Worth upgrading my iPhone 13 Pro?

[CrowTheRobot]

Some background:  My wife recently finished the final payment on her iPhone 11 and isn't necessarily in a rush to upgrade.  I still have 12 "payments" left on my 13 Pro (they basically get zeroed out by AT&T after I traded my 11 in for the 13 Pro when it came out).

 

We both rate the cameras on our phones as being the most important, and while I know there's a lot of iPhone vs. Android debates particularly around this topic, we both have been quite happy with our iPhones compared to the various Android devices we tried to use over the years. (My wife was especially annoyed that the Galaxy S9 she had before her iPhone 11 produced pictures she wasn't happy with)  The only time this came into question was a Disney cruise to Alaska we took at the end of August with our daughter, when my wife had some issues with the quality of some distance photos she was trying to get with her 11 and the fact that it only has digital zoom compared to the 3x optical I had as an option.

 

While it will end up costing me money to upgrade early that I wouldn't have to spend by waiting out the 12 months, part of me is enticed by the thought of a 15 Pro Max (and yes, I know of the durability issues, but I'm always extra careful with my devices and case them up immediately) and upgrading at the same time to get us on the same upgrade schedule.  But my question is, is there enough to warrant the jump from 13 Pro to 15 Pro Max, especially in terms of camera quality?  Or should I wait for the 16 series, which might align more with my wife being fully ready?

[Levent]

2 minutes ago, CrowTheRobot said:

But my question is, is there enough to warrant the jump from 13 Pro to 15 Pro Max, especially in terms of camera quality? 

Nope. Its pretty much flushing your money down the drain if you decide to upgrade.

[Donut417]

2 hours ago, CrowTheRobot said:

But my question is, is there enough to warrant the jump from 13 Pro to 15 Pro Max, especially in terms of camera quality?  Or should I wait for the 16 series, which might align more with my wife being fully ready?

Im still using an XR. I have made a decision that either my phone will die and I will need to upgrade, OR i can wait for the 16 to see what it will offer. Plus they gave am iOS 17 so Im still on a current OS.  To me if the device still does what it needs to do then no reason to replace it unless there are features on the newer device you want. The only new features on the newer iPhones that kinda interest me is Magsafe, but not enough to buy a new device. Because even at 84% battery health my device can last at least 2 days based on how I use it 90% of the time.

 

 

[Zando_]

2 hours ago, Levent said:

Nope. Its pretty much flushing your money down the drain if you decide to upgrade.

^ I have the 13 Pro Max myself, had the 11 Pro Max and X before. I cannot tell which photos were taken with which phone unless I check the metadata in the photos app, or look at the date and try to remember which phone I had at that time. Doubtful that the 15 is a massive difference over the 13.

[RabbidEwok]

Personally would say no. I went from a 13PM to a 14P due to just not liking the size of the max and bar the odd occasion where 2x zoom instead of 3 is nice to have and the full 48MP shot for landscapes it’s not really noticeable. Maybe action mode would be useful to you if you’re using video a lot. From what I’ve seen of the 15 there’s not a lot going for it. 

[RTX9080]

On 10/14/2023 at 12:10 PM, CrowTheRobot said:

Some background:  My wife recently finished the final payment on her iPhone 11 and isn't necessarily in a rush to upgrade.  I still have 12 "payments" left on my 13 Pro (they basically get zeroed out by AT&T after I traded my 11 in for the 13 Pro when it came out).

 

We both rate the cameras on our phones as being the most important, and while I know there's a lot of iPhone vs. Android debates particularly around this topic, we both have been quite happy with our iPhones compared to the various Android devices we tried to use over the years. (My wife was especially annoyed that the Galaxy S9 she had before her iPhone 11 produced pictures she wasn't happy with)  The only time this came into question was a Disney cruise to Alaska we took at the end of August with our daughter, when my wife had some issues with the quality of some distance photos she was trying to get with her 11 and the fact that it only has digital zoom compared to the 3x optical I had as an option.

 

While it will end up costing me money to upgrade early that I wouldn't have to spend by waiting out the 12 months, part of me is enticed by the thought of a 15 Pro Max (and yes, I know of the durability issues, but I'm always extra careful with my devices and case them up immediately) and upgrading at the same time to get us on the same upgrade schedule.  But my question is, is there enough to warrant the jump from 13 Pro to 15 Pro Max, especially in terms of camera quality?  Or should I wait for the 16 series, which might align more with my wife being fully ready?

While the 15 Pro Max is pretty nice, I have to reluctantly agree with others here. The 16 (Ultra?) seems to promise much more. Plus, you would save money from purchasing a year later. Since you've placed such a high regard on cameras, the main upgrades from 13PM-15PM for photos are 48MP Main, 5x Telephoto, Photonic Engine... and pretty much nothing else. All of this really makes a minor difference for the average person. The real upgrade for most people, in my opinion, is the new Main camera. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck!

[CrowTheRobot]

20 minutes ago, Fennick_Fox said:

Personally, I wouldn't pick up the 15 series due to the numerous issues that have surfaced; mainly the overheating issues (which seem to have been fixed), and the overall lack of durability. If photography is your main priority, I'd definitely take a look at the Google Pixel lineup. It blows Apple's camera system out of the water. The main adjustment would obviously be switching from iOS to Android, but compared to a Galaxy device, the software on a Pixel is more "iPhone-like." More simple, smoother animations, etc. If you want to stick with an iPhone, I'd honestly wait until the 16 series if possible.

Maybe not a fair comparison but I have a Pixel 6a for my work phone and I've found the camera to be garbage.  Honestly, if not for the fact that it was ordered for me like 7-8 months ago, I would ask my boss for something else and be more choosy this time.

[NavyCobra1417]

On 10/14/2023 at 9:10 AM, CrowTheRobot said:

Some background:  My wife recently finished the final payment on her iPhone 11 and isn't necessarily in a rush to upgrade.  I still have 12 "payments" left on my 13 Pro (they basically get zeroed out by AT&T after I traded my 11 in for the 13 Pro when it came out).

 

We both rate the cameras on our phones as being the most important, and while I know there's a lot of iPhone vs. Android debates particularly around this topic, we both have been quite happy with our iPhones compared to the various Android devices we tried to use over the years. (My wife was especially annoyed that the Galaxy S9 she had before her iPhone 11 produced pictures she wasn't happy with)  The only time this came into question was a Disney cruise to Alaska we took at the end of August with our daughter, when my wife had some issues with the quality of some distance photos she was trying to get with her 11 and the fact that it only has digital zoom compared to the 3x optical I had as an option.

 

While it will end up costing me money to upgrade early that I wouldn't have to spend by waiting out the 12 months, part of me is enticed by the thought of a 15 Pro Max (and yes, I know of the durability issues, but I'm always extra careful with my devices and case them up immediately) and upgrading at the same time to get us on the same upgrade schedule.  But my question is, is there enough to warrant the jump from 13 Pro to 15 Pro Max, especially in terms of camera quality?  Or should I wait for the 16 series, which might align more with my wife being fully ready?

While the 15 Series has several quality-of-life improvements (USB C, improved networking, improved cameras), I wouldn't say it's necessary to upgrade now.

If you can wait until next year's phones, that would be optimal.

[NavyCobra1417]

2 hours ago, CrowTheRobot said:

Maybe not a fair comparison but I have a Pixel 6a for my work phone and I've found the camera to be garbage.  Honestly, if not for the fact that it was ordered for me like 7-8 months ago, I would ask my boss for something else and be more choosy this time.

Pixel 6a isn't a great comparison to flagship iPhone.

6a was ~$400 and flagship iPhone are ~$1000

[saintlouisbagels]

On 10/26/2023 at 1:41 PM, NavyCobra1417 said:

Pixel 6a isn't a great comparison to flagship iPhone.

6a was ~$400 and flagship iPhone are ~$1000

Pixel phones are consistently either the best or second best camera every year. If he thinks the Pixel camera is garbage, then he thinks all phone cameras are garbage..

Year by year camera/image improvements are extremely small despite what press events lead us to believe. Hell, cameras in the last few years feel worse than they've ever been - everything looks so overcooked and over-sharpened.

[NavyCobra1417]

20 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Pixel phones are consistently either the best or second best camera every year. If he thinks the Pixel camera is garbage, then he thinks all phone cameras are garbage..

Year by year camera/image improvements are extremely small despite what press events lead us to believe. Hell, cameras in the last few years feel worse than they've ever been - everything looks so overcooked and over-sharpened.

The pixel 6a was sort of an exception. The 6a was still using the same sensor as the Pixel 2, and thus relied heavily on software processing (most phones do that today, but sensors are a lot bigger than the one from Pizel 2 - 6a), so while I like the look of the 6a camera, it certainly wasn't on par with flagship pixel/galaxy/iPhone of the same year.

 

However,  that's acceptable when the phone is half the price or less.

[CrowTheRobot]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:08 PM, saintlouisbagels said:

Pixel phones are consistently either the best or second best camera every year. If he thinks the Pixel camera is garbage, then he thinks all phone cameras are garbage..

Year by year camera/image improvements are extremely small despite what press events lead us to believe. Hell, cameras in the last few years feel worse than they've ever been - everything looks so overcooked and over-sharpened.

I really rather enjoy my iPhone 13 Pro's cameras, despite asking if it's worth upgrading.

 

When it comes to my 6a, I have to use it a lot for taking very precise photos of things, working in the IT department for a school district.  Frequently I find that it poorly handles low light situations or I have to back up quite a bit to get it to focus, and sometimes I find it's just easier to take a pic with my iPhone and send it right to Google Drive or text it to my other phone.  If it's truly still using the sensor as the Pixel 2 and software processing it, then I'm really not surprised.

[dizmo]

I'd upgrade just to get USB C, but if that's not a huge issue for you then I'd just run with what you have. There will always be a better phone next year. Plus carriers usually give you better offers if you're not tied to them somehow (phone subsidy, etc).