The time is near! The newly announcediPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro go on sale tomorrow morning(September 17). But like always, there are many options when buying a new iPhone. Many don’t know where to start when picking the right phone. This year is no different, although Apple made it a bit easier than last year by making the family lines more simialr than before.
So, let’s answer that age-old question: Which iPhone should I buy?
The Difference between iPhone 13 models
This year, the iPhone 13 comes in two sizes, the standard iPhone 13 with a 6.1-inch screen and an iPhone 13 Mini with 5.4-inch screen. Other than the screen size and the battery life (because of the smaller size), the iPhone 13 has all the same chips and cameras inside.
The regular iPhone 13 family has a new Apple-designed chip inside which should be faster than last year’s models. This includes an updated graphics chip with 4 cores, which should allow apps to draw on more power to create graphics.
The cameras on the back have changed too. The main wide camera has Sensor shift stablization, a technology that came to the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year, and should help bring in more light (which is great for photos, especially in the dark). You can notices that the camera array is set up differently than in past years to allow fo the main camera to have space for this technology.
Taking videos will also be improved this year as well. Apple has announced a Cinematic Mode, which will use machine learning to make your videos look more like a movie. Cinematic Mode blurs the non-focused part of the video (think portrait mode). Your iPhone will follow your focus mode as well, so if take a video of someone and they look away at something, the focus of the video will shift. Your phone can also detect when someone is about to walk into the frame and will change the focus as enter the frame. Pretty cool technology for filmmakers.
You can see how Cinematic Mode works in the video below
There are new colors, and the iPhone 13 will have better battery life than the iPhone 12 as well. Apple boasts that there will be an hour and a half (iPhone 13 Mini) to two and a half hours (iPhone 13) of improvement on these devices. Plus there are new colors.
The Pro models come in the same sizes as last years’ phones: 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens. While the screen on the regular iPhone 13 is going to be great, the Pro models will bring ProMotion. ProMotion brings a variable rate refresh to the iPhone screen, going from 10Hz all the way to 120hz. The higher the rate, the more times the screen refreshes, making the device feel smoother. The ability to ratch down the refresh rate will help save battery life on this phone when the screen doesn’t require that many refreshes.
ProMotion debuted on the iPad Pro a few years ago, so if you’ve used one of those devices you know what it brings.
The iPhone 13 Pros will also have an extra core on the graphics card, allowing this technology to work. So the GPU will be even better than the one on the iPhone 13, but not by much.
All the cameras on the back have been improved on the Pro models as well. Sensor shift technology, the only iPhone 12 Pro Max had, has come to all of the lenses.. Also, the focal length on the telephoto lens has been increased for a closer zoom. The Pro models will also bring a Macro mode to the ultra-wide camera lens. Allowing you to take photos like the one to the left here.
The iPhone 13 Pro adds an extra hour and a half of battery life, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max adds two and a half battery life compared to their iPhone 12 counterparts.
Which iPhone 13 Should I get?
So which iPhone should you get?
The Best iPhone 13 for Most People
I would recommend the iPhone 13 for most people. I think it has the most features for the price. You get a great phone, with great cameras, and great battery for the best price. Plus you get a wider choice of colors, Pink, Blue, Midnight (I’m guessing the Space Gray replacement), Starlight (a white with gold tint to it), and Red are all options.
The Best iPhone for Small Phone Fans
For those that like smaller phones, you are lucky that Apple has kept the iPhone 13 Mini around. All reports show that the phone hasn’t done as well as they would have hoped. This might be the last chance you get a smaller phone.
Also luckily this year, the mini got an improved battery. From everything that I understand, the Mini had such bad battery life, it wasn’t worth getting. Now though, the mini should be able to get you through the day a little better.
The iPhone With The Best Screen
If you are looking for the iPhone with the best screen, I would look at either of the Pro models this year. While all models of the iPhone 13 have a very similar screen in regards to quality, only the Pros have ProMotion and a high refresh rate. But that might not be for everyone. I would suggest if you are looking at the Pro model for ProMotion that you test out one of the more recent iPad Pros to see if it is even something you like.
If ProMotion isn’t for you, you can’t go wrong with any of the iPhones
The Best iPhone for Shooting Photography
While all the iPhones boast an improved main camera, the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max is the best iPhone for photography. Both versions of the iPhone 13 Pro have the same specs, so users can pick which device feels the most comfortable to them.
Both Pros have the sensor shift lens system as well as the Macro photos with the Ultra Wide Angle lens.
The Best iPhone for Filmmakers
This is a little bit harder to suggest on this one. If you are a true filmamker, looking to make your indie film, I would definitely recommend going with either of the Pro versions. They over more options, as well as allowing you to record in ProRes video, a codec (container) that brings in more details with it.
If you don’t know what any of that means, I think the regular iPhone 13 will do well for anyone. The regular iPhone 13 still gets the cinematic mode that the iPhone 13 Pro does.
I would recommend bumping up your storage capicity if you are going to doing lots of recording though. If you are looking to do serious recording with your iPhone, and you go with the Pro, I would make sure that you get at least the 256GB storage. Less then that and the best ProRes you could record in is 1080p at 30f/s
The Cheapest iPhone
If you are looking for a cheap iPhone, I would suggest skipping the 12 and 13 models. I would recommend most people get the iPhone 11. I feel like the battery life was better than what came out with the iPhone 12, and it is much cheaper than the iPhone 13. Of course, with the iPhone 11, you don’t get the updated design, but you aren’t missing out on much else. Sure, its processor is a little behind, and the cameras aren’t as improved, but it is still a great iPhone.
The Best iPhone for Me?
As usual, I have been going back and forth with which iPhone I would be getting after the announcement. I started off thinking I would go back to the larger iPhone and get the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 128GB. Then I saw the fine print with the ProRes specs (downgraded to 1080p) so I thought about bumping back up to the 256GB just to be safe. Plus with the new baby, having more pictures on the device never hurts. I was going to get the graphite color.
But then I went to an Apple Store to try out the Max phone.
I feel like my time away from the Max phone has made me like the smaller size of the standard iPhone. It also doesn’t hurt that it is cheaper than the big phone.
And I feel like graphic is too boring for me. So I’ve completely changed my idea.
So at this point in time I am looking at purchasing a Sierra Blue, iPhone Pro, with 256GB. If that remains the case in the morning, I’ll keep you posted.
Are you planning on upgrading? What is your iPhone of choice?