iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12: biggest differences expected so far

Rumors suggest that Apple will unveil four new iPhone 13 models in 2021, all improved versions of the existing ones. While design is expected to remain mostly the same across the range, the new models will bring better cameras, a faster processor and some will have a 120Hz ProMotion display technology. 

Price and release date

Mid-September launch event and late September launch for iPhone 13

The iPhone 12 was a bit of an exception with a delayed release due to the raging coronavirus pandemic, launching in late October, a full month behind Apple’s typical schedule. However, we expect the company to return back to its regular release calendar in 2021 and the iPhone 13 to launch in late September.

If we were to pin-point a date, history shows that an Apple event can be expected on Tuesday, September 14th, with an in-store release following on Friday, September 24th.

So far, there are no rumors suggesting Apple will change the pricing frame it has set with the iPhone 12: this would mean a baseline price of $800 for the iPhone 13 bought with a carrier plan, and an $830 price point for an unlocked version of the iPhone 13. We also don’t know what will happen to the iPhone 12 model once the newer iPhone 13 launches: Apple could either discount the older model by $100 and leave it available on its website, or it might completely discontinue the older model.

Cameras

Don’t get your hopes high for a telephoto camera on the iPhone 13, but expect to see an improved ultra-wide camera

The iPhone 13 is also expected to skip the telephoto lens and have a very similar camera performance to the iPhone 12. Rumors do point out, however, that Apple is planning slight improvements in 3 key areas:

With no telephoto lens, we expect the iPhone 13 will have the same poor zoom performance as the iPhone 12, which can only zoom up to 5X digitally in photos and 3X in video, a far cry from Android rivals.

We have also seen rumors about Apple introducing astrophotography modes in the camera (not very likely), as well as a portrait video mode (more likely).

LiDAR scanner on iPhone 13

While early rumors claimed the iPhone 13 will get a LiDAR scanner, more recent ones rule out this feature, which will likely remain reserved for the Pro lineup.

LiDAR stands for “light detection and ranging” and made its debut on the iPad Pro in April 2020. LiDAR technology is essentially a 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor. Part of the sensor emits light beams and as they bounce off of your surroundings, a different sensor measures the time it took for the light to bounce back from surfaces and uses that information to estimate a distance with a pretty good accuracy. Unlike Face ID which is optimized to scan your face, the LiDAR scanner shoots more dispersed light beams better optimized for scanning a whole room.

Performance and new Apple A15 chip

Apple makes its own A series of chips for iPhones and they have led the market in terms of performance in the past few years, and we only expect this lead to continue with the new Apple A15 Bionic processor.

The iPhone 13 is also expected to have the same 4GB of RAM as the iPhone 12. This is a bit less than the 6GB of RAM on Apple’s iPhone Pro series, and this difference in RAM is expected to remain a defining one between the non-Pro iPhone 13 and the Pro models in 2021. 

One area where the iPhone 13 will step things up from the iPhone 12 is connectivity with expanded support of mobile bands, but also Wi-Fi 6E support. This newer Wi-Fi standard delivers higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates, and it adds support for the 6GHz Wi-Fi band on top of the existing 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands that may be congested in dense urban areas.

Take a look at this nifty comparison between the Apple A14 and its closest rival in 2021, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.

And in gaming, we see that the Apple A14 also has the lead over Snapdragon 888:

So far, we don’t have any leaks about the performance characteristics of the Apple A15, but new rumors come in quite often and this article will be updated whenever new information about the A15 surfaces.

Battery and Charging

iPhone 13 battery capacity has leaked and it’s bigger than on the iPhone 12

The latest leaks suggest that the iPhone 13 will have a slightly thicker body that will accommodate a larger battery compared to the iPhone 12. The exact battery capacity for the iPhone 13 was revealed earlier:

Notice how the iPhone 13 is getting back to a bigger battery in what seems like this back and forth that Apple does, first releasing a phone with a ton of new features but a small battery, only to “fix” it in the next generation with a bigger battery.

On the charger front, Apple “innovated” by not including a charger or headphones in the iPhone 12, and we expect this to carry on with the iPhone 13. Apple paints this as an eco move, but you can easily also see this as a simple price-cutting manoeuvre. Whatever it is, plan on spending an additional $20-$30 bucks for a fast charger for the iPhone 13.

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12: Specs Comparison

And here is a detailed specs comparison between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12.

Keep in mind that the specs below are based on rumors, leaks and expectations, so they may change in the final device.