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iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 13 Pro Buyer's Guide

I just decided to buy the iPhone 13 Pro to replace my iPhone 11 Pro. I've been so happy with many of the photos that I've taken with that phone, that I no longer carry a point n' shoot camera (I still have an interchangeable lens camera for the big stuff). The camera(s) on the iPhone 13 sound like a big improvement over what I have, so that was the selling point for me. I was going to wait, as I really don't NEED an upgrade, but T-Mobile just offered a pretty good exchange deal.
 
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teohyc said:
I would really appreciate if there's cable connection to a computer that allows for fast transfer. This is something Android has since forever.

Obviously Apple is targeting professionals who have appreciates having those cameras on the iPhones. Those iPhones record videos that take up a lot of storage space.

AirDrop is just too slow to transfer large amount of videos. And you can't do anything during the file transfer because there's a chance, no matter how small, that the file transfer will fail. And when file transfer fails, you could be left with files that you cannot delete until you restart you phone. If not, great, just transfer again and this time don't do anything. Whenever I have to transfer my videos out from the iPhone, my mind goes "Apple is retarded".

I recently tried to AirDrop some file with small size (can't remember the file format) and it failed consistently with re-tries.

Many professionals would prefer a better port for faster connection, or just for the reliability.
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Check your your wifi first if your airdrop is slow.
 
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Pre-ordered iPhone 13 to replace my iPhone 11 Pro. Weight is the reason to choose a non pro model this time.
 
SqB said:
Landline, pshaw. My trusty telegraph key is still working like the day it was made. Just a little oil on the hinge and I can wait another year for Tim Apple to finally grant all my wishes.
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Pfff look at this fat cat and his fancy telegraph! What’s wrong with just lighting a good ol’ fire to signal my friends? A bit bulky, I’ll be the first one to admit, but much more reliable. And peak brightness blows the 13 Pro out of the water.
I won’t upgrade until Tim Apple actually makes a decent improvement.
 
I’m tempted to trade in my XS Max and buy the 13 6,1. Due to its size, the XS Max can be impractical when I am on the go. I do find the XS Max still an amazing phone. Fast and smooth on IOS 15. Very decent photos. Nice sound quality (due to support of Dolby Atmos). And remarkably enough still 100% battery health after using the phone every day for two and a half years. Will see what happens. Maybe my XS Max will be my companion for another year.
 
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ivantheipodder said:
You can switch between three prime lenses. All zooming capabilities are digitally done which is different from optically done. The glasses in each of the lenses do not move to optically zoom. Most people don't care or see the difference but they are simply different technologies and I'm not dissing digital zoom as it can certainly be helpful in certain situations. It's easier to market them I suppose but technically it's just not what it is.
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optical vs digital zoom - not at all alike. optical is better at zooming the final picture.
 
This year's lineup has been a bit underwhelming in my opinion. I was planning on upgrading from my iPhone X to the 13 Pro but I'll be more than fine to wait until bigger changes in the 14 models.

I must say the camera upgrades are very tempting - for someone like me looking to have a more portable alternative to my full-frame mirrorless camera.
 
ivantheipodder said:
For the hundredth time, the Pro camera tele lens does not optically zoom. None of the lenses do. It's three prime lenses. It's almost false advertising from Apple.
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ever heard about L16 camera? apple never said it has zoom lens. but it's the multiple fixed lens as a whole camera system achieves optical zoom outcome. by the way optical zoom lens itself is a compromise to fixed lens. nothing to mutter about.
 
nwcs said:
I didn’t fall for the trap this time. I’ve gotten the top end for years now but finally realized that for my individual situation the additional benefits of the Pro just isn’t enough. And since I value a more compact size the only option is the mini. While I would have preferred an iPhone Pro Mini, I’ll be very content with just the Mini.
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Yeah sure it’s a trap… I don’t even believe you ever had a pro. Probably just one of the many (or should I say few) iPhone mini users that need to justify their purchase of a premium phone with bad battery life.
 
Whathappened said:
Yeah sure it’s a trap… I don’t even believe you ever had a pro. Probably just one of the many (or should I say few) iPhone mini users that need to justify their purchase of a premium phone with bad battery life.
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Ok, believe what you want. It’s all true but not like I have to prove anything to you. You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today.
 
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Whathappened said:
Yeah sure it’s a trap… I don’t even believe you ever had a pro. Probably just one of the many (or should I say few) iPhone mini users that need to justify their purchase of a premium phone with bad battery life.
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That seems a bit salty. Not everybody wants a Pro iPhone firstly, but that poster justified their reasons for a Mini. I don’t see the issue to be truthfully honest. We all buy what we want and for our use cases, there’s no right or wrong.
 
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mathiasdk1 said:
What kind of cable data transfer are you going to do on a regular basis? They could also add an Ethernet port, then you could use your iPhone to host a server. Kinda awkward, right?
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They’re not letting you shoot 4k proRes unless you have at least 256GB, 512GB or 1TB hdd.
being able to transfer a small 20 minute video that’s probably 100GB would be nice to over usb C or thunderbolt. Not fun over 2.0.
 
MICHAELSD said:
I’ve had one Midnight Blue Apple leather case that was absolutely gorgeous... drop tests have shown it doesn’t offer the same protection of the silicone cases.
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If we are talking about drop protection, neither the Apple leather nor silicon tests can be recommended. For drop protection, I'd recommend an Otterbox Symmetry case with black edges and clear back for a good compromise between looks and security. My point is that the Apple leather cases are elegant and attractive cases for business and adult use. They have no place on a construction site or around small children.
 
jtdx99 said:
This year's lineup has been a bit underwhelming in my opinion. I was planning on upgrading from my iPhone X to the 13 Pro but I'll be more than fine to wait until bigger changes in the 14 models.

I must say the camera upgrades are very tempting - for someone like me looking to have a more portable alternative to my full-frame mirrorless camera.
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Depends what model you are starting from. For the iPhone X you are absolutely correct.

Wife has the XS and I have the iPhone 11 Pro Max. There are significant differences in image quality between these two models, as the iPhone 11 Pro Max got night mode, better HDR, better skin tones, OIS video stabilisation. IS Video stabilisation is already fabulous with the 11 Pro Max. Actual video quality is only adequate. The only aspect of iPhone video which exceeds any decent MFT or APS-C camera is shooting into a sunset, where Apple's HDR dynamic range is superior to what even full sensor cameras can do.

Significant camera improvements since the iPhone 11 Pro Max:
  • iPhone 12 Pro RAW: HEIC/jpg renditions of computational HDR are 98% as good as Pro RAW versions hand developed.
  • iPhone 13 Pro Res 4K: recording in Pro Res doesn't really makes sense on the output from these tiny lenses. For sunny day time video on the main lens (the best one), maybe.
So these significant improvements don't really add much to image quality. Apple is running into the hard limitations of tiny lenses, computational photography or not. I will probably pass on the iPhone 13 Pro for now though I'm exactly the target market. If I had any model before the 11 Pro, I would upgrade now though.
 
Really no reason to pick non iphone 13 pro when comparing to a iphone 13 but thats me wouldnt want to not have the telephoto lens ,gives that extra edge when you have to shooting something a bit far way.

And really you dont want big zoom on a 12mega pixel mobilephone lens wont look pretty.

Going from Iphone 11 pro to 13 nice upgrade for me,skipped 12 but 13 gives a bit extra for me, but in the end everyone has to choice for themself .
 
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The more I try to understand the difference between iphone13 and iphone13 pro, storage is also key aspect. iphone13pro means 256GB to make use of the prores features - going for 128GB may impact future resale.

So in my case its choosing between iphone13 128GB (909€) or bumping up to the pro with 256GB to access all of the features (1279€).

The price difference becomes significant!
 
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ceraz said:
So in my case its choosing between iphone13 128GB (909€) or bumping up to the pro with 256GB to access all of the features (1279€).

The price difference becomes significant!
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Wait for the sales, you should be able to get the pro with 256GB closer to €1000 after Christmas.
 
orderoftheditch said:
I’m going to hang onto my 12 Pro Max. Apple is being so disrespectful to customers, a $1500 1TB phone with Lightning.
I really hope the EU mandates USB-C. Similarly bundling Lightning-USB C cables that do not work with 99% of all Apple mobile device charging bricks ever shipped. This is the side of Tim Cooks Apple I really dislike.
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USB-C is just a connector. It has nothing to do with the speed of the connection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C
 
To me, there has never been a more clear reason to spend the extra $200 more. For that $200 you get better GPU with nearly 40% more performance, significant camera upgrades and versatility (LiDAR as well), ProMotion, 6GB of RAM, better battery life. Apple has finally separated the Pro from the non-Pro models in a very clear way other than an extra lens.
 
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