With the latest iPhone 13 series released by Apple recently, you would want to buy it. But the question is which is better, the iPhone 13 or the iPhone 12? Don’t worry, we have got your back! Here is iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12, everything you need to know before you choose to buy one, considering all the different features of the phones.
What you will see?
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12
iPhone 13
Apple has launched the iPhone 13 with the A15 Bionic Chip, more storage and battery life. Also, the camera now has sensor-shift OIS, Cinematic mode, and Photographic Styles.
Pros
- A15 Bionic chip
- 2.5 hours extra battery life
- Base 128GB, up to 512GB storage
- Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
- Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles
Cons
- More expensive
iPhone 12
Although the iPhone 12 now has become an outdated model, it is still a good phone. It has more color options and now it can be considered less expensive.
Pros
- Less expensive
- Fast performance with A14
- Good camera system
- Available in six colours
Cons
- Last year’s model
- Less storage
- No Sensor-shift OIS
Comparison chart
| iPhone 13 | iPhone 12 | |
| Design | Ceramic Shield front + Aerospace-grade aluminum | Ceramic Shield front + Aerospace-grade aluminum |
| Colors | Starlight, Midnight, Pink, Blue, PRODUCT(RED) | Purple, Blue, Green, PRODUCT(RED), White, Black |
| Processor | A15 Bionic chip 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores with 6-core CPU 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | A14 Bionic chip 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores 6-core CPU 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
| Display | 6.1‑inch OLED Super Retina XDR display | 6.1‑inch OLED Super Retina XDR display |
| Camera | Dual lens 12-megapixel wide and 12MP ultra-wide rear, 12MP TrueDepth front lens | Dual lens 12-megapixel wide and 12MP ultra-wide rear, 12MP TrueDepth front lens |
| Camera Aperture | Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture Ultra-Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture | Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture Ultra-Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture |
| Camera Zoom | 2x optical zoom out Digital zoom up to 5x 2x optical zoom span | 2x optical zoom out Digital zoom up to 5x 2x optical zoom span |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512 GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Battery | Up to 19 hours of video playback time | Up to 17 hours of video playback time |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Cinematic mode | Yes | No |
| Photographic Styles | Yes | No |
| Size and weight | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches, 174g | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches, 164g |
| MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
iPhone 12 came with a new flat edge design, MagSafe accessory compatibility, and 5G support when it was launched. Most of these features are also present in the iPhone 13, but the biggest change is the camera. The Sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) was previously present only in the iPhone 12 Pro Max but now it is present in the entire iPhone 13 series.
Display
Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 have a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display. They use OLED technology with a resolution of 2532 x 1770. However, the iPhone 13 has a maximum brightness of 800 nits whereas, iPhone 12 gives only 625 nits. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, have the ProMotion display feature, but neither the iPhone 12 nor the iPhone 13 have that. Moreover, you even get a True Tone display and Wide color gamut (P3) in the iPhone 13. Also, iPhone 13 features a Haptic Touch and HDR display.
Bionic Chip
The iPhone 12 uses the older A14 Bionic chip whereas the iPhone 13 comes with the faster A15 Bionic. It has a new 6-Core CPU with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores. This makes iPhone 13 50% faster than other iPhones. Moreover, it has a 4-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine thus giving a 30% faster graphical power. Both iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 have 4GB of RAM inside.
Camera
The iPhone 13 comes with an upgraded camera system than its predecessor. It has a diagonal dual-camera system instead of the vertical system in the iPhone 12. Moreover, you even get sensor-shift Optical Image Stabilization features replacing the regular optical image stabilization. This simply means that rather than stabilizing the lens, iPhone 13 stabilizes the camera sensor. Thus giving better image stability and improved photo quality. Also, instead of Smart HDR 3, you get Smart HDR 4 in the iPhone 13, giving you brighter and more vibrant images.
Apple has even added the new Cinematic mode for video, letting you shoot videos with a depth-of-field effect giving you Portrait mode effect. Although the Cinematic mode focuses on the subject automatically at all times, you can adjust the focus point and bokeh even after recording. This feature works with Dolby Vision HDR and lets you shoot in 4K up to 60FPS. You even get a new ‘Photographic Styles feature’ in the iPhone 13. With this feature, you can selectively apply adjustments to certain areas of an image while preserving the colors of other parts of the image. Moreover, you can save these styles and even apply them to your future clicks.
Just like the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 comes with an Ultra-Wide camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view. Also, while clicking pictures you can digitally zoom up to 5x and even optical zoom out 2x. The features like Night mode, Deep Fusion, and Advanced red‑eye correction remain the same as iPhone 12.
Battery Life
According to Apple, the iPhone 13 battery lasts up to 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12. This improvement can be credited to the A15 Bionic’s efficiency and a physically larger battery. The iPhone 13 is also capable of fast charge and can add up to 50% charge in 30 minutes.
Connectivity
Both iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 supports 5G connectivity. According to Apple, this gives superfast downloads and high-quality streaming. They also support for mmWave 5G connectivity in the US and sub-6GHz 5G in the US and other countries. Both the iPhones have a Lightning connector and support for MagSafe connectivity on the back. Moreover, they support 7.5W Qi wireless charging and 15W wireless charging when using a MagSafe wireless charger.
Storage and Colour options
The iPhone 13 storage option starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB, whereas for iPhone 12 storage option starts from 64GB and goes up to 256GB.
You can choose from Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Red, and Pink for color options on iPhone 13.
For iPhone 12 you get colors like black, white, red, green, blue, and purple.
Conclusion- iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12
If you are planning to buy an iPhone, then the obvious choice would be the latest mobile, which is the iPhone 13. This is because you get the latest features and improved system from the predecessor. The iPhone 13 comes with the A15 Bionic chip as well as an improved dual-camera system, longer battery life, and increased storage. If you are into photography, then the latest features like Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles are great tools. Although, if you don’t want to spend that much and want to get some discounts, the iPhone 12 is still a great phone. It has iOS 15 and is still great for mobile photography. You get cool color options in both the iPhone 12 as well as iPhone 13 series.
Which iPhone are you planning to buy? Tell us in the comments section below.
