The iPhone 13 went official and it is on sale since September. The design did not change so much, but the new series comes with a handful of upgrades in several departments. While the iPhone 13 Pro and the other variants went on sale for the first time, the price of the iPhone 12 series dropped and led them to offer a higher value for money. Is it worth spending more money on the new models or it makes more sense to save money to get a model from the previous generation? After comparing the vanilla iPhone 13 to the iPhone 12, we decided to publish a comparison between the specifications of the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro in order to give you a complete idea even about the Pro variants.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Apple iPhone 12 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm, 204 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 2532p (Full HD+), Super Retina XDR OLED |
| PROCESSOR | Apple A15 Bionic hexa-core 3.22 GHz | Apple A14 Bionic hexa-core 3.1 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 512 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB – 6 GB RAM, 1 TB | 6 GB RAM, 512 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | iOS 15 | iOS 15 |
| 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 | Quad 12 + 12 + 12 MP + TOF 3D LiDAR scanner, f/1.5 + f/2.8 + f/1.8 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 |
Quad 12 + 12 + 12 MP + TOF 3D LiDAR scanner, f/1.6 + f/2.0 + f/2.4 Dual 12 MP + SL 3D f/2.2 |
| BATTERY | 3125 mAh, fast charging 20W and Qi wireless charging 7.5W | 2815 mAh, Fast Charging 23W, Qi wireless charging 7.5W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | 5G, optional dual SIM, optional eSIM, MagSafe 15W, IP68 waterproof | 5G, optional dual SIM, optional eSIM, MagSafe 15W, IP68 waterproof |
Design
As already mentioned, there are no big changes in the design of the iPhone 13 Pro, but there is an important optimization: the notch is smaller. Thanks to better management of the space, Apple was able to reduce the size of the notch by 20 percent. But not all that glitters is gold: the new iPhone 13 Pro is thicker and heavier than the older model. Further, the rear cameras are protruding more than the previous generation phone. That is why having a smaller notch does not necessarily mean having a more beautiful phone. Both the handset retain the IP68 certification making them waterproof and dustproof, as well as the Ceramic Shield.
Display
The displays of the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro have almost the same specifications. The only differences between these panels are the smaller notch on the iPhone 13 Pro and the refresh rate. They are Super Retina XDR OLED displays with the HDR10 certification, Dolby Vision support, and a Full HD+ resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels. The iPhone 13 Pro adds a 120 Hz refresh rate, while its predecessor has a standard 60 Hz refresh rate. The Ceramic Shield allows for high resistance and an oleophobic coating. Unlike Android flagships, there is no fingerprint reader, but users can rely on 3D facial recognition for authentication.
Specs & Software
The iPhone 12 Pro is powered by the Apple A14 Bionic mobile platform paired with 6 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of native storage. With the iPhone 13 Pro, you get an Apple A14 Bionic chipset, 6 GB of RAM, and up to 1 TB of internal storage. The Apple A15 Bionic provides a CPU performance boost of up to 50 percent if compared to the Apple A14 Bionic, as well as 50 percent better GPU performance. That is why the hardware department of the iPhone 13 Pro is a significant upgrade over its predecessor. The Apple A15 Bionic has a higher 3.22 GHz clock frequency and the new iPhone 13 Pro ships with iOS 15 out of the box, while the 12 Pro ships with iOS 14. This means that the 13 Pro will most likely get longer software support.
Camera
Besides the performance improvement, the iPhone 13 Pro also provides a camera upgrade. You still get a triple camera with 12 MP resolution paired with a TOF 3D LiDAR scanner, but the new handset has brighter focal apertures (for the main camera and the ultrawide sensor) as well as more advanced features for video recording (such as ProRes and Cinematic mode with stereo sound).
Battery
In the design paragraph, we told you that iPhone 13 Pro is thicker and heavier than its predecessor. There is a reason for this and it is the presence of a bigger battery. The iPhone 13 Pro has a battery with a capacity of 3095 mAh, while the 12 Pro has just 2815 mAh. This means that the new model is able to provide a longer battery life in every scenario. Further, it also supports faster wired charging thanks to a power of 23W. So having a bigger battery does not mean way longer charging times.
Price
The starting price of the iPhone 13 Pro is €1149 in the European market and $999 in the U.S. and the iPhone 12 Pro started from a similar price tag, but now it has dropped and you can easily find it for less than €900 or $900. In my opinion, the upgrades of the iPhone 13 Pro make it worth spending more for the new model.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: PRO and CONS
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
PRO
- Smaller notch
- Better chipset
- More advanced cameras
- Bigger battery
- iOS 15 out of the box
CONS
- More expensive
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
PRO
- Thinner
- Lighter
- More affordable
CONS
- Inferior hardware
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