Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12 Comparison and Differences

Smartphone 1

Differences between Apple iPhone 13 and Apple iPhone 12 - Which to Choose?

Apple has introduced the new iPhone 13 smartphone model, which offers some innovations compared to the previous iPhone 12 model. In this post, we will explicitly look at the specifications of both devices to understand which is a better investment.

Appearance and size

As far as dimensions are concerned, the two models are almost identical. The iPhone 13 is slightly heavier, weighing in at 174 grams, while the iPhone 12 weighs 164 grams. The dimensions are 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm for the iPhone 13 and 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm for the iPhone 12.

In appearance, the two models are nearly identical in design, except for the bulky buttons on the right side of the iPhone 13, which are slightly smaller compared to last year's model.

Screen

The iPhone 13 provides some display improvements, such as the inclusion of HDR for Dolby Vision with 800 nits, and the maximum light can reach 1200 nits. This is an improvement over the 625 nits of the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 also provides functionality that can be used to achieve wireless charging. The iPhone 13's display is a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, identical to that of the iPhone 12.

Processor

Improvements to the iPhone 13's processor are further evidence of the new device's improved performance. The iPhone 13 has a 5-nanometer Apple A15 Bionic SoC, while the iPhone 12 offers an Apple A14 Bionic SoC. Apple claims that this new processor is 50% faster on the previous model.

Camera

This area hasn't changed much in the iPhone 13 over the iPhone 12. The lenses on the iPhone 13's main 12-megapixel camera have been retained, with the addition of a wider opening option. The second lens, the iPhone 13's camera, has a regular 12-megapixel angle that has also been improved over the iPhone 12.

Price

As a comparison, the iPhone 13 is available for 900 euros, while the price of the iPhone 12 is 880 euros.

Which one to choose? After reviewing the technical specifications of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, it is clear that the iPhone 13 is the more advanced model. It has some features, but most of them are not that important. If you want the latest and greatest, then the iPhone 13 is your device. But if you're content with the older model and looking for a low price, the iPhone 12 is a solid choice.

Apple iPhone 13 or Apple iPhone 12 Specs Comparison

Common specs

Brand and model	Apple iPhone 13	Apple iPhone 12
Rating	(+2)	(+0)
Release date	2021, September 14	2020, October 13
Dimensions (HxWxD)	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm \| 5.78 x 5.78 x 2.81 in	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm \| 5.78 x 5.78 x 2.81 in
Weight	174 g \| 6.14 oz	164 g \| 5.78 oz
Body Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame	Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame
Case	buy from Amazon	buy from Amazon
Colors	Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red	Black, White, Red, Green, Blue
Battery	3240 mAh, Li-Ion, non-removable	2815 mAh, Li-Ion, non-removable
Battery life	Stand by time - Up to 19 h (multimedia) Music play - Up to 75 h	Stand by time - Up to 17 h (multimedia) Music play - Up to 65 h
Approximate price	900 EUR	880 EUR
Check price	from Amazon	from Amazon

Screen

Technology	Super Retina XDR OLED	Super Retina XDR OLED
Touchscreen	capacitive touchscreen	capacitive touchscreen
Display colors	16M	16M
Screen size	6.1" in	6.1" in
Screen area	90.2 cm²	90.2 cm²
Screen format	19.5:9 (height:width)	19.5:9 (height:width)
Screen to body ratio	86.0%	86.0%
Screen resolution	1170 x 2532 px	1170 x 2532 px
Screen PPI /points per inch/	460 PPI	460 PPI
Screen protection	Scratch-resistant ceramic glass, oleophobic coating	Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
Other specs	- Wide color gamut -True-tone -HDR10 -Dolby Vision -800 nits (HBM) -1200 nits (peak)	- Dolby Vision -Wide color gamut -True-tone -HDR10 -625 nits (typ) -1200 nits (peak)
Screen protector	buy from Amazon	buy from Amazon

Camera and Video

Rear camera, main	12 MP, Dual	12 MP, Dual
Camera specs	-12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS -12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide)	-12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS -12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.6''
Functions	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Video	4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.	4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec.
DxOMark Main Score	130	122
DxOMark Photo	138	132
DxOMark Video	117	112
Front camera, selfie	12 MP, Dual	12 MP, Dual
Specifications	12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6'' SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)	12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6'' SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Functions	HDR	HDR
Video	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS	4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
DxOMark Selfie Score	99	98
DxOMark Photo	102	101
DxOMark Video	95	93

Performance

Operating system - OS	iOS 15	iOS 14.1
Chipset	- Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)	- Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
CPU	- Hexa-core (2x3.22 GHz Avalanche + 4xX.X GHz Blizzard)	- Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)
GPU	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
External memory	No	No
Internal memory	128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM	64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM

Benchmark

Antutu 10 Total	1238187	1070567
Antutu 10 CPU	317254	281737
Antutu 10 GPU	394639	326234
Antutu 10 Mem	218353	170150
Antutu 10 UX	317254	281737
Antutu 9 Total	826703
Antutu 8 Total		598478
GeekBench 6 Single Core	2190	1998
GeekBench 6 Multi Core	5189	4418
GeekBench 6 Metal	17405	15923
GeekBench 5 Single Core	1699	1580
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core	4499	3920

Communication and Connectivity

SIM card	Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)	Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) - for China
Network	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Bands	-2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) CDMA 800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - LTE -5G - Sub6/mmWave	-2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) - for China CDMA 800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2176 -5G - 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2176
Speed	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
GPRS	Yes	Yes
Edge	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC	Yes	Yes
USB	Lightning, USB 2.0	Lightning, USB 2.0
Bluetooth	5.0, A2DP, LE	5.0, A2DP, LE
Harmful irradiation	SAR - 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body)	SAR EU - 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body)

Music and Audio

Radio	No	No
Headphone jack	No	No
Others

Other features

Sensors	- Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	- Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Other extras	- Siri natural language commands and dictation -Ultra Wideband (UWB) support - Fast charging 23W, 50% in 30 min -USB Power Delivery 2.0 -MagSafe wireless charging 15W -Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W - IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) -Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)	- Siri natural language commands and dictation - Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min -USB Power Delivery 2.0 -Qi fast wireless charging 15W - IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) -Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)
Versions		- Versions: A2399 (International); A2176 (USA); A2398 (Canada, Japan); A2400 (China); A2399 (Hong Kong)