Apple has recently unveiled its latest iPhone 13 and 13 mini, which sports new specs, features, and more. If you’re asking how much has changed over its predecessor, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini, then let’s take a look at their specs to find out if it’s worth upgrading to.
| iPhone 13 / 13 mini | iPhone 12 / 12 mini |
|---|---|
| 6.1-inch Super Retina (2532 x 1170) XDR OLED display, 460PPI (13) | 6.1-inch Super Retina (2532 x 1170) XDR OLED display, 460PPI (12) |
| 5.4-inch Super Retina (2340 x 1080) XDR OLED display, 476PPI (13 MINI) | 5.4-inch Super Retina (2340 x 1080) XDR OLED display, 476PPI (12 mini) |
| HDR, True Tone | HDR, True Tone |
| Ceramic Shield front | Ceramic Shield front |
| Glass back, aluminum design | Glass back, aluminum design |
| Apple A15 Bionic Chip | Apple A14 Bionic Chip |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB storage |
| Dual-rear cameras | Dual-rear cameras |
| • 12MP F1.6 main, Sensor-shift OIS | • 12MP F1.6 main, Sensor-shift OIS |
| • 12MP F2.4 (ultra-wide) | • 12MP F2.4 (ultra-wide) |
| —Cinematic mode recording, Photographic Styles | |
| 12MP F2.2 TrueDepth front camera | 12MP F2.2 TrueDepth front camera |
| Dual-SIM (nano and eSIM support) | Dual-SIM (nano and eSIM support) |
| 5G, 4G LTE | 5G, 4G LTE |
| WiFi 6 | WiFi 6 |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC | NFC |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou |
| Lightning connector | Lightning connector |
| stereo speakers | stereo speakers |
| Face ID | Face ID |
| IP68 dust and water resistance | IP68 rated dust and water resistance |
| iOS 15 | iOS 14 |
| Up to 19 hours video playback (13) | Up to 17 hours video playback (12) |
| Up to 17 hours video playback (13 mini) | Up to to 15 hours video playback (12 mini) |
| 20W wired fast charging | 20W wired fast charging |
| 15W MagSafe wireless charging | 15W MagSafe wireless charging |
| 7.5 Qi wireless charging | 7.5 Qi wireless charging |
| 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 mm, 173g (13) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 162g (12) |
| 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm, 140g (13 mini) | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm, 133g (12 mini) |
| Product Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue |
Summary of changes/improvements of the iPhone 13, 13 mini smartphones
• Apple 15 Bionic Chip
• Brighter display
• Larger storage options
• Dual eSIM support
• Larger camera sensor
• Shot in Cinema mode
• Longer battery life
Table of Contents
Display
The iPhone 13, 13 mini, and the iPhone 12, 12 mini sports the same screen size, which is good news for those who want to retain their phone cases when upgrading. With that said, all four smartphones still support the Super Retina XDR OLED display, however, Apple mentions that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a 28% increase in brightness compared to its previous generation.
Processor & Storage
Under the hood, the latest iPhone 13 and 13 mini is powered by the A15 Bionic Chip which is boasted to provide faster performance and more power efficiency when compared to the A14 Bionic Chip of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini.
Additionally, from the usual 64GB base storage for other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini come in at twice that storage at 128GB, with its highest option being 512GB, providing users more wiggle room when saving files, games, apps and etc.
Camera
To point out the elephant in the room, the newest iPhone 13 and 13 mini have their dual 12MP rear camera in a diagonal position, instead of having it stacked vertically like the iPhone 12 and 12 mini. Aside from that, Apple mentioned that the main camera of the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a bigger sensor that can gather 47% more light. Additionally, the smartphones feature Sensor-shift OIS, which stabilizes the sensor instead of the lens—a feature previously introduced for the iPhone 12 Pro max. This goes hand in hand with its additional Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles, which are only present in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini.
Connectivity & Other Features
All four smartphones support 5G networks, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, NFC, Face ID and are IP68 rated. They also sport the same Ceramic Shield front and glass back for protection. The difference however between the 13 and 12 is its support for dual e-SIM.
Battery
Although Apple didn’t mention the battery size, they shared that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has increased battery life. The iPhone 13 has a video playback time of 19 hours compared to the 17 hours of the iPhone 12, while the iPhone 13 has a video playback time of 17 hours compared to the 15 of the iPhone 12 mini.
Is it worth the upgrade?
If you’re coming from the iPhone 12/12 mini, it’s an upgrade but not really essential as the changes are not that significant for what you’re going to pay. The story changes however if you are upgrading from an iPhone 11. The specs are far too similar with the only big significance being the A15 Bionic Chip. But if it’s your first iPhone and you have the budget, go for the latest you can afford.
iPhone 13:
• 128GB – PHP 50,990
• 256GB – PHP 57,990
• 512GB – PHP 69,990
iPhone 13 mini:
• 128GB – PHP 44,990
• 256GB – PHP 50,990
• 512GB – PHP 63,990
