Yearly iPhone upgrades from Apple are as certain as the fact that the sun sets and rises every day, but in the case of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, what exactly's changed between Apple's baseline handsets? It's always an interesting time when a new iPhone comes out. There are endless leaks/rumors leading up to the announcement, tons of press when Apple holds its event, and plenty of follow-up coverage for hands-on impressions, reviews, etc.
Something else that's also present is a lot of criticism towards Apple. Year-over-year changes between iPhone models typically aren't that substantial. Apple usually adds a new processor, slightly improved cameras, and maybe longer battery life. That can make going from a 2020 iPhone to the 2021 model pretty boring, but for someone upgrading from an iPhone that's two, three, or even four years old, that's the demographic Apple's really targeting. Even so, it's still fun to compare the latest iPhone to its predecessor to see what exactly has changed.
In the case of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, there's quite a lot that's identical between the two phones. Both have the same 6.1-inch display, two rear cameras, Face ID, and MagSafe compatibility. The phones also share the same Ceramic Shield front glass and IP68 dust/water resistance rating. Heck, even the dimensions are almost the same! Apple notes that the iPhone 12 clocks in at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm with a weight of 164g. The iPhone 13 is slightly wider and heavier, by comparison, coming in at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm and 174g.
Every iPhone 13 Upgrade Compared To iPhone 12
Before someone dismisses the iPhone 13 as an iPhone 12 copycat, there are actually quite a few smaller changes that may go unnoticed. Design-wise, the iPhone 13 has a slightly smaller notch to house its Face ID sensors. The notch is definitely still there, but the reduced size does make it a bit less obnoxious. The other notable design change is the rear camera bump. The two sensors are placed in a diagonal array rather than in a vertical one. It's an objectively small difference that most folks won't notice, but that's the look Apple's chosen to go with.
Moving away from the design, the iPhone 13 is treated to a few functional upgrades. The new Super Retina XDR display is now 28 percent brighter for its peak brightness rating — going up to 800 nits from the iPhone 12's 625 nits rating. Performance also sees a small boost thanks to the A15 Bionic processor. It's effectively the same chip design as the A14 used in the iPhone 12, though Apple touts improvements to the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. Perhaps even more important is the A15's impact on battery life. The more efficient nature of the A15 allows the iPhone 13 to get up to 2.5 extra hours of battery life compared to the iPhone 12 (an increase from up to 17 hours of video playback to over 19 hours). And, last but certainly not least, there's the camera setup. Just like the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 has a 12MP primary camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera. Where things differ is in the properties of those sensors. The primary camera has a 47 percent larger sensor size than the iPhone 12 to capture more light in dark environments. It also benefits from Sensor-Shift stabilization technology for improved steadiness across the board. The ultra-wide camera sees some love, too, with Apple using a new sensor that "captures images with more detail in the dark areas of photos and videos with less noise." Other camera upgrades on the iPhone 13 include Smart HDR 4 for still photos, a Photographic Styles feature to apply certain camera effects with Apple's image processing, and Cinematic Mode — a new way to record videos with professional-grade controls.
As an iterative upgrade over the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 makes a pretty good impression. Whether it be the refined design, brighter display, longer battery life, or better cameras, Apple managed to squeeze in some pretty meaningful changes. That's not to say someone with an iPhone 12 needs to go out and buy the iPhone 13 this very instant, but as a year-over-year upgrade, there's a lot to like here.
Source: Apple