multi-core score
- 29% faster GPU
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Single-core score | 2188 | 2546 | 2559 |
| Multi-core score | 5181 | 6309 | 6371 |
| Metal (GPU) score | 17390 | 22456 | 22504 |
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 15 has one hour longer battery for video playback than the 13 and 5 hours longer for audio playback.
The iPhone 15 Plus offers 7 hours longer video use and 25 hours more audio than iPhone 13.
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Video playback | 19 hours | 20 hours | 26 hours |
| Audio playback | 75 hours | 80 hours | 100 hours |
For how that compares to iPhone 14 and more, check out our full post on iPhone 15 battery life:
- iPhone 15 battery life: What you’ll get and how it compares to iPhone 14 and more
iPhone 13 vs 15 cameras
Rear cameras
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come with a 48MP main rear camera, next-gen portrait with Focus and Depth Control, Smart HDR 5, and more.
The iPhone 15/Plus main camera also has more powerful sensors and supports shooting both 24 and 48MP “super-high-resolution photos.”
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Main lens | 12MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture | 48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture | 48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture |
| Main lens sensor | 1.9 µm pixel | 2 µm pixel | 2 µm pixel |
| Ultra Wide lens | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture |
| Telephoto lens | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization |
| Optical zoom | 0.5x, 1x | 0.5x, 1x, 2x | 0.5x, 1x, 2x |
| Flash | True Tone flash with Slow Sync | True Tone flash | True Tone flash |
| Photonic 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 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Apple ProRAW | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Video recording
The main new feature for video recording with the iPhone 15/Plus compared to iPhone 13 is Action mode.
The other new video features this year are reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| 4K recording | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps |
| 1080p recording | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps |
| Cinematic mode | ✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps |
| Action 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 |
| ProRes recording | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Log video recording | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 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 |
| Time-lapse with stabilization | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Night mode Time-lapse | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| QuickTake video | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video |
| Audio zoom | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stereo recording | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Selfie camera
Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 15 gets a mix of upgrades found on the main rear camera.
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| TrueDepth front camera | 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture |
| Retina 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 |
| Cinematic mode | ✅ – up to 1080p at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps |
| 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 |
| ProRes recording | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Slo-mo recording | ✅ – 1080p at 120 fps | ✅ – 1080p at 120 fps | ✅ – 1080p at 120 fps |
| QuickTake video | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cinematic video stabilization | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p |
iPhone 13 vs 15 I/O
The major change for iPhone 15 I/O is the switch from Lightning to USB-C.
Unfortunately, it’s only the 15 Pro and Pro Max that offer much faster transfer speeds with USB 3 support at up to 10Gbps. The 15 and 15 Plus have USB 2 speeds up to 480Mbps.
- iPhone 15 Pro supports 10Gbps USB 3 speeds, and it brings lots of cool features to the table
Two more differences between the iPhone 15 vs 13 include Bluetooth and UWB upgrades.
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | |
| Lightning | ✅ – with speeds up to 480Mbps | ❌ | ❌ |
| USB-C | ❌ | ✅ – USB 2 with speeds up to 480Mbps | ✅ – USB 2 with speeds up to 480Mbps |
| Face ID | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| WiFi | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ultra wideband | ✅ – gen 1 | ✅ – gen 2 | ✅ – gen 2 |
| NFC with reader mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA |
| 5G | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou |
| Audio playback | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos |
| Video playback | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG |
| SIM | Two active eSIMs or nano-SIM and eSIM | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries |
| MagSafe | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Qi and Qi2 | Yes and uncertain | Yes and yes? | Yes and yes? |
Whether the new iPhone 15 devices will support Qi2, Apple is saying yes but it’s a bit confusing:
- iPhone 15 supports Qi2 for wireless charging… but no one knows what that means
So it’s also unclear if iPhone 13 will support Qi2.
Safety
iPhone 15 has two more advanced safety features than iPhone 13 Pro:
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 15/Plus | |
| Emergency SOS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Crash Detection | ❌ | ✅ |
| Roadside Assistance via satellite | ❌ | ✅ |
iPhone 15 colors
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come in these five colors:
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Pink
Storage and pricing
iPhone 15/Plus comes in these storage options:
- 128GB – $799 / $899
- 256GB – $899 / $999
- 512GB – $1,099 / $1,199
What’s in the box?
iPhone 15/Plus 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
iPhone 13 vs 15: Buyer’s guide
Liked by 5 people
I couldn’t bring myself to upgrade from iPhone 13 to 15. I wanted to, but with so few differentiating features, it just doesn’t make sense. I’d really like to have USB-c, dynamic island, and emergency satellite, but that just isn’t enough. Guess I’ll upgrade with 16.
View all comments
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are fantastic smartphones, but whether upgrading from the 13 is worth it for you will depend on how you want to use your iPhone and what features you find important.
Reasons to consider upgrading to iPhone 15 or 15 Plus:
- More powerful and capable cameras
- Dynamic Island
- USB-C
- Faster chip and more powerful GPU for mobile gaming
- Crash Detection and Roadside assistance via satellite
What do you think? Are the upgrades enough to switch to iPhone 15? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 13 vs 15!
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The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are Apple's latest non-pro smartphones that come with a number of new features. In this article, we will compare the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 to see what has changed and whether it's worth upgrading. Let's dive into the details.
Screen sizes and design
The screen sizes between the iPhone 13 and 15 remain the same at 6.1 inches. However, the 15 Plus offers a 6.7-inch option that wasn't available with the iPhone 13 lineup without stepping up to the 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 displays feature the Dynamic Island and an outdoor brightness of up to 2000 nits. The full display specs for iPhone 13 vs iPhone 15 are as follows [[1]]:
- iPhone 13: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels, 460 ppi, and a typical brightness of 800 nits.
- iPhone 15: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, 460 ppi, and a typical brightness of 1000 nits. It also features Dynamic Island.
- iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels, 460 ppi, and a typical brightness of 1000 nits.
The bezels on the iPhone 15 are slimmer than the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 15 has more rounded edges for a more comfortable feel. In terms of size, weight, and materials, here's a comparison between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 [[1]]:
- iPhone 13: Height: 5.78 inches, Width: 2.82 inches, Thickness: 0.30 inches, Weight: 6.14 ounces.
- iPhone 15: Height: 5.81 inches, Width: 2.82 inches, Thickness: 0.31 inches, Weight: 6.02 ounces.
- iPhone 15 Plus: Height: 6.33 inches, Width: 3.06 inches, Thickness: 0.31 inches, Weight: 7.09 ounces.
Performance - A16 vs A15 Bionic
The iPhone 13 is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 features the newer A16 Bionic chip. Both chips are powerful, but there are some performance differences. According to GeekBench, the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15 performs better than the A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 13. The A16 chip is reported to be 16% faster in single-core performance, 21% faster in multi-core performance, and 29% faster in GPU performance [[1]].
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 15 offers longer battery life compared to the iPhone 13. The iPhone 15 has one hour longer battery life for video playback and five hours longer battery life for audio playback compared to the iPhone 13. The iPhone 15 Plus offers even longer battery life, with seven hours longer video playback and 25 hours longer audio playback compared to the iPhone 13 [[1]].
Cameras
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come with a 48MP main rear camera, next-gen portrait with Focus and Depth Control, Smart HDR 5, and more. The main camera on the iPhone 15/Plus has more powerful sensors and supports shooting both 24 and 48MP "super-high-resolution photos." The iPhone 13, on the other hand, features a 12MP main rear camera. There are also differences in features such as stabilization, optical zoom, flash, and video recording capabilities between the two models. For a detailed comparison, please refer to the article [[1]].
I/O and other features
One major change in the iPhone 15 is the switch from Lightning to USB-C. However, it's important to note that only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max offer faster transfer speeds with USB 3 support at up to 10Gbps. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have USB 2 speeds up to 480Mbps. Other differences between the iPhone 15 and 13 include Bluetooth and UWB upgrades. The iPhone 15 also supports Qi2 for wireless charging, but it's unclear if the iPhone 13 supports Qi2 [[1]].
Safety
The iPhone 15 has two more advanced safety features compared to the iPhone 13 Pro: Crash Detection and Roadside Assistance via satellite [[1]].
Colors, storage, and pricing
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come in five colors: Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink. In terms of storage options, the iPhone 15/Plus offers 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB options. The pricing starts at $799 for the iPhone 15 and $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus [[1]].
Conclusion
Whether upgrading from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 15 is worth it depends on your personal preferences and needs. The iPhone 15 offers improvements in screen size, design, performance, battery life, cameras, and I/O. However, if these features are not significant to you, sticking with the iPhone 13 may be a more practical choice. Ultimately, it's important to consider your usage and priorities before making a decision [[1]].
I hope this information helps you make an informed decision about upgrading to the iPhone 15. Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with!
