Display Technology
The displays on the iPhone 12 and 13 Pro showcase one of the most significant differences between the two phones.
The iPhone 12 sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with Super Retina XDR technology and a standard 60Hz refresh rate. This display delivers vibrant colors and excellent brightness up to 625 nits typical and 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR). It offers a great viewing experience for most users.
However, the iPhone 13 Pro steps things up with its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display enhanced by ProMotion technology. This allows adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz, enabling smoother scrolling, improved responsiveness, and more fluid visuals overall. The higher 120Hz refresh rate makes motions appear more seamless.
Additionally, the display on the 13 Pro matches the brightness figures of the iPhone 12 but adds more color accuracy. The contrast ratio has also been improved from 2,000,000:1 on iPhone 12 to 2,000,000:1 on the iPhone 13 Pro.
So while both phones have OLED panels with support for HDR content, the iPhone 13 Pro display clearly has the advantage. For users who value a silky smooth visual experience, it delivers better dynamics through ProMotion.
Processing Power and Performance
The next area where we see major differences emerge is the processing power.
The iPhone 12 is equipped with Apple‘s A14 Bionic processor, built on a 5nm process for improved efficiency. It has a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU which deliver substantial performance improvements over previous iPhone chipsets.
However, the iPhone 13 Pro features the latest A15 Bionic processor, offering further boosts over the A14 chip. It uses enhanced 5nm technology packing in over 15 billion transistors.
Specifically, the A15 CPU is 50% faster than leading competition while maintaining high power efficiency. The GPU is 30% quicker while using lower power.
Moreover, the A15 Bionic houses a 16-core Neural Engine capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second. This represents a huge leap over the 8-core Neural Engine in iPhone 12‘s A14 Bionic chip.
The improved neural engine significantly accelerates machine learning tasks which power features like Cinematic mode, live text in the Camera app, on-device dictation, and more.
Clearly, the A15 Bionic gives the iPhone 13 Pro a definitive edge when it comes to sheer processing capabilities. Along with the 120Hz ProMotion display, it contributes greatly to making daily usage and intensive tasks feel faster and more responsive.
Camera Upgrades in iPhone 13 Pro
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro both offer versatile and powerful camera systems that produce stunning photographs and videos. But thanks to upgrades in hardware and computational photography, the 13 Pro pulls ahead in certain areas.
The iPhone 12 already provides an excellent dual 12MP camera system with options like Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 and more for capturing crisp images in varied lighting. The optical image stabilization ensures smooth videos as well.
But the iPhone 13 Pro goes further with its Pro camera system, designed specifically with professionals and creative users in mind.
It adds a new 12MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom range, complementing the existing wide and ultra wide angle lenses. This provides a total 6x optical zoom range which isn‘t available in the iPhone 12.
Additional upgrades exclusive to iPhone 13 Pro include:
- Photographic Styles: personalize the look and feel of images in real-time preview
- Cinematic mode: beautifully shallow depth of field for videos with automatic focus changes
- Night mode on all three rear cameras for vastly improved low light shots
- ProRes video recording up to 4K 30 fps for increased editing flexibility
- Macro photography capabilities for detailed closeups
Clearly, the versatility, customizations and overall output quality see major improvements in the iPhone 13 Pro camera system. For photography and videography enthusiasts, it presents ample creative possibilities over the already great iPhone 12 cameras.
Battery Life
Battery performance is crucial for good smartphone user experience, and Apple has packed larger batteries in the iPhone 13 lineup.
The iPhone 12 offers very decent battery life, delivering up to 17 hours of video playback according to Apple. For moderate to heavy use, it can reliably last through a full day on one charge.
Comparatively, the battery capacity in iPhone 13 Pro combined with power efficiencies from the A15 Bionic chip add up to improved battery metrics.
Apple rates the iPhone 13 Pro for up to 22 hours of video playback which is nearly 30% longer runtime than the iPhone 12. This should easily translate to 1.5 days of use for many users between charges.
Moreover, both phones support fast charging to quickly top up when running low. But the iPhone 13 lineup brings the new capability to use MagSafe for accelerated wireless charging.
Overall, while the iPhone 12 battery life is perfectly adequate, the iPhone 13 Pro clearly takes it to the next level for people who are always on the go.
Storage Options
With greater sensor resolutions in modern phone cameras plus 4K videos and immersive apps, storage space keeps rising as an essential consideration.
Here the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro take diverging approaches.
The iPhone 12 offers internal storage options of:
- 64GB
- 128GB
- 256GB
That should suit many typical users well for capturing memories, installing favorite apps, saving music, and more.
But the iPhone 13 Pro pushes the storage capacities dramatically starting from 128GB going up to 1TB. The variants include:
- 128GB
- 256GB
- 512GB
- 1TB
This marks the first time a 1TB iPhone has been made available to users who deal with large photo libraries, hours of video footage, massive files for work, and essentially limitless content.
Having up to four times the maximum storage space compared to iPhone 12 gives pro users tremendous freedom. For all those times when storage feels tight, the 13 Pro alleviates those constraints entirely.
Premium Design and Build
When it comes to design and overall build quality, both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro represent classic Apple excellence. But a few subtle differences set them apart.
They both feature a durable surgical-grade stainless steel frame with matte-textured glass back, rated IP68 for dust and water resistance. This allows them to withstand being submerged underwater up to 6 meters for 30 minutes.
The flat-edge design first introduced with the iPhone 12 after years of curved edges also continues in the 13 Pro family. This industrial design with perfectly straight lines exudes understated elegance.
However, the iPhone 13 Pro stands out with a few incremental changes:
- Slightly thicker at 7.65 mm vs 7.4mm in iPhone 12 with matching increase in weight
- Smaller display notch which takes up less space on the screen
- New Sierra Blue color option alongside Silver, Graphite and Gold
Both models feel extremely premium, but these marginal changes make the iPhone 13 Pro look and feel subtly more luxurious.
Global 5G Connectivity
One of the major selling points for both iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro is support for 5G networks which deliver radically faster download and upload speeds compared to 4G LTE.
However, the iPhone 13 Pro offers superior worldwide 5G coverage thanks to support for additional bands. Specifically, it works with over 200 carriers in 60 countries and regions.
Beyond sub-6 GHz 5G which the iPhone 12 also supports, iPhone 13 Pro adds mmWave compatibility in the US.
This provides access to the fastest flavor of 5G, with real-world speeds crossing 1 Gbps in ideal conditions. And broader band support ensures good 5G performance international roaming as well.
So while both models provide massively improved connectivity speeds through 5G, the iPhone 13 Pro extends that capability more extensively across networks and locations.
Cost and Pricing
With its latest hardware and software capabilities, the iPhone 13 Pro commands a premium over the now older yet dependable iPhone 12. Their pricing across different models is summarized below:
iPhone 12
- 128GB: $729
- 256GB: $829
iPhone 13 Pro
- 128GB: $999
- 256GB: $1,099
- 512GB: $1,299
- 1TB: $1,499
There is a significant price jump from the iPhone 12 base model to the iPhone 13 Pro base variant with 128GB storage. The Pro pushes ever further into premium territory as storage scales up.
But that higher cost may be justifiable for some buyers depending on their use cases and budget flexibility for getting the latest iPhone technology.
Conclusion and Recommendation
To summarize, while both iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro share excellent displays, premium build and 5G connectivity, the 13 Pro leads unambiguously regarding performance, cameras, battery life and storage capacity.
The ProMotion screen with fluid 120Hz refresh rate keeps visuals buttery smooth during system navigation and gaming. Paired with the cutting-edge A15 Bionic providing faster speeds and greater power efficiency.
Moreover, iPhone 13 Pro clearly overshadows the already great iPhone 12 camera system with artistic styles, next-level Cinematic mode, ProRes video recording and macro photography capabilities.
These meaningful upgrades contribute to a comprehensive flagship experience that pushes boundaries. And the enhanced battery lifespan provides more hours of productivity and entertainment daily. Not to mention up to a whopping 1TB built-in storage on the higher-end configurations to satisfy virtually unlimited needs.
At the end of the day, while iPhone 12 retains plenty of appeal for budget-conscious buyers, the iPhone 13 Pro cements itself as Apple’s supreme smartphone for this generation.
For professionals, creative workers, gaming enthusiasts, or anyone desiring no-compromise excellence, the iPhone 13 Pro warrants its premium pricing through an undeniably superior feature set.
FAQs
Does the iPhone 13 Pro have a better display than iPhone 12?
Yes, the iPhone 13 Pro is equipped with ProMotion technology that enables a variable 120Hz refresh rate for smoother visuals and responsiveness. iPhone 12 maxes out at 60Hz.
What processor powers the iPhone 13 Pro compared to iPhone 12?
The latest A15 Bionic chip powers the 13 Pro with a 5-core GPU and 6-core CPU for radically improved performance over the A14 Bionic engine inside iPhone 12.
How much longer battery life does iPhone 13 Pro provide?
Apple rates iPhone 13 Pro battery for up to 22 hours video playback versus 17 hours on iPhone 12 thanks to a bigger battery and greater efficiency.
Can I get more storage on iPhone 13 Pro?
Yes, iPhone 13 Pro offers storage configurations up to an immense 1TB built-in. iPhone 12 tops out at 256GB.
Which iPhone model has better cameras?
The iPhone 13 Pro flaunts new capabilities like Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode, ProRes video, Night mode across all three cameras and more, giving it the edge.
