Apple iPhone 13
RRP $ 799.00
"The iPhone 13 remains Apple's flagship model, offering most of the value of the Pro at a lower price."
advantages
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Fast and responsive performance
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Excellent camera and video functions
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Long battery life
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Supports most of the premium features
disadvantage
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Still no USB-C
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No higher refresh rate or telephoto lens
the iPhone 13 is the new iPhone Apple expects most people to buy, and it's easy to see why. It has most of what makes the Premium 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max great, including the lightning-fast A15 Bionic processor, an ultrawide camera, and a battery that can easily be used for a full day before you need to charge it.
If you're a real power user, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will beat the iPhone 13 with their 120Hz ProMotion screens, extra telephoto lens, and generally superior low-light performance. But you also pay a premium over the base iPhone 13, and let's face it: the average person won't split hair above 60Hz and adaptive 120Hz. The iPhone 13, along with its little brother, the iPhone 13 Mini, does the job and does it well.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
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The iPhone 13 does not deviate dramatically from the design of the iPhone 12. The model I tested was a darker blue than the iPhone 13 Pro and the Sierra blue of the Pro Max, which is more of a sky blue. I like both options and I am not surprised that they turn out to be popular choices. You still get the square edges on the sides bounded by aluminum rather than stainless steel on the Pro, a Lightning port, downward facing speakers, volume buttons on the left below the ring / silent switch, and a side button on the right that activates Siri and can turn the screen on and off.
As with other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 is IP68 dust and water resistant and withstood a thorough flush in the sink after I accidentally dropped it into the dirt in the park while juggling four phones in my hands. Both the front and back are protected by Ceramic Shield, which is made by Corning, just like the latest Gorilla Glass Victus that you can find on newer Android flagships.
The front looks largely the same when compared to the iPhone 12, although Apple says the notch that houses the TrueDepth camera is 20% smaller. That's technically correct because it's narrower, but it's also a little deeper now, so the compromise is a bit of a wash in my eyes. Face ID works the same as before, but its usability with a face mask, and especially a face mask and sunglasses, has been a hit-and-miss at best. You can do an alternate scan to improve performance with face masks, but it also compromises safety so I preferred to leave it out.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
The more notable difference can be seen if you look at the back. There's still a vaguely square camera body, but the camera array is positioned differently, with the two sensors not being vertical, but facing each other. This way you can mainly distinguish the older and newer models.
Other differences are a little harder to spot. The iPhone 13 measures 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 inches and weighs 6.14 ounces, which makes it just a tiny bit heavier than the 5.78 ounce iPhone 12, which can likely accommodate the larger battery. That's a worthy compromise, and in terms of overall footprint and pocket size, I think the iPhone 13 is a one-handed device, even though the iPhone 13 Mini is Apple's “official” compact phone.
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The 6.1-inch Super Retina OLED screen is big enough that text, apps, and the keyboard never feel cramped, which was a problem for me with the Mini. The 2532 x 1170 Super Retina OLED screen is razor sharp, certified to work with HDR10 and Dolby Vision for a higher dynamic range, and operates at 460 pixels per inch. The downward facing speakers were also surprisingly loud and didn't suffer from much distortion except at the highest volumes, so they're more than capable of serving as audio output if you're too lazy to pair with headphones.
The screen is 60 Hz, but if you've never used a higher refresh rate, it won't bother you. It's still a little disappointing not to see the ProMotion filter across the line, especially when you're paying for a $ 800 phone. You won't find an Android phone in this price range that doesn't have a higher refresh rate, and even cheaper mid-range options support this.
Viewing angles are great, colors are rich and accurate, and outdoor visibility is excellent thanks to a peak brightness of 800 nits. When viewing HDR photos and videos, the phone can even increase the brightness to 1,200 nits. I had no problems viewing text, navigating Google Maps, or viewing the camera viewfinder, even in direct sunlight.
Performance, battery life and connectivity
Performance is one thing you will never find on an iPhone, and the iPhone 13 is no exception. It's powered by an A15 Bionic processor, has 4GB of RAM, and comes with a variety of higher storage options including 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, though you won't get the highest storage option in particular at 1TB – that's exclusive for the Pro models.
The review unit I tested came with ample 512GB of storage, which was more than enough for my needs – even when I take a lot of photos and 4K videos. My guess is that for most people, 256GB is the best balance between price and capacity.
My guess is that for most people, 256GB is the best balance between price and capacity.
My average daily iPhone usage required a fair amount of time on Twitter, Reddit, and Microsoft Teams, some browsing, lots of photos, and playing Genshin Impact. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 13 processed everything I threw at it with no lag or slowdown. Benchmark tests confirm the strong performance with 827,398 on AnTuTu, which measures the overall performance, and 55.1 frames per second in the demanding Wild Life graphics benchmark from 3DMark.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Apple's marketing materials made bold claims that the iPhone 13 can achieve 2.5 hours of battery life than the iPhone 12. That's the kind of claim I always take with a grain of salt, especially as a power user who does a lot does more on my phone than the average person. So I was pleasantly surprised when these claims not only proved correct, but were blown out of the water, with the iPhone 13 comfortably holding out for a day and a half before it needed to be charged.
One reason for this is that the 3,240 mAh cell is larger than the 2,815 mAh battery that the iPhone 12 came with. This is a considerable leap that pays off over a longer period. But what also happens is that with the A15 Bionic, Apple has improved battery optimization and management so you can get more juice out of the cell.
I could leave it unplugged and still have plenty of juice the next day.
While the previous iPhone may need to be charged while it was sleeping, the iPhone 13's standby time was good enough to leave it unplugged and have plenty of juice the next day. It's great to see and arguably the killer feature for the iPhone 13, especially for those using older models.
But that brings me to the disadvantage. While the iPhone 13 is fully MagSafe compatible and supports 20 watt wired charging, 15 watt MagSafe charging, and 7.5 watt Qi wireless charging, it still uses a Lightning connector. As I discovered in my first hands-on, it's getting harder and harder to incorporate non-USB-C devices into my life.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Most of my batteries, chargers, and even my PC now support USB-C, as do my MacBook Air and the new iPad Mini. The iPhone 13 series, along with the new iPad 10.2, are the only devices that still stick to the old charging port. This made the iPhone 13 a bigger inconvenience than it needed to be when traveling, although in general it is a relatively minor issue that can be fixed with an additional adapter. Still, it gives me hope that we don't have to deal with that for next year's model.
Connectivity is pretty standard. The iPhone 13 supports 5G, Ultra Wideband, Sub-6GHz, mmWave, and basically all the bands you would expect from a flagship phone. I tested on T-Mobile in the greater NYC area and the connectivity was good enough, but I never got the 5G speeds that were promised. This is more of a network congestion and rollout problem than an iPhone 13 problem. In many places, even New York, 5G exists more on paper than in practice. Apart from that, you also get dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0
Cameras and videos
Cameras are where a lot of magic happens for iPhones. You get a dual rear camera array with a 12 megapixel wide angle camera and a 12 MP ultra wide angle camera at 120 degrees. Unlike the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, there is no third telephoto camera, so you can't take pictures with optical zoom and you don't benefit from macro photography.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Regardless of this, the photo quality – to put it simply – is excellent. When it starts up, the camera app asks you for the filter you want to apply to your photos. Your selection is Standard, the iPhone 13's default setting; vivid, enhancing colors and saturation; and separate options for cooler and warmer filters. I've only shot in standard mode for testing and personal preference, which I think is the setting most people will use as it's most lifelike.
As you can see in the many sample shots, the iPhone 13 does a great job in outdoor settings. The colors are punchy even in standard mode, and the auto exposure handles the contrast between shadows and areas of direct, blinding sunlight well without washing out, as is the case with many smaller phones. The bright blue sky, the puffy white cloud, the green grass of the park, the waves and reflections of the pond, everything looks great in my eyes.
Details are abundant; When zooming in, individual branches and leaves can be seen, but on closer inspection, edge distortions are found. Both ultra-wide and standard shots look great, with a slight fisheye effect to the ultra-wide. If you were satisfied with the camera performance of the iPhone 12, you will be completely satisfied with the sensors of the iPhone 13 overall.
That’s kitchen sink stuff, though. Nowadays, almost every flagship phone and even many mid-range smartphones can take great photos in good lighting. The real standouts are the ones that do well in low light, and that's what makes the iPhone 13 special. The camera app will automatically switch to night mode and adjust the exposure to capture more light for a clearer, brighter picture in darker settings. In a completely dark setting, this can take up to 30 seconds, although most dimmer settings will extend the exposure to five to seven seconds.
The result is a picture with more sharpness, color accuracy and clarity than you would normally get in low light. However, it is worth noting that there is some ambiguity in the details too, especially when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.
You can record 4K at 60 frames per second, 30 fps, and 24 fps for video. It also supports 1080p at 60/30 fps, but I didn't feel the need to record at a lower resolution as I had 512GB of storage. I was blown away by how stable the video recording was, especially when tracking moving objects.
Stabilization is usually a significant problem with any type of handheld video recording, but the iPhone 13 made it so handy that I felt like I was recording with a gimbal. Panning around also didn't result in dropped images or auto exposure issues.
Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends
Like the other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 supports Cinematic Mode, which adds a blurring effect to the background of people and objects, similar to a movie camera. It works best with faces, and you can tell that the blur is clearly an artificial effect, but it's a nice feature when it works. It doesn't work that well with objects, especially moving ones, but on the plus side, it works with the dual 12 MP selfie cameras, which is a pleasant surprise.
Among other things, you have the portrait mode on the rear and front sensors, which gives the images blur and depth. The photos were beautiful and I had a lot of fun playing around with the different background options.
Software and functions
The iPhone 13 can be updated to iOS 15 the moment you turn it on, which I did right away. The latest operating system is packed with features like an improved notification summary, text scanning in the camera app, tabs for Safari, and support for saving vaccination logs, COVID vaccines, and even your driver's license.
A comparison of iOS 15 with Android is not really worth it in my opinion. At this point you know the differences between them and you know which one you prefer. I will say that this version of iOS 15 seems to have more compatibility issues than previous versions. For example, unlocking the Apple Watch with the Apple Watch Series 6 just didn't work for me. Undoubtedly, many of these issues can and will be fixed, so none of them are deal breakers.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Price and availability
The iPhone 13 is currently available on sale starting at $ 799 in pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and product red color options. It also has 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage size options and works with all major US carriers.
Our opinion
The iPhone 13 strikes a great balance between size, performance, and price. It's smaller than the gigantic iPhone 13 Pro Max, but offers more screen space than the cramped iPhone 13 Mini. The battery life is the really standout feature that gives you a full day of running time and hassle-free charging. Added to this is the great camera performance despite the lack of a telephoto lens. If you're not ready or able to take advantage of the premium features of the iPhone 13 Pro, the iPhone 13 won't let you down, and I recommend it as a good compact phone alternative to the Mini.
Is there a better alternative?
As is so often the case, Apple's toughest competitor is usually himself. The iPhone 13 is challenged most directly by the iPhone 13 Pro, which is the same size but better across the board in almost every way. The 13 Pro and Pro Max both offer you a 120 Hz ProMotion display, a telephoto lens for 3x optical zoom, an even longer-lasting battery and outstanding low-light camera performance.
In contrast, the iPhone 13 Mini is identical in hardware and features, but it's much smaller and designed for those who really love compact phones and don't mind the cramped screen. However, the battery life won't last quite as long. If you have an iPhone 12, the difference between the two devices isn't that big, and the iPhone 13 probably isn't worth the upgrade.
Outside of the Apple universe, many capable Android phones can give you great camera and battery life, including the Samsung Galaxy S21, OnePlus 9 Pro, and the upcoming Google Pixel 6. But if you already exist in the Apple ecosystem, you can become them probably not viewing these as options, although they are equally worthwhile if you are ready to make the switch.
How long it will take?
The standard warranty is one year, but Apple Care + can be extended for 24 to 36 months and it covers two accidental damages for every 12 month interval. In terms of durability, the phone is IP68 so it can withstand full immersion. I played with it roughly and it still survived falls without noticeable scratches on the ceramic glass. In combination with the regular software and security updates, you should be able to easily keep the iPhone 13 for at least three years, if not longer.
Should you buy it?
Yes sir. If you like the price, the size, and the extra battery life, the iPhone 13 offers a lot of value, even if it isn't the highest quality option in the lineup.
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