iPhone 13 13 vs 13 pro real world performance differences

[FloridaMac86]

So I have a new 13 and I love everything about it. Upgraded from a 6s.
Wondering what real life benefits if any one would see from the differences in specs.. 6 gigs of ram in the pro vs 4 gigs in the normal phone (claimed). When would that come into play? Also the 5 core gpu versus the 4 core gpu in the 13..

I’m thinking they added the heftier gpu to support pro motion, maybe that’s why they added the extra ram also..

Since I kept my old 6s for 6 years I struggled with the decision to stay 13 or choose 13 pro.

I think the pro motion is a gimmick to me now since 60hz is already smooth.. mainly wondering about the extra punch in the GPU and the extra ram.

You think Apple did it for marketing to convince people they needed to spring for the Pro phones?

Wondering if I would ever see tangible benefits if planning to keep this phone for 2-3 years.

 

[SportsKillMySoul]

Promotion is absolutely not a gimmick and it makes the experience that much better - not to mention it actually helps save battery life. The pro phones also have better brightness, a larger screen size option, and significantly better cameras as well. Of course Apple wants people to spend more on the higher-prices pro phones, but that doesn't mean they aren't actually better.

 

[kkh786]

ProMotion was the main reason I came back to iPhone. It definitely is not a gimmick my friend.

 

[hemon]

Promotion is absolutely not a gimmick and it makes the experience that much better - not to mention it actually helps save battery life. The pro phones also have better brightness, a larger screen size option, and significantly better cameras as well. Of course Apple wants people to spend more on the higher-prices pro phones, but that doesn't mean they aren't actually better.

Please, the camera of the Pro is definitely NOT "significantly better"!

 

[lkalliance]

I think it's pretty simple, actually:

Will you use a telephoto? 13 Pro. Do you not care about telephoto? 13. Do you like macro photography? 13 Pro. Do you not care? 13. Are you bothered by thicker and heavier phones? 13. Are you not? 13 Pro.

Telephoto, macro, weight. That's it. Though other things like ProMotion have value, they don't enable you to do things with the Pro that you can't with the 13.

ProMotion is, according to some, a real difference; according to others it's not. I'm not keeping official track, but I get the impression more people think it's something significant vs. not. That's just from reading around here, so I think it's fair to say that the opinions I'm reading are from a population of users that are more likely to notice its advantages, so take it with a grain of salt. However, I don't think there's anything you could DO with a 13 Pro that you couldn't do with a 13 because it lacks ProMotion.

There's a better battery in the Pro, but it sounds like the 13 has a fine battery. The pro has more RAM and the extra GPU core. That may not make much difference now, but if you're planning on keeping the phone for a while, then it might later. I know that as Apple advances iOS, older phones can't handle some of the features of the newer versions. It might come to that someday: that on iOS [whatever number] the 13 Pro can do something that the 13 can't. But I would imagine that's way down the road, if it comes to that at all. They do have the same chip, after all.

The 13 Pro has better cameras, but the 13 has awesome cameras as well, you probably would be hard-pressed to detect a really big difference; and that difference is going to be between great and excellent.

So that leaves the telephoto and the macro. That is a class of thing that you absolutely do not have on the 13, in any way, shape or form. I know when I'm shooting with my DSLR I shoot through my zoom lens all the time. And I know that when I shoot with my current phone I digital zoom often, and it's obvious to me without having to look very hard how quickly my photos degrade when I do so.

(It is fair to point out, though, that there are companies that make telephoto lenses and perhaps macro lenses that can attach to your phone, if you're inclined to go that route)

Then on the other side is the weight. That is something you do not have (in terms of being light) on the 13 Pro, and never will: it will always be the weight it is.

 

[SportsKillMySoul]

Please, the camera of the Pro is definitely NOT "significantly better"!

Fair. I would consider the telephoto lens a significant inclusion to the pros, as well as the wider apertures. But I also have never had a phone without a telephoto since it was introduced (upgraded from XSM to 13PM), so maybe it is just a must-have feature for me. I also may have been overvaluing the pros camera improvements as well coming from a 3-year old phone. I do think the pros have noticably better cameras, but significantly probably wasn’t the best word. The battery life on the other hand…

 

[lkalliance]

Fair. I would consider the telephoto lens a significant inclusion to the pros, as well as the wider apertures. But I also have never had a phone without a telephoto since it was introduced (upgraded from XSM to 13PM), so maybe it is just a must-have feature for me. I also may have been overvaluing the pros camera improvements as well coming from a 3-year old phone. I do think the pros have noticably better cameras, but significantly probably wasn’t the best word. The battery life on the other hand…

It's interesting to me, how often I see the telephoto lens just shrugged off in reviews as "oh, and the 13 Pro has a telephoto lens" full stop. That's an entire lens the Pro has that the 13 doesn't. When I shoot with my DSLR, I shoot with telephoto all the time. Just its inclusion makes the Pro cameras significantly better. Not only does it bring the subject closer, it flattens the perspective and creates a shallow depth of field for a natural lens-created bokeh. I definitely feel like it's more than an "oh by the way."

 

[tis]

It's interesting to me, how often I see the telephoto lens just shrugged off in reviews as "oh, and the 13 Pro has a telephoto lens" full stop. That's an entire lens the Pro has that the 13 doesn't. When I shoot with my DSLR, I shoot with telephoto all the time. Just its inclusion makes the Pro cameras significantly better. Not only does it bring the subject closer, it flattens the perspective and creates a shallow depth of field for a natural lens-created bokeh. I definitely feel like it's more than an "oh by the way."

Some people don’t whip out their phones to take a picture 100 times a day. I owned the XS for years and NEVER used the telephoto lens. I just didn’t have a need for it. So, for those that don’t need it, the Pro model isn’t better because of it.

 

[lkalliance]

Some people don’t whip out their phones to take a picture 100 times a day. I owned the XS for years and NEVER used the telephoto lens. I just didn’t have a need for it. So, for those that don’t need it, the Pro model isn’t better because of it.

Nor did I say that the Pro model was a definitively better phone due to the better camera. What I said was that the Pro camera is definitely and significantly better than the non-Pro one, as part of the conversation referenced below.

Please, the camera of the Pro is definitely NOT "significantly better"!

Fair. I would consider the telephoto lens a significant inclusion to the pros, as well as the wider apertures. But I also have never had a phone without a telephoto since it was introduced (upgraded from XSM to 13PM), so maybe it is just a must-have feature for me. I also may have been overvaluing the pros camera improvements as well coming from a 3-year old phone. I do think the pros have noticably better cameras, but significantly probably wasn’t the best word. The battery life on the other hand…

 

[FloridaMac86]

Interesting discussion. I kind of wonder about the performance aspect 6 gigs of ram vs 4 and the extra gpu core. If I won’t notice anything than I am not missing anything. I also am the kind of person who kept an iPhone 6s for 6 years

 

[FloridaMac86]

Any thoughts?

 

[lkalliance]

Interesting discussion. I kind of wonder about the performance aspect 6 gigs of ram vs 4 and the extra gpu core. If I won’t notice anything than I am not missing anything. I also am the kind of person who kept an iPhone 6s for 6 years

If you hope and expect to keep your phone several years, then the extra RAM will probably mean something by the end of it, even if it doesn't mean anything right now. It depends on what you use it for, too.