The iPhone 13 finally went on sale with important improvements over the previous generation. Compared to the iPhone 12, the new Apple device comes with aesthetic changes as well as differences in the specs sheet. But are these differences important enough to make the switch worth doing? Which different elements are characterizing the new iPhone? Is it really a good upgrade? The prices of the iPhone 12 dropped after the launch of the iPhone 13, and a lot of people are wondering which Apple device should they go for. Is it better to save money for the 12 or spending more on the 13? We hope this comparison will help you understand which model is the best for you.
Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12
| Apple iPhone 13 | Apple iPhone 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm, 174 g |
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 164 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532 pixels (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED | 6.1 inches, 1170 x 2532 pixels (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED |
| PROCESSOR | Apple A15 Bionic hexa-core 3.22 GHz | Apple A14 Bionic hexa-core 3.1 GHz |
| MEMORY | 4 GB RAM, 512 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 4 GB RAM, 256 GB | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 4 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | iOS 15 | iOS 14 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Dual 12 + 12 MP, f/1.6 + f/2.4 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 |
Dual 12 + 12 MP, f/1.6 + f/2.4 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 |
| BATTERY | 3240 mAh, fast charging 20W and Qi wireless charging 7.5W | 2815 mAh, fast charging 20W and Qi fast wireless charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | 5G, optional dual SIM, optional eSIM, MagSafe 15W, IP68 waterproof | 5G, optional dual SIM, optional eSIM, MagSafe, IP68 waterproof |
Design
A few aesthetic changes are making the iPhone 13 more attractive than its predecessor, but a few other ones are making it worse. The main advantage of the iPhone 13 is the smaller notch: you do not get a punch-hole display like Android flagships, but the notch is 20 percent smaller than the previous generation and the difference is evident. Further, the iPhone 13 has its rear cameras placed diagonally instead of vertically, which is a more elegant configuration in my honest opinion. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 is thinner and lighter. For the rest, they are pretty much the same: they are both made with a glass back and an aluminum frame, and they are waterproof and dustproof with the IP68 certification.
Display
The displays of the iPhone 13 and its predecessor are very similar. The iPhone 13 has a smaller notch, but it comes with an OLED panel with the same resolution as the iPhone 12, as well as the same HDR10 certification, Dolby Vision support, and peak brightness. You should not notice an evident difference in terms of image quality, but you may see a higher typical brightness on the iPhone 12. Despite they have OLED panels, these phones do not sport an in-display fingerprint reader and they rely on 3D facial recognition for authentication, thanks to the Face ID technology.
Specs & Software
In the hardware department, you can finally find an important difference between iPhone 13 and iPhone 12. The former has a stronger chipset: the Apple A15 Bionic built with a 5 nm production process and with a max frequency of 3.22 GHz. The Apple A15 Bionic offers a 50 percent boost in terms of CPU performance compared to the Apple A14 Bionic found on the iPhone 12. Further, it offers up to 30 percent better GPU performance. That is a huge boost if we consider that the iPhone 12 was released just a year ago. The iPhone 12 is available in three memory configurations: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB, all with 4 GB of RAM. iPhone 13 starts from 128 GB and it also comes in a 256 GB and a 512 GB configuration. Note that iPhone 13 ships with iOS 15 out of the box, while iPhone 12 is based on iOS 14.
Camera
The iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 have exactly the same cameras, even though they are placed differently on the rear camera module. The main sensor is a 12 MP camera with an f/1.6 focal aperture and OIS, while the secondary sensor is a 12 MP ultrawide camera. The cameras are able to record 4K videos at 60 fps. On the front side, there is a 12 MP selfie snapper and an SL 3D sensor for 3D facial recognition.
Battery
Alongside the processor, the most important difference between iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 is the battery. The iPhone 13 has a battery with a capacity of 3240 mAh, while the iPhone 12 has just 2815 mAh. This means that the iPhone 13 offers an important boost in terms of battery life, which goes up to 19 with multimedia use and up to 75 hours with music playback. The iPhone 12 offered just 17 hours of multimedia use and 65 hours of music playback.
Price
The iPhone 12 had a starting price of $699 in the U.S. while the iPhone 13 starts from $799 in the U.S. and €899. Naturally, the prices of the iPhone 12 dropped in every market. At the end of the day, iPhone 13 has a way better chipset, a longer battery life, iOS 15 out of the box, and a more interesting design. Would you switch for these reasons?
Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12: PRO and CONS
Apple iPhone 13
PRO
- Smaller notch
- Bigger battery
- iOS 15 out of the box
- Better chipset
CONS
- Thicker and heavier
- Price
Apple iPhone 12
PRO
- Thinner
- Lighter
- More affordable
CONS
- Smaller battery
- Bigger notch
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