iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13 Buyer's Guide

[MacRumors]

In 2021, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 as the successor to the popular iPhone 12, with improved rear cameras, longer battery life, the A15 Bionic chip, and more. As devices that are more affordable than the Pro models, but more full-featured than the low-cost iPhone SE or iPhone 11, the iPhone 13 will likely be the most popular option among consumers.

The iPhone 12 from 2020 continues to be sold by Apple. As it is a year older than the iPhone 13, it starts at $599, while the iPhone 13 starts at $699. As the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 share a large number of features, should you consider purchasing the older model to save money? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhones is best for you, but overall the iPhone 13 is only a minor upgrade over the iPhone 12.

Comparing the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 share a large number of key features, such as display size, 5G connectivity, and camera specifications. Apple lists these same features of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13:

Similarities

• 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with HDR, True Tone, P3 wide color, and Haptic Touch
• Face ID
• 6GHz 5G connectivity (and mmWave in the U.S.)
• Six-core A-Series Bionic chip
• 4GB of memory
• Dual 12MP ƒ/2.4 Ultra Wide and ƒ/1.6 Wide cameras with two-times optical zoom out
• Photography features including Night mode, Deep Fusion, True Tone flash with Slow Sync, Portrait mode, and more
• Videography features including 4K video recording at up to 60fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision, Audio zoom, slo-mo video up to 240fps at 1080p, Night mode Time-lapse, and more
• Ceramic Shield front
• IP68 rated splash, water, and dust resistance
• Aerospace-grade aluminum
• MagSafe and Qi wireless charging
• Lightning connector
• Available with 128GB and 256GB storage options
• Available in (PRODUCT)RED

Apple's breakdown shows that the iPhones share a number of notable key features. Even so, there are meaningful differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, such as their processors and battery life.

Differences


iPhone 12

• Super Retina XDR display with 625 nits max brightness (typical)
• A14 Bionic chip
• Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
• Smart HDR 3 for photos
• Dolby Vision HDR video recording up to 4K at 30fps
• Up to 17 hours battery during video playback
• Weighs 164 grams
• Available in Purple, Blue, PRODUCT(RED), White, and Black
• Available with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options

iPhone 13

• Super Retina XDR display with 800 nits max brightness (typical)
• 20 percent smaller notch
• A15 Bionic chip
• Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) and dual eSIM support
• Smart HDR 4 for photos
• Photographic Styles
• Dolby Vision HDR video recording up to 4K at 60fps
• Cinematic mode video recording with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
• Up to 19 hours battery during video playback
• Weighs 174 grams
• Available in Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Green, and PRODUCT(RED)
• Available with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options

Read on for a closer look at each of these aspects, and see what exactly both iPhones have to offer.

Design and Colors

Both the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13 have the same industrial design with squared-off edges and a flat aluminum band around the sides. The devices use aerospace-grade aluminum on the edges and a single piece of polished glass on the rear. The iPhone 13's dual rear cameras are offset against each other diagonally, as opposed to the iPhone 12's vertical orientation.

The iPhone 13 features a 20 percent smaller notch for the TrueDepth camera array, which frees up more display area and makes the cutout less obtrusive. Other than the rear camera positioning and the smaller notch, the devices look otherwise the same.


[*]iPhone 12 Colors: Deciding on the Right Color


Article Link: iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13 Buyer's Guide

 

[bobob]

One less year of system and security updates for the 12.

 

[Serban55]

From iphone 11/12 is an ok upgrade, but from earlier iphones, this will be a very good update

 

[4jasontv]

The lightning connector is the biggest hole in the iPhone.

 

[iShater]

This is where the "s" comes in handy, this is really the 12s. I would love to see the SE2 get updated soon.

 

[davidako]

At this point choosing the 12 over the 13 for the sake of $100 seems such a painfully bad decision.

 

[siddavis]

Like the OP states, at any capacity above 64GB, the extra $50 is justified.
Shoot, the battery complaints alone for the 12 should justify the 13 purchase across the board.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

It figures that Apple was going to restrict the ProMotion screen the Pro line, just as it does with iPads.

As far as concerned, any one buying the 13 skip the 12. They're extremely similar, but the 13 will hold it's value better if you keep your phone for more than a year.

 

[Wags]

Especially if keep new device for 2 or 3 years.

 

[gregmancuso]

This was a painfully long way of saying:

1. If you currently have an iPhone 12, then only upgrade if you need more storage, you need double the battery life, or the camera is really important to you.
2. if you have anything else, upgrade to the iPhone 13.

There is no logical reason to fret on the decision between a 12 or 13 for a $50 to $100 difference in price. Even if you are coming from an older model phone and are sensitive to the price, the difference is not enough to merit a serious debate. If you are buying on payments the different is $2 to $4 per month.

 

[HiVolt]

I'm disappointed that the iPhone 13 series do not have slow motion recording improvements. Still the 240fps as it has been since the iPhone 6.

 

[Spock]

Really should have just been the iPhone 12s, I think I will be happy with my 12 for the next year.

 

[Lestdog]

Final review of the iphone 13. It's fine.

I'm disappointed that the iPhone 13 series do not have slow motion recording improvements. Still the 240fps as it has been since the iPhone 6.

Would be nice indeed. There's some third party apps though.

 

[TVreporter]

Going to hold off until real world reviews roll in. The 13 is tempting me.

 

[zorinlynx]

I'm in the rough spot of wanting the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but being irritated that it's heavier and slightly bulkier than my 11 Pro Max.

I know a lot of us complained about Apple being too obsessed with thinness, but I really didn't want them to go this far in the other direction either!

 

[plek]

I picked up a refurbished 12 mini earlier this year and thought it was a bargain.
I'm kind of mulling over whether to trade it in, and get a regular 13 though.
Do you reckon it's worth the upgrade? Mainly for bigger battery, and fewer clumsy typing mistakes on a bigger screen.

 

[GtrDude]

Conclusion: Don't waste your money.
I'm sticking to my XS-Max for another year...at least.

 

[dannyyankou]

If the storage capacities were the same, I’d say get the 12, but they’re not the same lol. With the 128gb iPhone 13, you’re only spending $50 more.

But if you’re on iPhone 11, I’d suggest waiting for iPhone 14

 

[velocityg4]

Like the OP states, at any capacity above 64GB, the extra $50 is justified.
Shoot, the battery complaints alone for the 12 should justify the 13 purchase across the board.

Depends on your usage. Couldn't say for the 12 but my XS gives me three or four days. Hypothetically, if I did a 0 to 100 charge/discharge. As I'm usually charging from 40 to 80 I get about a day and a half. Extra battery life wouldn't mean much to someone like me.

The faster CPU is what would sell the extra expense though.

 

[macos9rules]

Very useful article. I'll wait for the 14!

 

[Shirasaki]

Not feeling compelled to upgrade right away. Money aside, iPhone XS Max is not super bad even in todays tasks. Maybe next years iPhone 14 is going to be the iPhone to finally upgrade.

 

[coachgq]

This was a painfully long way of saying:

1. If you currently have an iPhone 12, then only upgrade if you need more storage, you need double the battery life, or the camera is really important to you.
2. if you have anything else, upgrade to the iPhone 13.

There is no logical reason to fret on the decision between a 12 or 13 for a $50 to $100 difference in price. Even if you are coming from an older model phone and are sensitive to the price, the difference is not enough to merit a serious debate. If you are buying on payments the different is $2 to $4 per month.

Double the battery life?

 

[coachgq]

I picked up a refurbished 12 mini earlier this year and thought it was a bargain.
I'm kind of mulling over whether to trade it in, and get a regular 13 though.
Do you reckon it's worth the upgrade? Mainly for bigger battery, and fewer clumsy typing mistakes on a bigger screen.

I was a fan of the 12 mini. Had it for 3-4 months and the battery was my only complaint. Sold it and went with a 12. The bigger screen was really nice again. I'm now trading it in for the 13 regular mainly for the extra 1-2 hour battery and the brightness increase.

 

[SVTmaniac]

Going from my 12 Pro Max to the 13 Pro Max. Why? Because it's the same price every month so why not have the latest and greatest? I've already come to the conclusion that I'll never pay full price for a phone and I'll always want the newest toy so even if it's a slight improvement I'll get it. And my 12 Pro Ma battery is already down to 85% capacity.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I'm really liking the hardware side of the iPhones the last 6 or 7 years. Each update is good enough to make those coming from phones two or three years old seem worthwhile, but not enough to make the last generation even close to feeling "old".

The upgrade cycles feel more incremental, as they should. It sucks when your phone is less than a year old and already feels outdated. That was the case with the first few iterations of iPhone. Not so much anymore, and that's a good thing.