iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: Which One Is Right For You in 2022? - CNET

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Apple's iPhone 14 bid has been astir for a mates of months now, and if you're looking to upgrade but you're not aft Apple's latest and top phones, past there's a precocious accidental the iPhone 13 oregon iPhone 12 diagnostic precocious connected your list. 

Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 are inactive coagulated devices adjacent successful 2022 and mostly connection an up-to-date-experience, though they person their differences.

The iPhone 13 series -- consisting of the iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max -- connection immoderate adjuvant features that differentiate it from 2020's iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 lineup, meanwhile, inactive makes for a large bargain (though the iPhone 12 Pro was discontinued). They tally plentifulness fast, acknowledgment to Apple's A14 Bionic chip, enactment 5G and person awesome cameras. 

But which iPhone should you buy? Are the other features you get for the iPhone 13 worthy it for the other cash? It volition beryllium connected what iPhone exemplary you're upgrading from and the information of your existent device. However, moving done a fewer cardinal differences betwixt the 13 and 12 lines whitethorn assistance you determine whether to outpouring for a top-of-the-line 2021 iPhone, prevention immoderate wealth with a 2020 model, oregon hold it retired till Apple's adjacent lawsuit expected successful the fall. You tin besides spell for a refurbished iPhone 12 exemplary if there's banal connected the Apple website.

Read moreThe iPhone 13 Is Still Missing These Features Available connected Android Phones

Price

At archetypal look, the iPhone 12's starting terms is simply a afloat $100 cheaper than the iPhone 13, but that's earlier you instrumentality retention abstraction into consideration. Both iPhone 12 models commencement astatine 64GB, which respective years agone utilized to beryllium plentifulness of room. Now with apps getting larger and cameras taking adjacent much elaborate photos on with video, you could tally up against that retention bounds sooner than you think, particularly if you seizure a batch of photos and videos, among different things. Now that the iPhone 14 bid has arrived, Apple has dropped prices of earlier iPhone models. The iPhone 13 starts astatine 128GB, and retails for $729. If you comparison that with a 128GB iPhone 12, which starts astatine $679 -- you're lone looking astatine a $50 terms difference. 

For that $50 difference, you bash get a batch for your wealth by going with the iPhone 13, which we volition spell implicit successful aboriginal sections. But if each you privation is simply a 5G iPhone and you're improbable to instal a ton of apps connected it, the iPhone 12 is so cheaper portion inactive having astir of the aforesaid features arsenic the iPhone 13.

Battery life

The iPhone 13 is estimated to tally for 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12, portion the iPhone 13 Mini is estimated to tally 1.5 hours longer than the 12 Mini. In CNET exertion Patrick Holland's iPhone 13 and 13 Mini review, helium notes that some phones easy marque it done a time connected a azygous charge. This was peculiarly notable since his idiosyncratic iPhone 12 Mini usually requires a 3 p.m. recharge to marque it done the day.

A15 Bionic vs. A14 Bionic

For astir tasks, the A14 Bionic and A15 Bionic chips volition each apt breezily grip your FaceTime calls, texts, apps, games and streaming videos with small discernible difference. Most radical volition beryllium perfectly blessed with the iPhone 12, which runs connected the A14 Bionic processor.

However, the iPhone 13's A15 Bionic whitethorn beryllium designed to beryllium compatible with aboriginal devices and bundle successful the works by Apple. Reports suggest that Apple is moving connected an augmented world and VR headset that could usage the iPhone 13 and aboriginal iPhone models arsenic a big device.

Read moreApple's VR, AR Headset Plans: Latest Rumors and Reports

The main existent quality is that the iPhone 13's spot enables the Cinematic video signaling mode. In this mode the telephone tin automatically absorption connected subjects arsenic they participate the framework portion unfocusing connected others, giving your videos a movie-like look. These videos tin besides beryllium edited aft the information should you privation much power implicit who is successful focus.

Cameras

The camera specs of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 are identical. Both phones see 12-megapixel sensors connected the beforehand and the backmost cameras. But those specs don't archer the full communicative astir the photograph processing differences betwixt the phones. 

On the iPhone 13, the caller camera layout gives the wide-angle camera a larger sensor with sensor-based stabilization. The caller diagonal layout of the iPhone 13's cameras allows for that larger sensor, portion the ultrawide camera's caller sensor helps it stitchery much light. On the bundle side, the iPhone 13 besides includes Photographic Styles, which let you to customize the mode your camera develops your photos. These styles are not similar Instagram filters, arsenic they analyse the taxable of your photograph and use the selected benignant arsenic needed.

iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini camera testing: See however Apple's caller phones instrumentality photos

See each photos

That said, the iPhone 12's cameras are inactive nary slouch, including galore of the aforesaid enhancements offered by iOS 15. In our review, Holland notes that the iPhone 13's camera upgrades bash not marque drastic differences, but improvements betwixt the models twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth were noticeable.

Spec vs. spec

Check the illustration beneath comparing the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Mini, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Mini to spot a spec-by-spec examination among the non-Pro iPhones that are presently available. Let america cognize successful the comments if you'd alternatively save wealth with the iPhone 12, leap successful with a caller iPhone 13 oregon if your existent iPhone is inactive the champion for each of your regular needs.

iPhone 13, Mini vs. iPhone 12, Mini


iPhone 12 Mini iPhone 13 Mini iPhone 12 iPhone 13 Display size, resolution Pixel density Dimensions (inches) Dimensions (millimeters) Weight (ounces, grams) Mobile software Camera Front-facing camera Video capture Processor Storage RAM Expandable storage Battery Fingerprint sensor Connector Headphone jack Special features Price off-contract (at launch) (USD) Price (GBP) Price (AUD)
6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels 5.4-inch OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels 5.4-inch OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels
460ppi 476ppi 476ppi 460ppi
5.78x2.82x0.29 in 5.18x2.53x0.3 in 5.18x2.53x0.29 in 5.78x2.82x0.3 in
146.7x71.5x7.4mm 132x64x7.65mm 131.5x64.2x7.4mm 147x72x7.65mm
5.78 oz; 164g 4.97 oz; 141g 4.76 oz; 135g 6.14 oz; 174g
iOS 14 iOS 15 iOS 14 iOS 15
12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)
12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel
4K HDR video signaling with Dolby Vision up to 4K astatine 60 fps 4K HDR video signaling with Dolby Vision up to 4K astatine 60 fps
Apple Bionic 14 Apple A15 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic Apple A15 Bionic
64GB, 128GB, 256GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed
No No No No
Undisclosed; Apple lists 15 hours of video playback Undisclosed; Apple lists 17 hours of video playback Undisclosed; Apple lists 15 hours of video playback Undisclosed; Apple lists 19 hours of video playback
No (Face ID) No (Face ID) No (Face ID) No (Face ID)
Lightning Lightning Lightning Lightning
No No No No
5G enabled; MagSafe; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) 5G enabled; MagSafe; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) 5G enabled; MagSafe; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) 5G enabled; MagSafe; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)
$629 (64GB), $679 (128GB), $779 (256GB)  $729 (128GB), $829 (256GB), $1,029 (512GB) $729 (64GB), $779 (128GB), $879 (256GB) $829 (128GB), $929 (256GB), $1,129 (512GB)
£799 (64GB), £849 (128GB), £949 (256GB) £679 (128GB), £779 (256GB), £979 (512GB) £699 (64GB), £749 (128GB), £849 (256GB) £779 (128GB), £879 (256GB), £1,079 (512GB)
AU$1,349 (64GB), AU$1,429 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB) AU$1,199 (128GB), AU$1,369 (256GB), AU$1,719 (512GB) AU$1,199 (64GB), AU$1,279 (128GB), AU$1,449 (256GB) AU$1,349 (128GB), AU$1,519 (256GB), AU$1,869 (512GB)

Sarah Tew/CNET

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