iPhone 13 Vs iPhone 13 Pro: Why Should You Go Pro
iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro? Which is right for you?
Our iPhone 13 review and iPhone 13 Pro review highlight that these are two key players in Apple’s top smartphone line. But what’s the difference, and which should you buy?
The 13 and 13 Pro both rank among the best smartphones and certainly among the best iPhones, but how do the two compare, and which is the better buy? Has Apple learned from its mistakes of last year and properly differentiated its Pro model this time around?
We scored the iPhone 13 a little higher than the iPhone 13 Pro, but that doesnt mean its the better phone, so there’s a lot to cover in our iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro matchup. This ones going to take some unpacking.
What About An Older iPhone
While everyone is currently raving and reviewing the iPhone 14 lineup, theres nothing stopping you from going back to less recent revisions of the iPhone, like last years iPhone 13 and even the iPhone 12. The last few years of iPhones all have a lot in common: They all run iOS 16, feature excellent camera systems, and offer a similarly high-end, polished experience. Meanwhile, they cost significantly less than they did at launch because they arent the newest option.
For the absolute best bargain, though, consider the 2022 iPhone SE. The budget-friendly iPhone, refreshed earlier this year, features a much older design: It has a home button with Touch ID, just one 12MP rear camera, and a relatively small 4.7-inch LCD screen. Despite the stripped-down, almost retro feature-set, it sports an A15 Bionic chipset, so apps will run smoothly. For under $500, the iPhone SE is an excellent phone and at that price point.
At this point, you really cant go wrong with any of the older models mentioned above. Even the iPhone 12, which came out in 2020, will likely receive new updates from Apple for another 3-5 years. We generally recommend opting for newer phones and PCs to maximize their lifespans, but given the price differential between last year and this year, with only a small performance jump from the iPhone 13 to iPhone 14, theres never been a better year to buy an older iPhone.
iPhone 13 Pro Review: This Pros Got Few Cons
Almost every year since 2007, Ive gotten a new iPhone.1 Some years promise big improvements over the pastothers are more incremental. But 14 years into the iPhones life, those big updates are decidedly fewer and farther between.
Such it is with the iPhone 13 Pro. This is the third Pro-branded iPhone in Apples history, and with every iteration, its increasingly clear that the moniker is more marketing than anything of substance.
What makes a Pro phone? These days its more camera lenses, different materials, and one or two additional features. Not a better processor, increased storage, or even more RAM, the traditional hallmarks of pro in the Mac lineup. This isnt a phone for proswhat would a professional smartphone user even look like? Are the rest of us rank amateurs by comparison?
Ultimately, the Pro phone is simply the more expensive phonebut Apple couldnt exactly call it the iPhone Pricier.2 But I digress.
Jason has already taken a close look at the 13 and 13 mini in his review the iPhone 13 Pro mainly differs from its standard 13 counterpart in three ways. Do those features make the Pro phones better? Not necessarily: the real question is whether those factors make a meaningful difference to you, the potential phone customer.
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iPhone 13 Vs iPhone 13 Pro: Performance
All iPhone 13 models come with the new Apple A15 Bionic chip. Built on a 5-nanometer process, the chip comes with six processor cores: two for demanding tasks and four for more less rigorous workloads to increase efficiency. Overall, Apple claims the A15 Bionic offers 50% faster performance than the leading competition here’s looking at you Qualcomm.
But it’s on the graphics side that we see some disparity between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. The former has four GPU cores, while the latter has five. Apple claims the iPhone 13 offers 30% better graphics performance than leading Android phones, but noted that the extra core in the A15 Bionic for the iPhone 13 Pro handset will offer 50% more graphics performance than rival chips. Although, it should be noted that it has had Bluetooth issues in some cars.
In our testing, the iPhone 13 scored 4,129 on the Geekbench 5 multi-core test and 1,684 in the single-core test. The iPhone 13 Pro outperformed it but only just scoring 4,718 and 1,733 respectively. That’s not really a big enough difference to notice any real performance disparity in everyday use.
In graphics testing, iPhone 13 hit 55.9 fps in the 3DMark Wild Life benchmark, while the iPhone 13 Pro managed a very impressive 70 fps. Clearly, that extra GPU core is working hard. So if you want the best gaming performance, then you’ll want to go for the iPhone 13 Pro, not that the standard phone will let you down either.
iPhone 13 Vs iPhone 13 Pro: Which One Is Right For Me
Overall, when it comes to deciding between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models, it’s down to what you plan to use your phone for.
The iPhone 13 Pro offers a clear upgrade on the iPhone 13, particularly in terms of its materials, battery life, display and cameras. Although the Pro also has these improvements, these do not significantly change the day-to-day use of the device and most people cannot justify the additional cost for such details.
If you feel that the Pro model is slightly out of your budget, then you can opt for the standard iPhone 13, without losing out on too many features. If you don’t need the most advanced camera or largest storage, then you would hardly notice the difference.
Those most likely to opt for buying the iPhone 13 Pro over the iPhone 13 will be seeking the most premium and fully-featured iPhone that has high capabilities in all aspects or they would be interested in using the phone for photographs and high-resolution video recording. Though it’s worth considering that the iPhone 14 is rumoured to be coming soon, and it may be worth waiting for that to be released before either getting the 14 model or a hopefully discounted iPhone 13.
If both iPhone 13 models are out of your budget, then you could consider one of the older iPhone ranges, see our best iPhone for photography guide or our general best camera phone guides for more options.
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It Might Be Right For You
I’m not saying don’t buy the iPhone 13 Pro. We just have to have preferences, and I think serious content creators will be happier with the big-screen viewfinder and two-day battery life of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, while the average iPhone buyer will be satisfied balancing price and performance with the main iPhone 13. But if you want the best iPhone camera in a more pocketable size, not to mention better battery life than the standard iPhone 13, you’ll be happy with the 13 Proâit doesn’t have major downsides. It just doesn’t stand out in its crowd of competitors.
- Excellent cameras, including improved zoom
- Smooth 120Hz display
When Should You Upgrade If You Have An Older iPhone
Our general philosophy about upgrading is that if youre happy with what you have, you dont need the latest and greatest. Last years iPhone or the one before that should continue to serve you well. New phones tend to offer incremental upgradestheyre not revolutionary products that change the experience. Apple still issues security updates to older devices, and iOS 15 still supports every iPhone from 2015 on even four-plus years later, older phones are getting new features.
If you have an older phone thats beginning to feel slower, you may want to check the batterys health. A battery with depleted capacity can slow down your phone due to power-conservation features. If the iOS Battery Health screen shows the status Performance management applied or Battery health degraded, consider having Apple replace the battery rather than investing in a new phone.
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iPhone 14 Or iPhone 1: Which Phone Is The Better Buy
Never before have two generations of iPhone been quite so similar. Even when Apple would introduce a S version of the iPhone every other year, there was a difference in processor, but the iPhone 14 Apple has widened the gap between the iPhone Pro and the standard iPhone. Come next year we could again see a generational leap in processor between the iPhone 14 and its successor, which will surely get the A16.
Thats not to say that there isnt a processor bump for the new phone, as you can see from the benchmarks this chip means the iPhone 14 is more like the iPhone 13 Pro, so it is better than the iPhone 13. Its just not a whole generation better.
But should the focus be on the processor? When considering a new iPhone the capabilities of the processor could be seen as less important than how long Apple will support that processor for. We can assume that the iPhone 13 and 14 will both lose iOS compatibility at the same time, but this wont be a concern for many years.
How Long Will It Last
The standard warranty for the iPhone 13 Pro is one year, but you can get Apple Care+ to extend it for two to three years and cover two instances of accidental damage every 12 months. The phone is also IP68 water and dust resistant, letting it survive full immersion and rinsing in the sink. Apple doesnt state how long its software update commitment is, but based on existing models, it will still receive the latest version of iOS in four of five years time. If youre a power user, the iPhone 13 Pro should still last for three years at the absolute minimum.
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iPhone 13 Pro Specs And Performance
- 5nm Apple A15 Bionic chipset
- 128GB to 1TB storage options
Like all the iPhone 13 models, the iPhone 13 Pro runs on Apples A15 Bionic chipset, which, at launch, the company claimed was the best smartphone processor on the market.
In our testing, it was able to run every app we loaded with ease, and we didnt encounter any stuttering issues. Gaming on the phone was also smooth, with every title we played loading quickly.
Youre unlikely to see a big change here if you own an iPhone 12 or a recent Android phone, but if youre upgrading from an older iPhone youll notice the difference. The A15 chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM, helps to keep things ticking over nicely.
In benchmarking, we found the iPhone 13 Pro scored 4718 in Geekbench 5 software thats a touch higher than the iPhone 13, which scored 4688. Its also remarkably higher than the iPhone 12 Pro, which scored 3669.
These differences wont be especially noticeable in everyday usage, but if youre pushing your phone to its limits you may find that you appreciate that extra bit of grunt the iPhone 13 Pro is able to offer.
Youve got the choice of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage on the iPhone 13 Pro. We wouldnt recommend going for the 1TB option unless you really think you need that extra space for example if you shoot a lot of video while at the other end of the scale many users could find 128GB a bit limiting, but most people will be well served by either of the two middle options.
iPhone 13 Vs iPhone 13 Pro: Camera
The main difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro is their rear camera setups. The iPhone 13 has a dual 12MP camera system with Ultra Wide and Wide lenses, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro has a triple camera setup that adds a Telephoto lens into the mix. The iPhone 13 Pro is also able to optically zoom in ten times further than the standard iPhone 13.
The iPhone 13 Pro is also able to take photos in Apple ProRaw, allowing you to take higher quality photos and record video in 4K at 30 fps.
In addition to this, the iPhone 13 Pro has a LiDAR Scanner in the rear camera array to accurately map the environment and depth, allowing you to take Night mode portrait photos and use the camera for augmented reality.
If the camera is important to you, then you’re probably better off opting for the iPhone 13 Pro or the iPhone 13 Pro Max models, rather than just the iPhone 13.
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iPhone 13 Pro Max Display
With the Pro Max model, you get the biggest display a 6.7in Super Retina XDR OLED w/ 120Hz and the best refresh rates in the range. This makes the iPhone 13 Pro Max an obvious choice for anyone that considers themselves a serious gamer and/or likes to watch a lot of media on their phones, things like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video. From a design and display perspective, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is essentially flawless you will love everything about it.
Things get even better with performance too. If youre coming from an older iPhone model, like the iPhone X or even the iPhone 11, the iPhone 13 Pro Max will feel insanely potent. Apples A15 CPU is ridiculously powerful, running rings around the latest and greatest Samsung and Qualcomm chipsets. It can handle everything from video editing to music production, and it does it all without breaking a sweat .
iPhone 14 Pro Vs iPhone 13 Pro: Design
The iPhone 13 Pro was available in Sierra Blue, Graphite, Gold, Silver, Alpine Green with a textured glass back and stainless steel frame. This time around the options are Space Black, Silver, Gold and a new Deep Purple.
The external case hasnt changed much if you look really closely youll see the camera bump on the back is very slightly larger but the notch is gone, replaced by what Apple calls Dynamic Island. This is where the TrueDepth camera and privacy indicators live, and it will expand to become a notification area for things like connecting your AirPods, seeing what musics playing, knowing when your taxi is going to arrive and so on.
The other dramatic difference is that in the iPhone 14 Pro, the display is always on. It dims without losing skin tones if youve used photos of people as your wallpaper, and it enables you to see your Lock Screen widgets as well as any active alerts for travel, sports scores and so on.
The new iPhone 14 Pro gets the same crash detection and satellite connectivity for emergencies.
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Which iPhone Should I Get
Apple unveiled four new iPhone models with the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, & 14 Pro Max. Weve added notes for all of these new models and well update with impressions for them soon.
If you have an iPhone that youre happy with, keep it. We dont think you should upgrade just because Apple has released new phones.
But if your current phone is running too slow or is damaged, or if youre simply ready for an upgrade and you want a new phone now, we recommend the iPhone 13. It represents a relatively minor upgrade over 2020s iPhone 12, but the improved cameras and better battery life build on the already great design and fast processing, with no drawbacks other than a few grams of added weight. If you prefer a smaller screen, the iPhone 13 mini is also a great choice, as it offers all the same features in an easier-to-hold package for $100 less.
Our pick
The iPhone 13 has a fantastic two-lens camera that can use Night Mode for impressive low-light photos, plus a plenty-fast processor, long battery life, and a large edge-to-edge OLED screen.
Buying Options
The iPhone 13 mini offers everything great about the iPhone 13 but is better suited for smaller hands and smaller pockets.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $700.
I’m All About Cinematic Mode On The iPhone 13 Pro
All of the iPhones 13 get a new feature called Cinematic mode. It uses the rear cameras or the True Depth camera array to create a 1080p video at 30 frames per second. What makes the video compelling is that everything but your subject is out of focus. The iPhone can even execute a rack focus from one subject to another. The effect is dramatic and impressive.
Like Portrait mode for photos, the feature allows you to change the depth of field. What’s great is the phone can do everything, including choosing who’s in focus and when to change focus. During the recording, you can tap and manually change the focus points and aperture yourself. Or you can do all of that after the fact.
Cinematic mode is a blast to use.
Are Cinematic videos perfect? No, but it’s a blast to use and experiment with. Cinematic mode needs a good amount of light to work best. If conditions are too dark, you’ll get a pop-up prompting you to turn your flash on.
Also, I noticed that fast-moving nonhuman subjects, such as water being poured out of a spout or a shot of espresso being brewed, were hard for Cinematic mode to keep in focus. And when editing a Cinematic mode video, the controls for the focus keyframes are tiny. You can long-press to expand them, but as soon as you let go, it goes back to being small.
Don’t expect Cinematic mode to be your go-to for consistently good-looking videos. It’s a fun-feature but regular video looks better in a majority of situations.
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