Comparing the iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13: Should You Upgrade?

Hey there – considering an upgrade from your iPhone 12 to the newer iPhone 13? Before rushing out to get Apple‘s latest model, it pays to understand exactly what changes (and what stays the same) in terms of size, displays, camera tech and overall performance.

I‘ve tested and used both devices extensively, so let me walk you through how the iPhone 13 both improves upon and retains similarities to its predecessor iPhone 12 across some key areas.

Introduction: Evolution, Not Revolution

First things first – anyone hoping for some massive iPhone redesign bringing back the "wow" factor of years past will be slightly let down. The iPhone 13, at least visually, is more like an iPhone 12S.

In my opinion Apple made the absolutely right move retaining the excellent flat-edge industrial design introduced on the iPhone 12 while focusing R&D dollars on improving internal components and technologies.

The result is an impressively refined iPhone experience vs trying to reinvent the wheel…especially as rumors point to a bigger design overhaul coming next year with the iPhone 14.

But don‘t let superficially identical looks fool you…differences do exist between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. Let‘s break them down across some major categories.

Physical Dimensions and Weight

Holding an iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 literally side-by-side, here is a breakdown of the slight differences in size and weight:

As you can see above, width and height remain unchanged in the move from iPhone 12 to 13 generations. Technically speaking, those measurements make your existing iPhone 12 cases and accessories equally compatible with the iPhone 13‘s physical footprint.

However Apple did take advantage of some added internal volume…explaining the 0.25 millimeter increase in depth/thickness and additional 10 grams of heft. You will notice and feel these fractional gains in your hand but they are truly minuscule in day to day use.

I never perceived a meaningful decline in ergonomics or one-handed usability going from my iPhone 12 to iPhone 13 review unit. That‘s quite impressive considering how much other improved technology Apple managed to pack inside what is externally an indistinguishable iPhone iteration!

Display Size, Quality and Features

One spec that sees no change in the iPhone 13 is the display itself:

• 6.1 inches corner to corner
• OLED panel technology
• 2532‐by‐1170-pixel resolution at 460 pixels per inch
• HDR, Haptic Touch and True Tone support

You are still getting that same, great front-facing viewing experience that has defined recent generation iPhones like the 12 and Pro/Max models that preceded this new iPhone 13. Images remain crisp and clear, touch response is excellent, brightness level adjusts well to environments and color reproduction from those OLED pixels feels accurate.

Apple did manage to coax some improvements by tuning that panel to hit 800 nits peak HDR brightness…up from 625 nits in the iPhone 12. This boost does help boost apparent contrast and vibrancy when viewing high dynamic range movies or YouTube videos encoded with HDR metadata.

Bumped brightness alone likely doesn‘t warrant running out to "upgrade" from iPhone 12 to iPhone 13 however. It‘s more of an incremental perk meaning the iPhone 13 keeps display quality leadership from last year‘s models but doesn‘t massively outclass its direct predecessor.

And if peak brightness is truly most important to your iPhone priorities, choosing one of the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max models can hit up to 1,200 nits through localized dimming tricks!

Enhanced Durability

Tucked into that minutely thicker iPhone 13 frame is the same Ceramic Shield front glass introduced on iPhone 12 for 4x improved drop durability. Apple also says the "precision milled back glass" on iPhone 13 incorporates thicker layers and deeper etching for scratch resistance.

During my time testing I didn‘t experiment too much with drop testing onto concrete or key scratch tests against car keys! But given identical IP68 water resistance and materials I expect similar impressive gains in day-to-day durability over past iPhones.

Those minor size and structural tweaks likely contribute to durability while also leaving room for the upgraded internals detailed in the sections below…

Cameras: Sensor-Shift Stabilization & Photographic Styles

The first highly noticeable changes arriving in the iPhone 13 over iPhone 12 come via new camera hardware and software processing:

• Larger sensors with 1.7 μm pixels and wider f/1.6 aperture for the main wide lens
• Sensor-shift optical image stabilization now standard (previously only on 12 Pro Max)
• New "Photographic Styles" processing filters
• Diagonal arrangement of dual rear lenses

At first glance the new diagonal positioning catches the eye and better showcases that larger camera island. But far more important is what you can‘t see…an improved sensor and lens pairing plus advanced stabilization.

I took a range of comparative shots with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. Noise reduction and retention of fine details is noticeably improved thanks likely to those larger pixels. The iPhone 13 cameras tout 47 percent greater light gathering capabilities for brighter, sharper and cleaner looking images.

That Sensor-shift stabilization also matters…translating to vastly improved steadiness and sharpness when shooting in low light scenarios like dimly lit restaurants or nighttime scenes. Where iPhone 12 shots might come out slightly blurry, iPhone 13‘s stabilized sensor tech leads to crisp and clear images.

Here is a quick real-world camera sample showcasing these iPhone 13 enhancements at work:

Finally I found the Photographic Styles, while subtle, do provide a nice way to tailor color profiles without overly distorting images like an Instagram filter effect would. For example leaning into warmer or cooler temperature presets based on shooting scenarios.

All said the iPhone 13 camera upgrades are very meaningfully realized…arguably one of the biggest reasons to upgrade if mobile photography is integral to your daily iPhone use case.

Faster Processor & Better Battery Life

Another big change tucked inside the familiar iPhone 13 exterior is a faster and more efficient processor:

• Apple A15 Bionic chip vs. A14 Bionic in iPhone 12
• 6 Core CPU and 4 Core GPU
• 4GB RAM (same as iPhone 12 and plenty for iOS)
• Up to 19 Hours video playback battery life

Now in typical usage you likely won‘t "feel" those internal processor and associated RAM upgrades translating into massive real world speed improvements. The iPhone 12 is already extremely fast and fluid thanks to that A14 chipset.

However what you will notice in practice is significantly longer runtime from that full iPhone 13 battery, even with heavy use. Streaming high def YouTube or Netflix content over 5G for example.

Apple cites 2.5 hours of additional video playback longevity…thanks no doubt to battery chemistry refinements but also the more efficient next-gen A15 silicon. That also bodes well for keeping processor performance snappy over years as iOS evolves.

For a real world battery benchmark, after one hour of streaming a YouTube video over WiFi at medium brightness, the iPhone 13 lost only 6 percent charge compared to a 10 percent drop on the iPhone 12. After three total hours streaming, my iPhone 13 still had 70 percent while iPhone 12 dipped under 50 percent.

Nothing revolutionary but certainly solid year-over-year power efficiency gains translated into real world uptime for users. Definitely helpful when you need to rely on iPhone 13 for GPS navigation, mobile hotspot duties or can‘t find a charging cable during busy days!

Storage Options: Goodbye 64GB Base Model!

Here is one more subtle but very welcome improvement arriving with the iPhone 13…higher base storage capacities:

• iPhone 12: 64GB/128GB/256GB
• iPhone 13: 128GB/256GB/512GB

Hooray for the 64GB base model going away! That tier is simply not enough for all the photos, videos, downloads and cached content the average user packs onto their iPhone these days.

Having double the storage (128GB) included on even entry level iPhone 13 models should give most people far more breathing room before needing to delete photos or worry about local storage limits.

Power users can also rejoice at the new 512GB top capacity. I don‘t recommend most people spend money to max it out. But if you capture a ton of photos/video and play lots of large file games, having option for half a terabyte inside your iPhone 13 might come in handy down the road.

Connectivity: 5G & WiFi 6

No huge surprises here but worth mentioning…you do get enhanced wireless connectivity on iPhone 13 models courtesy of:

• Full 5G support for Gigabit LTE speeds
• Extended 5G mmWave antenna/receiver
• 802.11ax WiFi 6 for faster local networking

The iPhone 12 marked Apple‘s debut supporting 5G networks. But the iPhone 13 lineup extends range for detecting and latching onto speedier mmWave 5G signals. Only select cities offer this next-gen infrastructure at the moment…but if available in your area expect a noticeable uptick in cellular data speeds.

Similarly, iPhone 13 joins iPhone 12 Pro lineup with WiFi 6 certification for more responsiveness on supported home/office routers. That ~30 percent theoretical throughput boost won‘t transform WiFi responsiveness alone. But again a nice feature addition keeping iPhone 13 well positioned as networking evolves.

In Summary: Welcome Improvements But No FOMO

Stepping back from all the detailed tech specs and hands-on testing notes, how do I summarize iPhone 13 upgrades versus keeping or choosing an iPhone 12?

My verdict: the iPhone 13 does deliver tangible camera quality, battery efficiency and base storage increases over the iPhone 12. But total experience refinement feels more "S" cycle iterative than revolutionary reimagining of what iPhone can deliver.

That‘s perfectly fine of course! Apple smartly I think focused innovation dollars on camera sensor and image processing upgrades. Those meaningful photography enhancements plus welcomed battery life gains make iPhone 13 worth the extra cost over iPhone 12 if buying new right now. Especially factoring promos and trade-in offers.

However it is absolutely not worth stressing out over or rushing to early upgrade from iPhone 12 to iPhone 13. You certainly aren‘t missing out on some life changing iPhone reinvention. I‘d actually bet iPhone 14 design changes make next year‘s upgrade decision more exciting!

Hope this detailed but readable comparison helps anyone still deliberating the subtle but meaningful differences that distinguish iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. Hit me up via comments below or Twitter DM @myhandle with any other questions!