Apple iPhone 13: design, specs, price, is it worth buying
The iPhone 13 was released in 2021 at Apple's September event, and since then we have seen the iPhone 14 released, and the iPhone 15 is just around the corner. Despite the appearance of these new models, the iPhone 13 remains a popular model, due to its relatively high specs and cheaper price. In this article we will look at the features of the iPhone 13, and whether or not it is worth buying in 2023.
What does the iPhone 13 look like?
There are four iPhone 13 models as expected from the iPhone 13 rumours: the iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 13 design has not changed all that much from the previous iPhone 12 lineup. The new models have similar sizes and proportions as the iPhone 12, however they do have larger batteries, resulting in slightly heavier devices.
On the iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13 the rear camera sensors are now arranged diagonally and there is a slightly smaller notch on the front, giving slightly more screen space - this has been made possible by Apple placing the earpiece on the bezel and moving the selfie camera to the other side.
What are the iPhone 13 colors?
There are 5 colors for the iPhone 13 Mini and the iPhone 13: starlight, midnight, blue, pink and red. These colors are different to those on the iPhone 12 which were purple, blue (slightly darker than the iPhone 13 blue), green, red (the same), white and black. The main talking point here is the pink iPhone 13, as was the purple iPhone 12 when that was released.
There are 4 colors for the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max: gold, graphite, silver and sierra blue. The previous iPhone 12 Pro's Pacific Blue is the only color not returning, with Apple favoring a lighter shade of blue.
What are the iPhone 13 specs?
Display
The iPhone 13 Mini and the iPhone 13 will have a super retina XDR display, with a 60Hz refresh rate and a max brightness of 800 nits. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max also have a super retina XDR display, however this will also be a 120Hz ProMotion OLED display. This will allow the refresh rate to dynamically adjust depending on what you are doing, to give a smoother feel to your iPhone.
Display Sizes
- iPhone 13 Mini: 5.4 inches
- iPhone 13 and 13 Pro: 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6.7 inches
Materials
The iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13 are made with "Aerospace-grade aluminium" and have a ceramic shield front glass. The iPhone 13 Pro, and the Pro Max are made of "Surgical-grade stainless steel" and also feature the ceramic shield glass. Similarly to the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 is IP68 dust and water resistant (six meters for 30 minutes)
Performance
The entire iPhone 13 lineup features Apple's A15 Bionic chipset. It has a new 6-core CPU with 2 performances and 4 efficiency cores and a new 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 13 Mini and the iPhone will have a 4-core GPU, and the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models will have a 5-core GPU.
Storage capacity
iPhone 13 Mini & iPhone 13: 128GB, 256GB, 512B
iPhone 13 Pro & iPhone 13 Pro Max: 128GB, 256GB, 512B, 1TB
Camera
The iPhone 13 camera has been redesigned. There is a 12MP wide (f/1.6 aperture) camera lens as well as an ultra-wide lens (f/2.4 aperture). The iPhone 13 Pro's have three 12MP cameras: A wide lens (1/1.5 aperture), an ultra-wide lens (f/1.8 aperture) and a telephoto lens (f/2.8 aperture) with a 77mm zoom. Apple claims that these cameras are significantly better at taking low light photography. All of the iPhone 13 cameras allow for 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps and have a Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps).
Software
As for the software, the iPhone 13 series will feature the new iOS 15 that will improve the performance of many built-in apps, such as the Maps, Messages, Wallet, and Weather apps.
What's in the box?
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include a USB‑C to Lightning Cable that provides fast charging support and is compatible with USB‑C power adapters and computer ports.
What is the iPhone 13 price?
There are four different starting price points for the iPhone 13 range and across the board the price has increased from the previous iPhone 12. However, it is important to note that all of the "base" models come with 128GB of storage, as opposed to the iPhone 12's 64GB. The prices of the iPhone 13 have since been decreased after the release of the iPhone 14 models, however you can no longer purchase the iPhone 13 Pro models on the Apple Store.
- iPhone 13 Mini: 599$ (128GB)
- iPhone 13: 699$ (128GB)
- iPhone 13 Pro: 999$ (128GB) (No longer available on the Apple Store)
- iPhone 13 Pro Max: 1099$ (128GB) (No longer available on the Apple Store)
For comparison:
- The current price of the iPhone 14 with A15 Bionic chip, 6‑core CPU, 128GB and 6.1‑inch display is 799$.
- The basic version of iPhone 14 Plus with 6.7‑inch display costs 899$.