While waiting for our tests of the new iPhone 13 from Apple, here is a little introduction to the new iPhone 13 Pro and its little brother, the iPhone 13.
This year, no delay like last year. The announcement was made in early September, and the availability was 10 days later. Likewise, unlike the previous year, which saw the iPhone 12 in two stages, all the iPhone 13s will be available as of September 24, 2021.
This year, we can divide the new iPhone 13 into two ranges, the iPhone 13 mini with the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Why? Simply because apart from screen size and battery, the iPhone 13 mini is identical to the iPhone 13 for the rest of the specs and the iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
As with the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are similar in size and finish. From an external point of view, the fundamental differences are mainly at the level of the photo unit and the glossy + aluminium finish for the iPhone 13 and mat + chrome for the iPhone Pro. Suddenly, for the grip, we focused mainly on the iPhone 13 Pro for photos.
The characteristics of iPhone 13
As a reminder of the characteristics, we will find the essential HERE during the announcement of the iPhone 13. On the packaging side, nothing surprising except that we find the small box of the iPhone 12. In question, the absence of default earphones and USB charger. We thus find the smartphone as well as a USB-C to Lightning cable. On the other hand, because we are in France, future users are entitled to wired Lightning headphones, but they are apart, all in a giant box.
Design, Screen and Audio
When we discover the iPhone 13 Pro for the first time, we rediscover a smartphone with clean lines and a finish that still commands respect. If the iPhone 13 is slightly thicker, the design remains almost the same as its predecessors. Only the photo block will allow the more discerning to notice the difference between the two generations. Therefore, we find this design inspired by the iPhone 5 lights because, for most iPhone users, it was undoubtedly the most successful design of the iPhone.
On the iPhone 13 Pro, we find a frosted glass back (shiny on the iPhone 13) of the most beautiful effect and a chrome metal outline (brushed aluminium on the iPhone 13). The combination of the two is very successful. With a weight of 203g and its volume, we end up with a suitable size that allows an excellent grip of the iPhone 13 Pro. Of course, it is similar to the iPhone 13 and even better with the iPhone 13 mini. On the other hand, with the size and the weight of 238g of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, we will have to be sure, especially when we know that the iPad mini is only 293g.
A photo block on the back comprises three cameras like the iPhone 12 Pro (2 devices on the iPhone 13 like the iPhone 12). Suddenly, we will especially notice more impressive lenses on the new iPhone 13 Pro. All Super Retina XDR OLED screens have a protective layer of Ceramic Shield on the screen side. And finally, this year, if we find a notch well present but smaller, it is mainly the ProMotion technology with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz that will delight the most demanding of us.
Otherwise, we find an excellent screen with deep blacks and contrasting colours. On the audio side, we are entitled to stereo speakers and the first tests that we were able to do, that’s very good, but it’s still similar to what the iPhone 12 offered. And finally, as expected,
iOS 15, Performance and Autonomy
On the iOS side, no surprise in itself; we find version 15 available for a few days in the final version. This will be a welcome upgrade for people with an iPhone 12. Update your current iPhone to avoid any waste of time. Otherwise, the Apple A15 Bionic SoC is a racehorse, everything is running perfectly, and we haven’t noticed a single downside so far. Apple Arcade games work perfectly, and to give you an idea, we redirect you to the iPad mini-test (2021), which offers the same SoC.
For autonomy, because it is linked to learning our uses, we will not comment yet, but according to the first feedback from the first testers, the iPhone 13 has made a leap forward on autonomy, and It’s not worse. Anyway, as long as we take a whole day without worrying, we will be fine. Of course, we find Magsafe technology on the iPhone, and after a year, we can say that it is super practical, more for accessories than for wireless charging in real life. We love.
Photo and Video
On the two iPhone 13 Pro, we find the photo block composed of three cameras with, of course, the classic wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and a 3x telephoto. If there were differences between the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max in terms of the photo last year, the photo block is identical on both iPhone 13 Pro. Likewise, the photo block is similar between the two iPhone 13s, and it will be understood that no telephoto on the iPhone 13. From our first tests, it is compelling.
An example of photos taken by Iphone 13
| IPHONE 13 | IPHONE 13 MINI | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | – Super Retina XDR – 6.1 inches – Definition 1170×2532 – Density 460ppp – Dolby Vision – HDR10 – DCI-P3 – 800 nits (1200 nits for HDR) – True Tone – Haptic Touch – Notch – Ceramic Shield – Oleophobic coating | – Super Retina XDR – 5.4 inches – Definition 1080×2340 – Density 476ppp – Dolby Vision – HDR10 – DCI-P3 – 800 nits (1200 nits for HDR) – True Tone – Haptic Touch – Notch – Ceramic Shield – Oleophobic coating |
| Design | – Aluminum surround – Glossy glass back – IP68 | – Aluminum surround – Glossy glass back – IP68 |
| SoC and GPU | – A15 Bionic – 16-core Neural Engine – 6-core CPU – 4-core GPU | – A15 Bionic – 16-core Neural Engine – 6-core CPU – 4-core GPU |
| Memory | – 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB storage – No memory expansion | – 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB storage – No memory expansion |
| Colors | – Midnight – Starlight – Product (RED) – Blue – Pink | – Midnight – Starlight – Product (RED) – Blue – Pink |
| Camera | – Main sensor of 12 MP – Standard 26mm and Aperture f / 1.6 – 100% of Focus Pixels – Deep Fusion – Ultra wide-angle sensor of 12 MP – FoV 120 ° and Aperture F / 2.4 – Flash True Tone – Smart HDR 4 – Photographic Styles – Portrait mode – Night mode – Panorama mode (63 MP) – JPEG and HEIF format – Apple ProRAW – UltraHD video capture up to 60fps – 8MP photo during 4K recording – Optical stabilization – Slow down to 240fps in 1080p – 12 MP front sensor – f / 2.2 aperture – Portrait mode – Animoji and Memoji – 3D face recognition – Smart HDR 4 – Front video capture in UltraHD up to 60fps – Electronic stabilization – Slow down in 1080p to 120fps – Retina Flash | – Main sensor of 12 MP – Standard 26mm and Aperture f / 1.6 – 100% of Focus Pixels – Deep Fusion – Ultra wide-angle sensor of 12 MP – FoV 120 ° and Aperture F / 2.4 – Flash True Tone – Smart HDR 4 – Photographic Styles – Portrait mode – Night mode – Panorama mode (63 MP) – JPEG and HEIF format – Apple ProRAW – UltraHD video capture up to 60fps – 8MP photo during 4K recording – Optical stabilization – Slow down to 240fps in 1080p – 12 MP front sensor – f / 2.2 aperture – Portrait mode – Animoji and Memoji – 3D face recognition – Smart HDR 4 – Front video capture in UltraHD up to 60fps – Electronic stabilization – Slow down in 1080p to 120fps – Retina Flash |
| Audio | – Stereo speaker – Dolby Atmos – Dolby Digital Plus – No 3.5mm jack | – Stereo speaker – Dolby Atmos – Dolby Digital Plus – No 3.5mm jack |
| Drums | – Fast Charging (50% in 30 minutes on a 20W charger) – Lightning port – USB 2.0 – MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W – Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W | – Fast Charging (50% in 30 minutes on a 20W charger) – Lightning port – USB 2.0 – MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W – Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W |
| Connectivity | – Face ID – Bluetooth 5.0 – WiFi 6 – 1x nano-SIM – 2x eSIM – 4G LTE – 5G | – Face ID – Bluetooth 5.0 – WiFi 6 – 1x nano-SIM – 2x eSIM – 4G LTE – 5G |
| Software | – iOS 15 | – iOS 15 |
| Height and weight | – 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 mm – 173g | – 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65 mm – 140g |
| iPhone 13 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | – Super Retina XDR with ProMotion – 6.1 inches – Definition 1170×2532 – Density 460ppp – Dolby Vision – HDR10 – DCI-P3 – 1000 nits (1200 nits for HDR) – True Tone – Haptic Touch – Notch – Ceramic Shield – Oleophobic coating | – Super Retina XDR with ProMotion – 6.7 inches – Definition 1284×2778 – Density 458ppp – Dolby Vision – HDR10 – DCI-P3 – 1000 nits (1200 nits for HDR) – True Tone – Haptic Touch – Notch – Ceramic Shield – Oleophobic coating |
| Design | – Stainless steel surround – Frosted glass back – IP68 | – Stainless steel surround – Frosted glass back – IP68 |
| SoC and GPU | – A15 Bionic – 6-core CPU – 5-core GPU – 16-core Neural Engine | – A15 Bionic – 6-core CPU – 5-core GPU – 16-core Neural Engine |
| Memory | – 128GB, 256G, 512GB or 1TB storage – No memory expansion | – 128GB, 256G, 512GB or 1TB storage – No memory expansion |
| Colors | – Graphite – Gold – Silver – Alpine Blue | – Graphite – Gold – Silver – Alpine Blue |
| Camera | – Main sensor of 12 MP – Standard 26mm and Aperture f / 1.5 – 100% of Focus Pixels – Telephoto sensor 3x of 12 MP – Telephoto 77mm and Aperture F / 2.8 – Ultra wide-angle sensor of 12 MP – FoV 120 ° and Aperture F / 1.8 – LiDAR Scanner – Photographic Styles – Deep Fusion – True Tone Flash – Smart HDR 4 – Portrait Mode – Night Mode – Panorama Mode (63 MP) – JPEG and HEIF format – Apple ProRAW – UltraHD video capture up to 60fps – Apple ProRes up to 4K at 30fps – 8MP photo while 4K recording – Optical stabilization – Slow down to 240fps at 1080p – Front sensor of 12 MP – Aperture f / 2.2 – Portrait mode – Animoji and Memoji – 3D face recognition – Smart HDR 4 – Front video capture in UltraHD up to 60fps – Electronic stabilization – Slow motion in 1080p to 120fps – Retina Flash | – Main sensor of 12 MP – Standard 26mm and Aperture f / 1.5 – 100% of Focus Pixels – Telephoto sensor 3x of 12 MP – Telephoto 77mm and Aperture F / 2.8 – Ultra wide-angle sensor of 12 MP – FoV 120 ° and Aperture F / 1.8 – LiDAR Scanner – Photographic Styles – Deep Fusion – True Tone Flash – Smart HDR 4 – Portrait Mode – Night Mode – Panorama Mode (63 MP) – JPEG and HEIF format – Apple ProRAW – UltraHD video capture up to 60fps – Apple ProRes up to 4K at 30fps – 8MP photo while 4K recording – Optical stabilization – Slow down to 240fps at 1080p – Front sensor of 12 MP – Aperture f / 2.2 – Portrait mode – Animoji and Memoji – 3D face recognition – Smart HDR 4 – Front video capture in UltraHD up to 60fps – Electronic stabilization – Slow motion in 1080p to 120fps – Retina Flash |
| Audio | – Stereo speaker – Dolby Atmos – Dolby Digital Plus – No 3.5mm jack | – Stereo speaker – Dolby Atmos – Dolby Digital Plus – No 3.5mm jack |
| Drums | – Fast Charging (50% in 30 minutes on a 20W charger) – Lightning port – USB 2.0 – MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W – Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W | – Fast Charging (50% in 30 minutes on a 20W charger) – Lightning port – USB 2.0 – MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W – Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W |
| Connectivity | – Face ID – Bluetooth 5.0 – WiFi 6 – 1x nano-SIM – 2x eSIM – 4G LTE – 5G | – Face ID – Bluetooth 5.0 – WiFi 6 – 1x nano-SIM – 2x eSIM – 4G LTE – 5G |
| Software | – iOS 14.1 | – iOS 14.1 |
| Height and weight | – 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 mm – 203g | – 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65 mm – 238g |
Pasito Tola is a tech enthusiast, writer, and engineer. He has a degree in Media Production and Telecom engineering from the University of Coventry and ISTA Ndolo. He is passionate about all things tech and has spent years exploring the latest gadgets, software, and innovations. His writing style is engaging, informative, and accessible, making even the most complex topics easy to understand. He is a valuable asset to our tech review site and we are lucky to have him on our team.
