New base iPhone or old advanced iPhone? This is one of the hardest choices to do in the smartphone market, and this year the situation did not change. The vanilla iPhone 13 comes with a few upgraded components, but the iPhone 12 Pro is the advanced variant of the old lineup and its price dropped after the release of the iPhone 13. So which of these two devices should you buy? The answer is not the same for everyone and it mostly depends on the singular user’s needs. This specs comparison will help you find out which device is the best for your actual needs and which you should choose with the actual prices.
Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro
| Apple iPhone 13 | Apple iPhone 12 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm, 174 g |
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 189 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 | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB – 6 GB RAM, 512 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 |
Triple 12 + 12 + 12 MP, f/1.6 + f/2.0 + 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
Each of these devices has its pro and cons when it comes to design. The iPhone 13 has a 20 percent smaller notch above the display, which makes the screen to body ratio higher. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro has a higher build quality. While the vanilla iPhone 13 comes with a glass back and an aluminum frame, the iPhone 12 Pro has a glass back and a stainless steel frame. Both the handsets feature the Ceramic Shield for improved resistance to drops and scratches, as well as the IP68 certification which makes them waterproof and dustproof. Do you prefer having a better look or a higher build quality?
Display
If we exclude the dimensions of the notch, the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 Pro are equipped with the same display panel. It is a Super Retina XDR OLED display with a diagonal of 6.1 inches, a Full HD+ resolution, the HDR10 certification, Dolby Vision support, and a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits. There are no differences in terms of display specifications. Unfortunately, there is no iPhone with a fingerprint reader, but these handsets come with 3D facial recognition thanks to the SL 3D sensor placed inside the notch. Thanks to 3D facial recognition, you can have the most advanced and the safest authentication methods.
Specs & Software
The iPhone 13 has a higher-end chipset: the Apple A15 Bionic which provides up to 50 percent higher CPU performance compared to the Apple A14 Bionic found on the iPhone 12 Pro, as well as 30 percent higher GPU performance. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro is equipped with a higher amount of RAM: 6 GB instead of 4 GB. However, having a better chipset is definitely better than having 2 gigs more RAM. Note that iPhone 13 ships with iOS 15 out of the box, while iPhone 12 Pro ships with iOS 14. This means that iPhone 13 will get longer software support.
Camera
On the paper, the iPhone 12 Pro is the most advanced camera phone. On the rear side, it has one more important sensor if compared to the iPhone 13: we are talking about a 12 MP telephoto sensor which enables 2x optical zoom. Further, the iPhone 12 Pro adds a 3D LiDAR scanner for AR appliances which is another added value for its camera department. The main sensors are the same, as well as the ultrawide camera and the front camera, all with 12 Mp resolutions.
Battery
A big advantage of the iPhone 13 over the iPhone 12 Pro is its bigger battery: with a capacity of 3240 mAh instead of just 2815 mAh. Thanks to the bigger battery, the iPhone 13 can provide a way longer battery life even though its dimensions are the same as the 12 Pro. Both the phones support 20W fast charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging.
Price
The starting price of the vanilla iPhone 13 for the European market is €899, while the same phone costs $799 in the U.S. The prices are referred to the base variant with 128 GB of native storage. The iPhone 12 Pro started from $999, but its prices dropped and you can now find it at similar prices to the iPhone 13, with a bit of luck. The iPhone 13 is a better phone when it comes to hardware and battery, but the iPhone 12 Pro is superior if we talk about cameras and build quality. These are the reason why the one to choose depends on your personal needs. Which one would you pick at the same price?
Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: PRO and CONS
Apple iPhone 13
PRO
- Bigger battery
- iOS 15 out of the box
- Better chipset
- Smaller notch
CONS
- Inferior camera department
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
PRO
- Better cameras
- Better prices
- 6 GB of RAM
- Higher build quality
CONS
- Inferior chipset
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