WHICH IPHONE SHOULD I BUY?

Which iPhone you decide to buy will likely depend on your budget, your required storage space, and the features you consider most important. If the iPhone 13 line isn't speaking to you, you can always save money and buy an iPhone 11, iPhone 12, or iPhone SE, all of which are still available, or get a refurbished older model.

IPHONE 13 PRO MAX

• Size & Display: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion • Camera: Ultra Wide, Wide,

Telephoto • Colors: Silver, graphite, gold, sierra blue

Once you upgrade to the Pro Max, it's hard to go back! The iPhone 13 Pro Max is the most expensive iPhone model, but it brings a bevy of fun and practical features to compensate for the heavy price tag. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has the largest screen of the 13 line. With a muted and professional color palette, both the Pro and Pro Max models offer a storage capacity of up to 1 TB (the largest amount of storage available on any iPhone ever!). If you love having the highest quality camera features, a larger phone, and a nearly inexhaustible amount of storage space, this iPhone is for you!

PRORES

ProRes is coming to iPhone 13 Pro models. ProRes is a video format first introduced in Final Cut Pro 6 in 2007 and is

IPHONE 13 PRO

• Size & Display: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion • Camera: Ultra Wide, Wide,

Telephoto • Colors: Silver, graphite, gold, sierra blue

If you love having the best camera and cinematography features while sticking to a more portable option, the iPhone 13 Pro might be your match. With a smaller screen than the iPhone Pro Max, this iPhone model has the telephoto lens offered only with the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max for a 6X optical zoom and superior Portrait mode. If you love photography or videography, or need a lot of storage capacity, it is worth shelling out the extra bucks to upgrade to the iPhone 13 Pro.

IPHONE 13

• Size & Display: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display • Camera: Ultra Wide, Wide • Colors: Starlight, midnight, blue, pink, (PRODUCT)RED

The base model iPhone 13 has twice the storage capacity of the iPhone 12, with faster processing speeds. The 13 costs $200 less than the iPhone 13

Pro, making it a less expensive option for those who still want fast processing speeds, most of the premium camera features, and longer battery life.

IPHONE 13 MINI

• Size & Display: 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display • Camera: Ultra Wide, Wide • Colors: starlight, midnight, blue, pink, (PRODUCT)RED

With the small size relished by many dedicated iPhone users, the iPhone 13 mini packs a punch for the price! With up to 512 GB storage capacity (nearly double its predecessor), the iPhone 13 mini has the new A15 Bionic chip, making for faster processing speeds. It is also enabled for 5G streaming and supports up to 17 hours of video playback. Essentially, the iPhone 13 mini offers a longer battery life, twice the storage, and upgraded camera features for only $100 more than the iPhone 12 mini, which makes for a strong argument to upgrade to the latest mini model. considered ideal for editing. It's easy on your CPU, allowing your computer to run smoothly while you're editing video. The files are smaller than uncompressed videos, even at its highest quality, enabling you to take more high-quality videos without using up your storage. Though 1 terabyte (TB) will be hard to fill!

BATTERY LIFE

The new chip, in combination with a larger battery, give the iPhone 13 what Apple calls all-day battery life. The iPhone 13 provides up to 2.5 more hours in a day than the 12, and the 13 mini provides up to 1.5 more hours in a day than the 12 mini, according to Apple.

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max also offer all-day battery life, and feature improvements of 1.5 hours longer in a day than the iPhone 12 Pro, and 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

A15 BIONIC CHIP

An upgraded chip is included in all four iPhone 13 models but with slightly different features for the Pro models.

The A15 Bionic chip can process 15.8 trillion operations per second, improving power and efficiency for extended battery life, as well as better graphics and display appearance. The chip also enables faster machine-learning capabilities to improve iOS 15 features like Live Text in the Camera app, as well as third-party app experiences.

The Pro version of the A15 Bionic differs from the standard in just one way: a 5-core GPU vs. a 4-core one. This makes a significant difference, though, and Apple claims it's the “fastest chip ever in a smartphone.” This means that the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max offer up to 50 percent faster graphics than any other smartphone on the market!

NEW PROMOTION DISPLAY

We've been hearing rumors about ProMotion coming to the iPhone for some time now, and the iPhone 13 line has made it a reality. ProMotion display technology means your iPhone's refresh rate is fast, and, therefore, your screen is very responsive. The standard refresh rate is 60 times per second (60Hz); ProMotion refreshes at a rate of 120 times per second (120Hz), making it twice as fast. It also adjusts according to your use, saving battery life in your downtime. You can also enjoy greater responsiveness in games, leading to a better gaming experience.

In response to Apple's ProMotion announcement, Samsung took to Twitter to state, “We've been refreshing at 120Hz for a while now...” While it is true they've been using a 120Hz refresh rate since March 2020, they don't offer the variable refresh rate, meaning it's either/or with 60Hz and 120Hz, which could really drain your battery if you use the latter.

“THE A15 BIONIC CHIP CAN PROCESS 15.8 TRILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND, IMPROVING POWER AND EFFICIENCY FOR EXTENDED BATTERY LIFE, AS WELL AS BETTER GRAPHICS AND DISPLAY APPEARANCE.”

BODY, DURABILITY & DISPLAY

The composition of the iPhone 13 line is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 12. Apple introduced the Ceramic Shield display last year and called it “the biggest jump in durability ever on iPhone.” All iPhone 13 versions are water-resistant at a depth of up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes, also the same protection the iPhone 12 line offered.

A few things that have changed include the rear camera layout for the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, as well as the sensors and lenses on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max cameras.

Display features between the iPhone 12 and 13 lines remain largely unchanged, except for improvements in Super Retina XDR OLED contrast and brightness. All four of the iPhone 13s offer a 28 percent increase of maximum outdoor brightness, a higher peak brightness for HDR content, and an improved contrast ratio between colors. One more small difference that many may appreciate is a smaller “notch” at the top of the display. The notch is 20 percent smaller on iPhone 13 models than on their iPhone 12 equivalents!

Whether you're jumping at the chance to get your hands on one of these new models or waiting until next year, it's hard to deny that the A15 Bionic chip, new camera modes, and ProMotion display move the iPhone forward in a solid way. �

Ashleigh Page is a Feature Writer for iPhone Life. With a background in computer science and creative writing, she loves blending aspects of the technical and creative. An avid technology enthusiast, she adores Apple products and keeping up with the latest innovations. When she’s not working, Ashleigh is often found crafting whimsical short stories, hiking, and playing sand volleyball.

Amy Spitzfaden-Both is the Associate Editor at iPhone Life, an award-winning novelist, and an iPhone enthusiast. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing or glued to her iPhone, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and creating her own tea blends.

Leanne Hays is an SEO Content Strategist at iPhone Life. She loves reading and blogging, and is never without a book in her backpack or an audiobook on her phone. Short-term goals include finishing painting her house and starting an aquaponics farm, long-term goals include a bike tour of Italy and writing a novel.