Apple iPhone 13 Pro review
The gap between the Pro and Pro Max iPhone variants is closing, and nothing says it better than the newest addition, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro.
Price: £949
Back in 2020, if you bought an iPhone 12 Pro, you had to face the crushing reality that, despite spending nearly a grand, you still didn't have the best camera Apple was capable of producing.
On paper, the 12 Pro Max had a small advantage in camera specifications and a larger battery. However, this year, Apple equipped both the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max with its most ambitious camera unit yet, which now supports macro photography.
Other improvements include a longer-lasting battery and ProMotion, which allows for an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz or as low as 10Hz, which is great for battery conservation.
Want the peak of camera phones without carrying around a hulking 228g cuboid like the iPhone Pro Max? And you want something other than the standard iPhone 13? Then this is possibly the sweet spot.
Design and build:
The latest iPads continue Apple's trend of embracing edges that began with last year's iPhones, saying goodbye to the rounded edges of olden times.
The iPhone 13 Pro resembles its predecessor remarkably well. The smooth matte finish on the back with a subtle Apple logo contrasts well with the stainless steel edges, which add a hint of glitter. Though we'd put it straight in a case, Ceramic Glass sandwiches the front and back for added toughness.
The camera bulge is bigger than ever, making it difficult for the phone to rest flat on a surface. However, this makes it even more crucial to protect the camera unit. Since the camera unit as a whole is wider, more space is required on the back.
With the iteration from this year, the phone is slightly heavier and thicker, going from 189g to 204g. You can definitely feel the added weight, but even though we don't like it, we can put up with it if it means the battery will last longer.
Of course, everyone is keeping an eye on the notch to see if Apple has finally neglected what many consider to be a weak point in the design. Unfortunately, it's still there because it's necessary for a lot of the iPhone tech we love, but it's smaller—by almost a centimeter.
The Lightning port and the standard iPhone colors of gold, silver, and graphite are still present for the time being. Apple has revealed a beautiful new shade of blue called Sierra Blue that is similar to a clear morning sky.
Display and sound:
The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display is similar to the one from the previous year, but that's not a bad thing because it's fantastic in every way. It is also said to be brighter, increasing to 1000 nits of outdoor brightness, so viewing the screen outside and from all directions shouldn't be a problem.
It's great for watching movies and playing video games because the colors remain vibrant with great contrast.
Look at the dynamic refresh rate, which can reach 120Hz and provides a more fluid viewing experience, for new tricks. The transition between apps is highly responsive and feels extra smooth. When the task doesn't require such speeds, like reading or typing notes, the technology also has the ability to slow down the refresh rates. Sadly, the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini cannot use "Pro Motion" because they are limited to 60Hz.
If you forget your portable speakers, built-in stereo speakers still do a fantastic job of providing well-rounded audio, making them ideal for listening to podcasts before bed. Although playing it through your phone isn't the best way to experience it, Apple's spatial audio is included, and the voice isolation ensures that calls and voice notes are delivered clearly.
A new microphone that can pick up background noise is a feature of iOS 15 Wide Spectrum, making the person on the other end of the phone more likely to believe you when you say you're running late because a flock of coots is chasing you. Although we can't predict when this might be useful, it's still a good idea to have it.
Performance and battery:
Apple doesn't usually reveal the size of its batteries, but independent tests strongly imply that the iPhone 13 Pro's 3,095mAh battery is larger than its predecessor but still nowhere near as powerful as its bigger, 2-day-long-lasting brother, the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The iPhone 12 Pro wouldn't really last until bedtime if you were a heavy user, but the iPhone 13 Pro will. Intense video use seriously reduces the phone's battery, with features like Cinematic Mode having a significant negative impact.
The battery is still at a healthy 70% after a working day from home that included syncing with a smartwatch, playing music on Spotify, checking emails, Whatsapp, and some news scrolling. This is a significant improvement over the iPhone 11 Pro. It's difficult to give conclusions at this early stage, but Apple claims that this year's Pro lasts 1.5 hours longer than its predecessor.
The world-beating A15 Bionic chip offers incredible processing capabilities that touch a variety of the iPhone's components, from gaming to photography.
Genshin's Impact, which takes a few hours to play, demonstrates the new chip's ability to deliver smooth graphics with the help of the added ProMotion power.
The A15 Bionic processor, which is the iPhone's access point to its capabilities, powers Cinematic Mode for video and all of the photography magic. Consider Lightroom; the iPhone 13 Pro handled large files with ease, and photo editing was quick and efficient. It should come as no surprise that all future iPhones will include 5G as standard.
Camera:
Aside from the battery, the cameras are the standout feature this year, and it's not just software tweakery. To stay ahead of the competition in smartphone photography, Apple has made some hardware changes, including expanding the camera aperture.
Furthermore, the camera setup is identical to that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which means you can have the best camera on a phone that you can use one-handed.
The primary camera system is made up of three 12MP cameras: the main camera, the ultra-wide camera, and the telephoto lens. Does this sound familiar? No, not quite. The ultra-wide camera's aperture increases from f/2.4 to f/1.8, allowing more light in and significantly improving low-light photography. The upgraded telephoto camera has 3X optical zoom, which is an improvement over last year, and the main sensor has an f/1.5 aperture.
The camera's nighttime photography is the best we've seen, and instead of increasing brightness to unrealistic levels, low-light shots are handled with far more subtlety and style.
The camera is fantastic in daylight, but so is any other recent high-end iPhone. To up the ante, the iPhone 13 Pro is capable of Macro photography, which we've previously seen from Android competitors, but it's seriously good here and quite addictive.
Computational photography has been so well to perfection, and the image quality is outstanding. Of course, Apple doesn't stop there, as there's a new feature in the camera app called 'Profiles' that allows you to apply a filter to the camera rather than applying one later. Each option has a slider so you can ramp it up or slide it down for a more subtle take, ranging from vibrant, cool, warm, and rich contract.
Video is not being ignored, and Cinematic Mode is a standout feature this year. In short, this allows you to shoot a scene and then change the focus point during or after the shoot. It's a lot of fun to play with and works with the front-facing camera as well; whether we'd use it frequently is debatable, but the technology is impressive. However, there is one catch: Cinematic mode will only work in 1080p at 30fps, which will disappoint some Tarantino want tobes.
More useful is the sensor-based stabilization, which provides significant benefits for iPhone videography and is even effective in low light. In low light, Cinematic Mode has the same issues as Portrait Mode, with occasional blurry edges, particularly around hair.
Aside from the fancy tricks, the iPhone 13 Pro camera is quite possibly the best in the business for smartphone photography.
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Apple iPhone 13 Pro conclusion
However, the iPhone 13 is a compelling alternative for £170 less, offering an improved battery, the latest Bionic chip, 5G, and incredibly impressive camera capabilities. It lacks a third telephoto lens and an adaptive refresh rate, so it all comes down to your smartphone priorities.
All of the advancements you see here are incremental, but when added together, they are not insignificant. Some of the features appear to be overkill, but a larger battery and improved camera are exactly the kinds of meaningful upgrades that users have long desired and now have with the iPhone 13 Pro.
Tech specs
Screen: 6.1in 2532×1170 OLED HDR (up to 120Hz refresh rate)
Cameras: 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide), 12MP (telephoto) & ToF 3D LiDAR rear, 12MP front camera
Processor: A15
OS: iOS 15
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 512GB
Battery: 3,095mAh (est)
TechliciousOfficial says...
Score: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The iPhone 13 Pro has an amazing camera, and while it was late to the party with many features, such as Macro photography and adaptive refresh rates, it shines at them. It's the best Apple has to offer in terms of smartphones in 2021.
- Good Stuff
+ Excellent camera.
+ Battery that lasts all day
- Bad Stuff
− Weighty
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