What to know
- The iPhone 16 lineup justifies an upgrade if you’re interested in Apple Intelligence and if your current device feels less of what it used to be.
- Some areas where the non-Pro iPhone 16 sells itself is the physical Action and Camera Capture buttons, Spatial audio-video recording and picture capture, new Apple silicon, and the upcoming Apple Intelligence features, including an advanced Siri.
- But iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro continue to be brilliant phones and can last much longer. Besides, Apple Intelligence features, iPhone 16’s biggest selling point, doesn’t ship at launch.
If there was ever a time to hold on to your current iPhone, it’s now. Apple may have made enough changes to justify the iPhone’s super cycle, but there are many more reasons to let this year’s hype pass. Besides, what you’re already getting with your iPhone 13 and 14 may outweigh any gains that the latest might have to offer. But if you’re not convinced, here are our top reasons for and against the trade.
Reasons For
Let’s start with the major benefits you get with the iPhone 16 (in comparison with your iPhone 14 Pro and 13 Pro).
1. Apple Intelligence and the new Siri
Apple Intelligence is the company’s big step forward for an in-house AI system.
Apple Intelligence is built right into the iPhone and affords such conveniences as AI image generation, writing assistance, notification summaries, and getting Siri to accomplish complex tasks with simple natural commands. Advanced queries that Siri cannot accomplish are sent to Apple’s Private Cloud Computer servers for advanced processing.
However, being a resource hungry update, it is only on iPhone 15 Pro or later that you get the goodies of Apple Intelligence and the new, improved Siri. So, if you’re dying to see how Apple Intelligence can make your iPhone smarter, an upgrade you’ll need to make.
2. iPhone 16 has Action and Camera Capture buttons
Apart from AI, the new camera capture button is what makes the latest iPhone lineup stand out from the rest. It joins the Action button that launched last year to great acclaim.
While the Action button can be used for several purposes, such as changing settings, opening apps, start/stop recordings, etc., the Camera Capture button has capacitive touch sensors that let you invoke the camera, capture images and videos traditionally, switch between cameras, zoom, adjust exposure and depth, and even use Apple Intelligence’s visual intelligence feature (similar to Google’s Circle to Search).
The changes mark a return of physical buttons that let you do much more with your iPhone without having to tap. It’s a photographer’s dream come true. Unfortunately neither of these are available on iPhone 13 and 14 devices.
3. Spatial Photo and Video (3D) capture with the vertical camera design, better camera
Thanks to the vertical camera design, capturing spatial videos and photos (3D) is now a reality on the iPhone 16. Although even the iPhone 15 Pro can capture spatial videos, the entire iPhone 16 lineup supports spatial video and spatial photo capture – a first for an iPhone. The iPhone 16 also has spatial audio recording (another first), that completes the spatial media capture package.
The videos appear 2D on your iPhone and most other devices. But if you have a virtual reality headset, you can send the video to it and watch it in the immersive 3D. The iPhone’s spatial photos and videos offer the most convenient way to capture and relive memories in 3D, especially if you already own the Apple Vision Pro or other similar devices (like Quest 3). If you don’t, it’s not reason alone to go looking for one.
4. A18 chip
Of course there are the expected hardware upgrades that one expects year on year. But this year’s A18 apple silicon is optimized for AI. The iPhone 16 also boasts of studio-quality mics with wind reduction and audio mixing capabilities. The iPhone 16 is also lighter than the Pros of old and has USB-C support, which is nice to see.
The debut of Apple Intelligence was also bound to bring these upgrades, for both support and glitter. So in both function and form, the upgrade can seem desirable.
Reasons Against
Even with all the major updates, it may not be in your best interest to go trading in your iPhones yet. Here’s why:
1. iPhone 16 is a work in progress
At launch at least, the iPhone 16 doesn’t have the complete features that make the upgrade so alluring. The iPhones won’t be shipping with Apple Intelligence, which is expected to release to the public via the iOS 18.1 update.
So, unless you’re rocking a slightly buggy update, you’ll have to wait a while for major upgrades, like writing tools, image generation, a contextually aware Siri, among others are made available. Even when Apple Intelligence features do arrive, they’ll still be called a beta, and will be available in US English only. More languages will be added next year, which means a stable, fully global release is still many months away, which really could be a deal breaker for those who wish to see Apple Intelligence in a more mature state.
2. You stop being a ‘Pro’ user
Another thing to consider when trading in your iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro for an iPhone 16 is that you will lose the telephoto camera and with it, the ‘Pro’ tag. The vertically aligned twin-camera design is also a big giveaway that you’re using a standard iPhone. The pill-shaped camera bump now runs sideways which may bug some.
You also miss out on other Pro-exclusive features such as a 1TB storage option, adaptive refresh rates, and always-on-display and the new flashlight width adjustment (the latter two on the iPhone 14 only).
3. iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro will continue getting OS updates for many more years
If you’re not interested in Apple Intelligence in the least, and if your iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro is in working condition, you can continue using your iPhone for a long time to come. Planned obsolescence aside, you can expect OS support for iPhone 13 Pro until and iPhone 14 Pro until iOS 20 and 21 respectively. Right now, even the iPhone XR qualifies for the iOS 18. So your iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro should get all the software updates for a few more years, minus any Apple Intelligence features of course.
3. iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro are still fast
Every year’s iPhone is celebrated for being an upgrade over its predecessor. But devices that launched 3 or 4 years back don’t suddenly become old. Barring slightly better benchmark performance or milliseconds worth of time saved when opening apps, the comparisons between the new and the old iPhones don’t always convert to major differences in the real world.
The iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro are still very much relevant. Whomsoever says otherwise is in it for your bucks.
4. Apple Intelligence is available on other Apple devices as well
If you’re intrigued by Apple Intelligence and own other Apple devices, you may get access to it without trading in your current iPhone.
Apart from the iPhones, Apple Intelligence will also be available on all Macs and iPads with Apple silicon. But most of the Apple Intelligence features are, in fact, better suited on a bigger screen.
Sure, the iPhone will handle AI just as well, but getting research and writing assistance and generating images may be more conducive when you’re at your work space.
Verdict
The iPhone super cycle upgrade isn’t the recommended way to go if your current iPhone works well enough and isn’t compromised in any way. If you have another Apple device with Apple silicon, you won’t be missing much on your iPhone. The improved Siri could be a miss. But that, including Apple Intelligence, is still a way away. Besides, they’ll be available on other Apple devices as well. But by that time, you would be better off waiting for the iPhone 17, which is what we recommend to get the full force of Apple Intelligence and even the option of a Slim iPhone.
