The iPhone 13 is finally here. And we have all the details on the new iPhones, including a smaller notch, brighter displays, faster A15 Bionic chip and serious camera upgrades. The battery life is getting better, too.
The cinematic video mode is the coolest upgrade so far, which holds focus on the subject as it moves. It can blur out the background and automatically change the focus as you shoot. You can also tap to shift focus at any time.
The iPhone 13 mini promises 1.5 hours of longer battery life, while the iPhone 13 promises 2.5 hours of extra endurance. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also promise 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours of extra juice, respectively.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro delivers 120Hz ProMotion displays and an all-new camera system that includes a 6-element, ultra-wide lens and 3x optical zoom. You also get macro photography capabilities, larger batteries and a new sierra blue colour.
Here’s everything we know about the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro so far:
- iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro: Here’s the biggest differences
- iPhone 13 mini starts at $799 and iPhone 13 at $899 with 128GB of storage.
- The new iPhone 13 features a smaller notch that’s 20% smaller than iPhone 12.
- The design features a new diagonal camera layout, and the cameras capture 40% more light. The ultra-wide camera lets in more light, too.
- The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will come in five new colors: pink, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red
- The displays on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are 28% brighter, with 800 nits of brightness.
- The iPhone 13 and offers cinematic video (portrait mode), which delivers movie-like video recording that changes the focus on the fly to various subjects.
- 5G connectivity should get better with support for more bands.
- The iPhone 13 mini promises 1.5 hours of more battery life, and that goes up to 2.5 hours for the iPhone 13.
iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max: Top new features
- The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max $1,099. Plus, there’s a 1TB storage option.
- There’s a new ProMotion display on the iPhone 13 Pro series that scales from 10Hz to 120Hz, and it’s designed to respond dynamically.
- New telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, 6-element ultra-wide lens that lets in more light and a wide camera with a 2.2x improvement in low light.
- The iPhone 13 Pro is capable of macro photography with extreme close-ups, and all of the cameras now support Night mode.
- TrueDepth camera system is 20 percent smaller for a shrunken notch, and there’s a textured matte glass on the back.
- iPhone 13 Pro comes with bigger battery so you should expect longer endurance. The Pro is rated for 1.5 hours longer and the Pro Max 2.5 hours longer.
- A15 Bionic chip promises most powerful graphics ever with 50% better performance than competing phones (rated).
- A new Super Retina XDR display supports up to 1,000 nits for better outdoor brightness.
- The iPhone 13 Pro comes in graphite, gold, silver and new sierra blue.
iPhone 13 specs
| iPhone 13 mini | iPhone 13 | iPhone 13 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro Max | |
| Starting price | $699 | $799 | $999 | $1,099 |
| Storage | 128, 256, 512GB | 128, 256, 512 GB | 128, 256, 512, 1TB | 128, 256, 512, 1TB |
| Screen size | 5.4 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution/ppi | 2340 x 1080/476 | 2532 x 1170/460 | 2532 x 1170/460 | 2778 x 1284/458 |
| Adaptive refresh | No | No | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Processor | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| Rear cameras | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Dual 12MP (Wide, ultrawide) | Pro 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide) | Pro 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide) |
| Zoom | 2x optical | 2x optical | 3x optical | 3x optical |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Colors | Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue |
| Size | 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight | 4.97 ounces | 6.14 ounces | 7.2 ounces | 8.5 ounces |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Battery life (video playback | Up to 17 hours | Up to 19 hours | Up to 22 hours | Up to 28 hours |
iPhone 13 release date
The iPhone 13 release date is September 24 for all four models. The iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be available to pre-order on Friday, September 17 in the U.S. and U.K.
iPhone 13 price
The iPhone 13 mini starts at $699, and the starting storage is 128GB, up from 64GB on the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 price is $799. In the U.K. the iPhone 13 mini starts at £679 and the standard iPhone 13 starts at £779.
As you move up to the Pro models, the iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max costs $1,099. Note that there is a 1TB storage option for the first time on the Pro line. In the U.K. the iPhone 13 Pro starts at £949, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at £1,049.
See our iPhone 13 pre-order guide for all of the latest deals.
As a little extra to the iPhone 13’s price, Apple Care+ now offers to repair cracked back glass on the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 for a reduced fee of $29, or £25 in the U.K.
iPhone 13 design
Yes, the iPhone 13 gets a smaller notch. The infamous notch which houses the Face ID technology, the front-facing camera, and earpiece has now shrunk by 20%. This is the first time the notch has changed since it was introduced on the iPhone X in 2017. This will allow for more screen real estate along the top edge of the phone.
Otherwise, the iPhone 13 keeps a similar design to last year’s iPhone 12 series with the same squared-off edges and glossy frame. The screen is once again covered in Apple’s durable Ceramic Shield for added protection in case of drops. All four iPhone 13 models are IP68-certified for water resistance.
New for the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 is the diagonal camera lens layout, It helps the two regular iPhone 13s stand out from their predecessors a bit.
Apple has also committed to more environmentally friendly materials for the iPhone 13. That includes reduced plastic usage in packaging and antennas that use 100% recycled plastic.
iPhone 13 colors
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini colors come in pink, blue, midnight (black), starlight (white), and Product(RED). The non-Pro models usually come in more fun color options and that has held true this year.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come in four colors: black, gold, silver, and sierra blue. The sierra blue is new this year and it appears to be lighter than the Pacific Blue on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
iPhone 13 display
The iPhone 13 series will be available in three screen size options, just like last year. The iPhone 13 mini keeps the same 5.4-inch display, while the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro both come in at 6.1 inches. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch display like the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
All four phones come with Super Retina XDR OLED technology. Apple says that the non-Pro models can max out at 800 nits of brightness, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can crank up to 1000 nits outdoors. Apple also says that the latest screen technology is more efficient.
As rumors suggested, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come equipped with ProMotion displays. This means that the two phones can clock their screens all the way up to 120Hz or down to 10Hz. This range will help the content you’re viewing feel more responsive, as iOS will adapt the refresh rate to whatever you’re doing.
Apple is also working with developers to maximize their apps and games for 120Hz apps.
iPhone 13 cameras and Cinematic Mode video
Apple added major camera upgrades for the iPhone 13. The non-Pro models sport a new 12MP ultrawide sensor that lets in 47% more light. The 12MP main wide-angle camera has sensor-shift optical image stabilization, a feature previously limited to the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This will help the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini shoot beautiful photos in many lighting conditions.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max get ultrawide auto-focus and a new telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. All three cameras support Night Mode, too. The ultrawide camera can also shoot macro photography as close as 2cm, further enhancing the Pro models’ photo capabilities.
You also get Photographic Styles with each of the new iPhones, which bring personal preferences to your photos in real-time rendering. This is more than a filter; it applies the right tweaks to different scenes to bring out the best photos possible. Advertisement
All four iPhone 13 models feature Cinematic Mode, which offers professional-grade cinematography to your videos with Dolby Vision HDR. Cinematic Mode’s claim to fame is its ability to dynamically shift focus and follow the subject of your video. If the subject moves, so will the focus. If the person looks away, the focus will shift to where the subject is looking. Simply tap where you want to focus and then tap again to lock in the focus.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can also shoot videos in the ProRes format, which opens up plenty of professional-quality editing opportunities. However, note that the 128GB version of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are capped at 1080P for ProRes video; the higher storage options support 4K ProRes.
We have a more detailed breakdown of biggest iPhone 13 camera upgrades, so take a look if you want all the nitty-gritty photography details.
iPhone 13 specs
New with the iPhone 13 is the A15 Bionic system-on-chip, Apple’s most advanced chip ever. It’s built on a 5nm process with six cores. Two of those are new high-powered cores, while the remaining four are more efficient than before. And with enhancements to the Neural Engine, the iPhone 13 has powerful machine learning applications such as iOS 15’s new Live Text feature and Siri’s on-device speech recognition.
For the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, the quad-core GPU is perfect for graphically intensive gaming and photography uses. In fact, Apple claims the GPU is 30% faster than the best you’ll find on an Android phone.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max get an even bigger GPU upgrade with five cores. Apple says that the Pro models feature the most powerful mobile GPU ever, with it being supposedly 50% faster than the competition. Combined with the new photography and cinematography capabilities, this could be a huge boost to creative productivity.
iPhone 13 battery life and charging
Apple has included larger batteries in all four iPhone 13 models this year. Though the company hasn’t stated full capacities, it did say give us some rough estimations on how much longer the iPhone 13 variants will last.
For the iPhone 13 mini, Apple said the phone will last one and a half hours longer than the iPhone 12 mini. The iPhone 13 will apparently last two and a half hours longer than the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 Pro will see one and a half hours more runtime than the iPhone 12 Pro, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max could see up to two and a half hours longer than its predecessor. Apple notes that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the longest-lasting iPhone ever.
We didn’t hear anything about charging upgrades for the iPhone 13, so we expect that all four phones still charge at 20W wired and 15W for MagSafe wireless.
iPhone 13 and iOS 15
The top iOS 15 features include updates to FaceTime that will let you watch videos and share content with others, a new Focus mode for managing notifications, and improvements to Maps, Messages, Wallet, Weather and other built-in apps.
We’re waiting to find out about iPhone 13-specific features hidden in iOS 15, which Apple didn’t mention in its presentation. In the meantime, check out our rundown of the 8 best new features for iOS 15.
iPhone 13 outlook
The iPhone 13’s big focus is on cameras and the A15 Bionic chip. These are all noteworthy upgrades. The notch is smaller (finally) and the photography capabilities are certainly impressive. The iPhone 13 looks like it offers quite a bit over its predecessor.
The Pro models have 120Hz ProMotion displays, which will help iOS 15 feel exceptionally smooth. All four models getting sensor-shift stabilization is fantastic, as are the ultrawide improvements across the board. And let’s not forget about the battery life improvements.
