Apple iPhone 13 Series: Big Improvements Are Hidden Under The Hood

Let us get this out of the way, first. This is not a revolutionary iPhone you were probably expecting. This isn’t the year for it, either. The alternating cycle means 2021 is the year for incremental upgrades. To keep up with the competition. Not wholesale changes. Visually not very different either, unless you’ve got the new Sierra Blue colour on the iPhone 13 Pro phones. A bit like the “S” iPhones? That’s where things get serious. The Apple A15 Bionic chip takes over the mantle of the most powerful smartphone processor from the A14 Bionic from the iPhone 12 series—no Android phone comes close for raw performance. Cameras have been upgraded and while all iPhone 13 phones get bigger batteries as well.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini

The smallest iPhone. Perhaps the most attractive iPhone of the lot. Also, a rarity. Phones as compact as this aren’t common. The entry spec variant now has 128GB storage instead of 64GB. Apple has kept the specs on the iPhone 13 Mini and the larger iPhone 13 consistent, which means anyone looking to buy the smallest iPhone, won’t be in for a compromise. The 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display is brighter than before, while retaining the resolution and HDR, or High Dynamic Range, capabilities. Dual 12-megapixel cameras get new sensors for better light capture, Smart HDR4 algorithms for photos, sensor-shift optical image stabilization that uses a floating sensor to counter horizontal or vertical shakes and the Cinematic Mode video. You will probably love Photo Styles, which can add a slightly different vividness or a dash of contrast to photos. Before buying this though, be sure of how comfortable you will be with this screen size.

Alternate Reality: Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, OnePlus 9 5G, Google Pixel 4a

Apple iPhone 13

The iPhone 13 is, and it may be surprising to hear this, is may just offer the best value for a sizeable demographic of potential buyers. Give or take a few, this matches the iPhone 13 Pro on the spec sheet including new camera sensors and may just be more than enough smartphone for many. What the iPhone 13 doesn’t have—no LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner for night mode portrait photos, display doesn’t support 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and Apple ProRaw photos as well as ProRes videos. Not exactly deal breakers, in the larger scheme of things. There’s the Ceramic Shield layer on the display, which is claimed to be tougher than anything else, including the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Yet, we wouldn’t recommend you drop the iPhone. Little things make the most difference. Battery lasts up to 2.5 hours more on a single charge than the iPhone 12 while the display is brighter.

Alternate Reality: Asus ROG Phone 5, Vivo X70 Pro, iQOO 7 Legend

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

This year’s iPhone 13 Pro design is all about continuity with subtle tweaks. That includes a slightly smaller notch. Yet it is overall marginally thicker because of a larger battery. Looks similar too, unless you’ve got the new Sierra Blue colour. The display is where the “Pro” iPhones take a step up. Mind you, the competition landscape also dictated this. The 6.1-inch screen supports 120Hz refresh rate, something Apple calls ProMotion. You cannot manually set this at a particular rate—it will refresh between 10 to 120 times per second depending on the content being viewed. While iOS 15 looks good on a smoother display, it may be a while before other apps take advantage of this. There are three cameras, and there’s the Macro photography mode too. The iPhone 13 Pro switches to the macro photo mode incredibly smoothly as you get to within 2 centimeters of the subject. Longer battery life is a bonus.

Alternate Reality: OnePlus 9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21+, Oppo Find X2

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

The iPhone 13 Pro phones now get the 1TB storage option. Power users may appreciate this, particularly if the intention is to fully use the camera for space consuming ProRAW photos, ProRes or Dolby Vision HDR videos as well as Cinematic Mode. What really is the Cinematic Mode? Simply put, smart algorithms recognize human faces in a video frame as you record it and automatically shift focus from one to the other depending on movement—such as one person turning away from the camera to look at the second person. The iPhone 13 series are the first phones to offer something like this. It’ll occasionally stumble in low light, but these videos are flawless in good light. These video recordings top out with 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution) at 30fps (frames per second). That said, 1080p resolution isn’t entirely at home in a future of 4K videos. The iPhone 13 Pro Max also has the biggest battery. To be fair, smartphones don’t get more complete than this.

Alternate Reality: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders

Apple iPhone 13 Prices: Zero Annual Inflation

Apple has retained the price tags of last year’s iPhone 12 series for the iPhone 13 series, and the expected price hike didn’t materialize.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini

₹69,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

2020 launch price: ₹69,900 onwards

Current price: ₹59,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 13

₹79,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 12

2020 launch price: ₹79,900 onwards

Current price: ₹65,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

₹1,19,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

2020 launch price: ₹1,19,900 onwards

Current price: Discontinued

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

₹1,29,900 onwards

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

2020 launch price: ₹1,29,900 onwards

Current price: Discontinued

Apple iPhone 13 series: The great and the not so good

Thumbs up:

Camera upgrades are worth your while

Cinematic Mode is cool for shooting videos

Bigger batteries in all iPhone 13 options

120Hz displays make iOS 15 even smoother

Thumbs down:

FaceTime camera isn’t keeping pace with rivals

Still no switch from Lightning port to USB-C

No fingerprint sensor and Face ID with masks gets irritating

Accessories Your Apple iPhone 13 Deserves

Mujjo Leather Cases

$44.90 onwards (around ₹3,300); Mujjo.com

Dutch designer brand Mujjo has premium leather cases Full Leather or Full Leather Wallet options. Three colours—Signature Tan, Monaco Blue and Black. These undercut Apple’s iPhone 13 series leather cases, which are priced around ₹5,500.

Apple MagSafe Charger

₹4,500; Apple.com/in

The iPhone 13 series gets larger batteries and MagSafe wireless charging speeds have been dialed up too. Really strong magnets ensure a perfect match, and the 20-watt power adapter falls in the fast charge category.

SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync

₹9,999 (256GB); shop.westerndigital.com

This is a one of its kind wireless charger with a 256GB storage module that also allows you back up your phone’s data. It is a convenient way of backing up your photo library and freeing up the phone’s storage.