iPhone 13 — is it really that much of an upgrade?
Coming from a tech aficionado, let’s look at the changes
iPhone 13, released in fall of last year, is Apple’s latest flagship device. Super OLED display, improved new A15 bionic chip, improved cameras, but is it worth your money to upgrade? Well, let’s take a close look.
Storage
Let’s start with the storage on this phone — you can get from 128GB to a full terabyte of storage. Most pro computers today don’t have a full terabyte of storage, yet the iPhone 13 sells a model packing full one terabyte of storage. In that little thing! That’s a hell of a lot of storage for a phone that most people are essentially just going to use for TikTok, Instagram and sometimes Google. It is $1,599 for the most expensive model though, so make sure you and your wallet are prepared.
However…the 1TB model is ideal if you plan to take 4K (2160p) video at rates more than one minute, as those videos take up 6 gigs per minute — so even a 30-second ‘short’ recorded with 4K will take up 6 GB of storage on this phone. It’s also ideal for people who are not looking to upgrade for a while. Never mind 4K60fps, which is the standard for most video aficionados.
Cinematic mode & the camera
Okay, so when you open the videos app on your phone, you’re going to see an intriguing little feature called ‘cinematic mode’, which is something Apple describes as ‘having Hollywood in your pocket’. That’s an exaggeration if I’ve ever seen one. Cinematic mode is definitely fad-adjacent: its only movie like qualities are auto-focus while blurring the background, and some choppy HDR. And to put the icing on the cake, its limit is 1080p at 30 frames per second, which hasn’t been the industry standard for about 5 years or so when this phone was released: the industry standard is 4K24 or 4K30. I rather just use ProRes on regular video on the 13, or better yet, don’t use an iPhone to shoot a feature film. To be honest, it’s the most useless feature I’ve seen on an iPhone in a couple years. That’s saying something.
As far as the camera goes, photos are surprisingly clear and crisp. Photos in low light look amazing with the image enhancements of the A15 bionic and the telephoto camera. Videos look crisp and clear as well, and when utilizing its ultra wide and telephoto cameras…this thing is actually a beast. You’d love this, and this is coming from a phone buff.
IP68 water resistance
So let’s talk about the ‘industry-leading’ water resistance promise Apple promises on their website. Not that I’ve tested it six meters in the ocean for twenty minutes, but this iPhone succeeds in terms of water resistance on any flagship, including the Samsung S22, Google Pixel 6, OnePlus 10 and any other flagships right now and I think it shows.
You can spill water, soda, even things like witch hazel and nacho cheese and the device would still be to full functionality, especially if you’re able to wipe it off as soon as possible.
Macro photography
We’ve mentioned the camera before, but what about its other little features? Like macro photography. You can quite literally go as close as two centimeters of your subject (yes, I’m talking two centimeters) and image quality, as described, great for macro and captures things amazingly — a speck of dust on your piano, the tiny red dot hiding in your freckle, etcetera.
Wireless charging
As expected with all Apple devices, the iPhone 13 and all of its subproducts all work flawlessly with all QI wireless charging devices (that say they‘re not exclusive to Samsung/Xiaomi/etc.) like Spigen, and perform just as good with Apple’s very own MagSafe® accessories, which is what you should expect from any flagship Apple phone (and even iPad) from now on.
Enhanced performance
The monstrous A15 bionic in the iPhone 13 packs a punch — and it’s a mid-range improvement from its predecessor, the iPhone 12. The combination of its enhanced 5G bands and the new near-flawless processor makes using the 13 feel like you’re on a WiFi connection. Its speeds are great, and I’d be lying if I tried to say Samsung exceeded in performance against this phone.
iOS 15 & 120hz refresh rate
The iPhone 13 is designed for iOS 15 and it works perfectly using its software. Self-explanatory to be honest, since it’s the iOS version that’s released and shipped with their phones. Its refresh rate, however, finally catches up to Samsung and its other competitors by adding a 120hz refresh rate, making scrolling on this phone feel even more smooth and sleek — which the iPhone’s always felt.
OLED display
Adding to all of this phone’s handy perks, the iPhone 13 Pro contrives of a Super Retina XDR OLED display with support for HDR video. The display peaks at 1,200 nits and the resolution on this device is actually almost 4K (1170x2532 pixels, to be precise). That is mind blowing for a mobile phone, as most phone displays are less than QHD quality. But then there’s one thing that stops the train from rolling — this is an upgrade from last year by… five pixels? That wasn’t much effort, was it? Nope.
“Exceptional durability”
— is what the iPhone 13 Pro dons on its site when it lists the specs and other features. But exceptional durability never proves to be true on iPhones, although it does have less glass shards when breaking than its ‘competitors’ (even though I don’t know anyone who’s buying a new non-Apple phone). If you’re trying to protect your iPhone, get an OtterBox Defender or a Mous case. Don’t trust the ‘exceptional durability’ promise, for a couple years, or until you see a drop test on YouTube that takes those abilities to the maximum.
So, now, for the final question that we’ve all been waiting for —
Should you, a regular person, upgrade to the iPhone 13?
Drumroll please…
It totally depends what phone you’re coming from. If you’re coming from an iPhone 11 or older, then the answer is yes. This is going to be a major improvement that I can tell will last in Apple’s ecosystem for a long while.
If you’re coming from a 12, then it’s not an urgent matter to upgrade your phone right now because it still delivers on its job as a phone, even though the 13 is still honestly a major improvement from the 12, never mind the 11.
If you’re coming from even the newest Samsung or OnePlus, upgrade to this phone. It is worth it. And no, I’m not an Apple fanboy.
Kay, which model?
Hate to break it to you, but Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max — because unfortunately, the most expensive one is to choose. With the mini and regular, you get limited 5G networking, no 120HZ refresh rate and it’s overall just not a great upgrade.
The 13 Pro Max also outperforms in terms of camera over the mini and regular, so I’d recommend that one. However, the regular Pro model also does the same jobs if you’re looking for a smaller phone.
To conclude, the iPhone 13 is a good phone — but it needs to brush on some remnants, like not having 120hz and improved 5G on its mini and regular models.
