Apple launched the iPhone 13 and 13 mini alongside the iPhone 13 Pro series at its California streaming launch event, and we know there’s not much hype around them. That’s because the standard iPhone 13 models don’t include a high refresh rate display or more cameras. But, for those looking to upgrade from an older iPhone to a more affordable latest option, we will compare the new iPhone 13 and 13 mini with their predecessors, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini.
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12: In-Depth Comparison (2021)
Design and Display
The key difference that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini bring over their predecessors this year is the presence of smaller notches. Apple says it has managed to shrink the notch by 20 percent in comparison to the iPhone 12. Other than that, the design is mostly unchanged. If you take a closer look, you will notice that the rear camera’s arrangement is slightly different now. The cameras are placed diagonally instead of vertically stacking them, as seen on iPhone 12.
Unfortunately, the ProMotion display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz is limited to the iPhone 13 Pro models. You will find the same 60Hz 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display on the iPhone 13 and a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display on the 13 mini. However, the display is brighter now, with a peak brightness of 800 nits. iPhone 12/12 mini only has up to 625 nits of peak brightness.
Performance
Same as the Pro models, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini are also powered by the new A15 Bionic chipset. It succeeds the A14 Bionic chip found aboard the iPhone 12 series and is built on the 5nm architecture. The A15 Bionic uses a hexa-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 4-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.
On the other hand, the A14 Bionic chip features a hexa-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, quad-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. The number of transistors used in A15 Bionic is 15 billion, unlike the 11.8 billion on A14 Bionic.
Camera
Apple has used the same dual 12MP camera setup with f/1.6 wide lens and f/2.4 ultra-wide lens in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini. According to the Cupertino giant, the wide-angle camera can now capture 47 percent more light. However, the difference here is that the cameras in the iPhone 13 series feature sensor-shift optical image stabilization.
That said, the iPhone 13 series introduces some new camera features such as Photographic Styles and Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p @ 30 FPS). Also new is Smart HDR 4, which now recognizes up to four different people in the frame and optimizes the contrast, lighting, and skin tones accordingly.
Battery
In the battery department, Apple says you get up to 19 hours of video playback, 15 hours of streaming, and 75 hours of audio playback on the iPhone 13. To recall, iPhone 12 promised up to 17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of streaming, and 65 hours of audio playback.
Coming to the smaller iPhone, Apple says iPhone 13 mini would offer up to 17 hours of video playback, 13 hours of streaming, and 55 hours of audio playback. That’s an upgrade when compared to 15 hours of video playback, 10 hours of streaming, and 50 hours of audio playback on the 12 Mini.
According to Apple, the iPhone 13 mini will offer an additional 1.5 hours of battery life than the 12 mini on a single charge. The regular iPhone 13 promises up to 2.5 hours of additional usage before you go looking for the Lightning cable.
Price
Check out the official prices of iPhone 13 and 13 mini below:
- 128GB iPhone 13 – $799 (Rs. 79,900 in India)
- 256GB iPhone 13 – $899 (Rs. 89,900 in India)
- 512GB iPhone 13 – $1,099 (Rs. 1,09,900 in India)
- 128GB iPhone 13 Mini – $699 (Rs. 69,900 in India)
- 256GB iPhone 13 Mini – $799 (Rs. 79,900 in India)
- 512GB iPhone 13 Mini – $999 (Rs. 99,900 in India)
The iPhone 12 has received a $100 price cut (or up to Rs. 5,000 in India) after the launch of the iPhone 13 series. Here are the updated prices of the previous-gen iPhones:
- 64GB iPhone 12 – $699 (Rs. 65,900 in India)
- 128GB iPhone 12 – $749 (Rs. 70,900 in India)
- 256GB iPhone 12 – $849 (Rs. 80,900 in India)
- 64GB iPhone 12 Mini – $599 (Rs. 59,900 in India)
- 256GB iPhone 12 Mini – $649 (Rs. 64,900 in India)
- 512GB iPhone 12 Mini – $749 (Rs. 74,900 in India)
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12: Specifications Comparison
| Specifications | iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 | iPhone 12 mini | iPhone 13 mini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.4 mm) | 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.30 inch (7.65 mm) | 5.18 inches (131.5 mm) x 2.53 inches (64.2 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.4 mm) | 5.18 inches (131.5 mm) x 2.53 inches (64.2 mm) x 0.30 inch (7.65 mm) |
| Weight | 5.78 ounces (164 grams) | 6.14 ounces (174 grams) | 4.76 ounces (135 grams) | 4.97 ounces (141 grams) |
| Display | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display | 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display | 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display |
| Chipset | A14 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A14 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| GPU | 4-core GPU | 4-core GPU | 4-core GPU | 4-core GPU |
| Internal Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear Cameras | 12MP f/1.6 wide + 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide | 12MP f/1.6 wide + 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide | 12MP f/1.6 wide + 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide | 12MP f/1.6 wide + 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide |
| Front Camera | 12MP f/2.2 | 12MP f/2.2 with Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode | 12MP f/2.2 | 12MP f/2.2 with Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode |
| Colors | Purple, Blue, Green, Product Red, White, Black | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Product Red | Purple, Blue, Green, Product Red, White, Black | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Product Red |
| Operating System | iOS 14 (upgradable to iOS 15) | iOS 15 | iOS 14 (upgradable to iOS 15) | iOS 15 |
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12: Should You Upgrade?
The iPhone 13 comes with fewer changes than the iPhone 13 Pro lineup. If you have a functional iPhone 12 or 12 mini, there’s practically no point in upgrading to the iPhone 13 series. Even the improvements in the camera are negligible here, and if you truly need to experience the upgraded cameras, the iPhone 13 Pro lineup is what you should be looking at. The only tangible benefit here is the improved battery life, but we will have to wait to know if the new devices manage to deliver what Apple is promising. Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Pro models of the iPhone 13 series, check our iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro comparison for more information.
