Update: Originally, the iPhone 13 released in September of 2021, bringing fresh features to Apple's phone series. But does it still hold up? We think it does.
If you aren't worried about the latest bells and whistles, the iPhone 13 still gives you a solid phone with continued support from Apple until 2027 at least. But you'll have to find the iPhone 13 refurbished from a retailer like Amazon.
Check out our review on this page from when the iPhone 13 released, and compare it to newer models like the iPhone 16 to see what fits your needs.
Original review
Well, after having had the iPhone 13 for a few days, it’s safe to say that the iPhone 13 is deserving of the title "best smartphone of 2021."
The most impressive features of the Apple iPhone 13 are the extended battery life, lightning-fast processor, and Cinematic Mode-capable cameras. But that's not all this state-of-the-art smartphone has to offer.
How Much Does the iPhone 13 Cost?
Image: Alex Choros | WhistleOut
Apple announced that the iPhone 13 series would follow the same pricing structure as the iPhone 12 lineup. This was a big relief to all of us who feared that Apple would jack up its prices to match the new features. Here’s how the pricing breaks down for the iPhone 13 series.
iPhone 13 pricing breakdown
| 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 13 mini | $699 | $799 | $999 | N/A |
| iPhone 13 |
$799 | $999 | $1,099 | N/A |
| iPhone 13 Pro |
$999 | $1,099 | $1,299 | $1,499 |
| iPhone Pro Max |
$1,099 | $1,199 | $1,399 | $1,599 |
One of the remarkable upgrades to the iPhone 13 series is that 128GB is now the default storage model, rather than being an upgraded option when put against its predecessor the iPhone 12. Last year’s iPhone 12 series started at 64GB, and everyone learned quickly just how fast you can fill up 64GB on your phone with today's enhanced photos, videos, and apps. From a value perspective, getting double the storage space, a faster processor, and improved cameras for the same price as last year’s model makes for a pretty awesome deal.
Speaking of iPhone deals, consider taking advantage of one if you plan on upgrading to the iPhone 13. Major carriers always offer promotions with new devices, and the iPhone 13 is no exception. All cell phone deals typically require you to either trade in your old device, upgrade your existing line to an unlimited plan, or add a brand new unlimited line, and you'll usually need to purchase your phone on monthly payments. Check out the latest iPhone 13 deals to see how much you can save.
iPhone 13 128GB Plans
|
Verizon
Unlimited Welcome
$72.49/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
Looking for more cell phone deals?
If you want to keep track of the best deals for smartphones, we’ll keep you posted. We updated our best smartphone deals every week. Here’s hoping we see more and more iPhone 13 deals.
Compare the iPhone 13 lineup specs
iPhone 13 specs
| iPhone 13 mini | iPhone 13 | iPhone 13 Pro | 13 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $699 | $799 | $999 | $1,099 |
| Screen size |
5.4 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution/pp |
2340 x 1080/476 | 2532 x 1170/460 | 2532 x 1170/460 | 2778 x 1284/458 |
| Adaptive refresh |
No | No | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Processor |
A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| Front camera |
12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Rear cameras |
Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) |
| Zoom |
No optical / 5x digital | No optical / 5x digital | 3x optical / 15x digital | 3x optical / 15x digital |
| Size |
5.2 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight |
4.97 ounces | 6.14 ounces | 7.2 ounces | 8.5 ounces |
| Colors |
Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue |
| Battery life (heavy usage) |
8 hours, 40 minutes | 10 hours, 30 minutes | 11 hours, 42 minutes | 12 hours, 16 minutes |
| Water resistance |
IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
The biggest callout from the iPhone 13's impressive specs list is its improved battery life. When was the last time it felt like your phone lasted for 12 hours straight with heavy usage? My iPhone SE’s battery dropped into the yellow almost immediately after watching a few YouTube videos.
What the base model lacks comes when you look at it versus the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models: an adaptive refresh feature (up to 120Hz). This allows the devices to change the refresh rate of the display when the content doesn't need the fastest settings, saving you battery life.
Overall, the iPhone 13 series improves in nearly every category over its predecessor, the iPhone 12. Granted, none of these upgrades will blow your mind, but it’s a noticeable improvement across the board. Plus, you should love the option of a smaller iPhone 13 mini if you don't want your phone weighing you down.
The iPhone 13 colors also give you a range to choose from: Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Graphite, Gold, Silver, or Sierra Blue. You can't be mad about that.
iPhone 13 Display
iPhone 13 display sizes
| Model | Display size |
|---|---|
| iPhone 13 mini | 5.4 inches |
| iPhone 13 | 6.1 inches |
| iPhone 13 Pro |
6.1 inches |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max |
6.7 inches |
The iPhone 13 offers the brightest display we’ve seen from an Apple device. The new Super Retina XDR display is 28% brighter than the iPhone 12 display. Before you ask how we came up with that percentage, know that brightness in phones is measured in "nits." The iPhone 12’s display rate is 600 nits, whereas the iPhone 13 display rate is 800 nits. The more nits, the better, and iPhone 13 offers a whopping number of nits.
As for screen size, the iPhone 13 series matches the measurements from the iPhone 12 lineup, but with one major difference. For years we’ve been waiting for Apple to ditch the iPhone notch lingering at the top of the display, and... well, we’ll have to keep waiting. The iPhone 13 notch is still there, but it's 20% smaller than previous notches. This makes the screen feel slightly larger, but not by much.
Pro models: 120Hz refresh rate
The iPhone 13 Pro Models get an adaptive 120Hz screen rate that’s much cooler to experience in person than it is explaining it over text. That means the iPhone 13 Pro refreshes itself 120 times per second, making the display seem much more smooth.
If you’re a gamer, you probably already know what a major difference a refresh rate makes. If you’re not a gamer, think of it like watching The Nightmare Before Christmas versus watching Coco. Movement is more fluid on the iPhone 13 models than ever before. Seriously, you won’t realize how bad the refresh rate is on your current phone until you test-drive an iPhone 13.
Sadly, the 120Hz adaptive refresh capability is reserved solely for the iPhone 13 Pro models. The base iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini displays max out at 60Hz. My advice to those of you who opted for base iPhone 13 model is to avoid playing around with an iPhone 13 Pro—or else you might feel like you should have splurged.
iPhone 13 Camera
The iPhone 13 has the same 12-megapixel camera as the iPhone 12, but there’s a world of difference between the two. The iPhone 13 camera lenses are organized diagonally, allowing space for a new ultrawide lens that dramatically changes the lighting in your photographs. To give you an idea of how significant the change is, the new lens gathers 47% more light compared to the iPhone 12. Ask any photographer and they’ll tell you that good lighting is an essential ingredient to a beautiful photo, and the iPhone 13 camera makes excellent photography significantly easier.
Image: Alex Choros | WhistleOut
What’s more, the new bionic chip in the iPhone 13 improves the sensors on your camera. Have you noticed that it takes your phone camera a few seconds to focus after tapping the screen? That wait is barely noticeable on the iPhone 13, which seems to focus instantly when you tap the screen. You can now conveniently change the focus on your camera and get near-immediate results. This helps a lot when you’re trying to get a decent photograph of a rambunctious toddler, for example.
Cinematic Mode video feature
One of the best (and most talked-about) upgrades of the iPhone 13 lineup is the all-new Cinematic video mode featuring rack focus capabilities. With Cinematic Mode enabled, your phone will automatically recognize the subject in the frame and rack its focus to that subject—even if it's in the background. You don't even have to tap the screen to indicate the subject (though you can if you choose to). The result is a genuinely movie-like video where different subjects smoothly come in and out of focus in a single frame.
iPhone 13 Processor
The new A15 Bionic processor is the brains behind all of the new features on the iPhone 13. You won’t notice a massive difference if you’re upgrading from the iPhone 12, but it makes a world of difference if you’re upgrading from an older phone. As an avid Hearthstone player, I was accustomed to the app taking a good 10-15 seconds to open on my older iPhone. With the iPhone 13, Hearthstone opens within a second or two (and it looks beautiful). I’m still losing the majority of Hearthstone games, but at least I’m taking a little less time to do it.
All the benchmarks show that the A15 Processor is the fastest in the business right now. Geekbench 5, a site that measures chip performance, gives the iPhone 13 processor a 4,639 rating. For context, the iPhone 12 scores around a 3,859 rating, and the Galaxy S21 scores around a 3,302 rating. The higher the rating, the faster and more efficient the processor works.
The iPhone 13 processor chip isn’t a massive leap forward, but it’s absolutely the best phone processor out there. If you regularly use intensive apps like Call of Duty or Adobe editing software, for example, you’ll get the best mobile performance with the iPhone 13.
What’s the difference between iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro for processing power?
The entire series of iPhone 13 devices have the A15 Bionic chip, but the Pro phones offer 6GB of RAM and the standard edition offers 4GB of RAM. That extra 2GB of RAM makes apps run a little more smoothly on the Pro devices.
iPhone 13 Battery
Perhaps the biggest leap forward for the iPhone 13 is the impressive battery life. Apple claimed that the iPhone 13 lasts 1.5 hours more than the iPhone 12, but is that really true? In our experience, it is. My iPhone 13 lasted roughly 10 hours and 45 minutes with relatively heavy use. I played Hearthstone, I watched NFL Prime Time on the ESPN+ app, and checked into Twitter every once in a while to see the latest rumors around Ben Simmons. The same basic usage would last me maybe 5 hours on my iPhone SE (2020), and 8-9 hours on my wife’s iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the iPhone 13 easily outdoes them all.
Being able to game and stream on my iPhone without any battery anxiety is certainly a new feeling.
iPhone 13 Review recap
Image: Alex Choros | WhistleOut
If you’ve been following social media around the iPhone 13, chances are you’ll have seen the meme of Spider-Man pointing at another Spider-Man with the words iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 over the identical versions of Peter Parker. The iPhone 13 certainly does look like the iPhone 12, but there’s enough going on under the hood to justify the upgrade. With the improved processor, longer battery life, and the enhanced cameras, the Apple iPhone 13 is the most complete smartphone on the market today. At least, until next year.
Tyler Abbott
Contributing Writer
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