We've gotten our first official look at the iPhone 13, and Apple's new smartphones excite — at least on paper. In addition to a new A15 Bionic processor, we're getting cameras with bigger sensors for better low-light photos, big batteries and — in the case of the iPhone 13 Pro models — fast-refreshing displays that adjust based on your on-screen activity. Pretty impressive stuff.
In fact, the iPhone 13 is so impressive that at first glance, they seem to be a significant step-up from their iPhone 12 counterparts. And those devices, released just last year, remain among the best phones you can buy.
We'll have to test all four new iPhone 13 models to make a definitive judgment. But our initial iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12 comparison finds a lot of areas where Apple is stepping up its game. Here's a look at the specs on the new handsets and where the iPhone 13 looks to improve upon the iPhone 12.
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Specs
| iPhone 13 mini | iPhone 13 | iPhone 12 mini | iPhone 12 | |
| Debut price | $699 | $799 | $599 | $699 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Screen size | 5.4 inches | 6.1 inches | 5.4 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 2340x1080 | 2532x1170 | 2340x1090 | 2532x1170 |
| Processor | A15 | A15 | A14 | A14 |
| Rear cameras | 12MP main (ƒ/1.6); 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.4) | 12MP main (ƒ/1.6); 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.4) | 12MP main (ƒ/1.6), 16MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.4) | 12MP main (ƒ/1.6), 16MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.4) |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/2.2) |
| Colors | Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | White, black, blue, green, purple, [Product] Red | White, black, blue, green, purple, [Product] Red |
| Size | 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight | 4.97 ounces | 6.14 ounces | 4.76 ounces | 5.78 ounces |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Price and release date
There's one thing that hasn't changed as the iPhone 12 makes way for the iPhone 13 — the starting price for Apple's phones. The iPhone 13 models at the same prices as their iPhone 12 counterparts: $699 for the iPhone 13 mini, $799 for the iPhone 13, $999 for the iPhone 13 Pro and $1,099 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
In the case of the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, you're getting more storage for your buck than you did with the comparable iPhone 12 versions. Those two iPhone 13 models now start with 128GB of storage instead of the 64GB the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini offered. On the other end of the spectrum, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have new 1TB options.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini appear to be sticking around Apple's iPhone lineup, though at reduced prices. The iPhone 12 costs the same $699 that Apple will charge for the iPhone 13 mini, while the iPhone 12 mini drops to $599.
You'll be able to pre-order the iPhone 13 models on Friday (Sept. 17). The phones arrive in stores a week later on Sept. 24. Check out the best iPhone 13 preorder deals.
iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro specs
| iPhone 13 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro Max | iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
| Debut starting price | $999 | $1,099 | $99 | $1,099 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Screen size | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 2532 x 1170 | 2778 x 1284 | 2532 x 1170 | 2778 x 1284) |
| Adaptive refresh | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | N/A | N/A |
| Processor | A15 | A15 | A14 | A14 |
| Rear cameras | 12MP wide (f/1.5), 12MP ultra-wide (f/1.8), 12MP telephoto (f/2.8) with 3x zoom | 12MP wide (f/1.5), 12MP ultra-wide (f/1.8), 12MP telephoto (f/2.8) with 3x zoom | 12MP wide (f/1.6), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.0) with 2x zoom | 12MP wide (f/1.6), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.0) with 2.5x zoom |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) |
| Colors | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Size | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches |
| Weight | 7.2 ounces | 8.5 ounces | 6.7 ounces | 8 ounces |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Design and display
From a design standpoint, there's not much difference between the iPhone 13 vs. the iPhone 12 — save for one very visible exception. That would be the notch on the iPhone 13, which is smaller on all four new models. Otherwise, the look of the phones is the same, with the same flat edges and Ceramic Shield displays for greater durability.
The new models do weigh a bit more — probably because of the bigger batteries Apple has included with the iPhone 13 — and there are new color options. A Pink model joins the black (Midnight), white (Starlight), blue and Product [RED] colors on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. The new color for the iPhone 13 Pro lineup is Sierra Blue, which joins graphite, gold and silver options.
It's the displays where Apple has made the biggest changes from the iPhone 12, though the AMOLED panels used in the iPhone 13 lineup are the same size as their predecessors. Instead, Apple is promising brighter displays — 28% brighter than the iPhone 12's screens in fact. The iPhone 13 and 13 mini can produce 800 nits of brightness while the iPhone 13 Pro models crank things up to 1,000 nits.
The bigger display story comes with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which are the first Apple phones with ProMotion displays. That means they can dynamically adjust their refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz to reflect your onscreen activity. The iPhone 12 Pro models were stuck at 60Hz, the same as the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Cameras
Cameras figure to be a major point of difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, even if the number of lenses are unchanged from phone to phone. That's because it's what Apple has done with the camera hardware that should make the camera experience completely different on the iPhone 13.
Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini offer a 12MP main camera that has the biggest sensor ever used in a dual-camera iPhone. It should let in 47% more light than the iPhone 12 camera for sharper pictures. These two iPhone 13 models sport the sensor shift optical image stabilization feature Apple added to the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year, and the ultrawide lens promises more detail in the darker areas of your images.
The iPhone 13 Pro models feature even more dramatic camera changes. The main sensor is bigger on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max for better low light images, while the ultrawide angle lens has a wider f/1.8 aperture. (It was f/2.4 on the iPhone 12 Pro models.) Again, that's going to mean brighter, sharper images, even when the lights are low. And the 77mm telephoto lens on the iPhone 13 Pro models now offers a 3x optical zoom, an improvement over the 2.5x zoom found on the iPhone 12 Pro.
Night Mode works on all three iPhone 13 Pro cameras, and the iPhone 13 Pro offers sensor shift stabilization, instead of limiting that feature to the Pro Max model. We can't wait to see how all these changes translate to better photos.
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Performance and 5G
The iPhone 13 models are all powered by the A15 Bionic processor, an upgrade from the A14 Bionic chip found in all the iPhone 12 models. Considering the A14 was the fastest system-on-chip we've tested, that should mean for some pretty powerful performance, though we'll need to benchmark the phones to find out just how fast.
One thing about the iPhone 13 Pro models — they have a 5-core GPU, compared to a 4-core graphics processor on the regular iPhone 13. That should make the Pro models a gaming powerhouse, especially compared to last year's iPhones.
The iPhone 12 boasted some of the best 5G compatibility around, but Apple says the new phones should support even more 5G bands. By the end of the year, Apple says 5G support on the iPhone 13 models will double with more than 200 carriers in 60 countries and regions.
The iPhone 13 will ship with iOS 15 pre-installed. The iPhone 12 models currently run iOS 14, but they'll be able to upgrade to iOS 15 when that software update on Sept 20. (And if you've downloaded the iOS 15 beta, you've already got iOS 15 on your iPhone 12.)
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Battery life and charging
Apple doesn't disclose battery sizes when it announces new phones, so we don't know how big the iPhone 13 batteries are relative to their iPhone 12 counterparts. But we do know that they are bigger, and that should translate to longer battery life.
That's welcome news. Apart from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the other iPhone 12 models all finished well below average in our battery test in which we have phones surf the web over cellular until they run out of power.
Apple says that the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro should last up to 1.5 hours longer than their iPhone 12 counterparts. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max are in line for 2.5 hour improvements. If that's true, the iPhone 13 Pro Max would land on our best phone battery life list.
Charging speeds are unchanged from the iPhone 12 — 15W MagSafe wireless charging and 20W wired charging. As with the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 models will ship without an included charger.
| Video Playback | Video playback (streamed) | Audio playback | |
| iPhone 13 mini | Up to 17 hours | Up to 13 hours | Up to 55 hours |
| iPhone 13 | Up to 19 hours | Up to 15 hours | Up to 75 hours |
| iPhone 13 Pro | Up to 22 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 75 hours |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | Up to 28 hours | Up to 25 hours | Up to 95 hours |
| iPhone 12 | Up to 17 hours | Up to 11 hours | Up to 65 hours |
| iPhone 12 mini | Up to 15 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| iPhone 12 Pro | Up to 17 hours | up to 11 hours | Up to 65 hours |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | Up to 20 hours | Up to 12 hours | Up to 80 hours |
iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Outlook
You expect phones to improve from one generation to the next, but the differences in our iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12 comparison are quite stark. The better storage options, faster processor and camera improvements would be enough to make this a significant upgrade. Throw in improved battery life and — in the case of the iPhone 13 Pro models — fast-refreshing displays, and this is a big step up from last year.
Look to our iPhone 13 reviews in the coming weeks, as we see just how big an upgrade these new phones prove to be.
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