It’s iPhone 13 (from $799) might not appear all that modern — aside from the camera lens layout that’s changed However, underneath it’s a superior flagship in all aspects. Many might view the iPhone 13 as an incremental improvement to previous models like the iPhone 12, but it’s certainly got plenty to offer.
The display of the new iPhone is brighter than the one it replaced. Battery life has been significantly longer. Also, Apple has enhanced the camera already excellent with new sensors as well as computational photography features that will make users feel more like professionals (even on a phone that isn’t a Pro).
Yes, it is true that the A15 Bionic running iPhone 13 is once again the fastest processor in the world. But the real story is what it can accomplish. It includes Cinematic mode, which can add the depth of field in your video as well as changing focus automatically as well as Photographic Styles for changing the appearance of your images.
Further iPhone 13 reviews: Our verdict is in
- iPhone 13 Pro Max review The latest and greatest iPhone all-around
- Reviews of the iPhone 13 Pro: Stellar cameras in a compact design
- iPhone 13. mini test A small phone that has great performance
The standard iPhone 13 has some flaws. The charging process is slow when compared to Android phones. It’s also not my favorite the fact that only iPhone 13 Pro models get 120Hz displays and telephoto zoom. Based on my extensive iPhone 13 review, this new iPhone is the most efficient phone for the price.
Read the iPhone 13 mini-review for all the features that are available on that iPhone 13 in a smaller size. Do you want a 120Hz display or zoom telephoto? Take a look at the iPhone 13 Pro review. Also, our iPhone 13 Pro Max review is the best place to go if you’re looking to get the largest screen.
iPhone 13 review: Price and storage
The iPhone 13 starts at $799 for 128GB of storage (up from 64GB in previous models like the iPhone 12) The price is increased to $899 when you purchase the 256GB model and $1,099 for the 512GB version. In the U.K. the entry-level model starts at just PS779 and the 256GB model into the market at PS879, with the 512GB model costing at PS1,079.
They’re not cheap phones, however, you can save money with trade-in incentives from Apple and wireless carriers. Additionally, there are many discounts to be had. Be sure you check the iPhone 13 deals page to see the most recent deals. Check out our iPhone 13 Cyber Monday offers to save big.
iPhone 13 review: Design and colors
- A smaller notch allows the display more full-bodied
- A little different placement of the button
- Blue and pink are prominent colors.
There are two design tweaks that are worth mentioning with iPhone 13. iPhone 13. The first one is that the cameras at the rear are now placed horizontally, instead of vertically.
Then, and even most importantly, the notch has been made 20% smaller and still offers the same fantastic TrueDepth cameras and Face ID you’d expect since iPhone X ushered in this feature four years ago.
In reality, the smaller notch isn’t any different from everyday usage for iPhone 13. iPhone 13. When I was watching movies in the landscape view side-by-side with a full-screen display I couldn’t see any notch that was is distracting.
I liked the notch’s mini size more using applications with white backgrounds in portrait orientation, for example, Gmail. The screen notch of the iPhone 13 swoops down a little more, despite it being shorter.
The position of the button differs slightly on the iPhone 13 versus the iPhone 12. Its power button can be found located lower on the right, as is the case for the ringer switch as well as Volume buttons located on the left.
In addition, the iPhone 13 offers the same robust CeramicShield display on the front, with a durable glass back, and flat edges. It also comes with exactly the same IP68 water resistance as before. However, the iPhone 13 doesn’t offer Touch ID as an option, which we would all have liked considering that Face ID does not work well when using masks. I don’t think I needed an additional sensor on the display as some Android phones have now as well as a Touch ID sensor embedded in the power button as in the Mini 6 iPad would be ideal.
It appears that the iPhone 13 is having an issue unlocking using its Apple Watch in some cases. Apple admitted to the issue and has said it will fix the issue in the near future.
iPhone 13 comes in five shades that include Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and (Product) Red. I tried the blue model which is a lovely shade, but not too loud. It’s also a pleasure to use the aluminum frame that matches the colors Apple offers in its basic iPhones.
iPhone 13 review: Display
- A brighter display that is easier to be read even in bright sunlight.
- The colors and contrast are stunning.
Unfortunately, the iPhone 13 doesn’t boast the flexible 120Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 13 Pro, but it’s still an excellent OLED display. The Super Retina XDR display is bright over its predecessor, the iPhone 12; it’s also listed at 800 nits as opposed to 600 nits on the iPhone 12 last year.
In my tests I don’t think the brightness differences are dramatic however, it might help when trying to see the display of the iPhone 13 under direct light.
The overall quality of the display remains top-notch. As I watched the teaser trailer of The Matrix Resurrections, I was captivated by the neon code that surrounded Neo as he strolled down the street. And in another scene, I could see hairs that were a part of Neo’s face as he gazed upwards at the sunlight.
In our tests in the lab, we found that iPhone 13 averaged 795 nits of brightness, as compared to 569 nits in iPhone 12 and 569 nits for iPhone 12 and 702 nits for the Galaxy S21. It also registered a 77.4% DCI-P3 color gamut. iPhone 13 also registered 78.1 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut as well as 110.2 percent for the color RGB spectrum, which is why higher numbers are more favorable. Compared to the iPhone 12, the Galaxy S21 scored 77.4 and 109.2 points.
It’s the iPhone 13 panel’s color accuracy is impressive, too with the Delta-E score of 0.26 (lower is more accurate.) This is in contrast to 0.29 on both Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12.
iPhone 13 review: Cameras
- Images that are vibrant and bright beat Samsung
- The ultra-wide camera provides more scenes and a new night mode
- Styles of photography allow you control over your creativity
There’s more to the iPhone 13 cameras than just the new lens arrangement that is diagonal. The camera that is wide now collects 47 percent more light than the iPhone 12, thanks to the larger camera that has 1.7mm pixels.
Another advantage can be that an ultrawide camera is able to be able to capture four times more scenes and the newer sensor provides more efficient low-light performance as well as less noise.
You’re probably not a big fan of the iPhone’s standard color temperature or simply wanted to have more control over the photos you take, you’ll love using the Photographic Styles feature. Within the Camera app, you can select between several styles, including traditional, vibrant, high contrast, cool and warm.
I tested the feature by taking a number of portraits and enjoyed the differences between the styles. For instance, the high contrast mode made the appear less blurred, and the bright settings allowed the coleus plant to pop more prominently with the trees that were in the background. It’s not as easy to alter this effect at will by having to select a setting, and then select the style that you would like, but I love that you can personalize your own personal style.
In this image of the Manasquan Reservoir in New Jersey, you can observe how much better the camera of the iPhone 13 is in comparison with that of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The water appears more vivid and transparent as well as it appears that the iPhone 13 does a better job of rendering the shadows that surround the wood.
The iPhone 13 also delivered a more attractive image of these decorations for Halloween. The pumpkins in orange appear more vivid and vibrant, and so do the real-life pumpkins. It’s the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s pic is very sharp, but appears slightly dull.
In many shooting scenarios in many shooting situations, it was clear that the iPhone 13 was on par with the iPhone 12, but I did notice a noticeable improvement in night mode. While the final image is a somewhat more fuzzy side, however, it is clear that the iPhone 13 captures a brighter pink in the hydrangea blooms and the leaves around are much brighter.
iPhone 13 review: Video
- Cinematic mode is a mode that automatically alters the subject’s focus while also adding the effect of bokeh
- Superior Dolby Vision HDR video quality
iPhone 13 is a rare smartphone that makes users feel as if they are filmmakers when you make videos. It’s because of the new feature known as Cinematic mode. This effect adds the depth of field into your images and instantly shifts the subject of focus according to what’s happening in the frame, as the head of someone who is turning to speak to someone else. You don’t need to lift a finger, and it performs (almost) as if by magic.
While shooting my three dogs alongside my child, I was surprised by the way that I noticed that the iPhone 13 placed the focus on the dog closest to me in the beginning while he walked out of the frame, my daughter, as well as my older golden retriever, became visible. The effect of bokeh in the background was something that other smartphones have tried as well, including Samsung however Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra isn’t smart enough to shift the focus from one subject in real-time.
Cinematic mode isn’t always perfect, however, since it’s not perfect, as the iPhone 13 sometimes took a second to identify a faster-moving subject (our older golden retriever). The biggest drawback is that this mode is only available at 1080p. You aren’t able to capture Cinematic mode at 4K. However, overall this is a great feature that I’m sure a lot of people will be interested to test, particularly for videos that are social on TikTok.
The overall video quality of the iPhone 13 is excellent. The overall video quality from iPhone 13 is stellar, with increased noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved semantic rendering that allows you to distinguish faces, skin, the sky, and so on. While I was cruising around the Manasquan reservoir using an iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 I noticed a lot less background noise when blowing leaves in the iPhone 13’s video. In a different 4K video, I was lost in the calm waves that were lapping over the sandy shore.
iPhone 13 review: Performance and A15 Bionic
- A15 Bionic is the fastest chip again
- The machine-learning performance is significantly better
The A15 Bionic isn’t able to offer huge performance improvements in comparison to it’s predecessor, the A14 Bionic powering the iPhone 12 However, it did not have to stay the fastest processor in any phone. Similar to the A14 Bionic the A15 comes with a six-core CPU and a GPU with 4 cores, however, there’s now a 16-core neural Engine to support AI and machine learning which is up from 8 cores of the prior chip.
Apple states its iPhone 13’s processor is as much as 50 percent faster than competitors, while the GPU can handle graphics rendering up to 20% more quickly. Before we dive into tests, I think it’s crucial to discuss the speed of this phone when you use it regularly.
In a title like Genshin Impact — an open-world adventure title the particle effects and animations looked like consoles as I climbed up mountains as I walked through vast landscapes and fought off foes. I was also impressed with the Seek application, which quickly recognized plants as I aimed the camera at my backyard.
For Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance The iPhone 13 scored 4,129 and 1,684 respectively. It’s a lot superior to the scores of 3,859/1.593 put into from the iPhone 12, and it beats out the Galaxy S21’s score of 3,302/1,048.
The iPhone 13’s performance in graphics also stands out. In the 3DMark Wild Life benchmark, the latest iPhone scored 55.9 frames for every second. It’s a bit more than it’s predecessor, the iPhone 12 (51 fps) however, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra mustered only 33 frames per second.
We didn’t find any significant improvement over our video-editing test with Adobe Premiere Rush. iPhone 13 took 25.9 seconds to convert a 4K video into 1080p as opposed to the iPhone 12’s 26.5 minutes for iPhone 12. Samsung S21 was faster. Samsung S21 took 1 minute and 2 seconds.
Take a look at the iPhone 13 benchmarks results page to find out how the four models fare in comparison with the Android competitors.
Regarding 5G’s performance, The iPhone 13 should get better as carriers continue rolling the networks. For instance, Verizon says its further-reaching C-Band spectrum will be used by 100 million users in 2022. We also saw extremely promising speeds during our C-Band 5G tests with Verizon.
If it comes to call quality, we’ve found that the iPhone 13 offers solid quality on a variety of networks, however, one feature isn’t working. Apple eliminated the feature to cancel phone calls in iPhone 13. iPhone 13 was available under access settings for previous iPhones like the iPhone 12 and previous iPhones. Some users have complained about how the sound of calls may be worse when there is a lot of ambient noise. The Control Center allows you to enable voice isolation during calls.
iPhone 13 review: Battery life and charging
- Ten hours, 33 minutes, and 10 seconds of battery time. This is 2 hours longer than iPhone 12
Apple claims they believe that their iPhone 13 lasts up to 1.5 hours more in comparison to that of the iPhone 12, thanks to an increased battery, a more efficient display, and the A15 Bionic chip. In our tests, however, our results were even better.
In Tom’s Guide Battery Test, which requires continuous web browsing in 5G, at 150 nits of brightness on the cellular network (AT&T’s networks in this instance) The iPhone 13 endured for 10 hours and 33 minutes. This is more than two hours longer than the 8.25 time it took to turn in the iPhone 12 turned in. The most impressive time we got using Samsung’s Galaxy S21 was 9:53.
For a look at how the 4 iPhone 13 models fared, go through the iPhone 13 battery life analysis and compare it to other Android phones.
However, the iPhone 13 offers the same charging speed as the previous iPhone. The latest iPhone was able to reach 51% in 30 minutes, using Apple’s 20W charging system. Other phones that are on our top charging phone checklist are significantly faster like The OnePlus 9 Pro.
This iPhone’s 15W MagSafe charger is a little slow, however, some users may prefer it because it’s magnetic and doesn’t require the Lightning port.
iPhone 13 review: iOS 15
- SharePlay lets users stream videos and plays music with your friends
- Focus helps reduce distractions
iOS 15 delivers some welcome enhancements to your iPhone Many of them are focused on sharing experiences. FaceTime is now better audio quality and has a better interface as well as iOS 15.1 is a great update for sharing experiences. iOS 15.1 update allows you to listen to music or stream movies or television shows alongside your friends or family members via SharingPlay. The Messages app has a brand newly added Shared by You section with pictures, articles, and much other content to help you to organize the various links your friends send to you.
I personally like the brand-new Focus feature that’s in iOS 15 that lets you set notifications to be filtered according to what you’re doing. Notifications are now more refined and come with a brand new overview view so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of notifications.
Additional iOS fifteen highlights are a revamped Safari (I find it difficult to appreciate the bar with an address that appears at the bottom however Apple allows you to alter the address) and a full-featured Weather app and a redesigned Maps app that has more details along with better street views. Not to be left out, Live Text bites off Google Lens by being able to recognize text in real-time using the camera when you need to look something up or obtain translations.
Since our review was published, Apple has come out with iOS 15.2, which adds new features and features to your iPhone which includes the app privacy report. As with all Apple apps, developers continue to develop great applications that make use of iOS and we’d recommend downloading several of the top iPhone programs as well, or, if new to iOS you should download the most popular apps for your brand new iPhone.
iPhone 13 known problems
As of now, iPhone 13 owners have encountered some problems. For instance, there are instances where iPhone 13 users are experiencing issues with the phone not being able to unlock when using the Apple Watch, though an update is in the works. Additionally to this, certain iPhone 13 owners are complaining about the display’s touch not responding properly in certain cases this could be a result of related to an iOS 15 issue.
For the iPhone 13 Pros, there are reports that the cameras automatically switch lenses with no warning. Apple is expected to release an update that allows users to switch off this. Additionally, there are reports that the ProMotion display on iPhone 13 Pros is not operating at 120 Hz when using certain apps and apps, something that Apple will address via an update. Developers must optimize their apps, too.
Another issue that’s popping up for a small number of iPhone 13 users is an unintentional pink screen issue. The bug is typically resolved by a restart of the phone but the issue persists for some user’s reasons, requiring Apple to issue replacements.
Check out the iPhone 13 issues roundup for more details.
iPhone 13 review: What is it like? Pixel 6?
The closest Android can come to be like the iPhone can be found in Google’s Pixel line launched today. Although the Pixel phones don’t have numbers that would offer the iPhone 13 the chance to breathe, they provide an impressive competition to cameras. Google and Apple battle over which is the better camera phone, and this year’s event is likely to be a significant contest.
With Google adopting a page of Apple’s book and coming up using its own technology (named Tensor), the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro is brimming with AI and machine-learning capabilities, particularly in speech recognition and post-processing of photos. There’s a Pixel 6 Pro against. iPhone 13 Pro Max face-off, if you’re looking to know how the two top models compete against one another. In addition to face-off, we have a Pixel 6 Pro vs. iPhone 13 face-off worth a look If you’re unsure.
iPhone 13 review: Verdict
The iPhone 13 is a step up from the already excellent iPhone for the majority of people by adding a variety of great improvements. I’m particularly impressed by the extended battery life as the battery life of the iPhone 12 was not impressive even for a phone with 5G. I would not recommend iPhone 12 owners upgrade to the latest iPhone however I think the iPhone 13 is definitely worth the cost even if you have the iPhone 11 or older device.
I’m not sure how many will notice the smaller screen. What really makes this iPhone 13 is the camera. Low-light performance is better, and the digital photography tools like Cinematic mode and the Photographic style flex the A15 Bionic’s muscle in ways that are way above benchmarks.
I’m also pleased that Apple has doubled the initial storage at 128GB since that move was long overdue and put the new iPhone at par with Android flagships. I’d love to have Apple providing faster charging the next time around and that could be through USB-C or MagSafe and as well as a display that runs at 120Hz.
The final verdict is iPhone 13 is a fantastic phone. iPhone 13 is a fantastic phone that sets the standard of the things you believe camera phones can accomplish.
