Apple iPhone 13

Introduced on 14 Sep 2021, the new iPhone 13 (from $799) is Apple’s newest flagship iPhones on the more affordable end which is being sold alongside the more expensive iPhones 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 13 is best for those who don’t need pro-level photo and video camera features.

The 6.1 Inch iPhone 13 is the replacement for the Apple’s old model iPhone 12 which is very much identical in design to the iPhone 12, an aerospace grade aluminum enclosure, featuring flat edges, a glass back and a slight increase in thickness to almost (7.65mm). The iPhone 13 models are available in  Starlight (silver/gold), Pink, Midnight (black) , Blue, and RED.

Key Features

Display

The iPhone 13 features Super Retina XDR Display that is 28% brighter. It has a 2532x1170px resolution with 460 pixels/inch. It features 1200 nits max brightness for HDR along with True Tone to match the color temperature of display, vivid hues, Wide Color for rich, and also Haptic Touch for feedback.

Like last year’s iPhone 12 models, For better protection from water drops, the iPhone 13 features a Ceramic–Shield cover glass infused with nano ceramic crystals. It is also IP68 water and dust resistance and  can hold up to submersion in 6 meters water for up to 30 min.

Camera

The front-facing TrueDepth camera system has been updated and the Face ID notch is now smaller, taking up less overall space.

There’s a new diagonal dual-lens rear camera with 12 megapixel Wide and Ultra Wide cameras. The Wide camera features an improved f/1.6 aperture that lets in 47 percent more light and Sensor-Shift Stabilization, while the Ultra Wide camera features an improved f/2.4 aperture for improved low light performance.

Along with the standard Portrait Mode, Night Mode, Time-Lapse and other photographic capabilities, the iPhone 13 models gain Cinematic Mode, a feature that uses rack focus to seamlessly shift focus from one subject to another, artfully blurring the background and creating movie-quality depth effects. Cinematic mode shoots in Dolby HDR and the depth of field and blur can be adjusted using the iPhone’s camera app. The iPhone 13 model also support 4K video recording at up to 60 fps.

Smart HDR 4 recognizes up to four people in a photo and optimizes contrast, lighting, and skin tones for each one, and Deep Fusion, a carry over from iPhone 12, activates in mid to low-light scenes to bring out texture and detail.

Photographic Styles are an upgraded kind of filter that applies selectively to an image, muting colors or boosting vividness without impacting skin tones. There are Vibrant, Rich Contrast, Warm, and Cool options, along with settings for Tone and Warmth for customization and refining.

Apple’s iPhone 13 and 13 mini can be unlocked with the Face ID facial recognition system, which works with the 12-megapixel front-facing camera that supports Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, Night Mode, Cinematic Mode, Night Mode Selfies, and more.

Performance and A15 Bionic

An upgraded A15 Bionic Chip powers the new iPhone. It features a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, a 4-core GPU (one less GPU core than the Pro models), and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Network

5G connectivity is included for better quality video streaming, higher-definition FaceTime calls, and improved gaming, but the super fast mmWave speeds are again limited to major cities in the United States. Slower sub-6GHz 5G speeds are available in more rural areas in the U.S. and in other countries, and there’s support for more 5G bands for 5G connectivity in more places.

The iPhone 13 support WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, plus they include a U1 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness.

Gigabit LTE is supported when 5G isn’t available, and to preserve battery life when using 5G, a Smart Data Mode reverts to an LTE connection when 5G speeds aren’t necessary. The new iPhone 13 model offer dual eSIM support and don’t come with a physical SIM by default, but there’s still a nano-SIM slot.

Battery life and charging

Battery life has improved significantly thanks to larger batteries and the more efficient A15 chip. The iPhone 13 offers up to 2.5 hours more battery life than the iPhone 12.

Like last year’s iPhones, the iPhone 13 have built-in magnets and are compatible with MagSafe accessories, charging at up to 15W with Apple’s MagSafe Charger. The iPhones also support fast charging, which provides 50 percent charge in 30 minutes with a 20W power adapter.

Storage space starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB at the high end. There’s a built-in three-axis gyro, an accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and barometer.

There is no power adapter or EarPods included with the iPhone 13, and these accessories must be purchased separately. They do ship with a USB-C to Lightning cable for charging purposes.

9Expert Score

Expert's Review

The iPhone 13’s brighter display, longer battery life and powerful cameras make it the best iPhone for the money. But we wish it had faster charging and the iPhone 13 Pro’s adaptive 120Hz display.

Design

9.3

Display

9

Software

9.2

Performance

10

Battery Life

8

Camera

9

PROS

• Storage capacities doubled
• Battery life is better
• Notch is somewhat smaller
• Photographic Styles are a great new feature for the camera
• Cinematic Mode has a lot of potential
• MagSafe is more useful than ever
• Dual eSIM support

CONS

• Minimal camera upgrades
• Performance gains aren't as big as years past
• No WiFi 6E