Apple iPhone 13/Mini /Pro /Pro Max

October 7 • 4:29 pm

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iPhone 13 review: Price and storage

Available right now, the iPhone 13 starts at $799 for 128GB of storage (up from a meager 64GB on the iPhone 12), and that goes up to $899 for 256GB and $1,099 for 512GB. In the U.K. the entry-level model starts at £779, with the 256GB handset coming ins at £879, and the 512GB model hitting £1,079.

These are hardly cheap phones but you can save with trade-in offers from Apple as well as from wireless carriers, and there are plenty of discounts available. Do make sure to check out our iPhone 13 deals page for the latest offers.

The iPhone 13 (from $799) doesn’t seem very new when you first look at it. But when you start using this flagship, you realize that it delivers a lot more than a smaller notch.

The new iPhone’s display is brighter than its predecessor’s. The battery life is longer. And Apple has improved an already great camera with new sensors and computational photography features that make you feel like a pro (even on a non-Pro phone).

Yes, the A15 Bionic powering the iPhone 13 is once again the fastest chip in the land. But it’s more about what this chip lets you do. This includes Cinematic mode, which adds depth of field to your videos while automatically shifting focus, and Photographic Styles for changing the look of your pics.

iPhone 13 specs: All models compared

	iPhone 13 mini	iPhone 13	iPhone 13 Pro	iPhone 13 Pro Max
Starting price	$699	$799	$999	$1,099
Storage	128, 256, 512GB	128, 256, 512 GB	128, 256, 512, 1TB	128, 256, 512, 1TB
Screen size	5.4 inches	6.1 inches	6.1 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution/ppi	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
Rear cameras	Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide)	Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide)	Pro 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide)	Pro 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide)
Zoom	None / 5x digital	None / 5x digital	3x optical / 15x digital	3x optical / 15x digital
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth
Colors	Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink	Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink	Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue	Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue
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
Water resistance	IP68	IP68	IP68	IP68
Battery life (video playback	8:41	10:33	11:42	12:06

iPhone 13 review: Design and colors

Smaller notch makes display a bit more immersive
Slightly different button placement
Pink and blue are standout colors

There’s really two design changes of note for the iPhone 13. First, the cameras on the rear are now arranged diagonally instead of vertically.

Second — and more importantly — the notch is now 20% smaller while still delivering the same great TrueDepth camera system and Face ID you’d expect since the iPhone X ushered in this feature four years ago.

Honestly, the smaller notch doesn’t make much of a difference in day-to-day use of the iPhone 13. When watching videos in landscape mode side by side at full-screen, I didn’t find either notch that distracting.

I did appreciate the mini notch more when using apps with a white background in portrait orientation, such as Gmail. However, the notch on the iPhone 13 mini swoops down a bit more despite being narrower.

The button placement is slightly different on the iPhone 13 versus the iPhone 12. The power button is lower on the right side, and the same thing goes with the ringer switch and volume buttons on the left side.

Otherwise, the iPhone 13 offers the same tough CeramicShield display up front, durable glass back and flat edges. And you get the same IP68 water resistance as before. Unfortunately, the iPhone 13 doesn’t offer Touch ID, an upgrade many of us would have appreciated since Face ID doesn’t work well with masks. I didn’t need a sensor in the display like many Android phones now support; a Touch ID sensor embedded in the power button like on the iPad mini 6 would have been fine.

For now, it appears the iPhone 13 is having a problem unlocking with the Apple Watch in some cases. Apple has acknowledged the issue and says a fix is coming soon.

The iPhone 13 comes in five colors, including Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight and (Product) Red. I tested the blue model, which is a fun shade without being too loud. And I continue to appreciate the color-matched aluminum frame Apple includes with its entry-level iPhones.

iPhone 13 review: Display

Brighter display easier to read in direct sunlight
Stellar colors and contrast

Alas, the iPhone 13 doesn’t boast the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 13 Pro, but it’s still a stellar OLED panel. This Super Retina XDR display is now 28% brighter than the iPhone 12; it’s also rated at 800 nits, compared to 600 nits for last year’s phone.

In my testing, I wouldn’t say the brightness difference is dramatic, but it can help when you’re trying to view the iPhone 13’s display in direct sunlight.

iPhone 13 (left) and iPhone 12 Pro (right) (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

The overall display quality continues to be stellar. When watching the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections, I was mesmerized by the neon code encircling Neo as he walked down the street, and in another scene I could make out individual hairs on Neo’s beard as he stared up into the sun.

On our lab tests, the iPhone 13 averaged 795 nits of brightness, compared to 569 nits for the iPhone 12 and 702 nits for the Galaxy S21. The iPhone 13 also registered 78.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 110.2% of the sRGG color gamut, where higher numbers are better. The iPhone 12 hit 81.1 and 114.5 and the Galaxy S21 77.4 and 109.2.

The iPhone 13 panel’s color accuracy is stellar, too, as it achieved a Delta-E score of 0.26 (lower is better.) That compares to 0.29 for both the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12.

iPhone 13 review: Cameras

Bright and colorful images beat Samsung
Ultra-wide camera delivers more scene and improved Night mode
Photographic styles give you creative control

There’s much more to the iPhone 13 cameras than just a new diagonal arrangement of the lenses. The wide camera now gathers 47% more light than the iPhone 12, thanks to a larger camera with 1.7μm pixels.

Another plus is that the ultrawide camera can now capture four times more scene and its newer sensor delivers better low-light performance along with less noise.

If you’re not a fan of the iPhone’s usual color temperature — or you just wanted more control over your photos — you’ll appreciate the Photographic Styles feature. In the Camera app, you can switch from multiple styles, including standard, vibrant, rich contrast, warm and cool

iPhone 13 review: Battery life and charging

10 hours and 33 minutes of battery life, which is 2 hours better than iPhone 12

Apple says that the iPhone 13 lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12, thanks to a bigger battery, more efficient display and the A15 Bionic chip. But our testing showed even better results.

On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over 5G at 150 nits of screen brightness over cellular (AT&T’s network in this case), the iPhone 13 endured for 10 hours and 33 minutes. That’s more than 2 hours longer than the 8:25 time that the iPhone 12 turned in. The best result we saw from the Galaxy S21 was 9:53.

To see how all four iPhone 13 models fared, check out our iPhone 13 battery life results summary, which includes comparisons with more Android phones.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 13 offers the same charging speeds as before. The new iPhone got to 51% capacity in 30 minutes with Apple’s 20W charger. Other phones on our fastest charging phones list are much speedier, such as the OnePlus 9 Pro.

The iPhone’s 15W MagSafe charger is a bit slower, but some may find it more convenient because it’s magnetic and doesn’t involve the Lighting port.

iPhone 13 review: iOS 15

SharePlay lets you watch videos and listen to music with friends
Focus cuts down on distractions

iOS 15 delivers some welcome improvements to your iPhone, many of which focus on shared experiences. FaceTime has improved audio and a cleaner interface, and a future update will let you listen to music or watch movies or TV shows with friends or family. And the Messages app delivers a new Shared with You section for photos, articles and more to make it easier to keep track of all the different links friends text your way.