Apple today announced the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, the successor to last year’s iPhone 12 lineup. This year, the company has further focused on improving the camera performance of its non-Pro iPhones. The new iPhones look just like the old ones barring a few major changes from a design viewpoint.
iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13: Same Design, Smaller Notch
The iPhone 13 series now feature a 20 percent smaller notch up at the front. The devices retain the Ceramic Shield cover glass and IP68 certification. The rear camera design has also changed, with the lenses now placed diagonally. In almost all other design aspects, the iPhone 13 series is similar to the iPhone 12.
The Super Retina XDR panel on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini can now reach up to 800 nits of brightness, making it 28 percent brighter. The peak brightness while viewing HDR content can go as high as 1200 nits. Apple will offer the iPhone 13 series in five colors: Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Product(Red).
A15 Bionic
The iPhone 13 series is powered by a 5nm A15 Bionic chip, which is up to 50 percent faster than the competition. This is still a 6-core CPU packing four high-performance cores and two efficiency cores. The 4-core GPU brings about a 30 percent boost in performance.
The 16-core Neural Engine can now process up to 15.8 trillion operations per second, thereby bringing a notable boost in AI and ML tasks.
Better 5G Experience
The iPhone 13 series support more 5G bands than before, allowing for better and wider 5G coverage. By the end of 2021, Apple claims that over 200 carriers in over 60 countries will support 5G on the iPhone.
Improved Cameras
The iPhone 13 series feature a primary new 12MP camera sensor with large 1.7-micron pixels and f/1.6 aperture. This allows the sensor to capture 50 percent more light. Additionally, Apple is also bringing sensor-shift stabilization — as first seen on the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year — to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini.
Apple is using a faster new sensor for the 12MP ultra-wide camera. However, its aperture (f/2.4) remains the same as before. The iPhone 13 Pro series get better ultra-wide cameras that can take in more light.
On the video front, the iPhone 13 series bring Cinematic Video to the table. This is basically Portrait mode but for video. This means the subject will be in focus, with the background partially blurred. You can also switch focus between subjects in real-time with a smooth transition. Apple is also bringing Night mode support for all cameras with the iPhone 13 series, including Night mode for Time-lapse videos.
Like the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 13 series can also record videos in Dolby Vision HDR, though this time, you can do so in up to 4K 60fps. Apple is also debuting new Photographic Styles, which allows you to edit the photo in real-time as per your liking.
Longer Battery Life
Despite a faster A15 Bionic chip, a faster 5G chip, and a brighter display, Apple claims the iPhone 13 series will offer better battery life than previous iPhones. The company claims the iPhone 13 mini will offer 1.5 hours longer battery life than iPhone 12 mini, while this number jumps to 2.5 hours for the iPhone 13.
iPhone 13 Price and Availability
The iPhone 13 mini will start from $699, while the iPhone 13 will start from $799. This is despite Apple bumping the base storage to 128GB and adding a new 512GB storage tier. You can find the complete details on the price, launch date, and availability of the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 here.
