iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13: Which should you buy in 2022?
Even though the iPhone 13 has been on the market for about six months and has been a huge hit, there are several situations in which you might choose to remain with your current iPhone or purchase an iPhone 12 instead of an iPhone 13. Check out the comparison of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 below for more information on their differences and features.
We particularly compare the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and 6.1-inch iPhone 13 in this comparison. The iPhone 12 small, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 13 Pro Max share many features in common, but they also differ significantly in several important ways.
Price
The starting price of the iPhone 12 is initially $100 less than the starting price of the iPhone 13, but that is just before storage space is taken into account. Starting storage for both iPhone 12 models is 64GB, which was a lot of space a few years ago. You can reach that storage limit sooner than you anticipate now that applications are growing bigger and cameras are producing images and movies with much more resolution, especially if you take a lot of pictures and videos. Apple has reduced the cost of prior iPhone models in light of the release of the iPhone 14 series. Retail prices for the iPhone 13 start at $729 for 128GB. When compared to a 128GB iPhone 12, which starts at $679, there is just a $50 difference in pricing.
The iPhone 13 offers a lot for that $50, as we’ll discuss in more detail in later parts. However, the iPhone 12 is cheaper and still has most of the capabilities of the iPhone 13 if all you want is a 5G iPhone and you don’t plan to put a lot of applications on it.
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13: Display
The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 employs OLED technology and has a resolution of 2532 x 1770. In terms of pixels per inch, this is 460. However, the iPhone 13 has one improvement over the iPhone 12: the display’s maximum brightness has increased to 800 nits from 625 nits. Due to HDR’s widespread support, the screens’ true maximum brightness is the same at 1200 nits.
Notably, neither the iPhone 12 nor the iPhone 13 have a ProMotion display, unlike the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. You will receive a 60Hz refresh rate instead.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro’s additional display characteristics include:
- Contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1
- False-color display
- wide color spectrum (P3)
- haptic contact
- HDR viewing
Performance
The iPhone 13 has the newest and most potent A15 Bionic chip inside, whereas the iPhone 12 is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset. There is 4GB of RAM in both smartphones.
The 6-core CPUs of the A14 Bionic and A15 Bionic chips each include two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Both also have a 16-core Neural Engine and a 4-core GPU. Even though Apple has been mum on how much quicker the A15 Bionic is than the A14 Bionic, GeekBench findings indicate a little increase in CPU performance year over year.
Battery life
The anticipated battery life of the iPhone 13 is 2.5 hours longer than that of the iPhone 12, while the expected battery life of the 13 Mini is 1.5 hours more than that of the 12 Mini. In his review of the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini for CNET, editor Patrick Holland observes that both devices can easily last a day on a single charge. This was noteworthy because his own iPhone 12 Mini often needs a recharge at 3 p.m. to last the whole day.
A15 Bionic vs. A14 Bionic
The A14 Bionic and A15 Bionic CPUs will likely manage your FaceTime conversations, texts, applications, games, and streaming movies with little to no noticeable difference for the majority of tasks. The A14 Bionic-powered iPhone 12 will make the vast majority of people content.
The A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 13 could, however, be built to operate with Apple’s next hardware and software. According to reports, Apple is developing virtual reality and augmented reality headgear that may employ the iPhone 13 and the next iPhone models as a host device.
The iPhone 13’s processor makes it possible to film videos in Cinematic mode, which is the primary present difference. The phone may focus on some subjects automatically as they enter the frame and unfocus on others in this mode, giving your recordings a movie-like appearance. If you want greater control over who is in focus, these videos may also be modified after they have been recorded.
Connectivity
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 both feature 5G networking capabilities. This enables “superfast downloading and high-quality streaming,” according to Apple. This includes compatibility for sub-6GHz 5G in the United States and other nations, as well as mmWave 5G connection in the US.
On the bottom of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, there is a Lightning connector, while the rear of both models supports MagSafe connectivity. Additionally, while utilizing a MagSafe wireless charger, 7.5W Qi wireless charging and 15W wireless charging are supported.
Cameras
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 both have the same camera specifications. The front- and back-facing cameras on both phones have 12-megapixel sensors. However, those details don’t fully describe the variations in picture processing between the phones.
The wide-angle camera on the iPhone 13 now has a bigger sensor and sensor-based stabilization thanks to the revised camera configuration. This bigger sensor is made possible by the iPhone 13’s cameras’ redesigned diagonal configuration, while the new sensor for the ultrawide camera aids in capturing more light. The iPhone 13’s software now contains Photographic Styles, which lets you alter how your camera processes images. Unlike Instagram filters, these styles take into account the subject of your shot and apply the appropriate style.